I was wondering about the difference between include_once and require_once the manual says:
The require_once() statement replaces itself with the specified file
The include_once() statement includes and evaluates the specified file
So, what is the difference? Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re a Wordpress user or just like visiting my blog, you’ve probably heard that Wordpress 2.0 is being released today (December 26th). Problogger has a list of 10 Things You Should Know about WordPress 2.0. Go get the new Wordpress or start your own!
Need some hot navigational menues? Check out ExplodingBoy incredible creations - he has a great eye for colour and conceptual layout. These menues are a must for designer’s block.
To-do’s & Not-to-do’s for you next venture — in summary:
1. Avoid categorization where possible (To-do)
2. Do not be over optimistic (Not-to-do)
3. Take calculated risks (To-do)
4. Do not overspend (To-do)
5. Listen to your users/Seek opinion & feedback/Be proactive (To-do)
6. Perform usablity studies (To-do)
7. Research your market and nail down the requirements (To-do)
8. Do not over-do (To-do)
9. More talk(marketing) & less walk(development) (Not-to-do)
10. Keep it(a product/service) simple and yet configurable (To-do)
11. Don’t give up on your dreams (To-do)
12. Learn from mistakes (To-do)
13. Ignore profitablity plan/exit criteria (Not-to-do)
14. Bootstrap if possible (to-do)
15. Develop a brand (to-do)
One in 10 UK websites fail to work properly on the open source Firefox web browser, a study shows. The article states that this is largely because web developers are used to testing their sites just using IE rather than so-called standards-compliant browsers, which only use code ratified by the World Wide Web consortium. “Companies who value their brand need to address browser issues immediately,” said Mr Jones. Web developers who create code around the web standards recommended by the World Wide Web stand to gain more than just friends among the alternative browser community.
Firefox is proving popular because, at the moment, it has far fewer security holes than Internet Explorer and has some innovations lacking in Microsoft’s program.
Onward to unboycott the other browser.
Since the CSS Reboot this fall designs have started moving back towards earthy tones and incorporating nature in the layouts (such as animals, landscapes… especially fruit). Signal vs Noise released a post on biomimicry of designs with natural elements. So being the curious one that I am, I looked at Nature’s Design Workshop where Janine Benyus, cofounder of the Biomimicry Guild, says:
If you have a design problem, nature’s probably solved it already. After all, it’s had 3.8 billion years to come up with solutions…The truth is, natural organisms have managed to do everything we want to do without guzzling fossil fuels, polluting the planet or mortgaging the future.
The comments sparked from all these discussions have prompted my thinking on optimized redesigns and how many redesigns will ultimately fail because they are implementing new technology over improved design by market selection. Brad in the comments on SvN cleared this up by stating:
Just as natural selection can both promote the retention of optimal designs (e.g., cockroaches have looked the same way for millions of years because they’re optimally designed, there’s no reason for their design to change) and promote changes in design that are not yet optimal (e.g., evolution and the emergence of new species), the marketplace exerts “selection pressures†on design. Maybe there’s more we can learn from designs that are already optimized (e.g., the mousetrap, the pencil) and not waste time trying to improve them, while closely monitoring market selection as a way to fine-tune and optimize designs that don’t quite work yet.
I believe that ultimately, the goal is not just to mimic nature’s designs, but her production methods as well. Not focusing on the redesign as the method of success rather the shift of opperations to improve method of business. Hmm lets not look at Gap.com.
Pickr is a small demonstration of javascript’s ability to leverage server-side libraries using XMLHttpRequest. In this case the client-side script is making use of the GD library on the server side. The co-ordinates of the on-click are generated by working out the offset of the image in relation to the viewport. These co-ordinates are then sent to a PHP script (via XMLHttpRequest) which returns the RGB value of the pixel using the GD graphics library. Subsequently the “holder’s” background color is changed to match the value of that pixel.
This is an awesome concept - one suggestion I’d love to see is a method to display either a list of the codes selected or next to each icon as they are selected - some way to quickly grab the codes for a photoshop swatch. And I can’t wait to see the source code once the download section is released. Post ya’lls comments on this great addition and lets see what happens.