- All Topics:
- apps
- css
- dashboard
- games
- javascript
- php
- tehcl
- textmate
- tools
- video
- published:
- 2009.04.20
Chris McMillan wrote to me with a good question that I've gotten before, and he agreed to let me share it:
Zach, as someone who I would consider an expert, I'm interested in your opinion. I'm a big fan of Nettuts. What language would you recommend I learn for web development. I would like to develop web 2.0 ish stuff, great sites, learn good coding habits and ultimately be able to make some money doing it. I've bounced between C#, Python, Ruby and Php.
What are your thoughts?
I can definitely remember just getting started out with web development, and I like to hear myself talk (heh), so I'm quite happy to give some advice here. Also, I've been thinking a lot lately about the state of web developer education. There's not a lot out there in terms of formal education, so everybody is left to try to figure out what online advice is good and what advice is bad. If you're just starting out, that isn't so easy to do.
- updated:
- 2009.04.07
- published:
- 2009.03.30
Update #2: Here are the slides from my April 6, 2009 presentation:
Update #1 (April 6, 2009): Here are my three goals for my presentation:
- Share some examples of ways common web user interfaces (UI) can be standardized.
- Discuss how user interface standardization benefits users and developers.
- Raise awareness and support for web user interface guidelines.
I've put a couple draft posts for my blog here on hold as I work on my presentation for MinneWebCon 2009, held April 6, 2009 in St. Paul on the University of Minnesota campus. In 2008 I had the pleasure of speaking at the first MinneWebCon about the Business Benefits of Semantic HTML, and I'm very happy to have the opportunity to speak again this year. Here is a description of my topic, titled "Standardizing Web User Interfaces":
Standardizing Web User Interfaces
Modern desktop and mobile platforms come with Human Interface Guidelines that outline for developers how to build applications that function consistent with user expectations. In this session, Zach will discuss how developing a standard UI model and functionality guidelines for your organization's web forms and applications will benefit you and your users. Use these guidelines to consistently maintain user expectations, usability, and accessibility when building your web sites or using techniques and tools like AJAX, Yahoo User Interfaces, or jQuery UI.
There are going to be a ton of really great sessions and speakers this year, including my friend and colleague Paul Armstrong. There is limited space available, so register online today, and I will see you there! Now back to tweaking my presentation…
- published:
- 2009.04.06
The follow documents are great resources for understanding HIGs or starting your own:
- published:
- 2009.03.22
- topics:
- games
- javascript
When my friend Jesse moved out to California, I made him a little venturing-west game (in the loose sense of the word "game") as a safe journey gift. He was just in town visiting for the last week, which reminded me of the game so I thought I'd post it. The game is built with JavaScript, and I did the graphics except for the flying manatee, which was done by Kamran.
To play, use your right and left arrow keys to move the Viking Jesse and blow up as many flying Manatees as you can. Click the image below to start.
- updated:
- 2009.03.13
- published:
- 2009.03.11
- topics:
- css
- javascript
- tools
One of the things I've been spending quite a bit of time on lately has been my new project: rotate3Di, an effect plugin for jQuery. This plugin enables "3D" isometric perspective rotation and animation via CSS transformations. I'm happy to announce the release of version 0.9 today.
This plugin is somewhat ahead of its time. Not in the sense that I am any sort of visionary, but in the fact that I didn't wait for Firefox 3.1 to be in wide use. Because I've chosen to use native CSS transformations to produce the visual effect, you will currently only see the "3D" perspective using WebKit/Safari or Firefox 3.1 beta.
Firefox 3.0 and Internet Explorer are not presently supported, but it does seem within the realm of possibility using SVG and proprietary IE CSS Filters. Though, having gone down this road in IE once before, I will say the behavior is quite different due to element clipping/resizing, a different transform origin, and speed issues.
When the true full 3D perspective transformations move from iPhone Mobile Safari into the desktop WebKit/Safari, I will introduce support for those effects into this plugin as well.
Basic usage of this plugin is very similar to the jQuery animate() method. A usage example and more on what I learned from this project, including jQuery's custom animation system, after the jump.