Year: 2005
December 30, 2005
INTRODUCTION
The title of this article is controversial … the truth often is.
In my effort to reveal (what I consider to be) a huge disservice to the web design world, I continue to hammer home the fact that the web standards movement has gone too far – it has promoted bad practices and bad web design.
WEB STANDARDS ARE GOOD … WHEN USED AT THE RIGHT TIME.
Before I go on, I want to stress that I believe web standards are a good thing – it makes sense that browser makers agree on how things should work … it makes web design and web application development much easier and cheaper
That said, let’s try to remember that web design is not a mathematical equation to be balanced (or validated,) it is about creating effective websites that work today!
A LITTLE BACKGROUND.
I was building websites in 1994 back when the W3C was formed. For those of you who may not know, the W3C is an organization put together to define the specifications for web technologies like:
The web standards were created for browser manufacturers to implement and not for web designers. Well … at least not until the browser makers can get their act together and properly support the web standards.
It makes no sense for web designers to try and force web standards based code to work in browsers that don’t support web standards properly.
WEB STANDARDS-CART BEFORE THE BROWSER-HORSE
Those who lead the web standards movement, must have forgotten the wise old proverb: ‘Don’t put the cart before the horse.’
In the context of web design, this means that you shouldn’t try to use technology/techniques and code that is NOT YET supported in the majority of browsers being used. Unfortunately, the web standards movement has done just that, and now there is a cost a lot of people are paying.
THE COST OF ZEALOUS ADHEARENCE TO WEB STANDARDS
In a reality where (currently supported) CSS is not well suited for page-level layouts and buggy/inconsistent implementation between the major browsers (Internet Explorer FireFox,) are a fact of life, designing web sites following the now popular web standard zealot practices, has wasted countless hours for no real benefit.
Consider these facts:
- CSS for layout is not intuitive at all. Since when is: ‘margin:0px auto’ intuitive for creating center aligned layout.
- CSS is buggy and inconsistent between browsers.
- The only true advantage of CSS based layouts is the separation of structure from formatting. This translates into the cross-device compatibility. A questionable need for most websites at this time …
CSS code for page layout stinks in terms of intuitiveness … it is the worst technology for page or user interface layout I’ve ever seen. Anyone who has designed screens with Java or VB knows this. Actually, anyone who has used HTML tables for page layout knows this!
For example:
Creating a center aligned fixed or fluid layout, where the height expands perfectly in all browsers (without the need for hacks) is trivial and intuitive with an HTML table. With CSS, it is a tricky thing that requires hacks.
In fact, a whole culture of ‘hackery’ has developed because of this flaw in the thinking of the web standards zealots – the foolish practice of ‘putting the cart before the horse.’
TROUBLE WITH CSS HACKS
Because of the aforementioned problems with CSS and the browser bugs, hacks have been created to shoe-horn web standards based web sites into working with the browsers. At first glance the hacks seem like a viable solution … but they aren’t.
In fact, hacks should be avoided because CSS hacks rely on ‘broken’ aspects of browsers … things that can get fixed. Any programmer (with just a little experience) knows that basing your work on a broken technology is a recipe for disaster … because things get fixed.
THE DISASTER HAS OCCURED – IE7 WILL BREAK MANY WEBSITES THAT USE THE PROMOTED HACKS
One of the major arguments the web standards movement has used to convince people to ignore reality (the reality that CSS based layouts suck in many ways,) is the famous (infamous) forward-compatibility argument.
The myth of forward compatibility in a nutshell: if you build your sites to standards, they are guaranteed to work in the future.
As it turns out, the first time this argument was put to the test (IE7) it failed miserably. IE7 will be web standards compliant – so much so in fact, that many commonly used CSS hacks will break in IE7, forcing many well meaning web designers to have to go back and change their code – who’s going to pay for that time?
Some web standards zealots might argue that hacks are not ‘really’ promoted by the movement … this simply not true. Every web standards book, every web standards guru mentions, uses and promotes hacks. It too bad, since many web design books published in the last 3 years will have to be trashed since they teach techniques that will break in IE7.
THE SOLUTION
The key to this whole mess is found in common sense and a little experience:
Don’t leverage specifications until they are supported in the browsers.
Ok, how about making things work in both IE and Mozilla based browsers? The best solution is to use IE conditional comments. This is one example where thinking outside the web standards box makes perfect sense.
Stefan Mischook (a.k.a.: the web design heretic)
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October 31, 2005
Podcasting Hacks is a very good book for both beginners and experts.
A few points:
The books is organised into a series of tips that the book calls ‘hacks’. Each hack is cross-referenced with other relevant hacks and the information is presented in a no-nonsense way … the author gets to the point quickly. Makes for a great reference book.
Everything you need to know about podcasting is covered:
- Tips for those just starting out.
- How to get good sound: choosing hardware, on speaking well, on reducing room noice and more.
- Tips on editing – again addressing both the tools (software) and the process / techniques.
- Instructions on publishing your podcast (blogging,) and even on monetizing your podcast.
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September 29, 2005
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WHAT IS AJAX?
What?! You don’t know? And you call yourself a nerd…
AJAX is short for: ‘Asynchronous JavaScript and XML’. AJAX is a combination of technologies that have been around for years.
- HTML/XHTML
- CSS
- DOM
- JavaScript
- XMLHttpRequest object to exchange data asynchro
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From Wikipedia:
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or Ajax, is a web development technique for creating interactive web applications.
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February 28, 2005
In this article, I will look at some of the misleading arguments used to promote Web Standards.
Before I jump into this, I would like to point out a few things:
- The Web Standards are a good thing since it can make life easier for web designers.
- Theory should not trump practicality. As such, many of my arguments are based on practical considerations.
– –
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February 26, 2005
The term bait and switch has a slightly negative connotation, but I use it anyway because it sounds good …
For small and medium sized web design projects, clients will typically want a final price for the project – it’s rare that they will let you work on a per-hour basis. Strangely enough though, clients will ask what you charge by the hour …
This is where this tactic comes in handy; the idea is to give them a per hour rate that sounds good … make them feel as though they are getting a special price. If what you charge per hour actually does sound good, then this tactic is not useful for you.
On the other hand, if you’re a cracker-jack designer, who charges more per hour because your work is that much better, or because you’re just faster at what you do, then bait-and-switch is what you need.
In a nutshell: it comes down to how many hours you actually work. Your clients will have no idea how long it will take you to complete the task! So if your rate is normally $50/hour (and $25/hour is the price that makes your client happy,) and you estimate the job will take you 10 hours. You can tell your clients that the job will take 20 hours at only $25/hour. This way, you’re able to give a more competitive per hour rate , while still making the money you want for the job.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, the bait and switch tactic I teach, is not about ripping off your clients – you MUST provide good value. Instead it just about framing your pitch.
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February 26, 2005
In the business of web design, keeping the client happy is the most important thing you can do. Reducing expectations is an old marketing trick that helps us with this goal.
THE 3 STRATEGIES OF REDUCED EXPECTATIONS
1. THE BONUS FEATURES
If your project consisted of say a 10 page website with minimal static graphics; maybe adding a tasteful Flash animation in place of a static image might put a smile on your client’s face. Whatever you provide, it is important that you bring it into the mix after you’ve settled on a price and features – the key is creating that perception of a free bonus.
I used to say something like:
"I was finishing up the site, and I thought that a nice Flash animation would be really effective for your website, so I created something for you. Don’t worry though, I was able to fit it in budget."
The trick is that from the beginning, I already accounted for this extra feature, but just didn’t mention it to my client! So in essence, I created a lowered expectation from the start so that I could ‘in the last minute’, come up with something extra. 😉
2. THE UNEXPECTED SAVINGS
You can apply this same principle with billing: quote higher than what you need and when the project is done, come back with an ‘unexpected discount’.
3. THE QUICK TURNAROUND
Another way to use this principle is with delivery dates. Tell your client it will take three weeks, when you actually know it will take two. Doing this will give you a buffer, just in case something goes wrong or (hopefully,) you can deliver the website that much quicker, impressing your clients.
CONCLUSION
How you use this strategy depends on the project, client and your experience. With time, you will see the pattern where you will lower expectations in the beginning, so you can impress them at some future point. Doing this will help insure a long term relationship with your clients.
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February 24, 2005
People have gone a little ‘cucu for coco-pops’ when it comes to the Web Standards.
The Web Standards zealots have taken a specification (that was created to serve as a guide for browser manufactures,) and made it into a set of ‘holy commandments’ for web designers.
This ‘movement’, that is largely based on false and erroneous claims; claims that have caused counted countless wasted hours, and has brought many web designers to tears … and all for little to no practical benefit.
The Web Standards are a great thing … it is the Web Standards movement that has gone way to far – and to the benefit of who I wonder?
– –
This is just the first in a series of articles that will reveal the truth about this mess.
I will challenge (and disprove) the (supposed) advantages of zealous adherence to the Web Standards.
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February 23, 2005
Killersites.com’s central philosophy is based in real-world web design principles. Real-world web design is about being able to filter out the ‘garbage’, while concentrating on what really works.
– –
In the web design and programming world, it is common for people to get caught up with trends that actually get in the way of our work. Many times the source of these ‘trends’ is found with people who are looking to make a profit.
I’ve been burnt in the past (and on more than one occasion,) by getting caught up with ‘the next greatest thing’. I’ve put together a list of the top 7 principles of Real-World web design, with the goal of helping people avoid common pitfalls.
THE PRINCIPLES OF REAL-WORLD WEB DESIGN
- Keep your eye on the prize: your job is to build effective websites, not to waste time on nerd-details that have no pratical impact.
- Don’t reinvent the wheel: use website templates, blogs and CMS (content management systems.)
- Don’t be ruled by ivory-tower specifications: pay attention to the reality in the field!
- Beware of upcoming technologies: ‘the next big thing’ is usually a one-hit-wonder.
- Respect your REAL audience: People surf the web with browsers – not website validators!
- Stick to: mainstream technologies and tools – avoid the weird stuff.
- Remember: most people don’t care what browser they’re using.
Stefan Mischook
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February 23, 2005
Given the recent IE7 development, where many commonly used CSS hacks will now break many websites in the future (forward compatibility myth destroyed …) because (ironically) IE7 will be Web Standards compliant.
Many CSS books will have to be pulled from the shelves given a liberal use of hackery in many titles including:
* Eric Meyer on CSS
* More Eric Meyer on CSS
* The Zen of CSS design
* 250 HTML and Web Design Secrets
* Web Standards Solutions
* Designing with Web Standards
All these books (and several more,) make use of hacks and as such are outdated.
BTW: many of the titles are well written and have some good information in them (I’ve read them all and given several of them positive reviews … overall,) but nonetheless, the aforementioned flaws make these titles land mines for the unsuspecting web designer.
False prophets be gone.
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February 23, 2005
As the title suggest, this books teaches modern DOM scripting techniques.
What is DOM scripting?
DOM scripting is using JavaScript, CSS and the DOM to manipulate what is displayed in a web page. The ‘DOM’ is the acronym for:
Document Object Model
This essentially is just a ‘map’ of a web page’s structure – roughly speaking.
You can do all kinds of cool things with the DOM (with the help of JavaScript,) … for example:
- Create dynamic menu’s.
- Show/hide parts of the page based on a mouse click or any other user action.
- Connect to the server in the background and load new content into the page without having to refresh the page – commonly called AJAX these days.
- Add new HTML or CSS to the page, on-the-fly.
What you need to know to read this book:
You need to be comfortable with HTML and CSS but you probably can get by without any programming experience. I say ‘probably’ because there are some points at the beginning where the basics MAY be a little unclear for some.
Should you get this book?
The book is very good and worth getting. The author has a clear and concise way of presenting the subject and I really enjoyed the read … not boring at all.
Unlike many JavaScript books out there, ‘Dom Scripting’ does a great job in presenting modern methods that include:
- Keeping behaviour separate from structure – Java nerds would call these ‘listeners’.
- How to use JavaScript in such a way that it degrades gracefully and is accessible.
Final comments:
While learning the concepts of DOM scripting, you will gain a much greater understanding of the ‘framework’ of a web page … you will begin to understand things about HTML/XHTML and CSS that you could not otherwise.
So even you are not too keen on actually doing any DOM scripting, I still highly recommend this book for these reasons.
–
Stefan Mischook
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