Hi,
I’ve been slow to update my personal blog lately, because of all the work we’ve been doing on killersites. But, that hasn’t stopped us from releasing a bunch of new videos!
You can find our latest free video video tutorials on Dreamweaver CS5, basic web design, Photoshop, PHP and much more in the killersites web design magazine.
Thanks for stopping by the site.
Stefan Mischook
This is a question I often get from people:
I would like to know if your tutorials are specifically designed to be compatible with only adobe software suites or are they also compatible with other free software alternatives for example gimp.
My Answer:
All of our videos are 100% compatible with the free alternatives out there because these programs all work in the same way.
… It’s like learning to drive a car, once you know how to drive a Ford, you can also drive a BMW.
So we teach with the industry mainstays like Dreamweaver and Photoshop (where you can practice with the free 30 day trials) … but the principles are the same on the Gimp (in the case of Photoshop) or with any other web design software, in the case of Dreamweaver.
Our main course for teaching web design though, does not use anything more than notepad (on PC) or TextEdit on Mac for many of the modules in the package. Off the top of my head, the following modules are some that use a simple text editor to teach:
– Beginners Web Design – HTML and CSS.
– Beginners PHP
– Beginners Javascript
– CSS Layouts and Lists
BTW, if you really want to learn web design, this is the package for you:
http://www.killervideostore.com/video-courses/complete-web-designer.php
I hope that helps,
Stefan
Hi,
I am happy to announce that we are finally launching our brand spanking new affiliate program that allows you to start selling our growing collection of video tutorials.
Some details:
I will be releasing more details and a few videos over the next few days. In the meantime, you are welcome to join up now:
http://affiliate.killervideostore.com/
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
killersites.com Inc.
A few months ago, I warned web designers against rushing into new technologies before their time. I was talking about HTML 5 and CSS 3 and how for the typical web browser, they would not be widely adopted for years.
Things change …
But now, just a few months later, with the crazy success of the iPad and iPhone along with the growing buzz for the soon to be released Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet (among many others), it has become clear to me that web designers need to start looking in this … especially if you are thinking about the mobile Web.
So in response to this (and demand from people) we released a video course on the most important aspects of HTML 5 and CSS 3. Some of the topics we cover include:
* XHTML and HTML5 Compared
* Looking at HTML5 Tags
* CSS3 Gradients
* Page Layout With HTML5
* Floats, Sidebars, and Overrides
* Working With Fonts
* Advanced Backgrounds
* Video
* Introducing The Canvas Tag
* Visualizing Data With Canvas
Thanks for reading.
Stefan Mischook
killersites.com
Hi,
I recently got this email asking about the Complete Web Designer training package:
Hi Estefan,
Today I came across your website and liked what I saw, so my question is:
In order for me to complete web programmer and designer, what softwares do I need to buy. And how many different videos should I purchase from Killer site.
Please advise.
Regards.
Reza
My answer:
Hi Reza,
To answer your questions:
1. “In order for me to complete web programmer and designer, what softwares do I need to buy.”
None. We do teach you Dreamweaver and Photoshop, but you don’t need to use these programs in web design – many professional web designers don’t, as there are many free and cheap alternatives.
That said, all these programs work pretty much the same; so if you learn one web design program, it will be really easy to move to another … say, one of the free alternatives.
2. “And how many different videos should I purchase from Killer site.”
If you get the Complete Web Designer and Complete Web Programmer, you will have every video you’ll need to learn to become a professional web designer and programmer.
I hope that helps,
Stefan
Hi,
Once in a while, it can be fun to look at the deeper meaning of the technologies behind web design. So let’s start with the most basic: what exactly is HTML?
HTML is short for:
Hyper Text Markup Language.
In a nutshell: HTML is a written language used to mark-up a page. Think of marking-up like placing markers on a field. These markers give instruction to people who understand what the markers mean. In the case of web design, replace ‘makers’ with tags, a web page for a field and people with web browsers – like Internet Explorer or Firefox. To summarize:
markers = html tags/text
field = web page
people who read markers = web browsers
.. Confused? Then check out this screencast on basic web design.
What’s ‘Hyper’ in the Text?
I recently discovered that many a web designer and programmer may not really know that in HTML, hyper text is a reference to the links – links are the ‘hyper text’ in the markup language. The text in a web page that is turned into a link, is made ‘hyper’ because when you click on it, the web browser takes you to another page, or downloads a file etc … It’s kinda hyper active, like a 5 year old who’s had too much sugar.
There are other markup languages that predate HTML btw, languages like SGML. In fact, SGML is the father/mother of HTML.
Now you can impress your next date with this information. That’s all for now.
Stefan Mischook.
www.killersites.com
Big news for web developers today, Apple has backed off on it’s blocking of Adobe Flash generated applications from running on iPad and iPhone devices:
Apple has opened up the App Store review process, dropping its harsh restrictions on the tools developers are allowed to use and at the same time actually publishing the App Store Review Guidelines — a previously secret set of rules that governed whether or not your app would be approved.
Apple did not specifically mention Adobe — though investors drove up shares of the company up 12 percent on the news — but the changes seem to mean that you can use Flash to develop your apps, and then compile them to work on the iPhone and iPad with a tool called Adobe Packager. This could be boon to publishers, including Condé Nast, owner of Wired, which use Adobe’s Creative Suite to make print magazines and would now be able to easily convert them into digital version instead of re-creating them from scratch in the only handful of coding languages Apple had allowed.
Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/09/apple-lifts-app-store-flash-ban-publishes-app-review-rules/#ixzz0z3kq21c4
I am SURE that Android’s surging market share played a major role in this. Apple probably remembered how they got killed by Windows back in the day, in large part by making it hard for programmers to create applications for Mac.
Competition is a good thing.
… Now if we can stop the service providers from trying to create a two-tiered Internet.
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
Hi,
In this short video, I give a little background about Killersites.com … my roots and philosophy are explained and how they impact the videos and articles that we produce.
The video:
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
Hi,
Some of my best posts (at least IMHO) are derived from questions put to me by students and visitors to one of our ‘killer’ sites.
😉
So, this time around, I have a great question from an old school Oracle developer who wants to get into the web game:
Hi Stefan,
Speaking for myself, I’m a former Oracle application and database developer (10 yrs exp) who’s looking to transition to freelance web design/development, and will likely become a subscriber to KillerSites University in short order.
My question for you is this: would I need to shell out for Dreamweaver in order to derive maximum benefit from the site’s video tutorials (HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP/mySQL)? Or, could I get by using a combination of free tools, such as Amaya w/TopStyle Lite?
Also, how crucial is the graphics component of web design for someone who wishes to become a web developer (ultimate emphasis on the programming side)? My artistic and spatial skills are rather limited, to put it mildly (thought modality is decidedly more verbal than visual)?
Thank you for your help.
Nick
The answer:
Hi Nick,
Dreamweaver is just an option. We use Dreamweaver to teach web design software, because it is the most widely used commercial package out there … and besides, the concepts carry forward to most other web design programs.
… But keep in mind and as you are probably aware, many web designers will use a simple text editor for much of their work.
🙂
How about designer/graphics skills?
Graphics are not necessarily important because you can leverage the many templates that are out there. Besides, if you follow a few basic design principles, you can make a simple page look good.
The truth of the matter is that still today, it is the coder/programmer who makes the big money and gets many more jobs than the average designer. The exception of course, is if you are a talented designer – then you’ll do very well too.
These two training packages are probably what you are looking for:
This recent blog post might be interesting for you as well:
starting-a-web-design-business-two-questions
PS: do you mind if I use part of your email in a blog post? The questions are good ..
Thanks,
Stefan
Hi,
I recently got an email from someone asking about the skills needed to start a web design business:
1. Is it essential to know how to build DATABASE DRIVEN WEB PAGES to become a web designer?
2. Can I start my own simple web designing business without it?
My answer:
Hi,
You can build a web design business without web programming skills … but it will be harder. That said, learning basic PHP and Javascript will make building your business much easier. Think about it, just about every website out there needs some Javascript and PHP functionality.
Also take into consideration that knowing how to program will allow you to get more jobs and charge more for your time.
Some links to look at:
– Web Designers must Learn Programming
– How much do web designers earn?
– The WordPress Web Design Strategy.
Finally, if you want to be a web programmer, check out my video tutorial package on web programming.
I hope that helps.
Stefan
