Stefan Mischook
June 21, 2008
I’ve been a professional nerd for many years now, and over that time I’ve learned to use many different technologies including 8-9 programming languages, a few operating systems and a whole bunch of frameworks, database programs etc …
… The sad truth
Recently, I was challenged with some tech problem, and to be honest about it, I forgot the specific steps to solve it!!
🙁
This always bothers me – when you forget how to do something you once knew so well.
I am now resigned to the fact that I’ve probably forgotten more than I now remember. I guess there is only so much room in your brain ..?
You can’t know it all
This brings me to my larger point: as a professional nerd, it is not realistic to think you will learn everything that is out there. There is simply too much and you have to pick your battles.
That said, that doesn’t mean you should learn one or two things and then just rest on your laurels. No, you have to keep learning otherwise you will fall behind and you won’t stay competitive.
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June 21, 2008
The web design magazine is slowly taking off.
… We have our first article from John Beatrice who has given us a sneak-peek at the new IE8:
Internet Explorer 8 is Microsoft’s response to the growing interest in interactive web services and rich online experiences. This is Microsoft’s second attempt to build a browser that follows standard compliant HTML and CSS. So, will designers and developers embrace this new Internet Explorer?
You can read more about the Internet Explorer 8 beta in the magazine section of the website.
I hope you’ll find it interesting.
Stefan Mischook
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June 17, 2008
It is rare that I go into anything off topic, as I promised in one of my earliest post – there will be no discussions about what my cat is up to.
That said, I am compelled to comment on a couple things that the recent death of Tim Russert, has brought to the fore.
Issue number one: Where societies spend their money.
Mr. Russert apparently died of a heart attack … the way you are most likely to die. From the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:
Each year, about 1.1 million people in the United States have heart attacks, and almost half of them die. CAD, which often results in a heart attack, is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States.
Given that so many people die from heart attacks, I was wondering how much money is spent on researching ALL disease.
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June 17, 2008
Microsoft recently released Expression Web 2, their new web design program.
Frontpage is old news:
For those of you who don’t know much about it, Expression Web replaces Frontpage and as such, you won’t be seeing any new versions of Frontpage.
… You can read more about Expression Web 2 in the magazine.
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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June 12, 2008
What is a gravatar?
Let’s take it from the source:
A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. Avatars help identify your posts on web forums, so why not on weblogs?
From a community members point of view, what’s cool about gravatars is that you don’t have to upload your avatar image on every blog, forum or community that you are a member of. And from the community owner’s point of view, you can now add a little pizazz to your blog or forum with your members gravatars.
You can read more about gravatars in the magazine.
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June 11, 2008
What is the difference between a CMS (content management system) and a Wiki?
In a nutshell:
Both are web based applications/software designed to allow many people to contribute content (typically articles … but podcast and videos are becoming more common) to a website.
I would say the basic difference is that a CMS (Ex: Drupal) is a closed system where only certain people can add or edit content to the website/cms.
On the other hand, a wiki is an open system where anyone can edit and add content. The idea behind a wiki is that the masses will eventually correct any false information – with the help of editors.
My thoughts:
I’m no wiki expert, but I see wiki’s being more suitable to general encyclopedic information. If you need a tighter structure and control over what is being posted on your site, I would be leaning towards a CMS rather than a WIKI.
That said, I am sure that the differences between the two types of software has room for a lot of gray area – I’m sure some CMS software have WIKI like functionality and vice versa.
How about blogs?
Blogs are kinda like a CMS for one person. One other distinction would be that the blog traditionally is date driven – where newer articles are posted to the front page of the blog. As with the WIKI/CMS blurring of the lines, you see the same with blogs and CMS software.
For example: WordPress (a popular blog program) has CMS like features:
- Multiple users can post articles.
- You can have static non date affected pages. WordPress call these ‘pages’.
Beyond the CMS-like features built into the core WordPress package, WordPress has a huge number of plug-ins out there that extend it’s capability considerably … bringing it even closer inline with a true CMS.
A few links:
WordPress home page: www.wordpress.org
Drupal home page: http://drupal.org
Another popular CMS – Joomla: joomla.org
Wiki software: Media Wiki
Ciao,
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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June 9, 2008
Hi,
I’m happy to announce this great new video on Actionscript.
A few points:
Actionscript has gone through a few major changes that make it increasingly more powerful. But, on the downside, Actioscript has gotten a little more complex along the way.
The following video is designed to introduce you the major differences between Actionscript 1, 2 and 3.
Check it out.
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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June 9, 2008
Hi,
I just wanted to announce a new section on killersites.com: the Killersites.com Magazine.
Why another section?
I wanted a place where I could include other people articles and tutorials and I wanted a place where we could keep you up to date with the latest news on new products, technology … whatever on all things web design and web programming.
… I did this a little on my blog, but I felt a needed a more author neutral location.
Anyway, it sports a brand new layout, gravatars (Globally Recognized Avatars) and a way to subscribe to the magazine’s RSS feed through email.
We are just starting and so there is much to do … but I kicked it off with a great video on Actionscript 1, 2, and 3.
I hope you find it useful.
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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May 20, 2008
Hi,
I was just looking around the CMS and Blog scene, in terms of software, and I just finished taking another look at Drupal 6.
… Based on what I’ve seen so far, it looks very cool.
With this version of Drupal (Drupal 6.2) you see a lot of administration panel improvements and the whole process of installing and configuring Drupal has been streamlined. It is actually really easy.
Drupal 6 has a lot of other cool additions and tools like:
- Built in triggers: you can tell Drupal to do things when say for example someone post a comment.
- Better Forums: more features now.
- Drag-and-drop admin UI capabilities. It is easier to manage where things appear on your pages.
… And much more.
Most important, Drupal looks to be much faster than it was in previous versions.
… That’s one thing that bugged the hell out of me about old and slow Drupal 5.
You can get Drupal at: http://drupal.org/
I know, short post. I’m just busy with other stuff.
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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May 18, 2008
I’ve been hearing the quiet murmur of nerds lately, soft sounds that speak of Dreamweaver CS4.
Yes, I do have my finger on the pulse of the nerd-zeitgeist and from what I understand, Dreamweaver CS4 is coming out sooner than later. I’m guessing sometime this winter.
Are there any details?
I’m not sure what is coming (in terms of new features), but I have heard what is leaving and not coming back:
- ASP.net support.
- Layout Mode and Timelines.
- JSP support
Some speculation:
I am guessing that Adobe will position Dreamweaver to be more web developer centric than designer centric.
Not that they will turn Dreamweaver into a glorified text editor, I just get the feeling that they will spend more time on the coding end of things, than on the design end.
My thinking is based on the work Adobe has done with Flash CS3 and especially Actionscript 3.0.
… It is clear with AS3, that Adobe made the decision to make the Flash scripting language more appealing to hard-core programmers than to designers. AS3 is much more powerful but it is more complex and harder to learn than Actionscript 2.
That said, please do keep in mind that when it comes to what may be coming in Dreamweaver CS4 … it is total speculation on my part.
CIAO,
Stefan Mischook
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