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shelfimage

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Posts posted by shelfimage

  1. ...Back with the Client Login question?

    in Advanced Web Design

    Posted

    How did that admin panel turn out? If it's something that you could share, and something my client could utilize, I'd by very interested!

     

    I have yet to get the specific details, but she works as a realestate broker. So she probably wants to be able to share (back and forth) files, paperwork, get signatures, etc, with each client as she brokers each deal. If that's the case, then something like BaseCamp is probably her best bet right? Are there anyother BaseCamp type systems I should look into as well? Thanks for your input!

     

    Maybe something like this is practical too - e signatures with doc storage: http://www.echosign.com/public/static/howItWorks01.jsp

     

    I reviewed about 50 online project management tools to download or subscribe online for a team I work with. Ultimately I realized the only way to get what we really need is to build one. I'm going to use CMSMS to develop a team, project, and client management solution.

     

    Basecamp alternatives:

    These are free, but I don't think they have file management: http://www.santexq.com/features.html and http://www.xmsuite.com/quality/Default.aspx, http://www.creativeprooffice.com/index.php (you can buy the source code too)

     

    These have free versions but better features for payers:

    http://www.huddle.net/, http://www.5pmweb.com/overview.php, http://www.teamworkpm.net/index.cfm/page/features,

     

    Downloadable:

    http://www.webasyst.net/projects/features.html

    http://www.activecollab.com/

    http://www.freelancerpanel.com/

    Free: http://collabtive.o-dyn.de/

    Free: http://www.opengoo.org/

    Free: http://www.redmine.org/projects/show/redmine

    Free: http://www.achievo.org/

  2. IE6 is leaving soon... ?

    in Open Forum

    Posted · Edited by shelfimage

    Well I guess we're stuck with it for a while longer...:(

    Not me. I am absolutely dropping it before the end of this first quarter unless there is a compelling reason not to because a client's needs demand it. Users of Win NT, 98, ME, 2K, and 2003 average less than 2.75% - although not entirely reliable, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems.

     

    Over 90% of my sites look the same in IE6 as they do in compliant browsers except for transparent pngs, and weird bugs that suck up too much time. So, if an IE6 user visits a site that was not brilliantly hacked to look exactly like it does in compliant browsers, it will still function for them although it may not look spot on.

     

    I've rolled out more and more sites using transparent pngs - when appropriate - and the hacks to get them to work in all cases is a huge waste of time. I'm usually combining two or three solutions. This results in a worse user experience for IE6 users. Too slow and too flaky on their platform.

     

    Creating alternate images in place of trans pngs and hacks and alternate HTML/CSS content for IE6 is a huge waste of time and defeats the purpose of doing it the intended way - with trans pngs, standard compliant code, CSS2 and 3 specs...

     

    I think it will be considered bad practice to support of IE6 beyond the summer of 2009. Although, I will miss the additional income... I reviewed my projects and estimate I spent about 2000 minutes to work on IE6 compatibility in 2008.

     

    Some noteworthy dates to consider:

    • IE6 was released summer of 2001
    • Windows XP was released fall of 2001
    • MS dropped support for XP SP1 in October of 2006.
    • MS began dropping support for the first IE6 releases on XP July 2004
    • MS dropped support for IE6 on Win 98 & ME September 2004 and dropped support for all IE6 sp1 versions October 2006
    • The planned date to drop support for IE7on Vista is April 2010 - 15 mos from now!
    • The planned date to drop support for IE7 on Win XP is July 2010

     

     

    .

  4. dedicated server question

    in PHP

    Posted

    Does any one know if I can do this with my own dedicated server??

    probably not. Most host limit how many can be sent out at one time and how long between mailings. Most programs I've used break them into chunks and send them out 5 to 10 minutes apart. Otherwise this can flag UCE activity and can get the ISP's server flagged. check with your host what the per mailing limit is. Might be 250, 500, 1000.

  7. No google presence - at all

    in Beginners Web Design

    Posted

    Google can and will 'sandbox' a new site between 3 to 6 months. It will crawl it regularly and pages will get indexed, but results will not show. Something else to help it get shown in results is to register your domain for 3 or more years, get a natural link back to your site from a peer or a related business. The best way is via an article or press release on an already established and indexed website. If you have a local paper that does press releases and they have an online version of their article - go for it.

  9. Motherboard Suggestions

    in Open Forum

    Posted

    I've always built with ecs boards - ecsusa.com and have also used asus boards.

     

    Make sure to upgrade your power supply unit. I've had good luck w/ Enermax and Artic Smart Powers. And good ventilation.

     

    I'm trying to decide to upgrade MB and Ram to the DDR2 type and keep running my tower. Or, ditch the tower and invest in a very very robust laptop. Save some kilowatts and be more mobile. And, instead of running 3 hard drives in my tower, buy a couple USB mobile Hard drives to back up data.

  10. 2009 Web PRedictions

    in Open Forum

    Posted

    I think Bill Gates will start a new operation in an emerging third world country and call it WorldSoft. WorldSoft will establish its own proprietary communication packet and programming language. It's browser will be lead by a group of Somali pirates that hijack and train 3rd world nerds forcing them to develop apps using disposable mobile phones. Eventually they will seize control of facebook, build groups, sell advertising and gain momentum to overtake Digg.com, twitter, and eventually Yahoo.

  12. anyone using DW CS4 yet?

    in Open Forum

    Posted

    Thanks for the replies.

    @lwsimon ME TOO!!!

    I want my tools to get out of the way while I write my code, not try and write it for me

    @JBall I think it is time to upgrade my PS CS2 then. There is a rival out their that uses Adobe AIR called Color Browser. It is lightweight and imports/exports ASE formats for Adobe products. I don't have the URL any longer though... :(

  13. Your Opinion About Sessions

    in PHP

    Posted

    I have no problem with well written sessions.

     

    Does the Facebook Connect approach do anything differently?

     

     

    180 seconds between posts!? I barely have 3 minutes to visit...LOL maybe because I'm still a new member!? Gosh I still feel like an old member... :)

  16. Keeping track of client information

    in Business of Web Design

    Posted

    I signed up with Evernote today and I must not get it. It seems like it's just an online version of Word or something.

     

    I suppose you could use it like that... it can do a lot more though. If you download the desktop client (it has versions for both Mac/PC) you can organize all of your notes into folders or by tags. You can drag/drop images from your desktop into Evernote' date=' and the premium version (I think it's $50 per year) lets you attach files to your notes and increases your upload capability.

     

    The notes then will sync with the online client, and you can have access to them via your desktop software, online, or on your phone (if you have a blackberry/iphone that you can install software on). You can also specify what folders you want anyone to be able to see online, and which folders are private, so it is an easy way to share files too.

     

    I have both my personal computer (a Mac) and a PC at work, and I appreciate that I can keep things synced between computers, so no matter which computer I am using, I have access to code snippets, notes, bookmarks, photos, screenshots, etc.

     

    In my case, I have a folder set up for all my client details, and a note per client inside that folder that contains contact information, usernames, passwords, etc.

     

    It has also been extremely useful for keeping track of design inspiration (photos, screenshots, etc), since I can tag each item so I can easily find it later.

     

    I've actually meant to write a blog post or brief article on Evernote, and just haven't gotten around to it yet...[/quote']

    I've had Evernote for almost 2 yrs and update but hardly ever use it. I like how powerful and intuitive it is, I'm just a bookmark, screenshot, notepad joe smo. I can definitely see it being used to keep track of inspiration and etc.

  17. Keeping track of client information

    in Business of Web Design

    Posted

    We are currently moving away from spreadsheets because the information gets lost especially when there are over a hundred active clients. I examined over 60 Project/Team management solutions and only 2 had decent support for client information or customizable fields to add support for the things you need to know everyday and have at your fingertips.

     

    So, I am in the process of customizing a solution in CMS Made Simple. We will use it to house all of our client information, project and task information, knowledge base, file attachment for projects, general use files and documents for all projects, and online team communication.

     

    I personally like the solution you pointed out to me the other day as a freelance/single developer and think I will implement it for my own projects/clients. http://www.freelancerpanel.com/

     

    .

  21. Initial CSS File To Jump Start Your Project

    in CSS

    Posted · Edited by shelfimage

    Well. I'm being a bit fussy; it's just that if a person with bad eyesight enlarges only the text in IE6 or IE7, the 10px .small class text will still be 10px, which could be difficult for them to see, but IE7 has a zoom so it's probably only IE6 which my comment applies to, and that's not got a huge share of the market now.

    right. it is only IE6 that applies to which is why I no longer worry about it. I have the same concerns you write about. Thankfully modern web browsers are finally beginning to behave like modern web browsers. But, remember, this is an example of what works best for my projects. 90% of my projects are from agencies that hire me as their lead developer and want fixed width, fixed fonts, fixed everything to match the specifications exactly. Unfortunately there is little room for me to propose better approaches when I receive the final PSD and specs approved by the client.

  22. Initial CSS File To Jump Start Your Project

    in CSS

    Posted

    In most places font is % or ems but in two places, pre and .small, it's in px. Could this cause the display to look a bit odd (edit: in IE which doesn't resize text when in px) when someone resizes text?
    Well, for my projects it is ok and I don't worry as much as I once did about it because all modern browsers 'Zoom' by default instead of increasing text size. IE6 and FF2 are the only browsers that are still showing significant usage that resize text and do not support zoom.

     

    The % is a reset explained in the first post. It forces an 'em' to be 10px regardless of monitor resolution and size. So I start with a %, use em for typography, and then force a large or small size using px. The classes there are just examples, but I use them in my CMS sites as the classes that TinyMCE grabs and makes available for site owners. So, if a site owner wants to float something or make a font small, they assign the appropriate class using the Style dropdown option of TinyMCE and in some cases FCKEditor.

     

    .

  23. Initial CSS File To Jump Start Your Project

    in CSS

    Posted · Edited by shelfimage

    Here is a copy of my initial css file that I use to jump start my projects. The original css download post at the former Killersites.com forum is here for reference: http://killersites.com/mvnforum/mvnforum/viewthread?thread=10970#54819.

     

    The original posts have had over 13,000 combined views there has been over 420 downloads at my Killersites' Box.net account. My Thanks to everyone that has contributed!

     

    :: Download at Box.net :: http://www.box.net/shared/j2q23gqzue

     

    :: CSS to copy & paste ::

    
/* ======== DomainName.com Screen Stylesheet ::
Author:    Name, Website
Created:    Date Intitals
Updated:    Date Initials
TOC:        Resets; HTML & Body; Links; Typography; Lists; Tables;
       Classes; Template; Navigation; Page Styles; Forms; Other;
----------------------------------------------------------------- */

/* ======== Resets ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
body, address, blockquote, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p, pre, dl, ol,
ul, dd, dt, li, fieldset, form {margin:0;padding:0;}

/* ======== HTML & Body ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
html {font-size:100.01%;height:101%;}
body { 
height:100%;
font:62.5%/1.4 Arial,Tahoma,Geneva,Helvetica,sans-serif;
background:#fff;
color:#333;
}

/* ======== Links ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
a,a:visited {text-decoration:underline;}
a:active, a:focus, a:hover {text-decoration:none;outline:none;}
a img {border:none;}

/* ======== Typography ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
/* ==== Resets for Nested elements 
- Helpful for Relative Font Size Sites (Not Needed for Fixed Font Size Sites) ==== */
blockquote p, p blockquote, div div, div li, div p,div dt,div dd,
li li, li li li,ul ul, p address, p pre, pre p,
td address, td h1, td h2, td h3, td h4, td li, td dd, td dt, td p, td pre {font-size: 100%;}

abbr,acronym {text-decoration: none;border:0}
address, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, dd, dt, li, p, pre {padding:.6em 0;}
h1 {font-size:2.2em;}
h2 {font-size:1.8em;}
h3 {font-size:1.6em;}
h4 {font-size:1.4em;}
h5 {font-size:1.2em;}
h6 {font-size:1.1em;}
address,blockquote,div,dd,dt,li,p,th,td {font-size:1.2em;}
dt {font-weight:bold;}
pre {font-size: 12px;}
q:before,q:after {content:'';}

/* ======== Lists ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
dl, ol, ul {margin-left: 20px;}
li, ol, dd, dt {vertical-align:middle;list-style-position: inside;}

/* ======== Tables ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
table {
border:none;
border-collapse:collapse;
border-spacing:0;
overflow:hidden;
word-wrap:break-word;
}
caption, th, td {text-align: left;vertical-align:top;}

/* ======== General Purpose Classes ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
.alignleft {text-align:left;}
.alignright {text-align:right;}
.center {text-align:center;}
.clear {clear:both;padding:0;margin:0;line-height:0;}
.external {/* if needed with new window JS */}
.floatleft {float:left;}
.floatright {float:right;}
.hidden {display:none;}
.inline {display:inline;}
.large {font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;}
.light {color:#999;}
.png {/* if needed with png fix JS */}
.small {font-size:10px;font-weight:normal;}

/* ======== Template ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
#wrap {width:900px;margin:0 auto;}
#header { }
#content { }
#main {float:right;}
#sidebar {float:left;}
#footer {clear:both;}

/* ======== Navigation ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
/* ==== Main Menu ==== */
#menu ul {margin:0 auto; list-style: none;}
#menu li {float: left;}
#menu a {display: block;}

   /* 2nd Tier Child Menu with accessible drop down method */
   #menu li ul {position: absolute;top: -999em;left: -999em;}
   #menu li:hover ul, #menu li.hover ul {top: auto;left: auto;}

/* ==== Footer Menu ====- */
#footer ul { }
#footer li { }
#footer li a { }
#footer li a:active, #footer li a:focus, #footer li a:hover { }

/* ======== Page Styles ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */


/* ======== Forms ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */
label {cursor:pointer;}
fieldset {border:0;}
input,label,select,textarea {
line-height:1.2;
vertical-align:baseline;
font-size:inherit;
font-family:inherit;
}
input[type="radio"], input[type="checkbox"] {position:relative;top:1.5px;}
input[type="text"],textarea {padding:.2em;}
textarea {overflow:auto;}

/* ======== Other ::
----------------------------------------------------------------- */

     

    There are many helpful tips, suggestions, and solutions posted here in the original forum!

     

    The very first, original thread that started this conversation offers additional information of the origins of these CSS settings and why I use what I do. I explored many CSS reset and CSS framework approaches and realized that they were overkill for the majority of my projects.

     

    This file is not meant to fit everyone's projects and needs. It will reset the most common cross browser inconsistencies and provide a method of organization, commenting, and serve as a foundation to build your own file.

     

    Will you please post any suggestions, changes, or improvements?

    Also, please keep replies focused to the subject of initial css files, css reset files, frameworks, etc., to keep this thread a useful tool for everyone at KS.

     

     

    :: Revision History ::

    -> Ver. 2.0 -> 6-7-08 -> New version carried over from original thread and added resets for caption, th, td

    -> Ver. 2.1 -> 6-10-08 -> Revised to include basic typography settings suggested by Wickham:

    Using a unitless line-height in the body, and fixes for margin and padding in typography section.

    -> Ver. 3.0 -> 12-20-08 -> Updated Typography and Form sections. Corrected issue with nested resets. Support for an IE6 hover bug as suggested by Eric (eewatson).

    -> Ver. 3.1 -> 9-4-09 -> Updated Resets, Forms, Changed Comment Style, less than 4 rules are written on the same line to conserve space and reduce file size.

     

    .

  25. Alternatives to PHPMyAdmin

    in Open Forum

    Posted

    I still haven't had a chance to try it out yet. My problems could be b/c of Firefox. I should create a profile that has a trimmed down set of addons because I use a lot and it eats up my RAM. Ff can peak over 350MB on a regular day of work.

     

    And it might only happen with certain hosts or php settings. I'll have to keep track of it now b/c I wonder if happens on hosts that have a PHP memory limit setting or execution time.

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