July 26, 2011 in Learn
How to parse XML with PHP5
Feeds are streams of content that people can use to share pieces of information across websites. PHP5’s simpleXML functions dramatically simplify the process of interpreting the feeds into something useful for your web pages.
July 7, 2011 in Learn
It's Time To HTTParty!
When you’re developing with Ruby, it’s pretty inevitable that at some point you come across an HTTP API that doesn’t have a gem available. While writing Hopefully Sunny I ran into just that situation with World Weather Online’s weather API….
June 14, 2011 in Learn
Build Dynamic Pages with Knockout.js
Building dynamic web pages using JavaScript can be a complex task. Fortunately, frameworks like jQuery, MooTools, and others make it much easier to interact with the browser. However DOM frameworks only solve part of the problem.
When building an application that has a lot of data that can be updated, and any piece of information could be represented in several places on the page, it becomes a pain to try to make sure the interface accurately represents the data at any point in time.
May 23, 2011 in Learn
Run Linux in your browser
I came across this on Hacker News and it blew my mind. Fabrice Bellard just created a PC emulator that boots Linux, written in JavaScript. It even works on my iPad. From the technical notes … The PC emulator is…
March 3, 2011 in Learn
10 Must Have Ruby Gems
One of the most beautiful things about Ruby development is the ease of adding functionality through packaged libraries called gems. With the power of Bundler, you can quickly add and manage gems in few lines of code. With the recent…
February 7, 2011 in Learn
Tips on Learning JavaScript
In his seminal article Style Versus Design Jeffrey Zeldman wrote The web used to look like a phone book . What he should have written is: The web used to look like a phone book sitting in a tacky 70s…
February 17, 2010 in Learn
5 Good Reasons Why Designers Should Code
Earlier today Elliot Jay Stocks commented on Twitter I’m shocked that in 2010 I’m still coming across ‘web designers’ who can’t code their own designs. His comment created a great little debate on Twitter. Personally, I agree with Elliot. I…
February 16, 2010 in Learn
Sitemaps – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sitemaps are like Marmite (Ed: yeast extract spread that divides opinion, very popular in the UK). You either love them or hate them. OK maybe you don’t ‘love’ them but they do seem to create an obvious divide between those…
September 15, 2009 in Learn
How to Debug in PHP
Nobody enjoys the process of debugging their code. If you want to build killer web apps though, it’s vital that you understand the process thoroughly. This article breaks down the fundamentals of debugging in PHP, helps you understand PHP’s error…
September 14, 2009 in Learn
Why You Should Switch from Subversion to Git
You may have heard some hubbub over distributed version control systems recently. You may dismiss it as the next hot thing, the newest flavor of kool-aid currently quenching the collective thirst of the bandwagon jumpers. You, however, have been using…
September 4, 2009 in Learn
How to Create a Valid Non-Javascript Lightbox
I recently came across a solution on CSSPlay for a JavaScript free lightbox that uses invalid markup. So, being a sucker for a challenge, I set myself the task of creating one with valid markup and I eventually succeeded. Here’s…
August 26, 2009 in Learn
Top 10 UX Myths
Al Gore invented the Internet. Drinking alcohol keeps your body warm. You won’t get pregnant if you stand on your head after … well, you get the idea. Myths are those hard-and-fast rules that often start as a plausible idea…