A frequent problem with text on the web is that there’s no way to automatically adjust the font size based on the dimensions of it’s containing element – at least in a way that changes size when the container does.
Until recently I’ve used both border and background-color CSS properties to make elements visible when laying out a new web page structure. Until I’ve added content, most block-level elements are invisible.
The problem with those methods is that a) giving an element a border will increase its width and/or height, which can affect your layout, and b) background-colors needed to be set for each element, and possibly with different colors. It all takes more code than I like and it usually looks awful.
I will be attending a majority of the Webvisions conference this July at the Oregon Convention Center. One of my wishes for a technology-related job was that I would be allowed (and encouraged) to attend technology conferences like this, and OSCON (we’ll be going to OSCON as well, but the schedule is not yet worked out.) Looks like another of my criteria for “that one job” has been met. Anyway, here is the schedule of sessions I will be attending:
7/20 @ 2:00 “Rapid DOM/AJAX Development”
7/20 @ 3:15 “Design Patterns for the Web”
7/20 @ 4:30 “The AJAX Experience”
7/21 @ 8:30 “Bulletproof Web Design”
7/21 @ 9:45 “Improving Front-End Architecture”
7/21 @ 11:00 “Unleashing CSS: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love WinIE7”
7/21 @ 1:00 “Beyond Just Content: Websites as Interactive Applications”
7/21 @ 2:15 “Scaling for Your First 100k Users”
More information can be found here: http://webvisionsevent.com/schedule/.
Before taking my current position at TechTracker, I said that CSS development was easier than PHP programming. CSS development is my task for TechTracker, although JavaScript and PHP work happens here or there. My first few Botsko.net projects for 2006 have been more programming-based than the design-based projects I was working on in Fall 2005. It’s become clear that programming is much easier than CSS.
Programming is like a puzzle. You need to figure out where each piece goes and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. You’re trying to put a square shape into a round hole and it doesn’t work that way. You’re solution is obvious – either change the circle to a square or a square to a circle. It’s pretty black and white and the only reason I could spend two hours trying to figure out why it won’t work is because I forgot a character somewhere.
CSS is like trying to put together a three-dimensional puzzle when you can’t see the edges of the other pieces. You can easily follow the logic in your programming because you can see what’s going in and what’s coming out of each step and programming doesn’t change because of the web-browser you’re using.
Developing something in css depends on what version of the CSS standard is used, what browsers support it, and what browsers have bugs when one item is combined with the next. There are several hundred ways of defining styles, and even multiple times in multiple files. It’s hard to keep tabs on where each element is getting its styles from.
Oh well, both are still better than WF.
Things are going well with my new position. The only thing I miss from WF are the people, and how well I got along with every one. I just haven’t had enough time to get to know people from my new position, but tech people have always been, let’s say, hermits. Oh well, I’ve known that one forever.
I’ve been getting some good work done, but I’ll be able to get more done once I really understand how the sites are setup. My job title is Web Developer, which means I am responsible for the look and layout of the TechTracker websites. This includes making sure my XHTML/CSS is valid, works on the various browsers, and keeps the file size and render-time of the websites low. Once the important issues have been dealt with I can begin improving existing features and making sure the sites are as accessible as possible.
My main focus for VersionTracker is speeding it up. It’s known for being a tad slow, which is bad for business. According to Alexa VT is ranked 2,395 among websites which is excellent (MacFixIt is 19,568, Botsko.net is 258,146) Right there on the Alexa page it says “Very Slow” which we’re going to change.
I’ve already done some work on each of those sites except for the last one. I knew before I even applied for this position that getting to work with XHTML, CSS, and web standards as a full-time job would be fun, but I never thought it would be this fun. I no longer am wasting time when I play around with new web-based technology, I’m doing work.
Not only am I working with a subject that I love learning about, but I’m also spending less time looking up programming stuff for personal reasons. Stuff that I learn at home applies at work and vice-versa. It’s nice to know the field before beginning a new position, so that I’m only the new guy in the sense that I was the one most recently hired. All they had to do was show the me the code repository and how they wanted me to test/deploy it and I was good to go. I’m also thankful for my knowledge of Javascript and PHP, as both have already come in handy. I’ve already assisted a colleage with javascript issues.
I spent almost eight years learning everything myself, I only took a few computer classes and none really dealt with Internet stuff. I never knew anyone who could help me when I faced a problem, so I had to learn to solve it myself. I know how to use tools, debug, google, test, and simply investigate. For so long it was simply the only way and now it’s become a bonus.
Update: MacFixIt.com was briefly mentioned in the WSJ.
