Javascript vs Ruby Hipsters
Over the weekend, thereâs been trouble brewing in the web development world⊠A kerfuffle has broken out over the lack of semi-colons in the Twitter Bootstrap javascript libraries. Nerd slapfights like these would under normal circumstances not be notable but in this particular case programming luminaries such as Douglas Crockford and Brendan Eich have waded deep into the argument.
The authors of the widely used (indeed we have discussed it on this very blog) Twitter Bootstrap library have chosen to omit semi-colons in their javascript code. Javascript, being a C based language uses semi-colons as a statement terminator. However, the javascript parser is able to automatically insert semi-colons if they have been omitted and it detects a newline. Howerver, in his book Javascript: The Good Parts and in various talks he has given on the topic, Douglas Crockford makes it clear that the semi-colon is a necessary statement terminator. Newlines should not be used in its place due to the likelihood of bugs creeping in. Backing up this point of view is Brendan Eich, who we should point out, actually invented Javascript.
The issue has raised its head on a bug opened on the official Github Bootstrap repository wherein Bootstrap is described as not working with JSMin, minification software created by Douglas Crockford. Commentators say the issue could easily be resolved by adding the semi-colons. Crockford himself comments on the thread, his opening gambit being, âThat is insanely stupid code. I am not going to dumb down JSMin for this case.â Lines are drawn, sides taken and insults thrown around.
So why are these developers choosing to use new-lines in place of semi colons? Some claim that semi-colon usage arguments are a form of Bikesheding; concerning yourself with trivial issues such as what colour to paint the Bike shed rather than focusing on more complex and relevant issues. Others argue, and indeed in the comments of the Github thread in question it is stated by the projectâs owner, that if you are familiar with javascript you can omit semicolons and rely on the automatic semi-colon insertion. Doing so is in some way a showing of skill, mastery over the javascript interpreter. The omission of semi-colons is also an aesthetic choice. By not using them the code is more readable to Ruby developers. This drive to make the language more Ruby-like led to the creation of Coffeescript and it is understandable that developers might way to use standard javascript in a similar way.
However Ruby developers are also seen as San-Fran livinâ, fixie riding, floppy haired hipsters with giant egos who are more concerned with image that substance. Developers who are concerned with making code âbeautifulâ, as if programming were a medieval art like glassblowing or being a blacksmith. People who wear T-shirts proclaiming them to be âCode Poetsâ; programming Lord Byronâs. It is unsurprising then to find that Bootstrap is the output of Ruby developers.
Having a C based language overridden by the aesthetics of Ruby can be jarring especially when it runs counter to how it is supposed to be used. Indeed as another commentator states in the thread, âSemi-colonless Javascript is an ego-stroking attempt at rejecting standards for the sake of rejecting standards, not for the greater benefit of the community.â That Crockfordâs views are assailed by commentators whoâs photos have them posing with teddy bears, oversized sunglasses and ironic haircuts doesnât dissuade the view of hipster Ruby developers.
The bug has now been closed with no resolution and a lot of acrimony, the debate will, we are sure, continue.
PHP: The filth and the fury
The favourite whipping boy of programmers everywhere has once again taken its licks in a blistering blog article titled PHP: a fractal of bad design. While no stranger to lengthy lists of its shortcomings the latest attack is a cavalcade of issues that the language suffers from. Apart from the vigorous nodding in agreement, debate online has centred on the most pertinent of questions, âWhy would a programmer use this abomination of a language?â
PHP is not universally held in such low regard. It is, for the web layperson looking to dip their toe into the world of development, an easy and forgiving environment which allows them to peruse a few tutorials and have a basic site up and running in almost no time at all. By just creating a text file adding a bit of code, changing the extension to .php and uploading to a web server you can instantly create a site. Skimming a few more articles will have you connecting to a database and proudly running a ârealâ website. Besides itâs used on some of the largest websites in the world such as Wikipedia and Facebook, they must know what they are doing so it canât be all bad right?
Detractors would point out that enabling amateur web developers to throw together sites will almost no idea of what they are doing is a recipe for disaster. While the site they produce may indeed work, in the eyes of a developers it is only in the most tenuous sense possible and will most likely be riddled with security holes. When such code bases are inherited the amount of refactoring require means that almost none of the original code will be kept. As a developer you will have to view PHP code that will likely leave you bug eyed in disbelief. For the language itself the bizarre rules of equivalence, the inconsistencies in everything including the standard functions will likely drive you mad. The avoidance of any discussion of parameterized sql statements in the official documentation in favour of telling you to escape your strings is insane. The list goes on and on.
So why use PHP? Simply there is no viable alternative if you need to be able to host your site almost anywhere. Other languages require software stacks and web specific frameworks to run a site, ensuring you will need to have knowledge of more than just the language used. The site produced will probably have to run under Fast CGI on a server resulting in less than grand performance. PHP in contrast is ubiquitous and supported by pretty much all web hosts. It is unavoidable if you are to be a web developer and you will need to know the language even if it is not to be your primary skill. Even then your job most likely will be using PHP given that easily 80% of development jobs will use it.
To know PHPâs shortcomings is to be able to avoid them. You do not need to program in the Cargo Cult, copy and paste method used by beginners. There are a variety of frameworks now available that take care of the boilerplate and require you to structure code with a separation of concerns. While PHP is forgiving when used poorly there is no reason you cannot code in a correct manner following best practices. Doing so will help raise the awareness of these issues with potential developers and allow them to avoid the mess of spaghetti code that has come before. When used with a framework such as Codeigniter PHP becomes almost pleasant to use, but maybe that is the Stockholm syndrome speaking.
Photoshop CS 6 Beta - Features & Review
Firstly, let me say that I've been using Photoshop since Photoshop 3 and I mainly use Photoshop for Web Design so I'll be looking at the features the will directly effect myself and other Web Designers.
Having used Photoshop CS6 for just over 5 days now the first thing that strikes me is the performance! It feels a lot faster than CS5 and more sturdy. Cmd + N (New document) and the new document panel opens up almost instantaneously - pixels don't need 4-5 seconds to render properly and even better, applying filters is now faster than ever! I don't have a particularly fast machine but even I can notice the difference.
Without going into photo effects too deeply I feel I must mention the new blur filters you can apply. The new Tilt-Shift & Bokeh (A design trend which makes me gag) filters are an absolute dream to use, they're so easy to use you won't have to invest much time in learning how to use them. The Tilt-shift filter in particular is so powerful you can create the miniature feel to any photo within a minute. Although it was possible to replicate these effects in Photoshop without the aid of these new tools, having the facility to do so really lets you explore the possibilities and puts you in full control of the results.
The visual indicators on CS6 are a massive jump in the right direction. Instead of inserting markers where an object should be, visual indicators tell you the items margins and how far you've moved it and if you change the dimensions of an item, they tell you how much you've increased it by. When using a brush, the indicators let you know its diameter, hardness and opacity - small stuff I think you'll agree, but useful none the less.
Layer Search - Yes my friends, the time has finally come. So you've designed a websites home page, you've racked up nearly 200 layers / 30 groups and you haven't got the time to trawl though the groups to find THAT layer, this is where layer search comes in. For Web Designers this is something that we've been hoping for, for a while now. It works amazingly well too, you can search by name, mode, effect attribute and colour.
Type styles are a great addition to CS6. For front end developers like myself this feature brings the world of CSS closer to Photoshop than ever before. This tool enables us to apply styles to text elements within a single text box which are re-usable throughout the PSD. So you can create classes called Heading1, Heading 2, paragraph, and link etc and Photoshop will use your defined classes through out the PSD. Brilliant!
The new GUI (Graphical User Interface) is interchangeable and great to use. There are four light/dark options which can really make the canvas be the point of interest. My personal preference is the dark option but I've only been using it a week so that may change! I think I may change the UI dependant on the design I'm working on at the time.
There are many other new features for photographers and other users alike such as the new set of content aware tools and the video editing suite so there's plenty to get your teeth stuck into.
Overall, I think there has only been a handful of really impressive Photoshop upgrades, Photoshop 7 & CS2 spring to mind - but I really feel with the features added to CS6 this is a giant leap for Photoshop and really improves its overall usability. The fact that a lot of the new features are aimed at Web professionals helps enormously. Adobe seemed to have realise the we use this application every single day so improving the small things leads to a more pleasurable way of working.
Well it's fair to say I'm smitten but as I've said, I've only used it for a week. I'm sure I'll find a glitch or two!
Whats missing - I believe there is still a gap in photoshop for a tool which makes it easy to add Depth of Field to photographs, sure there are tutorials on how to do this but a specific tool would save time and would be a welcome addition. Maybe a level of theme creation linked to Wordpress would also be a good feature, but hey! Thats just me being selfish!
Here's some useful video's which illiterate some of the new features of Photoshop CS6
Content Aware:
Video Overview:
Download the Beta for yourself: http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/photoshopcs6.html
About Photoshop CS6 Beta: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/photoshopcs6/
Client side frameworks, the new hotness
A recent article on javascript frameworks and the almost inevitable switching of focus to client based development from the server-side for web applications has left the blogosphere all in a tizzy. âRails is just an APIâ couldnât have targeted a more grasping and rant happy clientele, given that the Rails framework is held in an almost messianic regard by certain sections of the web development community. The gist of the article is that with rich client side frameworks such as backbone , knockout and batman the server side elder statesmen like Rails, Django and ASP.NET MVC will be relegated to being JSON providers with a bit of authentication sprinkled on top.
One of the triggers for these observations is the release of the new version of Basecamp from 37signals. The original Basecamp being the application from which the Rails framework was first extracted. Instead of embracing the new client side ideology it appears that 37signals went out of their way to avoid a javascript front end and have been triumphantly tweeting about the lack of such. Compare and contrast with Twitter itself which heavily uses javascript to render the entire interface. We are now at a point where browsers can support extensive rich interfaces whereas before switching an image on mouse-over was a somewhat mind-blowing feat. The support will only improve, browsers will only get faster, so it appears that the snubbing of client-side javascript for the release of one of the premier web apps is not only short sighted but predicated on supporting the now almost long in the tooth Rails frameworkâs appearances to web developers. While no one can blame them for rah-rah-rah-ing their own framework it runs, some say, against the clear direction web development is heading.
For our own part we recently have been using Knockout.js to develop a rich and responsive search interface for one site in development. The framework has been a joy to work with and itâs clear that this will be a useful tool to use in future and itâs capabilities will even be in mind when we build other sites that could benefit from rich interaction. One caveat is that, for now, such frameworks are useful mainly for web application development and not simple websites. Given that much of the interface will be created by templates on the user end it currently impacts SEO, and so is best left to un-crawlable pages behind log-ins. That might not be the case for long as the Google bot has been executing javascript for some time and may soon be able to emulate a full browser, letting the use cases expand for these frameworks.
What do you think of these javascript frameworks? Are they the future? Let us know.
Bruce Sterling on âThe Stacksâ
Another South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive has just finished wrapping up. As tradition would have it Bruce Sterling, Sci-Fi writer, Visionary in residence and Transglobal Futurist gave his annual closing keynote address, this year labelled as "The Ultimate Bruce Sterling Talk". His thoughts on the current and future state of technology and it's intersections with people and politics are always something I look forward to hearing.
This year was just as special with Sterling opening his address by lamenting that the state of the world was even worse than last year which he described as a horrible, shameful thing to watch. He talked of the current burden of debt placed upon students who had no possibilities of employment at present calling it a "smart tax on the population". Moving on from a discussion of Mexico which despite being plagued by Narco-cultura was becoming a new hot bed of artistic talent through to his thoughts on fabricators. His attitude being that now was the time to get on board with 3d printing and fabrication likening it to investing in your first 300 baud modem back in the 80âs way before the internet explosion.
After a conversation about geek art and aesthetics destined to become dominant in mainstream culture Sterling got to the main point of his speech with a discussion that affects everyone on the internet, companies he describes as âThe Stacksâ. The Stacks are companies that are setting out to build vertically integrated media empires. Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. These companies he says, want to lock you into their stack and they see their future as taking over and replacing the internet. While they are not inherently hostile to the internet they are in favour of their own situation preferring for you to use their eco-systems, a-la Facebook and Appleâs Facetime, making the rest of the internet irrelevant.
These Stacks, he says, offer no prosperity, security or wellbeing to participants, other than shareholders. The internet had users; Stack users are livestock. The Stacks want to reduce you to âdog statusâ which they see as the easiest way of handling you. People like the Stacks because the internet scares them and the walled garden is a more comfortable experience. While he believes the âlords of the stack are not bad guysâ we shouldnât be so dependent on these Stacks which he thinks are leading to the life blood being drained out of other forms of expression such as music, literature and film. Each stack thinks itâs the future and they think the other four are doomed and irrelevant. Sterling predicts that all five will be rendered irrelevant and be destroyed but he doesnât think that when the end comes for them it will be pretty.
Sterlingâs keynote as usual gives plenty of food for thought. Will his predictions turn out to be true? Will the internet prevail? Let us know what you think.
Web Design in 2012
In 2012 it will become more and more easy to add a little sparkle to your web site with animations and traditions. Improved Animation is set to take hold , providing new ways to display and animate content on your web site. Banner animations will diversify too and will feature new ways of animating such as Nivo Slider.
Responsive Design will really make strides in 2012. A web site built in Responsive Design will display in different ways dependent on the environment it is displayed in. There will be easier ways to implement this capability on site builds and Media Queries will develop and become the first port of call for any web designer / developer.
1 page web sites will come back with a vengeance in 2012. Sites like Minimo will become a viable option for start-ups and small businesses worldwide. Their simplicity and easy-to-use UIs (user interfaces) make them the perfect type of site to generate business and Google rankings!
Web Typography is also growing at a rapid pace. Gone are the days of Time New Roman and Arial! With the use of services such as the Google Web Font it is becoming easier to make a websites content look beautiful and engaging! This is sure to a massive influence on how we view the web in 2012.
jQuery is Javascript framework which creates dynamic and engaging web elements on your web site. The jQuery gurus at Codrops created some mind boggling web elements in 2011 so even the thought of where jQuery can do in 2012 gives me butterflies!
The capabilities of CSS3 will lead to progressive user interfaces, which is a great thing for UI Designers and users too! CSS3 will let Web Designers render web elements the way they were intended, leaving much of the bug fixes and such like behind. This will also lead to more time designers spend designing in the browser which is about as hands on as it gets! For more info on CSS3 go here
But, to be perfectly honest all I want from the web in 2012 is for one browser to rise up and become the dominant browser. If 99% of all people browsing the web used just one browser, my days wouldnât be filled with fixing browser bugs for INTERNET EXPLORER!
Not going to happen - but a web designer can dream can't he?
The Twitter Bootstrap Backlash
In recent days there have been grumblings of disquiet over a few vocal bloggers decrying an apparent rampant overuse of Twitter Bootstrap â a toolkit of simple but elegant HTML and CSS conventions used for building web apps. While this nerd backlash may seem to some to be a storm in a teacup, itâs raised a few heckles with developers who find the convenience of the library to be a good thing.
The issue appears to be the âsamey-nessâ of websites using the framework. Sites such as the Built With Bootstrap Tumblr feed showcase the variety of websites built with the toolkit. When flicking through the galleries a certain style does leap out and, admittedly, some even use the library âas isâ. The result though is not entirely unpleasant, and as one wily commentator pointed out it is better than the âGeocities lookâ that developers would routinely come up with on their own.
Still, there are others fighting in its corner. Dave Winer has run to its defence and compares Bootstrap to the legendary Apple Macintosh, arguing that the standardisation and ease of use it offers allows people to focus on whatâs important with a web application. The negativity he believes comes from people worrying that such frameworks commoditise user experience, will block development of alternatives or even somehow remove creativity from web design. Winer believes that the benefits of adapting to resources like Bootstrap allow developers to build ever better software on these foundations rather than wasting time on the basics over and over again.
I heartily concur with his opinion. From my own perspective I have found working with Bootstrap to be a great experience allowing me to concentrate on the nuts ands bolts, nitty gritty of development without having to worry about how form controls look by default. Bootstrap offers a standardised and useful set of defaults that allow the developer to focus on content and usability rather than wrestling with getting the same appearance with a dozen different browsers. All that and it doesnât look half bad either.
One of the cornerstones of development is to not repeat yourself. Using third party frameworks or developing your own saves wasted time and allows us to focus on the needs of the customer. Bootstrap is the beginning. The rapid take up and support it has generated shows there is a need for such frameworks. Eventually there will be replacements and soon thereafter Bloggers complaining that everything looks the same. Again.
Disruptive Design and thoughts on the Responsive Summit
Last week a few of the web industryâs movers and shakers got together at a quickly arranged meet-up under the rather grandiose title of the Responsive Summit. They talked about how, in the post-PC world, web agencies can deliver websites for the reality of a multitude of web enabled devices. Aside from minor moaning on Twitter about the perceived elitism of the internet Illuminanti deciding upon the direction we all need to take, the response to the Summit has been positive. And the information I have taken from it is proving very interesting.
The hard truth that agencies like ours are facing is that mobile is not only on the rise, but will become the primary internet platform. This was recognised years ago and people boarded the responsive bandwagon thanks to such now legendary articles as Ethan Marcotteâs Responsive Web Design. In tandem with this a small number of people started doing all web design in the browser. The latest movement to pick up steam is Mobile First, whereby sites are designed for phones first and desktops second.
The Responsive Summit was an attempt to view all these developments in light of business realities and offer ideas of how agencies should move forward. So far, one of the major issues discussed is the applicability of the old print design method that has been passed down to the web. In this set-up Photoshop âproofsâ are produced for sign-off by clients before being constructed into a website, pixel for pixel. The argument is that this is ridiculous in light of the fact that these sites will now be viewed on screens of massively varying dimensions and resolutions.
Is the answer to produce proofs for a variety of screen widths? This would prove to be exhaustive and expensive work. The suggestion then is to follow what at first glance appears to be a process more in line with that old favourite of developers: agile. This brings the new philosophies together within an iterative development framework with designers working closely with developers to produce working responsive mock-ups for delivery to the client. Using a mobile first mindset and developing primarily in the browser the hope is that we can deliver sites that meet the clients requirements that are workable across the vast swathe of devices on the market.
This would be a large change to the established waterfall development pattern that agencies and clients are used to. Can agencies change their methods so completely? And will the client buy into this?
More information is still coming out of the Responsive Summit and there is a lot to digest, but this is the start of the conversation we all need to have. The future is both exciting and daunting for web developersâŠ
Why I Use Twitter
Why do I use Twitter and what do I get out of it? First of all I read many articles about how great Twitter is and how to use it but I don't see many articles about what people get out of it. So here's my take on why I personally use Twitter and how to get the most out of it.
First of all, I should tell you I have a lot of hobbies and interests. Im not one of these people who get's home from work and sits in front of the TV - I'm not having a go at people like that - hey, whatever makes you happy.
I like to create stuff. My main hobby is music and in particular writing and recording music. I use twitter to find out about all of my favourite artists - news, gigs, interviews, videos, documentaries, new releases and memorabilia. For example, I first found out Noel Gallagher was recording his debut solo album from Twitter, not BBC News, not google or the NME, but Twitter. A lead singer from a band that were in the same recording studio tweeted Noel Gallagher was in the studio opposite recording his new album! Brilliant!
When it comes to my hobby of writing and recording music I follow people who will help me to improve what I do. I use Garageband to record my music so I follow Garageband experts and Garageband Software Developers who help me to improve the production of my music. Simple. From Twitter, I learnt of a piece of software that would give me a brilliant drum sound for my songs, I brought the software and it's improved my songs 10 fold! I would never have known about it if it wasn't for Twitter.
I first learnt of the deaths of Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse on Twitter and I don't follow any news corporations. News travels fast on Twitter and you tend to be on the cusp of every major news story around the world.
I remember watching the shocking scenes of the London Riots live on my TV and simultaneously checking my twitter feed to hear the latest goings on from people I knew in those areas. Eventually a whole movement was created from Twitter that night. An every day person started a campaign to 'Reclaim the Streets' eventually amassed thousands of people to help clean up the streets of London the very next day.
Im also interested in gadgets (boys toys) so I follow Apple news and rumours. I hear all the latest about gadgets from all over the world. I learnt about 'FaceTime' on Twitter when the news broke months before any major news station caught on. I learnt of the death of Steve Jobs on Twitter and the subsequent fall out all came from Twitter
I know what your thinking - 'You've got loads of interests - How would I use it?'
Well my Wife has no hobbies but she too is a Twitter user. She follows actors and actresses, music artists, celebs, friends and family members. She loves it, she's forever asking me if I've seen this tweet, or that tweet.
An old friend of mine who I only see about 3 times a year is a regular tweeter and I get to hear about what he's up to so when we meet up its all the richer for conversation pieces.
The simple fact is that Twitter is for everyone and everyone can get something out of it. Sign up and search for things you would like to know more aboutâŠits that simple
How We Work
If you've decided it's time to have a new web site but don't really know what to do about it, here's an insight into how we operate and how we deliver your brand new web site.
Initial Meeting
One of our Web Specialists will come out to you and talk about your requirements over a coffee. As we're the specialists, we will also offer up alternatives and other idea's which you may have not thought about. Once the initial Web Site Spec (site navigation, functionality requirements etc) is in place we are then able to give a fair an competitive price. The choice is then yours to go with us or to seek alternative quotes.
Accepted Quote
If you choose us, we will send you out a Welcome pack which features your Web Site Spec, Contact Information, Terms & Conditions and an introduction to your team. We also normally require a deposit of around 30% with all new web site orders.
Our Project Coordinator will then get in touch to discuss, in more detail, your design requirements, functionality and any other requirements you may have. At this point we also request any content and imagery you might want on the web site. We appreciate that the day to day running of your company must be your priority but without content a web site is simply an empty shell so if you need help writing content about your company and what services/products you offer simply give us a call or read our How to write content for your web site article. If needs be we can source images from iStock Photos on your behalf.
When the above is done, we then commence designing your brand new web site.
Web Site Production
Depending on your requirements we will offer two different types of initial proofing.
We will either show you an initial working version of your new site or we will show you a static version of your newly designed home page. You then have the opportunity to fine tweak it until you are happy with the new look. Once the visuals are agreed we then continue with the development of the web site and insert your content and imagery.
Functioning Proof
Once the web site is packed with all your new features, content and imagery, we then show you a functioning proof which is basically a finished version of your web site for you to check over and approve. At this point the onus is on functionality rather than anything visual. Once you are happy with the web site, we request that you sign our Web Site Acceptance Form which confirms that you are happy for the new web site to go live. Then we make steps to put the site live, add any SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) that maybe required, double check all contact forms and general functionality.
Going Live
Once the web site is put live we double check everything to make sure your new web site is perfect!
If you have any questions about the above simply email us at helpdesk@esterling.co.uk or give us a call on 0121 766 8087
