Leave it to open source to keep-up with the latest and greatest. With the release of Firefox 3.5 Mozilla has kept pace with what today’s websites are dishing out. With websites becoming more more and more like full applications the need for speed and power is apparent. So Firefox 3.5 got a power boost with the brand new TraceMonkey JavaScript Engine. TraceMonkey allows JavaScript code to render on par with native code according to Mozilla’s VP of Engineering Mike Shaver.
Another important update is that Firefox 3.5 supports the new specifications for HTML 5. Eventhough HTML 5 isn’t slated to be finalized for another year it’s already being implemented by the latest browsers. Because of HTML 5 support Mozilla has used another open source brethren, Ogg, to replace proprietary video viewing solutions. This means no proprietary plug-in is needed to view video or listen to songs online if you have the latest version of Firefox. Website publishers can place video as easily as any other graphic and it will play smoothly in Firefox 3.5.
Here at Nimbletoad we like to see our favorite internet browser isn’t daunted by the proprietary competition! Innovation always inspires us to look for ways that we can become more nimble.
For a full review of Firefox 3.5 latest capabilities visit webmonkey
So I guess the myth that celebrity deaths comes in threes has been dispelled with the recent news that TV pitchman Billy Mays died Monday, June 29th. What brought Billy Mays TV pitchman celebrity status? After meeting Max Appel, Orange Glo International founder, Mays was recruited to demonstrate on shopping networks for the company. It was pretty evident what Appel saw in Mays’ delivery style. Not only was his enthusiasm infectious but he showed you why it was such a great product. Billy Mays, another great example of why functionality comes first.
Although FrontPage has been out of development since 2006 many people still use it despite the headaches and limitations. Microsoft’s replacement software, SharePoint and ExpressionWeb are even more complicated and designed to only work well with other Microsoft programs and servers. When we show people our open source solutions it is like the blinders have been lifted. Web development built on open source frameworks frees clients of the proprietary shackles and allows their web presence to flourish freely.
Open source CMS such as Joomla, Drupal and WordPress have become powerful web development tools because of the freedom of instant collaboration. Developers can construct websites with the peace of mind that they will work while still being able to customize the design to fit the clients aesthetic. Not to mention the infinite possibilities for customization with independent PHP programs one can develop to plug into these CMS sites.
Functionality first, design second. This really is what we want in everything, the only exception to the rule is art because the aesthetic is it’s function. Today websites are focusing on functionality first because frankly we don’t have the attention span for the theatrics of an all Flash site. We have become a society that is plugged in everywhere and connected virtually at all times. That is what makes the worldwide community of idea sharing and collaboration known as open source all the more important. Open source allows our websites, blogs, and social networking to operate across all our media gadgets. Proprietary programs just don’t have the functionality, freedom and speed we need in today’s media market.
With all this talk about functionality it is easy to forget that design matters. For a logo, good design means getting your product noticed, being memorable, and conveying the brand message. Gotta say design does matter. The folks over at the Web Designer Depot wrote a post on how NOT to design a logo.
Good or Bad, these companies hit it out of the park in the first 2 out of 3.
Before approving and implementing a design, ensure you get feedback from your clients, peers, and stakeholders. Getting feedback on a design is a crucial part of the logo design process as it ensures that your logo is going to be successful.
Take these poor phallic logo designs above. I wonder if they realized their logos had such hidden meaning? Ensure you don’t turn out like this by getting a professionally designed logo.
Yesterday, we ordered some desktop calendars from Staples online. Two 10 inch by 17 inch calendars were delivered today.
At first all we could do was laugh at the enormous box used to ship these calendars, but we quickly began to appreciate the symbolism. Ironically, we were working on a calendar module for one of our clients at the time.
Imagine this box as your website with all the blown up bags symbolizing excess code and fluff when all that you want is an easy to use calendar. If a Nimbletoad engineer packed this shipment, your calendar would be delivered in a nice package appropriate to its size and weight.
