Best of Web - July
July has been an interesting month for web developers. Aside from some excellent tutorials, interesting announcements from major web companies have come to light. New homepage designs, new APIs and other announcements have been put forth by Google, Twitter, and other big web players.
The times, they are a changin'!
Best of the Web- Julyg 5th in Web Roundups by Glen Stansberry
July has been an interesting month for web developers. Aside from some excellent tutorials, interesting announcements from major web companies have come to light. New homepage designs, new APIs and other announcements have been put forth by Google, Twitter, and other big web players.
The times, they are a changin'!
Discussing PHP Frameworks: What, When, Why and Which?
It seems like every other day I decide that I'm going to start using a different PHP framework for various projects. Nuope has a fantastic article on what PHP frameworks are, and which might be best for you.
20 jQuery Tutorials and Plugins to Impress Your Friends
I know, I know. Only a true geek (with really geeky companions) would want to impress their friends with jQuery tutorials and plugins. That said, the article has some intriguing techniques that you might not find in other roundups, like the jQuery Sliding Puzzle Plugin.
How to Debug PHP Using Firefox with FirePHP
Six Revisions has a really useful tutorial for developers wanting to debug PHP. Using a cocktail of Firefox, Firebug and FirePHP, you'll learn how to correctly debug faulty PHP code from within the browser.
20+ Ready to Use Auto Completion Scripts
Auto-completion is becoming more and more popular. Sites like Google and Facebook have both pushed the technology into the forefront of web development practices, so much that it's almost weird to not see auto completion on search boxes. The Dzine Blog has over 20 useful ways to add auto completion into your app.
15 Creative Wordpress Footers
The footer of a blog is often an overlooked feature when it comes to laying out a site. Designussion has 15 exception Wordpress footers to draw inspiration from. Oh, and did you notice which site was the first example? ;)
What Web 2.0 can learn from Online 1.0
History can always teach us a thing or two when we're developing web applications. If you've got the time, take a peek at this comprehensive 8-part article showcasing some of yesteryear's best web applications, and what they can teach us about building great modern web apps.
WordPress Resources - 48 Resources, Tips, Tricks & Themes
A comprehensive resource for any Wordpress developer.
16 Impressive Flash-Like Javascript Animation Inspirations, Tutorials and Plugins
It wasn't long ago that animation in web development was traditionally left to Flash developers. But Javascript has become a lot more versatile and simple, thanks to frameworks like jQuery. Kevin at Queness has unearthed 16 examples of Javascript animation techniques and uses that you'll probably find interesting. (I just think it's amazing that all of this is being done with Javascript now!)
Coding a Clean & Illustrative Web Design from Scratch
Illustrative designs have been quite the rage, and they can certainly be more of a challenge to break apart on the programming level. Six Revisions has a comprehensive tutorial on how to blend illustrations with proper markup.
Misunderstanding Markup: XHTML 2/HTML 5 Comic Strip
Confusion abounds concerning the announcement of W3C to stop working on XHTML 2, and SmashingMagazine's Brad Colbow has a fun and informative comic that tries to dispel some of the confusion.
Creating an Ajax Web App Using the Bitly API
Envato's own Themeforest has a nifty tutorial on how to make an URL shortener using the Bitly API. The tutorial also shows how to add "URL lengthening", or showing the original url before it was shortened.
15 PHP Regular Expressions for Web Developers
Jean at Cats Who Code (what a cool name!) has some common PHP regular expressions that web developers find themselves using often. Finding page titles and validating domain names are some that I find myself needing more often than not.
Narwhal
Narwhal is a cross-platform, general purpose Javascript platform that recently hit 0.1 beta. It's essentially a platform for quickly building Javascript applications outside the web browser. Interesting!
Tutorials and Resources for Adobe Fireworks
Smashing Magazine has an excellent roundup of resources for developing with Adobe Fireworks. A comprehensive resource with something for everybody, beginner to expert.
12 Tools to Check Your Site's Accessibility
Accessibility: often overlooked by the developer, but seldom missed by the user. SitePoint shows us some great tools to make sure all of your visitors are happy at your site.
Creative Resume
Thinking about how to create a memorable resume that might put your name above all the other applicants? Check out Michael Anderson's creative infographic resume. Very creative!
Codeburner
Codeburner, a Firefox extension by the good people at SitePoint, is a web developer extension that makes developing sites easier by adding reference data right inside the test environment. PLUS, you'll get a free copy of the ebook Build Your Own Firefox Extension with a download of Codeburner.
Free Typographic XHTML/CSS Layouts
The Smashing Magazine crew has released a set of amazing XHTML/CSS layouts that can be used for free or commercial use in any project. Score!
Twitter's New Homepage Design
A couple days ago Twitter launched their new homepage design that, most importantly, prominently features the real-time search box. Aside from changing the look and feel of the homepage, it's very apparent that the site is now trying to position itself to make more money. TechCrunch has a nice write-up on the changes and the thinking behind them.
Friendfeed's New API
Friendfeed announced earlier this month that they've released a new API for developers. The API now includes real-time APIs, file attachments and OAuth support.
Guy Kawasaki's 10 Questions to Ask Before You Join a Startup
Guy Kawasaki is a seasoned startup founder who knows what it takes to join a startup, and the most important questions to ask before making the plunge into startup land.
Case Study: Good and Bad APIs
A quick but somewhat heady article on the differences between 2 different APIs.
Introducing Google Chrome OS
Earlier this month Google launched an ambitious project: the Google Chrome OS. The Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system that will be targeted at netbooks and smaller computers, with a focus on speed and simplicity.
Anchoring Estimates
Ben Northrop has an essential tip to determining project estimates for freelance programmers. Essentially, Ben recommends using an anchor to determine how much to charge for a project. For example, you could use a similar, previous project to base the current project's cost off of. Great tip!
Android Versus iPhone Development: A Comparison
Ever wondered which was a better platform to learn between the iPhone and Android? David Green gives an analytical overview of the features of both, and which might be a better fit for you.
Report: Ruby Use on the Rise
I know this was technically published at the end of June, I couldn't resist adding it. The report shows that Ruby usage is up 40% since last year. Look out PHP!
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