Website Designers and Webmasters

I went into more detail about what the different processes are of adding php to a website programmed with *.html pages in this earlier htaccess post.

Here are a few more .htaccess lines that will enable php on your server. (Different servers require a different line of code.)

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html .htm

AddType x-mapp-php5 .html .htm

AddHandler application/x-php .html .htm

AddHandler x-httpd-php5 .html .htm

AddHandler x-httpd-php .html .htm

Check out my other .htaccess posts.

-Ashton Sanders

There are many different ways to program websites. There a many different ways to program the exact same website. If you gave the same design to 100 different website developers, you would end up with 100 pages (that probably all looked fairly similar) and 100 completely different HTML code. Is it possible to say if one is right or wrong?

The Principle of Web Programming

The first principle of website programming is validating. When you make a website, it better be 100% valid. “Ah but it looks perfect in Internet Explorer…” (but it probably looks horrible in Firefox or Opera.) If your code is not valid, that means you are “doing it wrong.” Only second rate Web Developers are okay with “doing it wrong.”

With HTML, you can do just about anything! From anything as simple as changing the color of a body of text, to aligning tables around your site. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. HTML is not a styling language, its a formatting language. You should use HTML to enter and position your text and body copy.

Cascading Style Sheets, CSS, is a styling language. It’s purpose it to add color and life to your website. If you remove your CSS from your site, it should end up being straight text with a couple pictures.

By Why Use CSS?

CSS makes life simple! Why else? Every website has certain aspects that will be the same throughout. Take headers for example: On any given website, it will have the same color, font, size, etc for the first title on every page. You could hard program that with HTML on every page, or you could just put it between “<h1>” tags, and then in your CSS document, you tell all h1′s to be a certain size, color, font, etc., etc., etc.

Then when the client comes back and says, “Sorry man, I don’t like that green, lets add 2 points of magenta to it,” you don’t have to reprogram your entire site. All you need to do is change 6 digits in one document, and the entire site changes!

And if that wasn’t enough, it keeps your website code clean! I took a site that was almost 300 lines of code (where everything was programmed in HTML). I converted most of it to CSS, and it ended up being less that 40 lines of code! Search Engines love you! It is just that much easier for the Search Engines to get the text on your site.

“Program like your client is watching you… and they understand what you’re doing.”
-Ashton Sanders

By Viewsonic

The Optiquest Q19wb is a 19″ Widescreen Flat-panel monitor. Here are it’s specs:

Model

Brand : ViewSonic
Series : Optiquest Series
Model : Q19wb
Cabinet Color : Black

Display

Panel : Active Matrix, TFT LCD
Screen Size : 19″
Widescreen : Yes
Display Type : WXGA
Recommended Resolution : 1440 x 900
Viewing Angle : 160°(H) / 160°(V)
Brightness : 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio : 700 : 1
Response Time : 5ms
Horizontal Refresh Rate : 31kHz – 81kHz
Vertical Refresh Rate : 50Hz – 75Hz

Connectivity

Input Video Compatibility : Analog RGB
Connectors : D-Sub
D-Sub : 1
DVI : No
HDMI : No

Power

Complies with : ENERGY STAR
Power Supply : AC 100-240V (universal), 50/60Hz (auto switch)
Power Consumption : 33W (typ)

Convenience

User Controls : Basic : Power, 2, up, down,1
OnView : Auto image adjust, brightness, contrast, ViewMatch color adjust (sRGB, 9300K, 6500K, 5400K user color), H. position, V. position, H. size, resolution notice, OSD position, OSD timeout, OSD background, fine tune, sharpness, language, recall, volume, mute
Regulatory Approvals : UL, cUL, FCC-B, TCO-03, ICES-003B, RoHS, CB, CE, WEEE, ISO13406-2,TUV-S, NOM, GOST-R
Adjustable Stand : Tilt Adjustments
Built in TV Tuner : No
Built in Speakers : 2 x 1W
Features : •Stylish slim-bezel design
•OnView controls for superior screen adjustability
•Multimedia enhanced
•VESA 100mm wall-mount compliant
•PC and Mac compatible
•Power Mac G3/G4/G5 up to 1152×870
•Panel Surface : Anti-glare

Packaging

Package Contents : Q19wb LCD Monitor
Audio Cable
VGA Cable
Power Cable
Support Disk

Dimensions

Dimensions (W×H×D) : 17.6″ x 14.8″ x 7.6″
Weight : 9.9 lbs.
Temperature Range : 32 – 104 °F (0 – 40 °C)
Humidity Range : 10-90% (non-condensing)

Manufacturer Warranty

Parts : 1 year limited
Labor : 1 year limited

I just purchased my second of these monitors. I received my first on for Christmas 06, so it has been almost exactly 5 months. I have never had a problem with it. I’ve been using the plug and play drivers, and it hasn’t let me down.

The only difference I have seen in the more recent model is that it is about 1/4th of a cm taller than my first one. This may just be because the rubber pads on the bottom haven’t worn down very much yet.

I got this Optiquest Q19wb off of Newegg.com for $190 (with a $40 mail in rebate). With shipping and handling I will end up paying $163 for this beautiful monitor.

And I can’t fail to mention the energy star logo! Yes, both monitors have the energy star logo on them. Which means they don’t burn up electricity like the good old CRT’s.

I will also mention that you can view this monitor from just about any angle without a reduction in clarity! And of course since they are flat panel monitors, they don’t constantly barrage you with radiation. Which just means you’ll have to go outside to get a tan.

-Let me know how that goes
-Ashton

Earlier I wrote a post about the Basics of Search Engine Optimization.

In this post I’ll be delving a little deeper into the basic principles that are used to create the basic rules of Search Engine Optimization.

Text is King I mentioned earlier how Search Engines can only index text. They can’t see pictures, movies, music, etc. Pictures can become a very easy substitute for text if you are not careful. Many clients want that button to have a unique font with a nice shadow, which is totally fine… but not as good as having straight text.

So there is definitely a balance between Design and Search Engine Optimization. You want your site to be aesthetic enough for visitors to not be repelled, but you don’t want it so picture heavy that no one finds your site as the search engines can’t tell what your site is about.

“But you can add alternate text (alt attribute) to your images!”

Yes you can add alts, so that if you image doesn’t load, you can have text appear in its place… but search engines know that there is really no way for visitors to see that text. So alt text will never have as much power as straight text or a “h1″.

On the other hand, if your site is entirely text, with no images, you won’t ever create a conversion. Images are needed to add live and personality and style to a website.

The Balance of Search Engine Optimization and Website Design.
-Ashton Sanders

Ha! So yesterday I installed real player, and as I finished installing it, the final screen was this:

How awesome is that! Firefox is the best Internet Browser on the planet, ask any computer/Internet nerd. Anyone who knows anything about the internet knows how horrible Internet Explorer is and how awesome Firefox is!

Please make the world a better place, and trash Internet Explorer.

-thnx,
-Ashton Sanders