Resources from recent talksI have posted slides and demo code from my talks this month at Code Camp 5, DevTeach, and VSLive! on my site here. I have also posted each of these individually on the respected sites for the conference.
Each of these conferences went well. There were lots of great questions, and as with all speaking opportunities, I learn from those attending as well as become more comfortable with the material. One highlight for me was the great evals for each, and at DevTeach, I actually placed as the #1 speaker in the SQL/Data track based on evaluation results.
One issue I had with getting Service Broker to work at Code Camp 5 was resolved before DevTeach. I found that after I attached the new AdventureWorks database (included in the latest April SQL Server 2005 Samples), the authorization for the database was different than what I was using. This caused messages sent from an Initiator Queue to fail for Service Broker. My friend Rushi (a developer on the Service Broker team at Microsoft -- he has a great blog) mentioned I needed to do this:
ALTER AUTHORIZATION ON DATABASE::AdventureWorks TO sa ;
GO
After this step, things were right again and my demos WORKED!
Holy CSS Zeldman!An exaustive list of CSS links, and other Web designer/developer resources.
read more: Eric Meyer: CSS WorkA whole collection of resources from the leading expert in the field of CSS. Includes articles, tutorials and discussions.
read more: Identifying with the WebURIs and the Myth of Resource Identity "Another way to put it is that the authoritative descriptive information that I publish licenses the use of my URI in certain models. This is analogous to publishing some interfaces for an object in an object oriented system. You can never be sure that I won't (monotonically) publish an additional interface at some point in the future, just as you cannot be sure I won't publish more descriptive information about me..."
"On the other hand, even if it is not possible to completely describe a resource, it may be possible to unambiguously identify that resource, in the sense of conveying what resource it is, as distinct from all other possible resources.
For example, if I provide descriptive information telling you that the URI http://t-d-b.org?http://dbooth.org/2005/dbooth/ identifies all-and-only the actual, living person with email address dbooth@hp.com as of 1-Jan-2005, that is sufficient to unambiguously identify me, distinct from all other possible resources."
"The ability to uniquely identify a resource -- in the sense of conveying the distinction between this resource and all other resources -- is important because it enables others to publish additional descriptive information about the resource, beyond what the URI owner provides. The Semantic Web is all about the network effect created by the use of URIs as universal identifiers. When a URI's resource is uniquely identified, it enables "anyone to say anything" about that resource[4].
"If a URI's resource is not uniquely identified -- if others must rely solely on authoritative descriptive information about that resource -- then those who wish to make statements about it run the risk that they may have guessed wrong about what resource the URI owner was intending to identify. This hampers others' ability to make statements about that resource, thus diminishing the value of that URI. This is analogous to connecting, to the telephone network, a telephone that nobody wants to call: it consumes resources without contributing anything to the network effect."
Via,
URIs and the Myth of Resource Identity.
Related to,
Why Different Things are the Same and
Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume One.
read more: Fourth of JulyDaily Sucker for Tuesday, July 4, 2006 Submitter's comments: Why isn't the annual 4th of July celebration announced/on the front page? Why did I have to spend 5 minutes digging for this page? Something tells me the webmaster doesn't realize its about providing the public with pertinent information in a timely fashion - but rather to pimp-up the rep of incumbent politicos. Vincent's comments: Be...
read more: Can duplicate content really influence your rankings?Every few months, webmaster forums discuss if search engines penalize duplicate content. Can duplicate content affect your search engine rankings? What can you do about that?
read more: Accessify.com: Attractive, Accessible Web SitesOr, disproving the myth of ugly. An article discussing how to achieve both. With both good and bad examples. Many more resources on this site including tutorials, news and reviews, and discussions.
read more: Designing URIsAlthough you may have never thought of it as "design" (I do), it is important to carefully think about site structure and how URIs to different resources are related. Failure to do so can come back and haunt you. I speak from experience.
read more: Google's SandBox and TrustRank filters and your web siteGoogle's Sandbox and Google's TrustRank are often discussed in webmaster forums. How do these factors influence your web site rankings on Google and what can you do to get out of the sandbox or to get a high TrustRank?
read more: New features in Google SitemapsLast week, Google added new features to its Sitemaps service. After verifying that you are really the webmaster of a site, you can access some statistics about the information Google has about your site. This kind of information can help you to spot possible reasons when Google doesn't index your site.
read more: CSS VaultA gallery of inspirational, CSS-designed sites, as well as many CSS resources. A good place to check out examples of CSS applied to real (commercial) Web sites. New material is added every month, on top of a large archive.
read more: CSS Panic GuideIt's 2:00am, that design you've been working so hard on is looking good, and the client is scheduled to review it in the morning. But wait, it doesn't work in browser X! Don't panic! Here be Owen, with tips and resources to keep you from coming unglued.
read more: SkimCSSFeatures a keyword tagged and searchable database of CSS resources. Visitors may submit suggestions, and vote on the quality of existing articles thus creating a social rating system. A tag cloud is provided, as well as RSS feeds for recent additions.
read more: Developer BuzzThis is the parent container for the rest of the Artima Buzz resources located elsewhere in this directory. By subscribing to the RSS feed you can stay up to date on the rest of them from one location. Or use my dnews interface if you prefer.
read more: Plasticpilots: News from all OverAlex has a nice interface here, that aggregates news from a number of design related sites (many of which have resources listed here). He also has a program that features well-designed sites, one anyone can submit entries too. Lots of great stuff at PP.
read more: Web Accessibility ToolbarAn awesome toolbar for developers allowing them to examine Web pages under Internet Explorer for various aspects of accessibility. Contains links to a lot of accessibility resources. Version 1.2 released Oct, 2005 with many enhancements and improvements.
read more: Cynthia Says™International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI), the Internet Society - Disability and Special Needs Chapter, and HiSoftware Company collaborate to provide cost-free educational resource for Web Site accessibility testing.
read more: Online Collaboration Tools And Resources: Kolabora Picks n.6Photo credit: Kathryn McCallum PrettyMay: Skype add-on that allows you to record your calls and auto answers to them when you are away MyWebDesktop: online collaboration tool enables you to create your personal web-based desktop and share information within...
read more: Fast Professional Custom Web Design, Web Templates And Makeovers From $80We are the free one stop online self service web shop. We provide free articles, resources, free software and utilities so your business and site can grow on, we promote integrated web solutions, and the web hosting will fit with the web designers, the web design with web development and the SEO.
read more: Online Collaboration Tools And Resources: Kolabora Picks n.4Photo credit: Miguel Ugalde Web-based shareable calendar launched by Google Manage audio conferences with up to 500 users on Skype High-performance new videoconferencing tool Share anything from video to text Direct share of media files This week also, I...
read more: Online Collaboration Tools And Resources: Kolabora Picks n.7Photo credit: Sanja Gjenero Talkety: connect two phones via a web-based interface and call people around the world for very competitive fees OnlineGroups: set up online groups where people can hold conversations and share information CosmoPOD: create your own...
read more: Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) Activity StatementThe WWW is the universal space containing all Internet resources referenced by Uniform Resource Identifier. The Web is dominated today by relatively few technologies, including the Hypertext Transfer Protocol and the Hypertext Markup Language.
read more: OpenJNLP v0.5 released[2001-12-12] New Features include 1) Feedback! Users are now presented with activity feedback during an app launch; 2) A launch can be canceled while in progress; 3) Resources (such as jars) are updated when out of date. This is implemented via JNLP "basic" updating using Last-Modified timestamps. This release adds external JVM launching, a significant improvement in behavior.
read more: Online Collaboration Tools And Resources: Kolabora Picks n.3Photo credit: Tom Denham Mobile social networking service enables you to create groups and send text/photo messages to them Collaborative online whiteboard allows you to draw freehand with other people Email management system allows you to create personalized settings...
read more: NetX 0.4 released[2002-03-26] Netx is an open-source JNLP client which downloads code over the network, caches it, and runs it in a secure environment. Netx runs Java applications and applets using JNLP to describe what resources to download and how to execute the code.
read more: Online Collaboration Tools And Resources: Kolabora Picks n.5Photo credit: Salina Hainzl MXit: mobile chat messaging to major IM networks from your cell phone Mobber: web-based chat for people visting the same web page Central Desktop: online collaboration tool for business teams to manage projects and share...
read more: Gordon Broussard, M.Ed., LPC, Provides Specialized Online Counseling Services at eTherapistsOnline.comMr. Broussard was recently accepted into the network to provide professional services with eTherapistsOnline.com (www.eTherapistsOnline.com), the largest provider of Web based mental counseling services. Mr. Broussard has helped adults, adolescents and children look within themselves and then find resources they never knew they had before. (PRWEB Jul 11, 2006)
read more: Moving MT Installation to New ServerFor the past several days, my ISP and I have worked on moving all my domains to one of their new servers. Next on the agenda is moving my Movable Type installation to the new server and getting that all set up. I'm hoping for some tips or assistance, so I'd greatly appreciate comments here, via my contact form, or email me directly (for those who know my email address). Below I've also included some helpful resources that I've found researching this server move. (676 words, 19 links)
read more: JNLP Wrapper (Fontanus)[2002-03-28] JNLP Wrapper is a JNLP-compliant pure Java application which makes using JNLP easier. With JNLP Wrapper, any Java application can now be distributed, without modification, using JNLP. There's no longer any need to package everything in jar files, load all resources using the getResource mechanism, and deal with issues created by ClassLoader and SecurityManager.
read more: Online Collaboration Tools And Resources: Kolabora Picks n.8Photo credit: Tina Rencelj Writeboard: web-based editor enables you to write online documents and collaborate with colleagues activeCollab: server-based open-source free online collaboration space to share, comment, interact, revise, collaborate, and collaborate TracBac: hosted online service support creative work...
read more: Seminar: The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and UK websitesA two hour seminar:Date: 25th May 9.45am - 12am. Book early to avoid disappointment.Venue: The Volunteer Centre, 84 Miller Street, Glasgow G1 1DTCost: 39UK pounds per person.Facilitator: Jim Byrneemail: ddaseminar@jimbyrne.co.ukDoes your website comply with the DDA? Book your place on this seminar to explore the issues and find out what you need to know about the DDA and UK websites.This seminar is aimed at those individuals responsible for the creation, or management, of an organisation?s website. By the end of the seminar you will have answers to the following questions: Is your organisation?s website covered by the DDA? What should you do if someone complains that they can?t access your website? Who is responsible for making a website accessible, the site developer or your organisation? How is Web accessibility measured? Are there standards that websites should meet? How do you ensure you are not discriminating against a section of your audience? Where can you find help to make sure your website is accessible and complies with legislation?You will take away with you:Useful resources relating to all aspects of the course, a list of resources related to the DDA and accessible web design and information about how to get help to ensure your website is accessible. Jim Byrne & Associates - Web Accessibility Specialists'Organisations that offer goods and services over the Web already have a legal duty to make their websites accessible to disabled people.'Bert Massie, DRC Chairman, speaking at the launch of the investigation into Web Accessibility April 14th 2004.Jim Byrne and Associates provide a full Web Design, Development and Training Service with a particular emphasis on accessibility and usability. Contact us now to book at place on the course:Jim Byrne and Associates, Accessible Web Design, Development and Training23 Glasgow Street, Glasgow, G12 8JWTel: 0141 334 1650Mobile: 0781 0098 119email: ddaseminar@jimbyrne.co.uk
read more: Is your website legal?A new article by Trenton Moss: Web accessibility and the law in the UK: Is your website legal?'There's been widespread speculation about the new legislation being introduced, which will ensure that websites are accessible to disabled users. Try to find specific information about it on the Internet and chances are you'll come up empty handed.'layout your forms using CSS instead of tables.I am a fan of using CSS for layout and presentation of web pages - but I do still have a few 'blind spots' when it comes to putting my good intentions into practice. For example, I still tend to use tables when creating layout for forms.I was recently alerted to this weeks tip by Tavis Reddick, the webmaster at Fife College; while communicating about another forms related issue, he pointed me to a useful article about using CSS to layout forms (scroll down the page to find the part about forms layout).I won't reproduce the example code here - because it is not the simplest technique I have come across - and I couldn't figure out a way to simplify it for 'tip size' consumption. However, I thought it was worth highlighting this example, as it demonstrates that CSS is flexible enough to be used for tasks beyond the simple two or three column page layout.References.Fife College Practical CSS Layout Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
read more: How HIPAA Security Policies Affect Corporate E-mail SystemsCollaboration between healthcare professionals, their colleagues, their patients, and employers has grown progressively more digital, and e-mail has played an ever-increasing role in this communication. Although many consider HIPAA security policies to be the sole concern of health care providers, they also affect corporate email systems as Human Resources departments become increasingly involved in transmitting employee information electronically. This article explains what you need to know to bring your email security programs into compliance with HIPAA regulations.
read more: Favicon Plugin for Photoshop, Paint Shop ProLooking around for a Photoshop plugin to create several favorites/shortcut/bookmark icons as favicon.ico files, I found a great plugin that works beautifully, and it's even free: Free Photoshop ICO Format plugin via telegraphics.com.au. They state that it works with all versions of Photoshop, including CS and CS2, and that it also works with Paint Shop Pro. Actually, you'll find quite a few interesting plugins there for Windows and Mac. The complete post has a few resources on creating them yourself and the art of creating icons, along with links to icons that you can admire for inspiration. (212 words, 4 links)
read more: Eyetracking Web FormsDesign research is quickly becoming the theme of the month here on Functioning Form. Following my
discussions with Steve Portigal about ethnography and an analysis of
granular bucket testing, Matteo Penzo has published
an informative article on UXmatters that analyzes my
Web Application Form Design article with eyetracking software.
Overall
Matteo’s results mapped very closely to the pros and cons of the different form layouts I described, but there were a few notable differences.
For example, the eyetracking data indicated that top or right aligned input fields resulted a lower number of eye fixations and reduced completion times than left aligned labels. Which maps well to my findings in the usability lab and on live site testing. But because the forms tested in the eyetracking study were short (only four input fields) and all of them were required, a few common scenarios may have been left untested.
When they first encounter an unfamiliar form, users often scan the input field labels to determine if: they’ve found the right form and to see if they have access to the information required to complete the form. In this scenario, right aligned input labels can reduce the effectiveness of scanning what’s required to complete a form because of the left rag of the text. This is more of an issue in long forms vs. short ones and a good example of how context can determine which form layout is right for your application.
Applications with lots of different forms may opt for left aligned input fields to enable content scanning at the cost of slightly longer completion times. Likewise, long forms with many optional input fields may utilize left-aligned labels to enable users to quickly find the few input fields they actually need to fill in. Editing just one or two fields in a form is a frequent use case and an easily scannable list of input labels can help users quickly find a specific input.
The other key distinction between my cumulative findings and Matteo’s eyetracking analysis was the effectiveness of bold labels in vertically aligned forms. Here again, context is key. When there are more visual elements on a Web page and/or a form is long or contains lots of different inputs (radio buttons, checkboxes, multiple drop downs), the bold labels work well to separate the form fields. This is especially true with groups of input fields like multiple checkboxes or multiple radio buttons.
In Matteo’s study the bold labels actually began to compete with the form fields for visual attention because they have a more equal
visual weight. The normal (non-bold) font contrasted more with the input fields thereby providing a notable distinction between label and field. Whether you use bold labels or not, the key is to provide enough
visual contrast between input label and input field to enable scannability and distinction.
Tags:
forms,
UI components,
research,
guidelines,
Web conventions,
Web applicationsread more: WS Notification and WS Topics in the WS Resources FrameworkThis article continues our discussion of the WS-Resource Framework a set of proposed standards that formalizes the relationship between Web services and state. In this part the third of a multi-part series we cover the use of notifications and topics. It is excerpted from chapter 8 of the book em Building Web Services with Java Making sense of XML SOAP WSDL and UDDI em written by Steve Graham et al. Sams ISBN 672326418 ....
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