Resources
Give Me a Password
Do you find yourself always having to come up with new passwords for FTP accounts, databases, users, email, etc.? Yeah we do too. Rather than thinking up easy to remember passwords that are insecure, or trying to type out secure passwords, we decided to build a little password generator script to automate the process. We also decided that other people may want to use it too. So it is now online and available for you to use free of charge.
Creating Custom WordPress Themes
WordPress continues go gain momentum for use in blogs as well as a Content Management System (CMS) for more traditional websites. Creating custom themes for WordPress is vital to make your website match the branding and message you want to portray. ThemeTation recently released an article entitled “How To Create WordPress Themes From Scratch” that walks step-by-step through the process of creating a fully custom WordPress theme. The article covers both PhotoShop and HTML/CSS techniques so the article should be a good read for both designers and programmers.
Google Chrome
There is a surprising new entry into the web browser arena. Google recently release a beta version of their new web browser called Chrome. One of the main intentions of the new browser is to enhance the way JavaScript runs in the browser to make web applications faster and more user friendly.
They have definitely succeeded in the speed goal. The new browser is very fast. Unfortunately since it is in beta (isn’t everything these days), it is still a little buggy. Web developers should keep an eye on the new browser since it may soon become one more in the long list of Operating System/Browser configurations that need to be tested for any new website.
JavaScript Frameworks
JavaScript has become increasingly important in web applications the last few years. So much so that a number of frameworks have sprung up to enable developers to quickly incorporate enhanced JavaScript functionality into their web projects. So far we have been primarily using Scriptaculous for handling AJAX requests or animating object transitions, or just custom coding our solutions. But we will definitely be taking a look at a few of these JavaScript Frameworks. Does anyone else have any particular favorites?
iPhone GUI PSD
If you are interested in designing applications for the iPhone, the guys over at Teehan+Lax have created a Photoshop document with all the graphical elements you will likely need to create your graphical user interface (GUI) designs. Fortunately they also made it available for others to download and use.
MindMeister - Online Mind Mapping
MindMeister - Online Mind Mapping
We often find the need to make quick site maps as we work through potential site architectures or program organization. So far we have not found an offline application that is worth the money. Recently however we found an online based application that might fit into the mix of tools we use regularly.
MindMeister enables you to add new ideas quickly, and then re-structure, move, and edit as needed. You can also collaborate with other people in real time, or just send them the map when you are done. Best of all, the basic edition is free to use. Give it a try next time you need to document some mind mapping on the fly. Let us know if you like it, or if you have any other similar applications that you prefer.
