Do you feel comfortable in a text editor, but not so much in the terminal? Then this might be the series for you! In User-friendly front-end articles, I’ll be outlining ways to streamline the front-end development process in ways that don’t involve terminals, compilers, or endless chains of libraries. Don’t get me wrong, those things are great. However, we’re not all full-time developers. It can take more time to figure out which libraries to use, how to make them build properly, and so on,...
When a new client comes on board, they may bring their current website with them. Only once you give their site a good checkup, you may find that not much is “current” at all. If it’s running WordPress or another open-source CMS, that could be trouble. Outdated core software, plugins or themes could leave the site vulnerable to attack. And, while it’s easy to say, “Just update it”, that can sometimes bring its own set of challenges. Here are a few tips on what to do when inheriting an outdated...
We DIY types do love our tiny scripts, frameworks, and CMSs, sometimes. There’s something about starting from near-scratch, with some of the annoying stuff taken out of the equation, that feels amazing. There’s so much potential on that blank screen, or in that empty text file. Today, I’m talking about cory, which bills itself as a “tiny generator for static sites”. It’s Node-based, and it lives up to this promise. The source code for the whole thing, when zipped, weighs in at just 235KB....
That’s right WordPress-lovers! This one’s for you. The dream of many a startup is to sell stuff online. I mean, it sounds great, right? The website handles half the work, and you just send the stuff out. If your goods are electronic, you may never have to deal directly with the customer. You know, unless something goes wrong... but I digress. Many online vendors, preferring the familiar comfort of the WordPress admin interface, have turned to plugins to provide them with the e-commerce functionality...
Apple is making strides to support web development with its release of the Safari Technology Preview. This is a browser made especially for developers, which lets them get a glimpse of future technologies in both OSX and iOS and play around with these technologies in websites and extensions. What sets the new browser apart is its handy standalone role. This means developers can run it side-by-side with the mainstream version of Safari, which makes workflows easier as it allows seamless switching...
The WordPress REST API may still be under development, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming quite the topic of discussion. Recently I attended my local WordCamp and, sure enough, there was a session dedicated to it. For those who aren't familiar with the REST API, it essentially allows data from your WordPress website to be made available to other applications. So, for example, you could build a mobile app that grabs pages, posts, etc. directly from WordPress. And as I learned at that WordCamp...
If you’ve been following Android N-related news over the last, little while, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that Google would only begin publicly talking about Android N in May, when it holds its I/O developer conference. Android N is the company’s codename for its Android mobile operating system’s upcoming release. In a completely surprise move, however, Google preempted this expectation by throwing the development world a curveball. The company just announced the Android...
Working on a website with a like-minded client can be a thing of beauty. There’s a mutual trust in each other’s ability to make decisions that will benefit both the client and their customers. The client asks for your opinion on what’s best based upon your experience and expertise. The site comes together nicely and everyone’s happy. While that type of scenario is possible, we know that life doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes there are simply going to be conflicts. Whether they are...