Category: Technology

Categories
JavaScript Technology Web

The Bubble Popper

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

Over at ScriptTeaser a participation exercise where you can help pick what Ajaxian tech is hot, or not, for a weblog. Feel free to jump in, as opinions are not only welcome, they’re being actively recruited.

I have one more for the list: The Ajax Bubble Popper. When enabled, any post that contains an over abundant use of Web 2.0 terms and fuzzy feel goodness, as well as earnest assurances that the ‘bubble is not over, no sirree’, will automatically *POP* before you even have to spend any time on it.

Come to think of if, this is probably more of a Firefox extension, since I never ever say the bubble is not ove…

*POP*

Categories
JavaScript Technology Weblogging

Back to work

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I’m looking at all the possible areas where one can apply Ajaxian technologies to a weblog. Some uses strike me as just pushing the bits around for the fun of it. Others, such as my live preview for comments, seem to be so handy they’re worth having JavaScript turned on.

Before blasting script, willy nilly at my sites, I wanted to gather opinions from those most impacted: you. Of the following, which do you consider useful as compared to frivolous? Are there any you consider important enough to introduce invalid XHTML?

  1. Live Preview, where a comment is previewed as the person writes it.
  2. Spellcheck of comment. Which of the two options: Live spellchecking or the current open new window spellchecking.
  3. In-place editing of comment as compared to server-side editing of comment (as currently enabled at this site).
  4. In-place editing of comment as compared to having no post-comment editing.
  5. Live update of list of comments or posts, as you’re reading and without page refresh.
  6. Expanding comments in the main page when the comments link is clicked (in-page reading).
  7. Animated or otherwise activated menus, such as the one currently implemented at ScriptTeaser.
  8. Dropdown menus that expand to show all menu options.
  9. Summarized posts on the front page, which then expand when a plus sign (’+’) is clicked.
  10. Be able to turn photos off, and have the site remember to filter photos.
  11. Only display photos if a button of some form is clicked (or if JavaScript is disabled).
  12. Expand code blocks on demand.
  13. Being able to re-arrange weblog page and have the new arrangement ’stick’. (IE being able to size main content, sidebars, move sidebars, eliminate sidebars, and so on.)
  14. Being able to pick stylesheet.
  15. Being able to choose font: family and size.
  16. Being able to change site colors based on a pick list.
  17. Autosaving of longer comments, as they’re being written.
  18. Expandable metadata sections for each post.
  19. Mouseover that pop up information associated with post, such as related posts.
  20. Use of microformats for reviews, events, where microformat exists.
  21. Being able to access Google/Yahoo map through link, metadata, expandable section, or live embedding when post is somehow geographically related (such as with photos, events, and so on).
  22. Being able to add your tags to post.
  23. Being able to add other metadata, such as related links, to the post.
  24. Being able to expand a photo in the page.
  25. Add a slider to darken or lighten the page text.
  26. Adding a live chat feature.
  27. Being able to opaque everything but a post you’re currently reading (remove distraction).
  28. Persist commenter’s name, email, and URL.
  29. Live search (posts/comments returned as search term being input)
  30. Games. Yes, games. Just like the paper mat you used to color on when you went out to the pancake house when you were a kid.

If I missed any ideas, let me know. Appreciations for the feedback.

Categories
JavaScript

Dojo creator interviewed

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

Agile Ajax is interviewing Dojo creator Alex Russell (via Ajaxian) and I was pleased to read the comment about closure:

As a language, JavaScript is still horribly misunderstood. All real power in JavaScript comes from understanding closures, the “everything is always mutable” property, and the prototype chain.

These are actually concepts I covered in my book, though they are complex and I was concerned about the ‘learning’ part of Learning JavaScript. However, these are concepts that pop up in conversation among the Ajaxian set, and in regards to the Ajaxian libraries. As such, I thought it was important people be aware of what they are.

Update

Second part of interview. Some translation: GWT is Google Web Toolkit, a Java/Ajax framework. COMET is a description of streaming Ajax accessed content, rather than using polling. Think of IRC channels, and you’ll see streaming in action. Apollo is Adobe’s new effort to merge Acrobat and Flash. Dojo uses Flash for client-side storage that extends beyond the cookie limits.

Categories
Technology Weblogging

WordPress and DoS attack

It would seem that there’s a new WordPress installation with security updates. My site was what was causing the DoS attacks that’s been bringing down the server because I don’t have this upgrade.

The only problem is, I have several sites running WordPress now.

The fact that WordPress does not provide multi-weblog capability, and there is no clean upgrade feature, or even a list of what files are changed is making me rethink using this software. Especially when the developers refuse to upgrade the code to create a valid Atom feed.

PS Before someone else mentions it, yes I know it’s free. And I appreciate it. And I like the software. I just have several sites with it installed, and an upgrade is no longer trivial for me. Makes me cranky, especially when I come to find out it’s my site that’s causing havoc for others.

And I really wish the default Atom feed was valid.

Categories
Technology

Server problems

There have been Apache issues on my server. My hosting company OCS Solutions is working the problem.

Frustrating, but such is the way of the web world. Well, unless you want to dish out the money to have your own server, which is then mirrored in a separate location, and then monitor it 24 hours a day.

I think whatever morsels of verbal delight I may, from time to time, drop into these pages can wait because I ain’t spending one more dime a month on this place.