Post Archive

› June 23, 2001

SITE GOES LIVE!!!!

Welcome back to webgraphics!We disappeared for quite a while to switch hosting providers a few times and re-think the layout, programming and structure of the web site. The last few months Pepe and I have been working hard on the design, interface, and programming of this site in our spare time. You're looking at a work in progress, there are templates that need the design integrated, we have some handy items to add to the toolbox there on the left, but most of all - the search feature is temporarily disabled.We are hoping to aquire some more of Andy's time to port the database and excellent middleware coding that Andy created for the robust search feature a few years ago using cold fusion and access into PHP and MySQL.Andy's hard work made web-graphics into a search engine for sites related to design, graphics, web, user interface and other topics revolving around the webgraphics theme. But meanwhile, we will be building out the rest of the web site, including a regular "feature" section with articles, product reviews, and possibly tutorials.If you'd like to email me about anything related to this web site, please feel free to do so. While I would question the sanity of anyone holding onto notions of banner advertisements as profit generators - don't bother emailing me about that, this site will always be free and under an open content license.

taking time, but making it right

so we are taking our time a bit, but the benifit will outwieght the wait. Look, we just added icons. Actually not that much left to do - really getting close to being all done here. Might just go live tomorrow anyway - what the heck.

› June 21, 2001

web designer's checklist

This web designer's checklist was found right off of metafilter, but it's worth re-posting here. This could also be thought of as a list of things that are/will be out of style - some are valid (but overdone) choices, others are just overdone.

› June 18, 2001

rustboy

Here's a very cool movie being made in beautiful 3d renderings by one individual using minimal equipment/software. The web site docuements the process of making the movie Rustboy.

flash colorpicker

Ok, so I have a good idea for a better colorpicker, based on the visibone color arangement, and then boom.

› June 16, 2001

IBM's Ascii White

"it could simultaneously process web transactions for every man, woman, and child on the planet in one minute…"

› June 14, 2001

buildingtheweb.com

BuildingTheWeb.com might better be called "BuildingTheUglyFrameset", but nonetheless this site has quite a few software resources with more than the usual amount of description of each.

dotcolor

Neat little colorpicker tool DotColor, sadly it's just for windows.

stylemaster program

Style Master is a CSS WYSWG editor for mac and pc (link from webreview).

color picker tool

Here's a colorpicker which I think could be tweaked into greatness. I like the "get html" feature, and that one can setup colors for different elements, but this is what I would change:- interactivity is confusing, I'd simplify with a different interface- colors are not arranged via visbone color wheel, which I like to work with better- an option for higher color depth would be nice, probably via gradient picker?

› June 12, 2001

flash - and the use of it

So, as we approach the concept of a flash based intro area (above these two columns) - the thought of using flash for other areas crosses my mind. What I keep coming back to when thinking about this is the delicate balance of adding visual interest and movement to a web site vs. testing the patron's patience with useless animations.So three approaches come to mind:1) reveal the text for the movie immediately, but enhance with slow image movements in the background, or off to one side.2) The animation sequence leading to the text being revealed is lightning fast, perhaps 2-3 seconds.3) some combination of 1 and 2.

› June 9, 2001

incorrect info

It's disturbing to see so much mis-information compilied into one article. Probably the most disturbing statement was:If you used Photoshop to create Web graphics before version 5.5, you had to create your graphics and then use other software to optimize the file size and actually prepare the images for use on the Web.Did Mr. Ferrill not create web graphics prior to version 5.5? The use of other software packages was NOT required, you may have had to do some cumbersome tasks to create routine GIFs, but those were easily remidied down to a swift process with the use of key commands.In fact I'd go as far as to say that many features of the 5.5 and 6.0 I'd be happy to give up - it's somewhat of a grab bag, some new features are great additions, others are a step backwards. I wish that just one of these large software companies (macromedia, adobe, etc) would take an entire software development cycle to simply improve the speed, response time, etc. Why not work on slimming down years of code ontop of code to be as super efficient as possible - I'd be more eager to buy a streamlined photoshop than a new version which is slower, clunkier and with more useless bells and whistles.

› June 8, 2001

SEARCpHp

SEARCHpHp, a search engine code that might be useful for the search engine feature of this site....

› June 7, 2001

lots of good stuff accomplished

Hey, lot's of good stuff was accomplished this evening:- Completely finished "font sizer", tested and fully working on Mac IE5, Win IE 5.5/Nets 6!- Added "oops" popup for for search box- Corrected "jump-up"/"jump-down" buttons, now functional.- Added link to greymatter login page from admin tool (.../admin.php)Next things that need attention:- Create appropriate template code for other greymatter pages (add comment, permalink, etc)- Change around code as nessesary if Pepe delivers 3 column format?- Post appropriate real files in toolbox- General style fixups as indicated by Pepe. ok, I'm partially wrong, the cookies don't seem to be working on mac... hmmm.

as soon as I complain

Ok, so after doing a billion things I decide to complain - then the next thing I try works like a charm. Maybe I should have starting complaining a few days ago. Nonetheless, I have Apple to thank for this solution.. it was found among one of their web developer resource sites.

font size chaning is not easy

Jeez - Now I'm realizing how complicated this Font sizer function can really get. Since I have to address each "area" that will have font changes explicitly - and since there are a variable number of elements depending on how many web logs have been submitted -- I currently can do so properly (in windows ie) only if I know exactly how my weblogs exist.This is turning into a giant PITA, I wonder if I cant simplify this, seems overly complicated right now... oh yes and somewhere along the line the cookie stopped working... and whatever I did last seems to keep the page from even Loading on IE for mac!Yikes - this is challenging.

Simpsons Applescript Virus

Reported on Macintouch, though not known to be destructive it will mail everyone in your address book this link.http://www.snpp.com/episodeguide.html

open content license

Here's an Open Content License which might be appropriate for WG documents.

Making our jobs a little easier...

Netscape: We're in media, not browser business nowAOL is phasing Netscape out of the browser business and into the media business. The article states that their new target markets are web purists and office workers. Could AOL ever make any headway into these segments?

flash 5 updater

Macromedia has a Flash Update specifically for Mac users. Apparently the update will bring more stability to the program.

› June 5, 2001

webreview article - where the web has come in 5 years

Here's a great interview style article on where the web is today compaired to 5 years ago. Jeffrey Zeldman, Todd Purgason, Lynda Weinman, Jakob Nielsen, and David Siegel provide some amusing responses. Most interesting here is the compairison of response rather than the answers themselves. (source: webreview mailing list, author: Christopher Schmitt).Personally I think this type of article is a bit preemptive, in about 4-6 months I believe the answers to these questions might be significantly different. Although it's difficult to guess at the rate of change for an industry from my narrow vantagepoint, it seems that much behaviour exhibited in our industry is still a product of "99-00 thinking".

step by step graphics

The "studio tips" of Doug Chiang remind me of how Step-by-step magazine is structured. I wonder if this was featured in the magazine or he's just a fan of the format. I know there's something exciting about looking over the shoulder of other artists, I find it kind of inspiring. Perhaps pepe and I could do somthing simillar with web-graphics - for both the design and code.

doug chiang design tips

Doug Chiang (think episode I) has a web site set up for his "robota" project. If you navigate to the "studio tips" section you'll find a personal account of the materials and technique he uses to create his illustrations. It's interesting, and I think refreshing, to see that this extremely accomplished illustrator, art director, etc is still so condescending to his own work (read his self critique in the painting area). This further vilifies my concept that creativity flourishes in humility and self-dissatisfaction.

› June 4, 2001

so far so good

well so far so good... things seem to be working or at least functioning on the ibook. Need to trigger the font changing in the weblog... probably by accessing a speicific style tag directly? Need to replace the down/up buttons so they are correct. Need to clean up the collaborative header graphic. Need to make some PDF/droplets/actions to put in the toolbox (perhaps just 2 of each to start?). Need to make the search box lead to the "oops" page. Also need to make a classy 404 page.

2nd test

Ok, now I'm going to add a bit more test, things are working quite well, but I really need to see a true paragraph before I can really be sure. Ok, now I'm going to add a bit more test, things are working quite well, but I really need to see a true paragraph before I can really be sure. Ok, now I'm going to add a bit more test, things are working quite well, but I really need to see a true paragraph before I can really be sure.

1st test entry

This is the first test entry.