Great web app. to test and validate just about every aspect of a web page in one single shot. This includes things like validating HTML/XHTML, CSS, Feeds, etc to testing for accessibility and SEO problems.
Very handy, check it out
Let me know what you think of the new site. It still has a ways to go but I think it is certainly more entertaining that previous versions.
For those of you in IE6 or less please use a better browser ;) as it will significantly change the viewing experience.
Ever get tired of typing the same long terminal commands over and over again. This is a short article that does a great job of explaining how to make those nasty terminal commands nice and easy to handle. Every Linux user should check this out as it could save you a lot of time.
via Jon
First off the thoughts below are constructed around stereotypes. If you are against stereotypes then there is no need to read on ;) In my opinion stereotypes can be a useful tool in interacting with people. The catch is to not let stereotypes impact your ability to give someone a chance. Now on to the good stuff…
I have met a lot of types of designers in my life. Many of them have had a common thread even though their fields of expertise have been wildly different. This thread is an air of arrogance. This is not to say that all or even most of them have this trait, but instead that a large “per capita” ratio does. I have often ponder why this phenomenon occurs and today I came up with my own hypothesis. Design is intoxicating, particularly a successful design.
In a broad definition design could be viewed as an outward expression of a solution to any given problem. The important part of this thought is that it is outward. This is to say that the audience(customer) can see the design in action, be it an interaction or some graphics that build a “feel” or “attitude”. This is in contrast to something like development where the user doesn’t see or consider the results of the hard work (unless it is broken). As a designer when the application is a success it is easy to take it personal.
Think of if in terms of “buzz.” Most of the time when people talk about how great a product is they say things like “It is so easy to use” or “I love the way it looks.” Rarely do you hear someone discuss how well it was developed or how there isn’t any bugs in it.
Even when the reverse happens and a product is deemed a failure it is often blamed on the design, not the construction.
The interesting part is that none of it would be possible if someone didn’t have the amazing amounts of knowledge to build it (be it by code or content). This alone should humble any designer. But some how this concept continues to be lost on many in the design community. Perhaps it is because many designers have never taken the time to learn how to develop the rest of the items needed to make a great application.
This weekend I decided to catch up on my geek news and watch the co-interview of Steven Jobs and Bill Gates. With in the first few minutes of the video I realized just how each of these men’s companies is the personification of the respective founder. Bill Gates is completely nerdy, he looks like a nerd, walks like a nerd and really talks like a nerd. By nerd I mean you can see his social awkwardness and udder lack of “cool.” Windows has struggled with this for a long time. Jobs on the other hand was smooth, elegant, and well constructed. This falls in line with the general publics view of Apple.
What if we extend this thought process of the product being a personification of the founder to Linux? Will it hold true?
I think it does. Linux is created by thousands of people, from thousands of cultures. Some are nerds and others are collected and smooth. The beauty is when you get to know Linux you can see that it is much the same way. It allows each user to easily make it there own, thus fitting to anyone and everyone. Some of the products on Linux are really nerdy and lack elegance. Others are extremely well designed and constructed.
Now perhaps this idea should extend to one more place. If you had a company/product and this idea where to hold true for you. What would your product/companies image be like? What would be your user experience?
What do other OEM’s think about Linux running on their machine. This story is from Germany but it gives you an idea of what the big manufactures think about Linux.