Posts tagged Web Design

firsttube.com 10.2

Feb 19th

Posted by Adam S in Meta

Comments

I’ve applied a new theme to the site, so I’m now billing this as firsttube.com 10.2. Whereas prior to version “10″, each look-and-feel revision was likely a major increment, since converting to Wordpress, a new theme is really much more cosmetic than programmatic. I’d love to hear your feedback, but I imagine the majority of my readers are reading via RSS anyway, so for those of you syndicated, here’s a screenshot for you:
firsttube.com 10.2

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firsttube.com 10.1

Sep 29th

Posted by Adam S in Meta

Comments

I’ve updated firsttube.com to a new theme. It’s not significantly different from my old theme, but it’s a nice one that isn’t quite as hacked up as the last one. I’m in the process of deciding what to do with comments. I’m thinking I’d like to outsource them to disqus or Intense Debate.  Either way, check it out and let me know what you think.

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IE: Sucking Hard Since Version 5

Jul 9th

Posted by Adam S in Rant

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This code (extracted from a javascript file) works in every major browser except IE (including IE8):

     $('a[rel*=fancybox]').fancybox({
          'frameWidth' : 500,
          'frameHeight' : 465,
          'hideOnContentClick' : false,
          'centerOnScroll' : true,
     });

This is the fix:

     $('a[rel*=fancybox]').fancybox({
          'frameWidth' : 500,
          'frameHeight' : 465,
          'hideOnContentClick' : false,
          'centerOnScroll' : true
     });

See the difference? Yeah, neither did I. The difference is the last comma in the argument list.

That’s 3 consecutive major versions of IE that have been absolutely crap.  Why anyone continues to use IE is beyond me.  IE: sucking hard since version 5.

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New Look and Feel

Jan 20th

Posted by Adam S in Meta

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If you’re not reading this via RSS, you may have noticed that I’ve completely changed the look and feel of firsttube.com. It’s something I wasn’t expecting to do regularly, but since I’ve moved to Wordpress, this will be my third theme.  The first one lasted only a few days, to be fair, and I settled on the beautiful Librio.  However, I did a lot of customization with Librio, which meant I couldn’t really update the theme, and it was far from 2.7 ready.  On top of that, I hacked up some areas I didn’t like and I was never able to get it just right.  

Fast forward a bit, I’ve gone ahead and modified instantShift’s Christmas theme that was designed for Smashing Magazine.  I am, at least right now, very happy with this theme and I think I’ll stick with it for awhile.  

Today is a new beginning for the US… and a little change is in order.

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A Bit of a Redesign

Sep 3rd

Posted by Adam S in Meta

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Yes, I’ve redesigned firsttube.com once again, but I’m only christening it 10.0.1.  There are no major changes here other than the look and feel overhaul – no new features, no new tricks.  This theme is a bit lighter, a smidgen easier on the eyes, a touch cleaner code-wise, a trifle easier to manipulate, and a notch more organized, CSS-wise.   As a result, those who visit the site will get a neat surprise.   That is all.

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A Cleaner, Simpler firsttube.com

Jul 21st

Posted by Adam S in Meta

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I’ve been pretty liberal in completely redesigning my website for some time now. I built this site sometime in August of 2000, using my own HTML. All dynamics were achieved… well… faked… via re-uploading static HTML files. Version 2.0, a major overhaul, arrived shortly thereafter, and version 3.0 completely migrated to PHP as the base. The site thrived as a Phish music archive and when I moved away from that, I retired what was then version 4.0, and several versions followed until this one, version 9. But alas, shortly, I will begin the design of firsttube.com version 10, and it will be a chore, as I intend to modify most of the tables in my underlying database. Many features I wish I had implemented long ago – such as subscribing to threads and letting users enter a website, thereby not exposing their email address – are long overdue and virtually omnipresent in other weblogs.

I’ve even tossed around using another blog engine and just migrating my data, but then, where would I play?

My primary goal, though, for firsttube.com 10, will be a radically simpler and more attractive interface. I like some Web 2.0 mainstays. Expect larger text, brighter colors, AJAX where appropriate, and simplicity. My new comments page, which I’ve been playing with, is already stripped down and already kind of overwhelming. So back to the drawing board, it appears. Stay tuned for more updates than necessary.

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What The Heck is Wrong With Microsoft

Jun 23rd

Posted by Adam S in [...]

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This is what’s wrong with Microsoft. I saw that Microsoft Expression beta was released for Mac. I thought to myself, “which one is Expression again?” So I checked it out. After checking out the website, you tell me — WTF does this program do?

Expression website screenshot
click on the pic for an enlarged view

This is terrible web design. Not only do I not know what the product does, I’m supposed to know which edition to click on to find out. Instead, I said “screw it” and I’m not going to bother with this thing. Microsoft is so out of touch with technologists it’s crazy.

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