I've been designing websites for many years now. I remember way back in 1995, when I was working on the Helpdesk for Applied Materials in Santa Clara, CA. I would hack into the database (which was accessed by a basic intranet frontend) using only JavaScript...oh what fun! But then I got serious & learned XHTML coupled with PHP, & so I began to turn out website after website.
And all these years later, I'm still at it! A lot has changed, but the principles I've learned throughout the years have kept growing, & are evident in my designs.
I Train Dogs Too!
It's sounds kind of funny, but yes, I do train dogs :) I have been dog training on & off, for 20+ years now. My favorite type of training is in the sport of Schutzhund. Schutzhund is German for "protection dog", & it's a great dog sport that focuses on developing & evaluating those traits in dogs that make them more useful, which in turn makes for a much better dog/human relationship.
Bloggin' 'bout Web Coding...
This & That...
03/28/23 - Tuesday Evening, 9:53pm
So if you know me personally, chances are you've heard (well, read???) me talk about "web standards" before. But what exactly are web standards and why are they important?
Web standards are essentially a set of rules that web developers follow to ensure that their websites are accessible, efficient, and user-friendly. These standards are set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a global organization that sets guidelines for web design and development.
So, why are web standards important? For one thing, they ensure that websites are accessible to everyone, regardless of the device or platform they are using. By following web standards, developers can ensure that their websites are consistent across different devices and browsers, which means that users can access the website from anywhere and have a reliable experience.
Web standards also make websites more efficient and faster. By following these standards, developers can streamline their code and ensure that the website is optimized for performance. This means that the website loads faster and is more responsive, which is essential for keeping users engaged and interested.
Another key benefit of web standards is that they make websites more accessible to people with disabilities. By following these standards, developers can ensure that their websites are compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers, which makes it easier for people with visual impairments to access the website.
So, how can you ensure that your website is following web standards? One way is to use tools like HTML validators and CSS validators, which can help you identify any errors or issues with your code. You can also use frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation, which are built with web standards in mind and can help you create a responsive and accessible website quickly and easily.
Well, bottom line is, web standards are essential for creating websites that are accessible, efficient, and user-friendly. By following these standards, developers can ensure that their websites are compatible with different devices and browsers, load quickly, and are accessible to everyone. So if you're a web developer or designer, make sure to keep these standards in mind when creating your next website!
03/28/23 - Tuesday Evening, 6:54pm
To be honest, I really miss coding in XHTML ;( because of its strict rules. Because of XHTML, I became very proficient in my web coding, & it allowed me to really concentrate on my web standards.
For those of you who do not remember the good 'ol days of XHTML, let me break down the difference between it, & the HTML 5 that has become the standard (for which I have my opinions on, ie: people are lazy, & want to code via "free website builders"...)
When it comes to web development, two terms that often get tossed around are XHTML and HTML 5. While both are markup languages used to create web pages, there are some key differences between the two.
XHTML, or Extensible Hypertext Markup Language, is a stricter version of HTML that follows the rules of XML. It was introduced in 2000 as a replacement for HTML 4. XHTML is designed to be well-formed and easy to parse, which makes it a good choice for creating web pages that need to be compatible with different devices and platforms.
On the other hand, HTML 5 is the latest version of HTML and was introduced in 2014. It is designed to be more flexible and user-friendly than previous versions of HTML. HTML 5 includes many new features that make it easier to create multimedia-rich web pages that can be accessed on different devices and platforms.
Here are some key differences between XHTML and HTML 5:
Syntax: XHTML is based on XML, which means that it has a stricter syntax than HTML 5. XHTML requires all tags to be closed properly, and all attributes to be quoted. HTML 5, on the other hand, has a more forgiving syntax that allows for tags to be left unclosed and attributes to be left unquoted.
Compatibility: XHTML is designed to be compatible with older browsers and devices, which can be helpful when creating web pages that need to be accessed by a wide range of users. HTML 5 is designed to be more forward-looking and includes many features that are not supported by older browsers and devices.
Multimedia: HTML 5 includes many new features for creating multimedia-rich web pages, such as video and audio tags, canvas elements for creating graphics, and support for scalable vector graphics (SVG). XHTML does not include these features.
Accessibility: XHTML is designed to be more accessible than HTML 5. It includes many features that make it easier to create web pages that are accessible to users with disabilities, such as support for alternative text descriptions and the ability to add labels to form controls.
In summary, while both XHTML and HTML 5 are markup languages used to create web pages, they have some key differences. XHTML is stricter and more compatible with older browsers and devices, while HTML 5 is more flexible and includes many new features for creating multimedia-rich web pages. The choice between XHTML and HTML 5 will depend on the specific needs of your project, but to be honest, I have not seen web designers use XHTML in literal years...
The skies are grey and heavy,
As drops of rain fall steady.
The world outside is dreary,
And my mood, oh so weary.
The pitter-patter on the roof,
Is a sad and somber proof,
That the day will be spent indoors,
Lost in thoughts and chores.
The world seems to have lost its color,
And the raindrops, like tears, smother,
Every hope and dream I had,
Leaving me feeling sad.
As the rain continues to pour,
My heart feels heavy and sore,
And I long for brighter days,
When the sun will light my way.
But for now, I'll sit and watch,
As the raindrops dance and botch,
The world outside, so forlorn,
Until a new day is born.
ChatGPT
All in all, that's a pretty awesome poem for an Artificial Intelligence, I must say! I'll start testing AI much more as time goes on.
What do y'all think about the poem?
03/27/23 - Monday Evening, 6:58pm
Today wasn't very productive...but I did configure the Blink WiFi security camera suite that we have here at the house. I've never used BLink before, but it was a very straight-forward process to get it connected & synced.
03/21/23 - Tuesday Afternoon, 5:37pm
Well, I was invited to join the waiting list for "Bard", Google's new AI chatbot. here's my acceptance email:
Once I joined the wait, I got this email response:
You're on the waitlist
You'll receive another email when it's your turn to test Bard.
In the meantime, we asked Bard to write you a little poem while you wait.
May your day be bright,
Your mood be light,
And your heart be filled with delight.
~ Bard
Thank you for registering.
Let's see how that turns out :)
03/18/23 - Saturday Afternoon, 2:35pm
So I've been running Fedora 37 (Gnome 43.3) for a week now, coding with Visual Studio, & running Apache Web Server / PHP server, & I can tell you that it has been a great Dev environment, that's for sure! & running KDE Connect, which allows me to sync up my phone, & remotely control my laptop. It's great for what I'm doing!
Today is another day, another chance to make life better, & that's what I intend to do.
03/14/23 - Tuesday Afternoon, 4:13pm
Today I've been updating this blog, as well as my other websites. I am pretty stoked, because I'll be training my landlord's new Belgian Malinois, once he gets it...& who knows, I may adopt one up too, we'll see! Yeah, I'm pretty stoked about it! I've been training dogs for many many years, & have even thought about doing it as a profession hahaha!
I can't wait to start that training, but in the mean time, I'm still job hunting, & I'm updating my own personal websites, as well as advertising my website design services I offer.
03/13/23 - Monday Afternoon, 4:55pm
Plenty of jobs here in town, but I'm balancing my applications this week, concentrating on the high paying tech jobs first, then I'll begin to settle for just about anything...because money does not grow on trees...
I've also decided to do Door Dash, starting the end of this week, for gas money hahaha. It's a good way to supplement your income, that's for sure. Friends of mine have been making $70 a day with Door Dash, which will be perfect for making my gas money hahaha.
But on another note...
I've removed my Ubuntu 22.10 install from my Dell Inspiron 17 laptop, & I'm now running a dual boot between openSUSE Tumbleweed & Fedora 37, which so far has gone pretty smoothly. I'm running KDE desktop environment on openSUSE, & Gnome's desktop on Fedora. I've been running Linux distributions on my home computers since 2007!!! I remember my first install of linux, was the now famous, "Ubuntu 7.04, Feisty Fawn", with many Linux flavors in between, so I am well aware of what to expect.
& so far...
Gnome consistently becomes my daily driver, hands down, & that's the desktop enviro that I'm coding in today, as a matter of fact. Pretty cool looking haha!
I've been praying for the right opportunity to reveal itself to me, & for my vision to be clear & focused, to know what is really for me. So on goes my life, & I'll let y'all know how it's going from here!
03/03/23 - Wednesday Afternoon, 2:40pm
The more things change, the more things stay the same...! So, I've been looking to change my profession, & get back fulltime into an I.T. Admin roll. I've had a couple of interviews already, & I'm excited about the possibilities!
I'll definitely post about any new importunities I get, & how it goes with the interviews I've already had...Stay Tuned!
06/19/22 - Sunday Afternoon, 2:10pm
Ok, I've decided to keep my HTML & CSS structure on this website alone. But I'll craft some sites, & use them as templates for client sites. Here I go!
Well, it's another day, & I am determined to complete at least two unique websites, 3 pages each. I'm deciding which niche each site will be specifically targeted to.
06/05/22 - Sunday Morning, 11:57am
Have you ever thought to yourself, "Self, you should completely redo your website!"? Well, guess what y'all....I think I'll do just that! lol.
05/24/22 - Tuesday Evening, 8:04pm
Here I am, feeling way better that I was feeling this morning...but anyway lol. I've put my web work on pause
05/08/22 - Sunday Afternoon, 5:24pm
I've been going back & forth on either re-writing my full CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) for this site, to incorporate the latest techniques I've been adopting this past year. & to top it off, the lastest page I've created on this site does NOT use Flexbox as my container style. Instead I've decided to to use Grid for my layouts, which to me offered a better fit for this site.
I'll detail my workflow & any (hopefully) useful tips I've learned along the way in my next post...
Until then, cheers!
02/05/22 - Saturday Night, 8:58pm
So this weekend I plan on getting a big chunk completed on my "client area" frontend & backend...lots of coding!!! But that's okay because I'm always willing to code until my fingers fall off, or begin to bleed lol! But seriously, I do enjoy using css3 & HTML5 to build my sites. & I have so many great references to go to for help, when I get stuck on something...the risks of hand coding lol!
But anyway...I wanted to write the backend & frontend for my "client area" so I can get really familiar with the coding. So what I've come up with is putting up a page for the login itself. Then I use PHP to build the logic statements that determine who the authenticated user is, & build that user profile on the fly, remembering any content from previous login's by my clients. It's fun!!!...yikes...
I'll be listing information specific to each client's needs, such as SEO information, traffic logs & visitor information, etc...I'm still trying to decide the best route to take regarding how I'm going to display the SEO content to the logged on user. I could go the XHTML way & use DIV containers, floating them via CSS3. Or I can go old school & use the TABLE element (which is perfect for displaying this type of data, btw...) to display the user's SEO data - OR I could go the flexbox route!
& The Winner Is!
I'll be using flexbox to layout my data :)
I'll be posting about the process I use, so stay tuned!
