I came across the following javascript style-guide earlier today.
It is the one used by many of Google's open source projects and has some very good info in it.
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Adding CSS3 Support To IE 6, 7 and 8
CSS3 is upon us and with it all the cool things like drop shadows, gradients etc.
Not surprisingly, IE is yet again the browser of shame. It can barely render anything correctly, let alone implement CSS3.
Nonetheless, some kind souls have taken it upon themselves to do something about it.
And the result is CSS3 Pie Library.
Visit the site with IE and be amazed.
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
Boot from USB drive using multiple ISO images
Detailed information on how to create a multi-boot USB drive can be found in this article. Excellent work guys!
In brief, you format a USB stick using FAT32, make sure the PC can boot from a USB device and that the boot order will pick the USB device before the main hard disk.
The article lists all the tools needed for the job and it also lists a large number of downloadable ISO files that can be used with it, which I have copied below. Please visit the site for the full article.
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
In brief, you format a USB stick using FAT32, make sure the PC can boot from a USB device and that the boot order will pick the USB device before the main hard disk.
The article lists all the tools needed for the job and it also lists a large number of downloadable ISO files that can be used with it, which I have copied below. Please visit the site for the full article.
- NEW BackTrack 4 Final Site | Download (Extract contents of ISO to root of USB). We used 7Zip
- NEW Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 Site | Download (rename the ISO to rescue.iso and copy it to rescue directory on your USB)
NEW Mandriva Free 2010 Spring Site | Download (extract contents of ISO to the mandriva directory). We used 7Zip
Mandriva is no longer around. Visit OpenMandriva instead or visit this for more info- NEW Windows Vista/7 Install (Copy CD/DVD contents to root of USB)
- Redo Backup and Recovery Site | Download
- Peppermint Linux OS Site | Download
- DBAN 2.2.6 (Hard Drive Nuker) Site | Download
- RIP Linux Site | Download (rename the ISO RIPLinuX.iso)
- TinyCore Site | Download
- GParted Site | Download (extract zip to the gparted folder)
- EEEBuntu 3.0.1 Site | Download
- Added Shutdown/Restart/Boot from first Hard Disk (HDD)
- Memtest86+ Site | Download (Get ISO from Zip)
- Clonezilla Site | Download (extract zip to the clonezilla folder)
- Linux Mint 9 (Gnome i386) Site | Download
- Linux Mint 8 Site | Download
- Ubuntu 10.04 Site | Download
- Xubuntu 10.04 Site | Download
- Kubuntu 10.04 Site | Download
- Ubuntu Server Edition 10.04 Site | Download
- Lubuntu 10.04 Site | Download
- Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Remix Site | Download
- Ubuntu 9.10 Site | Download
- Xubuntu 9.10 Site | Download
- Kubuntu 9.10 Site | Download
- Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Remix Site | Download
- Ubuntu Server Edition Site | Download
- Parted Magic 4.11 Site | Download (get ISO from Zip)
- Partition Wizard 5 Site | Download
- Damn Small Linux Site | Download
- Ultimate Boot CD Site | Download
- SliTaz Linux 2.0 Site | Download
- SliTaz Linux 3.0 Site | Download
- Ophcrack XP Site | Download
- Ophcrack Vista Site | Download
- Offline NT Password + Reg Editor Site | Download (get ISO from Zip)
- Ylmf OS 3.0 Site | Download
- xPUD (Simple Netbook Distro) Site | Download
- FreeDOS Site | Download (put balder10.img on USB)
- BKO boot.kernel.org Site | Download (put gpxe.lkrn on USB)
- AVG Rescue CD Site | Download (rename the ISO avg.iso)
- Puppy Linux 4.3.1 Site | Download (Download initrd.gz, vmlinuz, and pup-431.sfs and put them in the puppy folder on your USB)
- OpenSUSE 11.2 DVD Site | Download (extract contents of ISO to the openSUSE directory). We used 7Zip
- Bitdefender Rescue CD – Site | Download (extract the contents of the ISO to the root of your USB). We used 7Zip!
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
Dummy SMTP servers for testing
As part of testing apps that send email, we needed some way of sending emails to a server and seeing what was sent and that it actually *was* sent.
However, we did not want to flood a real SMTP server with hundreds or thousands of emails.
The following 2 tools assist with that problem:
Enjoy!
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
However, we did not want to flood a real SMTP server with hundreds or thousands of emails.
The following 2 tools assist with that problem:
- DevNull SMTP server
Described asIt is a dummy SMTP server that can be used for testing purposes. It helps you see all communication between a client and the server and is very useful if you are trying to find problems with your email server or a client that you wrote.
- Dumpster SMTP server
Described asThe Dumbster is a very simple fake SMTP server designed for unit and system testing applications that send email messages. It responds to all standard SMTP commands but does not deliver messages to the user. The messages are stored within the Dumbster for later extraction and verification.
Enjoy!
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
updates on web sites I've worked on
Surrounds (now called Project Monitor) is a building and mining projects reporting service, based in Melbourne, AUS.
It offers a subscription service with information relating to the above.
Subscribers are given access to the web-based app that is within the web site. This allows them to search for and view information on building and mining projects contained in the online database.
The site was built in 2008, based on a look-and-feel design that the graphics designer (Noel Pennington) produced. I designed and developed the web site, the web app that sits alongside it, the online database, as well as a method to synchronise the MSSQL-based office database with the MySQL-based online database.
The site was build using PHP5.2x, MySql 5.x and the brilliant jQuery.
The tools used during development were WAMP, Eclipse, Firefox, Subversion and TortoiseSVN.
W3C-compliance was accomplished with the help of a great Firefox plug-in, HTML Validator.
It goes without saying that Microsoft's pathetic and disgraceful excuse for a browser (IE6 and 7) were the hardest ones to deal with!
On the positive side, Firefox made it a breeze to develop, test and debug!
The Firefox plug-in Firebug made it so much more fun to debug the app and the WebDeveloper plug-in made it a breeze to try thing on-the-fly!
The site was tested against Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome and (ahem) Internet Exploder.
================================
Another one of the web sites I've created has had a cosmetic facelift.
(See more on it in an earlier blog entry, Antique, Vintage and Handmade Woodworking Tools)
Another one of the web sites I've created has had a cosmetic facelift.
(See more on it in an earlier blog entry, Antique, Vintage and Handmade Woodworking Tools)
This is a site about antique, vintage and handmade woodworking tools that my nephew restores. Have a look at it; all else aside, the photography of those tools is amazing!
The facelift involved changing the main menu to use Superfish, a jQuery suckerfish-type menu. Apparently, he's been getting fan mail for the new look! Cool!
The facelift involved changing the main menu to use Superfish, a jQuery suckerfish-type menu. Apparently, he's been getting fan mail for the new look! Cool!
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
yet another IE6 bug
A few minutes ago I was shown a web page that contained links pointing to internal anchors.
The page works in all browsers, except Internet Explorer 6.
Here is what the link looks like:
<a id="HowCanIPay" name="HowCanIPay"></a>
Note that there is no text just before the closing 'a' tag.
That's what the problem is for IE6.
By simply changing it to
<a id="HowCanIPay" name="HowCanIPay"> </a>
everything works again!
The page works in all browsers, except Internet Explorer 6.
Here is what the link looks like:
<a id="HowCanIPay" name="HowCanIPay"></a>
Note that there is no text just before the closing 'a' tag.
That's what the problem is for IE6.
By simply changing it to
<a id="HowCanIPay" name="HowCanIPay"> </a>
everything works again!
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
Cross-browser testing...
(This list will grow over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out...)
=============
The Internet Explorer Collection package contains the following versions of InternetExploder.
- Internet Explorer 1.0 (4.40.308)
- Internet Explorer 1.5 (0.1.0.10)
- Internet Explorer 2.01 (2.01.046)
- Internet Explorer 3.0 (3.0.1152)
- Internet Explorer 3.01 (3.01.2723)
- Internet Explorer 3.03 (3.03.2925)
- Internet Explorer 4.01 (4.72.3110.0)
- Internet Explorer 5.01 (5.00.3314.2100)
- Internet Explorer 5.5 (5.51.4807.2300)
- Internet Explorer 6.0 (6.00.2800.1106)
- Internet Explorer 6.0 (6.00.2900.2180)
- Internet Explorer 7.0 (7.00.5730.13)
- Internet Explorer 8.0 (8.00.6001.18702)
Once you install it, you will find shortcuts on your desktop for each of the versions you chose to install.
I have tested v6.00.2800.1106 and it crashed but v6.00.2900.2180 worked just fine.
So, if you are writing apps for people who like punishment or who work for corporates that simply don't want to change, this is one great tool to test your apps with.
=============
In a previous article, I had listed a number of ways you can do some cross-browser testing.
Since then, I have come across a few more that I thought you may find useful.
- Free- BrowserShots.org still is my favourite, when it comes to the number of browsers covered. You can also selected whether you want javascript on, the colour depth, Flash version etc.
Note: A $15/month version gives you priority processing.
- Free- NetRenderer mostly does IE5.5-8.
- Free- Spoon (previously Xenocode) offer an interesting twist to cross-browser testing. Instead of screen-shots, they offer a range of browsers that have been, in effect, virtualised and wrapped up in a single EXE.
As a matter of fact, for a little while at at the start, they did offer those EXEs for download. Alas, they have now made it so you download a plugin instead which takes care of the 'EXE' you run.
Nonetheless, the whole thing is done quite nicely. They offer the following browsers: Internet Exploder 6-8, Firefox 2-3.5, Safari 3-4, Chrome, Opera 9-10.
Note: Just to make sure this detail is not missed:
You can run IE6 and IE7 and IE8 at the same time on the one PC.
- NOT free- crossbrowsertesting.com covers the following browsers.
This is a paid service, starting from $19.95 for 150 minutes per month.
| Operating System | Browsers | Other Software | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Mac OSX 10.5.7 |  Camino 1.6.6 Firefox 2.0.0.20 Firefox 3.0.5 Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 Netscape 9.0.0.6 Opera 9.2.7 Opera 9.5 Opera 9.6 Safari 3.2.1 Shiira 2.2 |  Acrobat Reader 8 Flash 10 Quicktime 7.6 |
| Mac OSX 10.5.8 | Camino 1.6.6 Firefox 2.0.0.20 Firefox 3.0.5 Firefox 3.5 Netscape 9.0.0.6 Opera 9.2.7 Opera 9.5 Opera 9.6 Safari 4 Shiira 2.2 | Acrobat Reader 8 Flash 10 Quicktime 7.6 |
 | Ubuntu 8.10 |  Dillo 0.8.6-i18n Firefox 2.0.0.20 Firefox 3.0.6 Konqueror 4.1.4 Lynx 2.24.1.1 Opera 9.6 Seamonkey 1.1.12 | Base install - no additional software added |
 | Windows 7 | Firefox 3.5 Google Chrome Internet Explorer 8 Opera 10.10 Safari 4 | Flash 10 |
 | Windows 98 SE | Internet Explorer 5.0 | Base install - no additional software added |
| Windows 98 SE | Firefox 1.0 Internet Explorer 5.0 Mozilla 1.7 Netscape 4 Opera 6 | Acrobat Reader 5 Flash 9 MS JVM 1.1.4 |
| Windows 98 SE | Firefox 1.5 Firefox 2.0 Internet Explorer 6.0 Mozilla 1.7 Netscape 7 Netscape 9 Opera 9.25 | Acrobat Reader 5 Flash 9 Sun JRE 1.5 |
 | Windows XP SP2 | Internet Explorer 6.0 | Base install - no additional software added |
| Windows XP SP2 |  AOL Explorer 1.5 Firefox 1.0 Firefox 1.5 Firefox 2.0 Firefox 3.0.11 Internet Explorer 6.0 Mozilla 1.7 Netscape 7 Netscape 8 Netscape 9 Opera 8 Safari 3.1.2 | Acrobat Reader 7 Flash 9 Quicktime 7 Sun JRE 1.5 |
| Windows XP SP2 | AOL Explorer 1.5 Firefox 1.0 Firefox 1.5 Firefox 2.0 Firefox 3.0.11 Firefox 3.5 Internet Explorer 7.0 Mozilla 1.7 Netscape 7 Netscape 8 Netscape 9 Opera 9.25 Opera 9.5 Opera 9.6 Safari 3.1.2 | Acrobat Reader 9 Flash 10 Quicktime 7 Silverlight 2 Sun JRE 1.5 |
| Windows XP SP2 | Firefox 3.6 Beta Google Chrome Internet Explorer 8 Opera 10 Beta Safari 4 | Silverlight 2 |
| Windows Vista | Internet Explorer 7.0 | Base install - no additional software added |
| Windows Vista | Firefox 2.0 Firefox 3.0.11 Internet Explorer 7.0 Netscape 9 Opera 9.25 Safari 3.1.2 | Acrobat Reader 8 Flash 9 Quicktime 7 Sun JRE 1.5 |
| Windows Vista | Firefox 2.0 Firefox 3.0.11 Firefox 3.5 Internet Explorer 7.0 Netscape 9 Opera 9.25 Opera 9.5 Opera 9.6 Safari 3.1.2 | Acrobat Reader 9 Flash 10 Quicktime 7 Silverlight 2 Sun JRE 1.6 |
| Windows Vista | Firefox 3.6 Beta Google Chrome Internet Explorer 8 Opera 10 Beta Safari 4 | Silverlight 2 |
- NOT free- BrowserCam is another screenshot service that covers quite a number of browsers, as shown below. While I am only concentrating on the PC browser aspect of this service, they do offer captures for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windozzzze mobile. They also do email capture.
 Internet Explorer |  Mozilla |  Firefox |  Safari |  Konqueror |  Opera |  Netscape |  AOL |  Camino |  Chrome | |||||||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 Linux Fedora Core 6 | 1.5.0.12 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 1.5.0.12 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 3.5.4.12 | 3.5.4.12 | 10.00 9.62 | 10.00 9.62 | 9.0.0.3 | 9.0.0.3 | ||||||||||||
 Macintosh OSX 10.3 | 5.2 | 1.6 1.7.12 | 2.0.0.20 | 1.2 1.3 | 9.62 | 7.2 9.0.0.3 | 1.5.5 | |||||||||||||
Macintosh OSX 10.4 | 5.2 | 1.6 1.7.12 | 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 2.0.2 3.2.3 | 10.00 9.62 | 7.2 9.0.0.3 | 2.0 | |||||||||||||
Macintosh OSX 10.5 | 1.7.12 | 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 3.2.3 4.0.4 | 10.00 9.62 | 9.0.0.3 | 2.0 | ||||||||||||||
Macintosh OSX 10.6 | 3.5.5 | 4.0.4 | 10.00 | |||||||||||||||||
 Windows 98 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Windows 2000 Professional | 5.0 5.5 6.02 | 5.0 5.5 6.02 | 1.6 1.7.12 | 1.6 1.7.12 | 1.5.0 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 1.5.0 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 10.00 9.62 | 10.00 9.62 | 4.78 6.2 7.2 9.0.0.3 | 4.78 6.2 7.2 9.0.0.3 | 9.1 | |||||||||
Windows XP | 6.0 7.0 8.0 | 6.0 7.0 8.0 | 1.6 1.7.12 | 1.6 1.7.12 | 1.5.0 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 1.5.0 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 3.2.3 4.0.4 | 3.2.3 4.0.4 | 10.00 9.62 | 10.00 9.62 | 6.23 7.2 9.0.0.3 | 6.23 7.2 9.0.0.3 | 3.0.195.25 | 3.0.195.25 | ||||||
Windows Vista | 7.0 8.0 | 7.0 8.0 | 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 2.0.0.20 3.5.5 | 3.2.3 4.0.4 | 3.2.3 4.0.4 | 10.00 9.62 | 10.00 9.62 | 9.0.0.3 | 9.0.0.3 | 3.0.195.25 | 3.0.195.25 | ||||||||
Windows 7 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 3.5.5 | 3.5.5 | 4.0.4 | 4.0.4 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 3.0.195.21 | 3.0.195.21 | ||||||||||
- NOT free- BrowserCamp allows you to check how your pages will appear on Mac browsers.
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!
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