If you know me, you will know how much I despise all versions of Internet Explorer. Not only are they highly insecure browsers, but they make their own rules up as they go along.
Take today for instance.
I have been developing a new version of a website on a different domain instead of a sub-domain. I needed to get the users to update their information on the new site, so instead of directing them to the development domain, I used a frame to pull in the pages I needed on the old domain.
Every browser, including IE8, worked with this frame without a problem.
I then got a phonecall from the client who was freaking out because people were logging in then getting redirected to the homepage instead of the page that follows the login procedure.
I couldn’t replicate this at all. Until, all of a sudden, it stopped working on my version of IE8 and I could see the problem.
It was a fairly easy fix in the end. IE blocks cookies over frames, so I changed the CMS to use sessions and all was right with the world.
But once again, this episode shows why web standards are so important if development of websites is to improve.
If we are constantly having to make concessions to each browser, we will never move forward.
There is no perfect browser, but the likes of Firefox and Chrome are a lot closer to where they need to be than Internet Explorer is.
If you are not going to have a bespoke website built for you, or you are doing it yourself, there is a vast array of Content Management Systems out there, and a lot are free.
Popular ones you may have heard of are WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.
But as with everything, there are good and bad points about every CMS so it’s important to know what you need the software to do, and whether it allows for expansion later down the line.
It’s also tricky to migrate between CMS’ at a later date, so it’s better to put the work in now!
I am going through this process at the moment.
Normally I build my own bespoke systems, but as I know the functionality of the new site I’m building is fairly simple, I want to try an open source CMS solution.
If anyone has any recommendations, I’d be glad to hear about them!
I remember a time last year when Google Wave invites were THE item being begged for on Twitter – that included me!
After all, Google Wave was going to revolutionise the way we interacted with each other.
After I managed to get my invite and got to download Google Wave, I was left with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. What did it actually do?
To this day I don’t really know – admittedly, at the time I spent most of my time on Twitter and didn’t see the need for a new way of communicating, so Google Wave went on the eternal backburner in the belief that one day I would take it out of storage and give it another look.
Today the news came that Google were going to stop developing Wave due to lack of interest.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10877768
It doesn’t surprise me that much – to be honest, I think they should stick to what they’re good at, and it’s not social media type apps. Yet.
I don’t really know of anyone in the UK that uses Buzz, although I think it might be a bit more prevalent in the US, particularly among the tech people, but we Brits tend to stick to the mainstream, so Facebook, Twitter and MSN are the communication tools of choice.
Google, remember you created the number one search engine by innovating and not following the masses. But you became a giant when no-one else was creating something new. The internet is now full of innovators and maybe you should stick to what you have always done best and leave social media to others!
RIP Google Wave!