Blog

I've made the switch, finally! This site is now served with the mime type "application/xhtml+xml" to those user agents that can understand it, and "text/html" to those that can't. However, this means that there is a fairly good chance that some things won't work perfectly. I'll be fixing bugs as I find them, but if you do spot any glitches (unencoded ampersands and so on) please let me know!

One problem I am aware of and will be fixing as soon as humanly possible is that the JavaScript in the site is, for the most part, now not working. The LiveSearch, for example, is currently inactive.

Notes

• Adsense is broken. There are solutions, but none pretty. (fixed)
• Caching system stuffed. (fixed) (no it isn't) (oh yes it is) (web developer pantomime mode fixed)
• When serving "text/html", should really be using a different DTD and rewrite the code slightly. (fixed)
• JavaScript problems, mainly LiveSearch (looks like Opera has problems executing a script appended with appendChild when page is served as "application/xhtml+xml")
• Comment posting bug. (error fixed but "remember me" not working) (fixed)

KHTML is an excellent rendering engine, used in both Konqueror and Safari. However, there is currently no Windows-based browser making use of the KHTML rendering engine, as far as I know. There is a Sourceforge project, KHTML for Win32, however, that seems to have stagnated.

I am curious - what would it take for a browser to be created that makes use of the KHTML engine, even if just for the purposes of testing a page? Is this the kind of project that is far too daunting for anyone to seriously take on? Are there major technological obstacles to creating a KHTML-based browser on Windows?

Firefox started out as little more than a simple Mozilla offshoot. Now, ZDNet is reporting that Firefox users accounted for 19% of all their traffic this month! Rock on Firefox! I know ZDNet is, by definition, going to have a higher percentage of tech-savvy users than other sites, and so more Firefox users than others - but those kinds of numbers are excellent.

• Finally, people are waking up to the idea that there are other browsers out there and they are better than Internet Explorer.
• Finally, sites will be forced to cater for a range of browsers.
• Finally, designers (those that don't already) will have to acknowledge that there are other browsers out there and that they matter.

For those of you who haven't actually heard the news yet, a trade association whose mission is to "provide a platform to inform and educate the marketplace of the benefits of search marketing in the overall marketing mix, as well is giving its members an industry voice". Hurrah, I say! About time too. SMA-UK is a UK-based trade association just starting out. Head on over to www.sma-uk.org and sign up to their newsletter to keep abreast of developments.

If you asked me to name just one program I don't think I could live without, I would name a program I never actually remember I am running from one day to the next. It runs so invisibly that the only time I ever remember I'm running it is when I'm not running it. If that makes sense.

I'm talking about StrokeIt, the single most useful program I have on my PC. It's free for non-profit and individual use. Companies can buy a license for $10 - and it's well worth it.

So what does StrokeIt do? I hear you ask. Well, StrokeIt enables you to use your mouse more intelligently and effectively. Essentially, StrokeIt allows you to perform common functions with a gesture of the mouse.

For example, when browsing the web, the average person spends a lot of time going back and forwards. You can click a back button, or press backspace on your keyboard, but using mouse gestures allows you to go back or forward simply by making a left or right gesture with the mouse.

In order to actually perform a gesture, you start by holding down the right button of the mouse. Then, you make your gesture (eg moving the mouse in a straight line to the left to go back). Then release the button and the gesture will be performed. Simple as that.

Opera, the internet browser, was the inspiration for Mouse Gestures, and other browsers now include these by default. StrokeIt, though, allows you to use gestures in each and every application on your Windows PC.

When you first install the program, you will find that it takes a little while to get used to. Check out the options as well, to turn off the coloured lines that gestures produce (you can literally make them and the whole program run invisibly in the background if you wish).

Once you are familiar with the concept of gestures, you can start to configure them for individual applications. While the most common gestures in file managers and web browsers are back, forward and up, other programs like graphics packages or word processors have different requirements and will use different gestures.

I've been using mouse gestures for a year or two now, and they are without a doubt the biggest advance in user computer interaction since the invention of the mouse. They will change how you use your PC and the internet. Go and give them a try!

I finally got around to fixing the site feeds. Originally, there was one RSS feed for all posts on the site. Then, there was an Atom feed running alongside it. Now, the site is split more into sections - Articles, Resources and Blog posts.

So now, there are many feeds. Visit the Syndication page for the details and options.

I've also updated the quite poor wallpapers, with the addition of 2 new ones.

Bill Bailey sold out so quickly for his 8pm show at the Brighton Dome last night that they added in an extra show at 4pm. Good job too, or I would have missed out on his "Part Troll" show.

A great time was had by all. Bill was a treat to watch, and it is almost impossible to pick out a highlight - a German version of the Hokey Cokey in the Kraftwerk style; Wonderwall, Deliverance-style; random ramblings about delusions of rastafarianism ... it was all hysterical.

He's not your average stand-up - the whole show felt more like he was just having a conversation with a few friends, rather than a scripted performance. Top stuff. If you get the chance, go and see him in action - you'll laugh till you cry.

So begins day 5 without cigarettes, and so far it's going well. I am a little more short-tempered than usual, but that will pass. I haven't used the patches for a while - they itch like crazy and, though they do help, seem unnecessary at this stage. I'm trying to wean myself off a nicotine-dependence, essentially - so it makes sense to completely ditch the nicotine!

The lightheadedness / dizziness apparently isn't uncommon. I almost fell over yesterday on the way home, but according to the medical sites I've had a peek at this morning, this is down to the body adjusting to receiving oxygen again. It's not used to it, y'see. Hopefully that won't last much longer.

First major tests coming up this weekend as well. Tonight, beers with an old friend - who smokes. Tomorrow, beers with a couple of old friends - who smoke (then dinner in a smoky, but very nice restaurant - The Jolly Sportsman).

Mind you, all that aside, after another long week in London, what could be better than spending the evening laughing my ass off with Bill Bailey at the Dome in Brighton?

It's about time Google came up with something new. I was beginning to think we'd not heard anything from them for ages because they were all to busy stuffing their faces with fine cuisine, and relaxing in bean-bag chairs, to actually do anything.

It turns out not - instead, they've been working on Google Desktop, a tool to allow you to search the files on your own PC.

Much like Copernic's Desktop Search tool, this searches your contacts, emails, documents, web history, and much more.

It's still in beta, and only supports IE (boo, hiss, etc), but this looks like an interesting development on the desktop from our favourite search engine!

Mrs Dave, looking over my shoulder as I make some notes on the train this morning:

FTP? .... I know the TP stands for Transfer Protocol, but what does the F stand for? Fun? Fun Transfer Protocol?

Fun. Transfer. Protocol. She really is a diamond some days.

Since launching AddedBytes.com, I've spent most of my free time working away at the backend. I'm using bBlog, which I've found to be very well made, so far. It's template driven, easy to modify, and quick to run. The version I'm using here has been vastly altered when compared to the original (and I plan to actually document those changes so others can make use of them as soon as I have enough free time), and I'm now more or less happy with the running of the site.

I've held off on doing any major work on the front end for the last year though. I didn't want to put a design into place and find myself constantly having to change it around every time I added a new feature or changed something minor. However, with the back end approaching something I am happy with, I recently felt it was time to sort out the front end. And here is the result - Version 3 of AddedBytes.com.

New Features

As with every redesign, this was an opportunity to add a few new bits and pieces I've been working on. There are a few new features and small changes across the site, and hopefully these will make using the site a bit easier!

First, you may have noticed a search box on the right of the page. If you haven't used it yet, and have JavaScript support in your browser, you might want to give it a try. It is a "LiveSearch", meaning that as you type in a search query, a JavaScript utility writes the search results to the page (if you want to know how this is done, read the LiveSearch article).

Next, you might also have noticed, if you are a regular visitor, that the links to each section are missing. Instead of having links to a small set of the sections on the site as a navigation menu, I've decided to split articles into groups. At the top of each page you will see the four sections articles will now fall into - Blog, Articles and Resources. Within those sections are categories like PHP and ASP, but this should make it easier to browse the site. And yes, the Blog section is a new blog.

New links will spend a little time on the sidebar as well now. I am not yet sure that I want to keep this feature, so please let me know your thoughts. My thinking is that if someone wants to visit links I recommend, they'll visit the links section - but I might be wrong.

Comments have had some small improvements made. I've added in a plugin to allow you to ask the site to remember your name and URL, using cookies. Comments are also numbered now as well - with the numbers being direct links to the comments.

All in all, it isn't a major update. The site should, with any luck, be easier to use and easier on the eye.

The ultimate judge of whether I have managed to achieve those goals is you - please, let me know what you think! Comments, criticisms and suggestions are all welcome.

11th October 2004. Attempt number ... no idea. Here we go again!