Hi,
The media is painted in hues of red, blue and white with a sprinkle of stars afloat. The world watches with bated breaths as the Presidential elections of the United States gets hotter.
And as I spoke to my cousin in Florida yesterday, I realized that the air is all the more fervent there. With tons and loads of online space donated to cheer and berate both Obama and Hillary, I thought I might as well steal a glance at their websites. But the glance took a little longer and I found myself devouring the technicalities of their designs.
And boy oh boy... its frenzy out there. Not being a political person dissuades me from commenting on my preference over either candidates, but their websites … yes I am ready to speak.
Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, brought up in the lap of political regimen has a website that emits the same. Wearing the traditional color schemes of the US flag, her website www.hillaryclinton.com boasts of a regal air.
Browse down to Barack Obama’s site, www.barackobama.com and you will be greeted by a splash of fresh dreamy blue, perhaps a symbol of the freshness he claims to bring into the US government with his election!
All the tips and tricks I tell you about here on this blog find perfect examples in these sites. Both the sites are designed with utmost care and attention. Optimization would not have been an issue though ;-)
Hmm…Let’s make it interesting. If I take both of them and put them in a boxing ring… lets see who wins.
Round one: Color Riot
Hillary’s site uses loud colors, something that is not very advisable by the website designing rules. But it is pardonable considering it is complimentary to the American flag. The Republican sure knows how to waive her patriotism!
Obama the poster boy…ahem man of the youth with his dreamy hues. The first thing that I felt was freshness. It was as if I could breathe light. I guess it’s the plentiful whitespace and the soft blue palette that did it to me. The site has a soothing appeal. It is intended to I guess, for it targets the tech savvy youth of America.
Round one goes to Obama!
Round Two: Layout
The Queen Bee makes it a little hectic here. The content comes out all bold. With the text in caps and that too defined by sharp lines, it becomes a little too messy on the whole and the over impression spells clutter. Like when I entered the site, I became finicky. There were just too many elements shouting for attention. Take a ride and you will know what I mean. This was exactly what I mentioned in designing don’ts.
Pair this opposite Obama’s and you can see contrast. There is absolute harmony. With all the elements neatly arranged this is what I call a neat and clean layout
Obama, the winner again!
Round Three: The Link Saga
Hillary has her site compact. The links clearly done, I could just jump to any page that I wanted.
Obama decided to stack up. A strict no-no when it comes to designs. I had to roll that cursor down and down through all the events and features. It is too long, literally! Take a cue from the first lady and get some on links on top boy!
You have round three Mrs. Clinton!
Round Four: Extras
The Queen Bee talks. Yeah she does. It’s campaigning after all. She has on her main menu a link titled ‘videos’ that has several video slides of her life and works. Now this is great. Hillary supporters just have to refer to this link for any evidence they might need to testify their cheers.
But Obama has it planned to. I just loved the playful tools that he has squeezed in on his site. There is Barack TV Obama mobile, action center and a link to my.barackobama.com, an online portal that for personal blogs and messages. He targets the young crowd of America and has got it right for all the tech savvy supporters out there. And an add-on… What stands out on the site is the hit counter that counts records the number of people who have donated, irrespective of the amount. (BTW it was some 1,000,153 when I last saw. Goshhhh!)
I was bowled over by the counter, but then let’s call it a draw here!
So that was heavy! The winner is declared: Barack Obama! Sure he wins in my boxing ring. Let’s wait and see if he does to the White House too.
But I hear he’s anti-outsourcing. Huh? Will get you more on that in my other blog on KPOs.
Bye
Friday, February 29, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Web Design Myths – Busted!!!
Hi,
Just yesterday, I was browsing through the net for some articles on web design and development and literally all of them yell out the same tips and tricks, of course in different language styles ;-)
Talk about plagiarizing plagiarism!
But what I noticed is, in their efforts to save mankind from creating ‘non-ideal’ websites; they have given way to some myths that now rule the roost.
If you haven’t already, just try Googling out some web design articles. Literally, all of them seem to propagate the belief of “All content and less or no animation” supposedly that’s the magic key of having a neat and popular website.
Don’t rule me out for this. I know content is the king! N that’s what gains the site its credibility. Also adding animations like sounds, java applets and graphics will slow down the loading process. And yes, visitors seldom wait more than 8 seconds.
But take a break, and think about it. All work and no play made Jack a dull boy. And all content and no graphics will no do better to your website.
A kid who logs into Disneyworld.com will not be amused to find info on the what-when-how of the company. He’d rather search for his Mickey and Minnie.
You know better what your site demands than the free articles on the web. Play smart and know where to use the animations and where to prioritize content. The trick is to maintain a steady balance between the two! Use animations sensibly as and when required and go low on the image size.
Now comes the question When is it appropriate?
Well sometimes applets are needed for some sort of processing.
All the Disney characters who swing and dance for the kids on the Disney website make use of the applets. The loading time too is not an issue because the image sizes are abridged to accommodate the screen space. And what is Disneyworld without music and songs? I’ll hate to walk in to a bland and mute Disneyland. Wont you?
In the same way, animation and sound might be appropriate for sites that feature online comics, online gaming, etc.
Talking about my own website that deals with website design services and all. You as a customer would not even wait to ponder if not for the graphics that illustrate my work. Let me share a secret. Many potential customers see your site as an example of what their site can become. And playing Plain Jane here will be no help. Chuck the content, its illustration that the customer demands.
And then the age old myth of "Good Web Design is in the Graphics"
I stumbled upon this site and took two minutes to realize that the large psychedelic structure staring at me was actually an attempt of the web designer to beautify the site. God bless the designing schools!
Designer graphics are cool and they serve to cut through monotony and bring in more vibrancy. But please don’t ruin what they born to do. Size does matter. Trust me does. I suggest you limit the size of the graphics so they complement the subject of the site without overshadowing it altogether.
And as for that designer... I can only hope that he stumbles upon this blog!!!
Hear all that is on offer, but when you get down to doing things, put in a little of that grey matter too.
Happy designing!
Just yesterday, I was browsing through the net for some articles on web design and development and literally all of them yell out the same tips and tricks, of course in different language styles ;-)
Talk about plagiarizing plagiarism!
But what I noticed is, in their efforts to save mankind from creating ‘non-ideal’ websites; they have given way to some myths that now rule the roost.
If you haven’t already, just try Googling out some web design articles. Literally, all of them seem to propagate the belief of “All content and less or no animation” supposedly that’s the magic key of having a neat and popular website.
Don’t rule me out for this. I know content is the king! N that’s what gains the site its credibility. Also adding animations like sounds, java applets and graphics will slow down the loading process. And yes, visitors seldom wait more than 8 seconds.
But take a break, and think about it. All work and no play made Jack a dull boy. And all content and no graphics will no do better to your website.
A kid who logs into Disneyworld.com will not be amused to find info on the what-when-how of the company. He’d rather search for his Mickey and Minnie.
You know better what your site demands than the free articles on the web. Play smart and know where to use the animations and where to prioritize content. The trick is to maintain a steady balance between the two! Use animations sensibly as and when required and go low on the image size.
Now comes the question When is it appropriate?
Well sometimes applets are needed for some sort of processing.
All the Disney characters who swing and dance for the kids on the Disney website make use of the applets. The loading time too is not an issue because the image sizes are abridged to accommodate the screen space. And what is Disneyworld without music and songs? I’ll hate to walk in to a bland and mute Disneyland. Wont you?
In the same way, animation and sound might be appropriate for sites that feature online comics, online gaming, etc.
Talking about my own website that deals with website design services and all. You as a customer would not even wait to ponder if not for the graphics that illustrate my work. Let me share a secret. Many potential customers see your site as an example of what their site can become. And playing Plain Jane here will be no help. Chuck the content, its illustration that the customer demands.
And then the age old myth of "Good Web Design is in the Graphics"
I stumbled upon this site and took two minutes to realize that the large psychedelic structure staring at me was actually an attempt of the web designer to beautify the site. God bless the designing schools!
Designer graphics are cool and they serve to cut through monotony and bring in more vibrancy. But please don’t ruin what they born to do. Size does matter. Trust me does. I suggest you limit the size of the graphics so they complement the subject of the site without overshadowing it altogether.
And as for that designer... I can only hope that he stumbles upon this blog!!!
Hear all that is on offer, but when you get down to doing things, put in a little of that grey matter too.
Happy designing!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Crossing over to get compatible!
Hi,
Has it ever happened to you that you have chanced upon a real good web application and were bowled over by its features and functionality, and then to your dismay discovered that it’s all but compatible with your operating system!
If this has a déjà vu affect on you? Then I am sure you’d be a happier soul after reading this.
I concluded my last post with a promise that I’ll get back with more information on web tools and applications, and here I am to let you know all about cross-platform compatibility! Though a little late! But hey... Better late than never. And perhaps the break gave me more time to ponder over the intricacies of these applications.
Interoperability or platform-independence as it is popularly called refers to the ability of devices or software applications to work with more than one hardware platform or operating system. Broad compatibility with various systems guarantees a larger market for a product by reaching your entire user audience. Interoperability is critical in achieving that critical mass of users, especially in groupware and other such internet applications, where two or more people interacting with one another will require some level of compatibility in order to communicate or share data.
I have seen many users who are forced to give up on their favorite operating system just for the sake of some frequently used application or software that fails to run on that. Now is it not cruel?
I read a piece some days back that said companies using Microsoft Office on both Macintosh and Windows PCs will have to deal with cross-platform compatibility issues with the new Office 2008 productivity suite. When the Office 2008 productivity suite will be introduced for Mac OS X, companies that rely on Visual Basic for Applications scripts and macros on Macintosh and Windows clients will lose transparent cross-platform compatibility. The reason behind this is Microsoft is abandoning VBA script and macro support with the introduction of the new productivity suite.
Moreover, the recently released Office 2007 for Windows introduced a new default file format, the OOXML (Office Open XML) .docx format, which is not compatible with Office 2003 on Windows and Office 2004 on Mac OS X. OOXML will be the default file format for Office 2008 also. As a result, Microsoft and others are scrambling to offer options to regain at least a limited degree of compatibility for future Office users. Now does that give you a scare?
Let me share with you some basics of creating a cross-platform web program.
First, choose the right development language. You can write cross-platform C++ code. But then you will have a hell of a time working with the different C++ compilers. You may be tempted to use GCC for all platforms. But that can’t always be possible. C++ programs can be tough to maintain for cross platform compatibility, though I might as well inform you that it is possible by all means. Another hurdle in your way would be to work with the build system. Not all platforms will compile IDE for C++. Worst of all, you may even have to browse through the Makefiles. Now that I have scared you enough, I might take the liberty to proclaim that C++ is not a good choice for cross platform development.
Rather, I would suggest you to go with Java or Python because both of them can scale across platforms pretty well. But playing the devils advocate again, don’t be assures that you have all the features of the language on all platforms. Read the docs carefully before implementing obscure functionality.
A good graphical user interface is imperative for an ideal application. Be sure that you make a correct choice for a cross-platform GUI. Astounding it may seem, but don’t you undermine its importance. A score of GUIs and libraries claim to be cross-platform. Be smart and run them for a check on functionality by making prototypes. My experience says that there is no easy answer when it comes to choosing the right GUI. And now I just cant resist telling you about wxWidgets bindings for Python called wxPython. It is damn easy to use and supports a ton of functionality. And yeah of course it is Python.
FireFox browser is the project that I can illustrate to you as a great execution of cross compatibility. Another promising project is the Mono project. Going by what it claims. It provides the necessary software to develop and run .NET client and server applications on Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, Windows, and Unix. My analysis has shown that GUI is still in beta versions. Another thing that I have observed is that Mono consistently lags behind Microsoft’s .NET framework. That is to be expected, since Microsoft will lead in .NET implementation and try and keep its version ahead of the competition. But nevertheless, Mono seems a serious contender for any cross-platform development.
Phew … Now that was pretty long. I guess now you have a fair knowledge of what cross-platform compatibility is all about. And the next time you cast your eyes on that cool application, don’t be skeptical. In all probability it will go well with your OS!
Has it ever happened to you that you have chanced upon a real good web application and were bowled over by its features and functionality, and then to your dismay discovered that it’s all but compatible with your operating system!
If this has a déjà vu affect on you? Then I am sure you’d be a happier soul after reading this.
I concluded my last post with a promise that I’ll get back with more information on web tools and applications, and here I am to let you know all about cross-platform compatibility! Though a little late! But hey... Better late than never. And perhaps the break gave me more time to ponder over the intricacies of these applications.
Interoperability or platform-independence as it is popularly called refers to the ability of devices or software applications to work with more than one hardware platform or operating system. Broad compatibility with various systems guarantees a larger market for a product by reaching your entire user audience. Interoperability is critical in achieving that critical mass of users, especially in groupware and other such internet applications, where two or more people interacting with one another will require some level of compatibility in order to communicate or share data.
I have seen many users who are forced to give up on their favorite operating system just for the sake of some frequently used application or software that fails to run on that. Now is it not cruel?
I read a piece some days back that said companies using Microsoft Office on both Macintosh and Windows PCs will have to deal with cross-platform compatibility issues with the new Office 2008 productivity suite. When the Office 2008 productivity suite will be introduced for Mac OS X, companies that rely on Visual Basic for Applications scripts and macros on Macintosh and Windows clients will lose transparent cross-platform compatibility. The reason behind this is Microsoft is abandoning VBA script and macro support with the introduction of the new productivity suite.
Moreover, the recently released Office 2007 for Windows introduced a new default file format, the OOXML (Office Open XML) .docx format, which is not compatible with Office 2003 on Windows and Office 2004 on Mac OS X. OOXML will be the default file format for Office 2008 also. As a result, Microsoft and others are scrambling to offer options to regain at least a limited degree of compatibility for future Office users. Now does that give you a scare?
Let me share with you some basics of creating a cross-platform web program.
First, choose the right development language. You can write cross-platform C++ code. But then you will have a hell of a time working with the different C++ compilers. You may be tempted to use GCC for all platforms. But that can’t always be possible. C++ programs can be tough to maintain for cross platform compatibility, though I might as well inform you that it is possible by all means. Another hurdle in your way would be to work with the build system. Not all platforms will compile IDE for C++. Worst of all, you may even have to browse through the Makefiles. Now that I have scared you enough, I might take the liberty to proclaim that C++ is not a good choice for cross platform development.
Rather, I would suggest you to go with Java or Python because both of them can scale across platforms pretty well. But playing the devils advocate again, don’t be assures that you have all the features of the language on all platforms. Read the docs carefully before implementing obscure functionality.
A good graphical user interface is imperative for an ideal application. Be sure that you make a correct choice for a cross-platform GUI. Astounding it may seem, but don’t you undermine its importance. A score of GUIs and libraries claim to be cross-platform. Be smart and run them for a check on functionality by making prototypes. My experience says that there is no easy answer when it comes to choosing the right GUI. And now I just cant resist telling you about wxWidgets bindings for Python called wxPython. It is damn easy to use and supports a ton of functionality. And yeah of course it is Python.
FireFox browser is the project that I can illustrate to you as a great execution of cross compatibility. Another promising project is the Mono project. Going by what it claims. It provides the necessary software to develop and run .NET client and server applications on Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, Windows, and Unix. My analysis has shown that GUI is still in beta versions. Another thing that I have observed is that Mono consistently lags behind Microsoft’s .NET framework. That is to be expected, since Microsoft will lead in .NET implementation and try and keep its version ahead of the competition. But nevertheless, Mono seems a serious contender for any cross-platform development.
Phew … Now that was pretty long. I guess now you have a fair knowledge of what cross-platform compatibility is all about. And the next time you cast your eyes on that cool application, don’t be skeptical. In all probability it will go well with your OS!
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