StringFoo :: Web Development Resources

Is DropBox the Free Replacement to MobileMe We’ve Been Waiting For?

sstringer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:36:27 +0000

Dropbox [link] is a highly recommended service that lets you share large files amongst different groups and machines that I’ve written about before [here]. MobileMe is a very not-free service that provides marginal utility for Mac users. If you’re like me, the only reason to use MobileMe on a daily basis is to keep my machines [...]

Tutorial: Enabling Root Access in OS X (Snow Leopard)

sstringer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:13:29 +0000

By default, the root account is disabled in OS X. If you are a developer new to the platform, you will be needing to access many things that are available only with root access. This tutorial walks you through the process of enabling the root account in Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6).

NOTE: This guide is specific to enabling root access on Snow Leopard, (10.6). To learn how to enable root access on Tiger (10.4), follow these instructions instead. To learn how to enable root access in Leopard (10.5), follow these instructions.

Enabling Root in Snow Leopard 10.6:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences and click Accounts
Click Login Options
Click either Edit or Join in the Network Account Server section
Click Open Directory Utility
Click the lock icon to unlock it, and then enter your administrator name and password
Choose Edit > Enable Root User, and then enter a root password in the Password and Verify fields

Now, you are set to access protected areas of the system via the terminal.

Dropbox Rox

sstringer — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:44:52 +0000

Dropbox [link] is a highly recommended service that lets you share large files amongst different groups and machines. A typical use would be to sync your files between two or more computers, but I find Dropbox incredibly useful for my client work.

Like many of you, I work with virtual teams that come together on a project-by-project basis. With Dropbox it's easy to set up a shared folder for each project and control who has access to it. As soon as one person throws up a file, everyone in the group has it there locally on their computer. Brilliant.

Showcase Of Creative Flash Preloaders

sstringer — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:29:47 +0000

I came across this very nice gallery of Flash preloader screens. I am continually humbled in the presence of true creativity. This is well worth checking out. Showcase Of Creative Flash Preloaders

Help Google Help You (Deal With Duplicate Content)

sstringer — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:54:26 +0000

If you have any dynamic sites that can display the same information through a variety of URLs (e.g. "somepage.php?category=cats&story=123" vs. "somepage.php?story=123&category=cats"), Google has provided a way for you to avoid the duplicate content issue by providing a "preferred link." Basically, you add a special link tag to the head of your page:

When Google finds duplicate content, it will transfer the page ranks and index data to your preferred link. Clap your hands and say yeah. You're done. Head on over to the Google Webmasters Central Blog for details on this tip.

Open redirect URLs: Is your site being abused?

sstringer — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:41:49 +0000

Google’s SEO Starter Guide

sstringer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:22:05 +0000

Google has released a useful SEO starter guide that outlines the basics and some pitfalls. This is good stuff. [via the Google Webmasters Blog]

Our Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide covers around a dozen common areas that webmasters might consider optimizing. We felt that these areas (like improving title and description meta tags, URL structure, site navigation, content creation, anchor text, and more) would apply to webmasters of all experience levels and sites of all sizes and types. Throughout the guide, we also worked in many illustrations, pitfalls to avoid, and links to other resources that help expand our explanation of the topics. We plan on updating the guide at regular intervals with new optimization suggestions and to keep the technical advice current. So, the next time we get the question, "I'm new to SEO, how do I improve my site?", we can say, "Well, here's a list of best practices that we use inside Google that you might want to check out."

Do-it-Yourself Marketing: Don’t Do It

sstringer — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:31:12 +0000

Blame the economy, but everyone is trying to cut corners. Lately, I've come across any number of examples of DIY graphics and marketing materials. This is a trend that will only end up biting the creators in the butt. By pinching pennies and doing a poor job, these people are diminishing their brand, angering their customers, and utterly failing to promote their business in a positive light. This article discusses classic mistakes made with do-it-yourself-marketing and makes the argument that professional marketing and graphic design matter.

“The Art & Science Of CSS” free download from SitePoint

sstringer — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:42:24 +0000

(via @goatlady's tweet:) For the next 14 days, one of SitePoint's most popular books, "The Art & Science Of CSS," is available to download for FREE. The promotion is designed to get you to follow SitePoint on Twitter, but you can enter your favorite spam catching email address to get the download for free, too. Click here: Twitaway Free Offer [NOTE:] In fact, at the moment, the email signup is the only way to get the download link. Twitter spanked SitePoint for sending too many DMs with links, so following them won't do you any good at this point (unless you just want good karma points).

phpMyAdmin Turns 3.0

sstringer — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:26:01 +0000

The venerable and invaluable rent a car bulgariaphpMyAdmin has turned 3.0! Cosmetically, the tool looks pretty similar to 2.x, although some refinements have been made. Under the hood, phpMyAdmin now requires PHP 5.2+ and MySQL 5.0+. A new range of features are largely esoteric (IMHO) and are enumerated here. Download phpMyAdmin 3.x from the phpMyAdmin [...]