Microsoft FrontPage is an HTML editor that is all about being user-friendly. It is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, so commands can be entered in plain, simple English, not complex, confusing programming code. It utilizes a graphical user interface (GUI), so that even the most novice of web designers can see exactly what he needs to do and how to do it at each stage. Web design with FrontPage is efficient, simple and creates great looking web pages that are sure to boost your online business.

FrontPage Web Hosting

Certain web hosting programs are designed specifically to be compatible with FrontPage. For example, FrontPage works optimally if FrontPage Server Extensions are installed on the server. If you know you?re going to be using FrontPage, a FrontPage web host is the way to go.

Finding a FrontPage Web Host

There is more than one FrontPage web host out there, and while all may be ideal for FrontPage, they may not all be ideal for you and your business. Take some time to compare the monthly fee and features for each FrontPage web host before settling on the one that you know will suit your needs.

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“deeply understanding HTML sanitization is a critical part of my business” and “If it’s a core business function, write that code yourself, no matter what.”

The post was rounded up with this bit:

“If other programmers don’t understand why it’s so critically important that you sit down and write that bit of code — well, that’s their problem. They’re probably too busy shopping to understand.”

In my opinion, Jeff Atwood mis-applies Joel’s principle of “do not outsource core business” to “do not use libraries for core competencies“. Open source wealth grew out of contributing fantastic codes to existing libraries. It doesn’t work that way with businesses.

If deeply understanding HTML sanitization is a critical part of my business, I would lean on the strengths of other libraries to grow my business. That wouldn’t mean shopping for libraries without understanding them, but evaluating them in order to contribute if need be. This way, I would have enriched my wealth of knowledge and the common wealth of the open source community.

Jeff Atwood is however right by affirming that “Of course code reuse is good. Of course reinventing the wheel is bad. Of course the not-invented-here syndrome is bad”. But there is never justification for doing otherwise, its a sin in the Ninja Web Developer’s cult

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Strolling down memory lane, I recollect a couple of relationships I have had, and as a result, could categorize these ladies into some sorts. The strong, beautiful, intelligent, caring, homey, sexy to name a few. Beyond the sweet side, some ladies can also be selfish, parasitic and emotionally ruthless! Another interesting feature of these ladies were their perseverance nature, sticking against all odds. This should be a logical choice, as life is full of ups and downs, and a woman’s ability to pull through makes her, not only a strong woman, but a virtuous one.

However, virtuous-seeming ladies falls into two categories. Those with good intentions, who is driven my passion and love for you and your desires (vice versa), and those who is just waiting to for you to “blow” and take their rightful share! The latter don’t last for long, and it would be really disgusting when they eventually starts getting excited at your “ups” and shying away from your “downs”.

An interesting set of emerging woman in modern Africa are the set of educated, young and independent women who believes their husbands should be partners and not hosts. Women who are strong and submissive (to faithful and loyal partners), those are women who I consider the almost perfect ones. Women who are not just mothers, and wives, but partners that can hold intelligent topics, and be hot in bed at the same time. Women who are independent enough to think “I for me, He for him, and Us for Us”.

These are the superwomen Alicia Keys sang about, kudos to you if you are reading this!

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“Just Curious..” is born. From time to time, I’d be making my ignorances public in this channel. Topics would be anything that comes to mind, things that need explainations. If you want to peep into my distubred mind,  Just Curious… is the place to be.

Meanwhile, get a Feedreader here and add http://damilare.net/feed/ for a regular date with my blog

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I had never given it a real thought, maybe because I am not a ‘real’ philosopher. I had always centered my thoughts around Computers, Machines and Robots helping man to build the world, just like Man helps the creator (If any) to build the world. The fundamental question, “do computers think?”, never crossed my mind, except for sometime last year in an epistemology class when Prof. Sophie Oluwole dabbled briefly into AI.

Now let’s face it! What are computers? What are thoughts? Before continuing I can remember Big Seg said computers don’t think, “A Computer Does” in his words. And I can also remember that I was so stupid not to ask him what computers do? Anyway, I am going to answer for him, cos I think I know what computers do. Computers do word processing, computers develop web applications, etc. I am sure you must be hissing at me right now. Or thinking how dumb of me! But seriously, Computers do those things…because we make them do them. I can develop a web application, but I may also be able to make a robot develop web applications. Besides, I am not the one directly interpreting/compiling my code to machine languages but my computer, which have been programmed to do so.

Now what are thoughts? Or better still, what is thinking? Basically, Thinking is a verb like kicking, or eating. Though thinking is complex and entails a lot, but it, on the basics, presupposes doing something. Doing what? To be simple enough, when we think (logically), we compare data (from experience) and make decisions. For example, I am faced with a problem of choosing a wife. Let’s assume I currently have three girlfriends. First, I look into my personal dataset to search for the things I like and dislike, my ambitions and goals in life (A computers gets data from a database or a file system). I then assess the three cuties and ‘calculate’ which one of them has the most similar ‘dataset’ to mine (The computer gets user input and compare with the data from the database). When I get one, I marry her (The computer gets one similar input and prints!).

This is a simple model of a computer type operates. And this is basically one of our numerous thought models, Big Seg notably said Humans have intuitions and instincts but computers don’t. Yes! I agree, those models have not been fashioned out into thinking-things, but they may probably be in the nearest future. Who would believe the computer could be made to do the things it does today when Blaise Pascal was inventing the calculator (his thinking machine)!

Ambiguously, thinking presupposes ‘a mind of its own’, something that initiates the thought process. Thinking tends to encapsulate two things; initiating thought process and the thought process itself. Here, we need to drawing a line; a line between a thing that thinks, and a thing that makes a thinking-thing thinks. In humans, I would want to believe that the thinking thing in us is the brain, and what makes the brain thinks is the mind. So when we perceive someone is not thinking straight, we say, “Are you out of your mind”? Just like we say “Is you car out of fuel”? Like the fuel is the energy for your car to move, the mind could be energy for the brain to work.

Looking at computers as a thinking thing once again, we would deduce that they don’t have what makes them think, that is “They cannot (initiate thoughts) think” But they carry out the process of thinking, cos we act as the mind behind them. We give them the instructions. But in actual fact, what they do is thinking (as a process).

Computers cannot think, but they think. Guns cannot kill, but they kill, Cars cannot run, but they run, ‘Ganja’ cannot intoxicate, but they do. This is because Humans make them all do what they do. We cannot equate these creations of man with Man. What man has been doing over the years is to create more of himself to make this earth-building work easier for us all. Amazingly, the computer has been the most controversial, because man tend to feel threatened, hence the horrific sci-fi movies depicting machines subduing man in future.

I think we should start to appreciate the fact that man is extensible. Man has the ability to map out an attribute of himself, and of other things around him, on objects. This, in itself, is an attribute of man. I look forward to seeing more stunning intelligent machines created by man before the end of my lifetime.

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A Ninja Web Developer has a fighting attitude to web development. He (or she) is fighting against, Comrade Time and Comrade Money. How much was he paid for the project, what he stands to gain, and what deadline is to be met. It is a duel to be fought, and if your Ninja skills are not strong enough, you would be defeated! That said, you should know that a Ninja Web Developer is not just developing web applications, but fighting against time and money, in which a loss is not accepted.

Now how do you become a Ninja Web Developer (a winning one at that)? Simply assimilate the list below.

Meditation is meant for monks

Yes, meditation is meant for monks, do not meditate over web development projects, except when very very necessary. I know you are dying to use that new design pattern u just stumbled upon, but is it necessary? Don’t think or plan too much before time punches you in the face! Use what is at your disposal and get to the result as fast as possible, there is time for refactory, if the fight is re-scheduled. You’ve got to be Agile!

You are not the best fighter

Even if you are one, your opponent can use his pistol. In other words, be quick to look into other people’s code. Bug their asses in IRC channels for help, search code repositories like phpclasses.org. Don’t try to solve problems, expect when no one else can’t. Its easy to learn than to create, unfortunately, most developers want to create algorithms for everything, while Comrade Time is waiting with his AK 47.

Prepare your amour

Ask me to develop a web 2.0 application and I would easily go to “c:/docs/code library”. There you would find YUI CSS, jQuery (and plugins), Zend Framework (with its CHM manual). Meanwhile, I wouldnt use the afore-mentioned tools without checking if WordPress or Drupal can do the job, or their plugins/module. Prepare your amour, always check the manufacturers for latest ones. I spend my time relaxing at open source forums and IRC channels, trying to gleam whats up? My arsenal’s got to be intact!

Do not spare your enemy, fight till the end!

Unfortunately, most Ninja Web Developers are forgiving, its a sin to forgive in the Ninja Developer Parlance. You have sinned if another developer can detect your technique, its a defeat. Do not use that plugin if you cant override its default style, do not scrape that template if you would be caught, do not use the framework if its not flexible enough for you to change the way it “shows”. Rename all library files and make sure they don’t break. The aim of a Ninja Web Developer is to make reusable components look like scratch, and get all the glory. That is how to defeat Comrade Money, your client won’t trace your secrets.

Follow those laws as enshrined in the great book of NWD from far far land of DM3, and you would win all battles.

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A lot of things need be considered before jumping onto projects, most budding entrepreneurs don’t, and hence they don’t complete them, fail or succeed by fluke. There are numerous factors one needs to consider, amongst them all, I find these very important

Research: Have you done all necessary market research? Never embark on a project because you are merely in love with the idea. The love will be short-lived and the drive to forge ahead will escape, leaving you with a feeling of failure and frustration. Instead, take all ideas into a research bed.

Strive to answer questions like who would benefit from this project? What problems are going to be solved? What are the social or economic values of the end product? Get these answers and perform a reality check on them. If you are satisfied with the results, consider other factors below.

Requirements: What do you need to have, known or sorted for a successful take off? For most entrepreneurs, requirements fall within a circle of skills, finance and team. Do a skill inventory on yourself, check all possible sources of finance for the project, also evaluate if the project needs teamwork or not. Most importantly be very realistic.

Make sure you are soundly informed of the necessary project requirements before starting. Having a thorough knowledge is a step to securing the needed resources.

Resources: This part is an integral point of failure for most projects. Any project needs it resources at full mode to be successful. It is also important to have safety nets for backups. The best way to execute a project with fewer resources, if possible, is to cut down the project scale. The other way is to wait.

Ensure you did a realistic check on the project requirements and meet up with the needed resources, otherwise do not start.

Resilience: A properly researched project, listed requirements, and available resources may still fail if the entrepreneur is not determined and disciplined. The oil that fuels a project is nothing but willpower. Resilience is an handy value when all necessary steps have been taken.

You can get the drive from several sources, this maybe your community, set of friends, what you see, read or hear. Wherever you get your drive from, ensure its closer to you during your project lifecycle.

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Firebug

I’d say firebug is the most exciting of them all, making JavaScript debugging a lot easier. Firebug is a Mozilla Addon that explains the CSS, XHTML and JavaScript components on a web page.

Firebug is developed by Joe Hewitt of facebook. Read more on firebug on getfirebug.com

Web Developer Toolbar

Web Developer toolbar is a useful toolbar developed by Chris Pederick. WDT adds a menu to the firefox browser that gives you access to various tools like page Ruler to measure any dimension on your page, image information, edit any website’s XHTML and preview changes instantly, view style information and edit CSS files, and much more.

See more information on Web Development Toolbar on Chrispederick.com

ColorZilla

If you have always wanted to nip color codes out of any point in your web browser, ColorZilla is your tool. Like WDT and Firebug, ColorZilla is also a firefox extension. Its basically used for picking colors, saving them for reuse in your graphical program or HTML editor, or share your color palette.

PHP Designer

PHP Designer, developed by Micheal Pham, the founder of MPSoftware is a lightweight PHP IDE for rapid development. PHP Designer has got two editions, phpDesigner 2008 for enterprise use and phpDesigner 2007 for personal use.

Below are the features that made phpDesigner a favorite.

Syntax Highlighting

Intelligent Code Suggestion for PHP, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript on the Fly

PHP Code Explorer

Bookmarking

PHP Code Beautifier

and more

Most importantly phpDesigner is fast, light and easy to use, I wouldn’t spend time learning how to use IDE!

Adobe Fireworks

I sue Adeboe Fireworks for designing web graphics; this is a paid tool on the expensive side. It is however easy to use, get a free trial here to start.

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One of the numerous initiatives to keep African Languages, notably Yoruba, is Oro Ede. Oro Ede is a web based translation app from Yoruba to English and vice versa. This project is single handedly spear-headed by Jide Otuyelu (Proud to be his friend).

Oro Ede has a simple search interface for looking up words from Yoruba to English or the other way round. The creator got content from books on Google Books and other authoritative sources, then and converted them for databases. The front end was deliciously done in Flex, while the backend was proudly developed in PHP (probably using Code Igniter frameworks).

Other initiatives, software, hardware or products to keep African Languages alive are

Koyin Yoruba Keyboard

Tavultsoft Yoruba Keyboard

Kasahorow Project

Lingua 2.4

(Contact me to update any project you know of.)

What makes me happy about Oro Ede is its web nature, which means, sooner, we could have several language packs in Yoruba for Open Source web applications like Joomla, PHPNuke, Eclipse, TinyMCE, PunBB, PHPBB, SugarCRM and many others.

And don’t be surprised if Oro Ede launches a web services based API for developers wanting to translate Yoruba words on the fly. Of course, I’d be the first to post about it here!

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