Author Archives: Robert Love

Signified files complaint – an open letter to the Web community

Yesterday, HÃ¥kon Wium Lie, Chief Technology Officer for Opera Software released his open letter to the Web community in which he states:

Today we have taken a stand. Opera has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission to force Microsoft to support open Web standards in its Web browser, Internet Explorer. We believe that Microsoft has harmed Web standards by refusing to support them; Microsoft often participates in creating Web standards, promoting them, and even promising to implement them. Despite their talent, however, they refuse to support Web standards correctly. For example, Internet Explorer is the only modern Web browser that does not support Acid2.

Now, unlike Chris Wilson, I’m not employed as a Microsoft apologist. Yes, Internet Explorer is rubbish, if you don’t like it, don’t use it, move on! However, I have to take issue with HÃ¥kon when he asserts Internet Explorer is the only modern Web browser that does not support Acid2.

I’m writing this post using Firefox version 2.0.0.11 – A “modern Web browser” I would think (It is the latest version!). I also have both Internet Explorer 6 and Opera 9 living in Program Files for just such an occasion.

Let’s see if the statement holds water. OK Opera 9, put your money where HÃ¥kon’s mouth is:

Acid2 in Opera 9

Impressive! Just like the Acid2 reference rendering.

Next, Let’s see if HÃ¥kon is on the money when it comes to Internet Explorer 6:

Acid2 in Internet Explorer 6

Ouch! It’s like a train wreck. It’s horrible but I can’t look away.

I must say, HÃ¥kon has certainly earned his money so far. I suppose it’s just a formality that we get the Firefox 2 rendering out of the way, I mean, It is an ultra-modern standards-compliant web browser and, like HÃ¥kon said, Internet Explorer is the only modern Web browser that does not support Acid2. Firefox 2 is gonna shit this in!

Acid2 in Firefox 2.0.0.11

Oops!

Look out Mozilla, you’re about to get hit with an antitrust. The folk at Opera don’t take kindly to browser manufacturers fucking up their Internet, and I’m certainly not going to continue my relationship with you if your browser can’t even display a smiley face properly.

Yes, yes, I know. Acid2 contains an invalid doctype, multiple empty elements and validates only tentatively as HTML 4.01 Strict. Go tell someone who cares.

My point is; Acid2 is not a modern web page and hence should not be used as a benchmark for “modern web browsers” – the likes of which I would not consider Internet Explorer 6 to be a member (if you think a dog year is short, you should live a year in a browser’s shoes!).

Dobbers wear nappies Opera. We don’t need you to look after our rights on the web – especially when it comes to whining about a competitor and leaving you with as much credibility as a Big Brother contestant. How much (anti)trust do you think that stirs up?

A Poem Element for HTML5

2 Replies

A recent post to the HTML WG list entitled ‘HTML 5′ and some poem markup? has got me all in a huff. It was an innocent request by Dr Olaf Hoffmann which started like this:

What I missed so many years in (X)HTML is some useful markup for poems. The result we can see in the ‘real web life’ – a lot of meaningless tag soup around, disoriented authors lost between silence and semantically meaningless markup… Obviously poem markup is still not available in ‘HTML 5′. Why not? Can this be added to the ‘HTML 5′ draft?

Dr Hoffmann then goes on to plead his case and suggest such semantic elements as <poem>, <stanza>, and <line>.

There were some interesting responses:

There’s  for each stanza and   for separating lines.
Are there use case where software that consumes markup would benefit from poem-specific semantics?
How would they [search engines] be helped by poem-specific semantics?
Do I understand you correctly that you want to include markup for a specific domain (poetry) in HTML5?
A markup language should probably include as little as possible from specific domains and focus on the general things instead. Domain specifics should be handled via an extension mechanism that allows for unambiguous interpretation of the expressed information
HTML5 actually defines how to mark up poems in HTML (the word "poem" is in the spec half a dozen times, in fact!). Specifically: the stanzas of poems written in the classical form are given by  elements, with line breaks indicated by   elements (one of the few allowed uses of  ).
the stanzas of freeform poems are given by <pre> elements.

The gist of the thread was this; There is no <poem> element and there never will be. If you want to mark up a poem semantically then you have one of three options available to you:

Use a  element which is as much a poem as  or  is a heading
Create your own "proprietary" markup (<poem>, <stanza>, and <line>) so you can join the same exclusive club as <blink> and <marquee>
Stop reading poetry

The simple and unfortunate fact is this: you cannot mark up a poem (and a great many other pieces of information) in (X)HTML. You can make a piece of text "look" like a poem with a few  and   elements (just as you can make a piece of text "look" like a heading with a  element), but it IS NOT and WILL NEVER BE a poem.

Sorry Dr Hoffmann. Maybe we should all stick to prose.

How to Become a Web Developer and Make Lots of Money

6 Replies

Over the recent days I’ve been asked to speak with a few new starters where I work. As budding (and not-so-budding) web developers, they’re eager to latch onto the next big thing and blog about it in order to appear cool (oops!). So, in order to stop repeating myself and free up more time for shameless self-promotion, read on if you want to become a web developer and make lots of money.

The hot topics are:

Training
XHTML and CSS
JavaScript and the DOM
Web Standards
Open APIs
Google Maps
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Development Environments
Development Frameworks
Coding Standards
Version Control
Documentation

Training

First, you’ll need some top-quality, number 1 training. And for this, you need look no further than Signified. Signified offers training courses in web technologies offered through Learn4Life at The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. All Signified training courses are delivered by Robert Love, a highly experienced trainer and founder of Signified. All Signified training courses are held in fully-equipped, state-of-the-art, computer labs at The University of New South Wales.

XHTML and CSS

You’ve completed the course and you’ve read both the XHTML reference and the CSS reference from cover to cover, now you really want to see what is possible when XHTML meets CSS. It’s an oldy but a goldy – the one-and-only:

css Zen Garden: The Beauty in CSS Design

JavaScript and the DOM

You’ve completed the course and read the JavaScript reference, you’re following the zen path of unobtrusiveness, now you’re ready to forget everything you learned and start using someone else’s JavaScript framework:

Web Standards

Read the hype:
Web Standards Project
Join the club:
Web Standards Group

Open APIs

It’s cool to use the acronym “API” in a sentence. In much the same way as it used to be cool to say “web services” every time you opened your mouth. Of course, acronyms are far cooler than actual words – even if the acronym is a word (REST, SOAP), a cleaning product (AJAX) or a mispelled boys name (JSON).

Flickr Services
Flickr has an open Application Programming Interface (API for short). This means that anyone can write their own program to present public Flickr data (like photos, tags, profiles or groups) in new and different ways. There’s a long list of API methods available to you to work with, and we love it when this happens, so… go forth and play!
Google APIs
YouTube Developer Area
YouTube offers open access to key parts of the YouTube video repository and user community, via an open API interface and RSS feeds. Using our APIs, you can easily integrate online videos from YouTube’s rapidly growing repository of videos into your application. After you’ve created a developer profile, you’ll be ready to tap into the power of YouTube.

Google Maps

If you’re not using maps – you’re nowhere man! Get started with the Google Maps API (and other useful mappy stuff) here:

Content Management Systems (CMS)

If God had wanted us to pay for content management, he wouldn’t have started Open Source CMS (Try before you install!). Here’s a few of some note:

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Smoke and mirrors! Don’t blow your allowance on an SEO “expert.” If you have this:

http://www.example.com/products.php?cat_id=5&prod_id=72

Use Apache Mod Rewrite to change it to this:

http://www.example.com/products/widgets/noodle+spranger/

Development Environments

Now you have the know-how, it’s time to put it all into practice. To start, you’ll need a local development environment. I’m an open-source advocate (except for my laptop which is provided to me by work – so don’t give me shit about using Windows!). So, to set up a local Windows/Apache/MySQL/PHP (WAMP) development environment, check out Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP on Windows.

Development Frameworks

If we’re talking PHP – we’re eating Cake.

Coding Standards

If we’re talking PHP – we’re eating PEAR.

Version Control

Make sure you’re working on the right Subversion.

Documentation

phpDocumentor: The complete documentation solution for PHP

Running Multiple Websites on Apache

1 Reply

You’ve been creating websites on your Apache installation on Windows – making a sub-directory for each site you want to design/develop. But wouldn’t it be good if you could run multiple websites on a single Apache installation – changing http://localhost/mynewsite1/, http://localhost/mynewsite2/, etc. to http://mynewsite1/, http://mynewsite2/, etc. Well you can! – with Apache Virtual Hosts. This article will show you how to run as many websites (or Virtual Hosts) as you like on your Apache installation on Windows by making a few simple additions to your Apache configuration file and your Windows hosts file.

What We’ll Assume

You have a working installation of Apache 2.2.4 on Windows (if not, take a look at Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP on Windows).
Your Apache DocumentRoot – where your local website files are – is in the default location of C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs (if not, simply replace all occurrences of C:/Program Files/Apache Software Foundation/Apache2.2/htdocs with whatever your DocumentRoot is – e.g. C:\www).

Let’s Get On With It

Create a new folder C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs\mynewsite
Go to Start > Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.2.4 > Configure Apache Server > Edit the Apache httpd.conf Configuration File

The Apache configuration file opens (httpd.conf)
Add this line at the very bottom of the file:
```
NameVirtualHost localhost
```
Apache will now allow multiple Virtual Hosts to run under localhost

Directly under the last line you added in httpd.conf, add the following VirtualHost directive:

<VirtualHost localhost>
    DocumentRoot "C:/Program Files/Apache Software Foundation/Apache2.2/htdocs/mynewsite"
    ServerName mynewsite
</VirtualHost>

Save and close httpd.conf
Open C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts in Notepad

Your Windows hosts file opens
You should see this line somewhere in the file:
```
127.0.0.1	localhost
```
Directly below this line, add the following:
```
127.0.0.1	mynewsite
```
Save and close hosts
Go to Start > Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.2.4 > Control Apache Server > Restart
Open mynewsite in your web browser (http://mynewsite/)
If all went well, your browser will show a page with Index of /

Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP on Windows

This is it! The definitive guide to installing and configuring Apache 2.2.4, MySQL 5.0.27 and PHP 5.2.1 on Microsoft Windows XP (SP2) with support for both MySQL and MySQLi PHP extensions.

And, yes, if you follow these instructions to the letter, the software will actually work!

Before getting started with the installations, you’ll need to download the required software packages – all of which are conveniently listed in the following table.

Where	What	What Exactly
Apache 2.2.4	Win32 Binary (MSI Installer)	apache_2.2.4-win32-x86-no_ssl.msi
MySQL 5.0.27	Windows Essentials (x86)	mysql-essential-5.0.27-win32.msi
PHP 5.2.1	PHP 5.2.1 zip package	php-5.2.1-Win32.zip

Installing Apache

Double-click apache_2.2.4-win32-x86-no_ssl.msi

The Apache HTTP Server 2.2 – Installation Wizard appears with Welcome to the Installation Wizard for Apache HTTP Server 2.2.4

Click Next
License Agreement

Ensure “I accept the terms in the license agreement” is selected

Click Next
Read This First

Click Next
Server Information

Enter the following details:

Network Domain: localhost

Server Domain: localhost

Administrators Email Address: admin@localhost

Ensure “for All Users, on Port 80, as a Service — Recommended” is selected

Click Next
Setup Type

Ensure “Typical” is selected

Click Next
Destination Folder

Accept the default destination folder (C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\)

Click Next
Ready to Install the Program

Click Install
Installing Apache HTTP Server 2.2.4

Wait while the Installation Wizard installs Apache
Installation Wizard Completed

Click Finish

Testing Your Apache Installation

In your web browser, go to http://localhost/. If Apache has been installed successfully, you will see the words “It works!”

The “It works!” web page – index.html – is located in the root directory of your Apache installation. The root directory can be found here:

C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs

Installing MySQL

Double-click mysql-essential-5.0.27-win32.msi

The MySQL Server 5.0 – Setup Wizard appears with Welcome to the Setup Wizard for MySQL Server 5.0

Click Next
Setup Type

Ensure “Typical” is selected

Click Next
Ready to Install the Program

Click Install
Installing MySQL Server 5.0

Wait while the Setup Wizard installs MySQL
MySQL.com Sign-Up

Ensure “Skip Sign-Up” is selected

Click Next
Wizard Completed

Ensure “Configure the MySQL Server now” is checked

Click Finish
The MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard appears with Welcome to the MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard 1.0.8

Click Next
Please select a configuration type

Ensure “Standard Configuration” is selected

Click Next
Please set the Windows options

Ensure “Install as a Windows Service” is checked

Ensure “MySQL” is selected for Service Name

Ensure “Launch the MySQL Server automatically” is checked

Ensure “Include Bin Directory in Windows PATH” is checked

Click Next
Please set the security options

Enter and Confirm (retype) your password

Click Next
Ready to execute …

Click Execute
Processing configuration …

Wait while the Server Instance Configuration Wizard configures MySQL

Click Finish

Connection Error

In some cases (usually when MySQL is being installed over a previous version), the MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard will give a Connection Error that looks something like this:

If this happens to you:

Go to Start > Programs > MySQL > MySQL Server 5.0 > MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard

The MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard appears

Click Next
Please choose a maintenance option

Ensure “Reconfigure Instance” is selected

Click Next
Please select a configuration type

Ensure “Standard Configuration” is selected

Click Next
Please set the Windows options

Ensure “Include Bin Directory in Windows PATH” is selected

Click Next
Please set the security options

Ensure “Modify Security Settings” is checked

Enter and Confirm (retype) your password

Click Next
Ready to execute

Click Execute
Processing configuration …

Wait while the MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard reconfigures MySQL

Click Finish

Testing Your MySQL Installation

Go to Start > Programs > MySQL > MySQL Server 5.0 > MySQL Command Line Client

The MySQL Command Line Client appears with a prompt to Enter Password
Enter the password you specified during the installation

Press Enter

The MySQL Command Line Client will connect to the MySQL Server and produce the following welcome message and mysql prompt:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 3 to server version: 5.0.27-community-nt

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

Installing PHP

Create a new folder C:\php
Copy the contents of php-5.2.1-Win32.zip to C:\php
On your desktop, right-click My Computer and select Properties
In the System Properties dialogue box select the Advanced tab
Click the Environment Variables button
In the Environment Variables dialogue box under System variables select Path
Click the Edit button
In the Edit System Variable dialogue box add C:\php to the Variable value field
Click the OK button for all open dialogue boxes

Configuring PHP

In C:\php, copy the file php.ini-recommended
Rename the Copy of php.ini-recommended to php.ini
Open php.ini in Notepad
In php.ini, find this line:
```
display_errors = Off
```
and enable the display of errors by changing the value to “On”:
```
display_errors = On
```
Note: You wouldn’t do this in a production environment – this is just for testing and development!
In php.ini, find this line:
```
extension_dir = "./"
```
and specify the directory in which the loadable extensions (modules) reside by changing the value to “ext”:
```
extension_dir = "ext"
```
In php.ini, find these lines:
```
;extension=php_mysql.dll
;extension=php_mysqli.dll
```
and enable both the MySQL and MySQLi extensions by uncommenting the lines:
```
extension=php_mysql.dll
extension=php_mysqli.dll
```
In Windows Explorer, copy the following dll files:

C:\php\libmysql.dll

C:\php\ext\php_mysql.dll

C:\php\ext\php_mysqli.dll
Paste the dll files to C:\WINDOWS\system32

Note: Most installations don’t require you to copy libmysql.dll to system32, but some do. So it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Go to Start > Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.2.4 > Configure Apache Server > Edit the Apache httpd.conf Configuration File

The Apache configuration file opens (httpd.conf)

Add the following three lines at the end of the file:

LoadModule php5_module "C:/php/php5apache2_2.dll"
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
PHPIniDir "C:/php"

In httpd.conf, find this directive:

<IfModule dir_module>
    DirectoryIndex index.html
</IfModule>

Add index.php as a directory index:

<IfModule dir_module>
    DirectoryIndex index.php index.html
</IfModule>

Save and close httpd.conf
Go to Start > Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.2.4 > Control Apache Server > Restart

Note: You need to restart Apache any time you make changes to the php.ini and/or httpd.conf files

Testing PHP

Open Notepad and type the following: <?php phpinfo(); ?>
Save the file as info.php in your web root directory (C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs)
Close info.php
Open info.php in your web browser (http://localhost/info.php)

If PHP is installed correctly, you will see a table of information pertaining to your PHP installation environment

Open Notepad and type the following:

<?php
$mysqli = new mysqli('localhost', 'root', 'yourpassword', 'test');
if (mysqli_connect_errno()) {
    printf('Connect failed: %s', mysqli_connect_error());
    exit();
}
printf('Host information: %s', $mysqli->host_info);
$mysqli->close();
?>

Save the file as mysqli.php in your web root directory (C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs)
Close mysqli.php
Open mysqli.php in your web browser (http://localhost/mysqli.php)

If MySQL is enabled, you will see the following output:

“Host information: localhost via TCP/IP”

Finished!

That’s it, you’re done. Hopefully it all came together without any major dramas. If not, you have my deepest sympathies. And if that’s not enough, please leave a comment specifying exactly where it all went pear-shaped for you and I’ll do my best to get to the bottom of it.