Every month we take a look a round and select some of the most interesting web-development-related web-sites. Below you’ll find useful references, tutorials, services, tools, techniques and articles we’ve found over the last 30 days - an overview of web-sites you shouldn’t have missed in February 2007.

References, Tutorials

• IMified - Instant Productivity
  integrates modern Web 2.0-applicaion in an Instant Messenger of your choice and gives you an instant access to web-services. This Desktop-Tool supports BaseCamp, Google Calendar, Blogger, Livejournal, Wordpress, Livejournal, Movabletype, Backpack and other services. You can integrate IMified in AIM, MSN and Google Talk/Jabber.
• MiniAjax.com
  MiniAjax is a showroom of nice looking simple downloadable DHTML and AJAX scripts
• My Hourly Rate Calculator
  This free tool will help you calculate what you should be charging for your services
• Upcoming Events in 2007
  The Digital Web Events Calendar lists workshops, conferences, and other gatherings of interest to web professionals—designers, developers, information architects, and others
• Job Pile - Aggregating the Best Job Boards on the Web
  Aggregating the Best Job Boards on the Web. You’ll find more in our Article IT/Tech Job Boards
• Multi-Column Layouts Climb Out of the Box
  Create an elastic multi-column layout of equal height.
• Tutorials on Microformats
  Tutorials on Microformats: hCard, hCalendar, hReview and hAtom
• Flash embed test suite
  The Flash embed test suite assesses the browser support for various markup-based embedding methods. It includes information on parameters including support for different Flash publish settings, streaming, and scriptability.
• SimpleLog 2.0.2
  A simple and free A Ruby on Rails weblog application that helps you focus on writing above all else. SimpleLog has all the features you want in a weblogging applicaton wrapped in an efficiently designed interface that eliminates clutter.
• Creating a 3D effect with image editing software (GIMP or Photoshop)Here’s how to make a neat effect to make it look like the subject of a photo is popping out of the background. This can be done with GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) or Photoshop.
• How Web 2.0 Logos are drawn (Adobe Photoshop)
  In this Photoshop tutorial, I’m going to reveal you some of the nice Web 2.0 logos, how you can draw their logo exactly the same (well, not really 100% though) with Photoshop.
• Papervision3D
  Open source flash 3d engine.
• Mozilla Firefox Cheat Sheet
  Keyboard and Mouse shortcuts and other reference information
• Web Directions North | February 6 - 10, 2007 - WDN07 Resources
  “Web Directions North was a week of enlightenment, inspiration, networking, and snowboarding. Over the coming weeks we’ll be making podcasts of various sessions available, so make sure to check back for the start of those. We’ve also put together resource pages of speaker’s notes and slides — more to come soon! You’ll find all of these in the WDN07 resources section of the site.”
• Logo Design Trends 2007
  11 trends that will define logo design in 2007: Talk Boxes, Cluds, Reflections, Rectangle, 3d Puffies, Hot Dogs, Transmission beam, People, Transparency, Outlines, Punctuation
• Fireform
  A simple yet configurable form filler. Includes support for multiple profiles and custom field names.
• Internet marketing videos from Tubetorial
  Free step-by-step video tutorials in a quick and easy serial format. Here’s what you’ll learn with tubetorial: Web development and technology tips, Internet marketing strategies and techniques, Legal issues for Internet content producers and marketers.
• Web Browser CSS Support
  Detailed information about CSS support in recent versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla/Firefox/Netscape, and Opera.”

Tools, Web-Services

• Quick Highlighter
  A simple to use code syntax highlighter that makes creating code sample and pages a breeze.
• Weebly - Website Creation Made Easy
  A free website creation tool that uses a drag and drop interface
• DOMTool
  To use DOMTool simply paste an HTML snippet into the input field, press “Create DOM Statements” and voila, there you have the DOM sequence to create that content.
• Introducing GridMaker
  GridMaker is a small script for Photoshop which allows speedy development of simple grids.
• WriteMaps
  WriteMaps is a free web-based tool that allows you to create, edit, and share sitemaps online.
• frevvo - web form builder
  frevvo Live Forms™ Designer leverages Ajax technologies to create rich, dynamic forms without writing a single line of code.
• bubbl.us
  a simple powerful mind mapping application: Share and work together with your friends. Brainstorm without touching the mouse. Display your ideas online or through email. Print your work.
• Spotplex
  Spotplex provides internet users with real-time ranking of blog articles based on actual impression count.
  Bloggers can track and analyze their blog traffic with a simple Spotplex code or widget.
• WordPress Feed Styler
  Feed Styler is a WordPress plugin for WordPress users who are comfortable with CSS and would like to be able to style their feeds. Feed Styler enables you to keep your existing class and ID style declarations in your content, but allows a different style to be applied to the feed of that same content.

CSS-based Techniques, (X)HTML, PHP

• Mini tabbed pages
  A method of compressing short pieces of information into six mini tabbed pages.
• Vertical Bar Graphs using CSS and PHP
  Using CSS and PHP you can create attractive bar graphs (yes, even the stacked kind) that are always up to date.
• Suckerfish HoverLightbox Redux
  An effective way of presenting an image gallery using mostly CSS and a bit of JavaScript.
• Flexible fixed layouts
  In this month’s tutorial, we’re going to show you one method for creating a layout that works well at both of the most popular screen sizes, despite the design being a fixed width. It results in a flexible design that’s suitable for many applications, including corporate sites, portfolios and blogs.
• Variables in your CSS via PHP
  Create ‘color constants’ in your CSS, and more interesting, create randomly generated paths for the backgrounds of DIV’s.
• CSS Speech Bubbles
  Easy to customize speech bubbles coded in CSS and valid XHTML 1.0 strict.Tested in all major browsers.
• Even More Rounded Corners With CSS
  another article detailing a method of doing rounded corners with CSS. In this case, single-image, PNG-based, fluid rounded corner dialogs with support for borders, alpha transparency throughout, gradients, patterns and whatever else you (or your designer) could want.
• Simple Round CSS Links ( Wii Buttons )
  Now you can style both < a /> and < button /> in this super easy and light-weight solution.
• Tableless forms
  Learn by example how to create a tableless css form

CSS Tools and Services

• Showdown - Markdown in Javascript
  This page lets you create HTML by entering text in a simple format that’s easy to read and write.

Ajax, Javascript

• FrogJS Javascript Gallery
  FrogJS is a simple, unobtrusive javascript gallery.
• Ajaxload
  Ajax loading gif generator
• Plotr
  Plotr is a javascript framework which enables you to render charts in most modern browsers. It’s based on the PlotKit Framework (renderer for Mochikit) and it depends on the Prototype Javascript Framework.
• Dynamic Right Click Context Menu
  RightContext is a supercharged right click context menu.
• jQuery 1.1.2 API Browser
  The jQuery API browser provides an intuitive interface to quickly find information on jQuery’s methods and properties

Web-Typography

• swfIR: swf Image Replacement
  Using JavaScript and Flash, it gives you the ability to apply an assortment of visual effects to any or all images on your website.
• Common fonts to all versions of Windows & Mac equivalents (Browser safe fonts)
  Here you can find the list with the standard set of fonts common to all versions of Windows and their Mac substitutes, referred sometimes as “browser safe fonts”.

Articles and Posts

• How to use OpenID
  OpenID lets you log in to different sites without having to create a new username and password for each one. This screencast demonstrates OpenID in action.
• Five Principles to Design By
  Fundamentals of how to design for usage by others, not just yourself.
• Flash Embedding Cage Match
  In this article, I will look into the complexities and subtleties of embedding Flash content and examine the most popular embedding methods to see how good they really are - by Bobby van der Sluis
• Ruby on Rails for the Rest of Us
  “You’re a designer, information architect, or project manager, or you may develop with PHP, but don’t claim to be a code warrior. Clients have been asking about Ruby on Rails, or your colleagues are using it. You’d like some clarity on what it is and when to use it—without wading through articles thick with jargon and alphabet soup. If you’re looking to move ahead, painlessly, in your understanding of this programming framework, then Justin Williams’ “Ruby on Rails for the Rest of Us” is just the ticket.”
• 15 CSS Properties You Probably Never Use (but perhaps should)
  After writing 5 HTML Elements You Probably Never Use (but perhaps should), I thought creating something similar for CSS was in order. These are all CSS level 2 properties but some of them don’t work in all browsers, so make sure and test things out before putting them into use.
• position:relative and overflow in Internet Explorer
  I’ve been working on this layout that had a relatively positioned element inside a container with overflow. Everything looked good until I switched to IE7 and noticed that my positioned element remained fixed…
• X/HTML 5 Versus XHTML 2
  The competition to become the next markup language for the Web is heating up. This article takes a look at what’s cool and what’s uncool about the competing technologies.
• Evaluation of WYSIWYG editors (2007)
  It has been almost a year since I tested accessibility features in some of the more popular WYSIWYG editors commonly found in open source content management systems (see Evaluation of WYSIWYG editors). During this time, most of these editors have been further developed. Let’s have a look at how they fare a year on.
• Practical Use for Those Rarely Used HTML Tags
  beschreibt, in welchen Situationen und wie man die Tags ABBR, ACRONYM, ADDRESS, BLOCKQUOTE, CITE, DFN, DL/DT/DD und Q verwendet.
• 8 Web Design Tactics to Help You When You Are Stuck
  Web design can be incredibly frustrating. You’d think that with the infinite possibilities of what-goes-where it’d be pretty easy to land a design that works, yet somehow we’ve all been stuck before: working hour after hour on a design that refuses to look right. Throwing away pixels like they’re going out of style. These 8 tactics are what I use to get out of that sticky spot.
• How to Protect CSS Mods for ANY WordPress Theme
  Starting today, you can futureproof your CSS changes by implementing a custom stylesheet that simply overrides the styles defined in the theme’s original stylesheet. Here’s what you need to do.
• The Web’s Best Interface Design
  the amount of new web applications, features, and companies sprouting up is just astounding, and while some like to characterize “Web 2.0″ design as involving lots of cliche diagonal lines and shadows it still takes a lot of skill to execute an attractive user interface. I’ve been checking out new sites and web applications for many months now and I’ve put together my list of the best interface design examples I’ve found..
• Making a Good Favicon
  How to make a good favicon by Jonathan Snook
• HowTo: Make Pretty Pie Charts
  tutorial on making nice pie charts in Adobe Illustrator.
• CSS techniques I use all the time
  I’m always learning new things with CSS. It’s interesting because I’ve thought of myself as a CSS expert for a while now (I’ll challenge anyone to a competition, seriously) but I still keep learning and improving. I’ve come across some techniques lately that are extremely valuable and worth sharing. Have a look:
• Web Misunderstandards
  “As I referenced in my last article, the benefits and characteristics of Web standards are not being effectively communicated to many who need to hear and learn about them. The result is that some understandably leap to inaccurate conclusions while gross mischaracterizations are allowed to fester among members of the design and development community” - by Andy Rutledge.
• Icon Design: Sizing
  One of the more deceptively time-consuming things you’ll do when creating an icon is producing out size variations. If you require a single icon in more than one size, the time you spend designing the first size is only about two thirds of the work you’ll end up doing; the other third lies in tweaking it for different dimensions - by Dave Shea

Colors, Textures, Patterns

• Color Tools
  A list of 40 color tools available online.
• Free Photoshop Brushes
  “Every good designer needs an arsenal of brushes to use within photoshop, whether its a grunge effect or some tehno swirls that are required there is sure to be a brush that fits your needs. Here we have dugg out the very best we could find. If there isn’t a suitable brush, we have also included some links on how to create your own.”
• ColorJack: Sphere
  Just select the kind of palette you’re looking for, then start moving the cursor around until you find a scheme you like.

Design-Galleries, Showcases, Inspiration

• Netdiver Magazine - Best of the Year / 2006
  “This year is not specifically about website design! It’s about who have forefronted, one way or another, the creative disciplines.”
• The Best of 2006 Logo Trends
  “Let’s look at some of the best logo trends of 2006 from my perspective.”
• LogoSauce - Logo design, inspiration and information.
  logo showcase and commenting site. “LogoSauce evolved into a place for logo designers to not only point people to the source artwork, but to showcase their designs, admire others, comment and discuss logo design and hopefully get some inspiration.”
• Zeniltuo.com - inspiration journey - All website galleries in one page
  inspiration journey - All website galleries in one page

Free Icons, Fonts

• Freebies | BittBox
  Homemade vector freebies, design tips, tutorials and bitts
• Freefont: 5 More Freefonts
  Every week we take a close look around, visit dozens of typography-related sites, check out the latest updates and choose the best free fonts, which have been released or appeared over the last few weeks. And all the fonts we find are getting published immediately, here on Smashing Magazine.

The last Click

• Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us
  One video tells sometimes more than dozens of words. This short movie about the evolution of the Internet describes the most important changes the Web undergoes now and advantages of Web 2.0. This video was viewed by more than 1.6 Mio users on YouTube.

• Published in Best of the Month, March 8th, 2007
• Tags: best of

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