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Reduce network traffic with Web caching
Find out three ways to use Web caching to route Web traffic to your site more efficiently. Whether you run an extranet, intranet, or Internet site, Web caching can give you more control of your resources. Learn what hardware you need and what caching software to consider.
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01 Sep 1999 |
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Design Web pages with class
If you're using style sheets -- but not classes -- to format your HTML documents, you're not tapping the full power you can to craft your designs efficiently. Find out two ways to use classes with style sheets to make quick work of designing (or redesigning) your HTML documents. A practical guide, with example scripts.
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01 Sep 1999 |
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IBM Framework for e-business: Application hosting services
Service providers that offer hosting services are delivering e-business content over the Internet. This paper examines the architecture of these hosting services, and describes how service providers can use the open, shared hosting model to attain a lower total cost of ownership and provide a higher quality-of-service to the customer.
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01 Oct 1999 |
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XML and how it will change the Web
If you listen to the current hype, XML sounds like a technological achievement on a par with sliced bread and the wheel. Beneath the hoopla, XML represents the next evolution in Web technology. In this article you can explore the basics of XML and find out how it will change the Web.
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01 Nov 1999 |
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IBM Framework for e-business
This paper reviews the business requirements for e-business security, and then discusses how these requirements are addressed by the technologies and products that comprise the security services for the IBM Framework for e-business.
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01 Nov 1999 |
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Application Framework for e-business: Pervasive computing
The IBM Application Framework for e-business allows a diverse set of devices to connect via open network standards to enterprise data and applications anytime and anywhere. Leading-edge technology is provided to enable mobile users to be as productive on the road as they are in the office. In this paper, you'll see how pervasive computing is the next evolutionary extension of the IBM Application Framework for e-business and its supporting products.
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01 Nov 1999 |
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Application Framework for e-business: Portals
The key focus of portals is integrated access to both data and applications and greater levels of integration between the two. This paper examines the set of core services and infrastructure necessary to support the development of portal applications.
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01 Nov 1999 |
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Developing wireless Web applications
Find out how to use new Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and Wireless Markup Language (WML) technologies so that users can access your Web applications using a variety of handheld or mobile devices, including Palm organizers, phones, and others. Carol includes five guidelines for designing for the small screen.
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01 Jun 2000 |
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Patterns for e-business
The paths to creating e-businesses are repeatable. Many companies assume that they are unique and that therefore very creation of an e-business has to be learned as you go. While this may be encouraged by some service providers and programmers (because it is both profitable and allows programming artistic flair), IBM has learned that in fact, there are lessons and architectural paths or patterns that can be discerned from all these engagements. Whether your company is a startup or has extensive legacy applications, these patterns allow you to reuse existing technologies so that your projects can be completed quickly.
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01 Jun 2000 |
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Personalized Web sites in a jiffy
Steve shows how to create personalized Web sites that let visitors customize their view of the site and the information they see. This server-side application, for PHP developers with some experience, stores user profiles in a MySQL database and dynamically generates information using PHP. Steve also introduces the new session management features in PHP4 and discusses efficient PHP coding.
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01 Sep 2000 |
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Web Services architecture overview
This article presents an overview of IBM Web Services architecture, including what Web Services are, the fundamental characteristics of a Web Services architecture and the benefits of this approach.
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06 Sep 2000 |
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The user experience
In his first column for developers looking for insights into better application design, Dick Berry explains why look and feel is only the tip of the iceberg. Find out why starting with the user experience leads to better application design, whether for Web users or unplugged users.
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01 Oct 2000 |
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The Advertisement and Discovery of Services (ADS) protocol for Web services
As you build more Web Services into your computing infrastructure, it may become a complex issue for your B2B partners to locate specific services. How do you advertise that a particular service is on a particular system? How do you announce to search engines the kind of information that you present on your site? The authors here present a new protocol that makes it easy to proactively announce Web Service information to visiting software agents of your B2B partners.
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01 Oct 2000 |
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The user experience, Part 2
In effective application design, forms facilitate entry of information through effective controls, easily identifiable structure, and efficient navigation. In this installment, Dick Berry offers a range of useful guidelines for choosing and designing the most appropriate controls for each element on a form.
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01 Dec 2000 |
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An introduction to RDF
This article introduces Resource Description Framework (RDF), developed by the W3C for Web-based metadata, using XML as an interchange syntax. RDF's essential aim is to make work easier for autonomous agents, which would refine the Web by improving search engines and service directories. Author Uche Ogbuji gives an overview of RDF aspects from schemas to usage scenarios. The article assumes that you are already familiar with XML.
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01 Dec 2000 |
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PHP by example, Part I
As a language for building dynamic Web pages, PHP offers a implified method for constructing complex and powerful Web-related programs.Step by step, Erik demonstrates the fundamental principles of PHP in an original, real-world Web site example. Part 1 of this two-part series offers the basics of PHP and features a Webzine that includes an author's page where content providers can enter the text of articles, as well as a front end for presenting this content to the world.
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12 Dec 2000 |
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PHP by example, Part 2
As a language for building dynamic Web pages, PHP offers a simplified method for constructing complex and powerful Web-related programs. Step by step, Erik demonstrates the fundamental principles of PHP in an original real-world Web site example. In Part 2 of this series, he shows you how the delivery module presents a menu of stories to the reader, and how the authoring module permits authors to submit stories to a Webzine.
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02 Jan 2001 |
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Remote scripting using a servlet
The users of Web applications have suffered a dramatic shift in experiences from the world of desktop applications. Many Web applications do not at all mimic the usability, interactivity, and dynamic nature that is available in typical standalone or client-server desktop applications because of the constraints that HTML and HTTP impose. Here, Erik Hatcher explains how remote scripting can be used to enhance the interactivity and dynamic nature of a Web application experience.
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01 Feb 2001 |
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Language support in Apache through negotiation
If you've ever flicked through an Apache's httpd.conf file, you might have noticed a few lines near the top reading AddLanguage de .de and AddLanguage fr .fr. In this article, David Seager explains what they are, what they do, and how you can use them.
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01 Feb 2001 |
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Icons to go!
These guidelines are written primarily for designers of icons for Windows 95/NT products, though many of the recommendations described here can equally be applied to software products developed for AIX (UNIX), OS/2, and Apple platforms; note that these platforms all have their own specific requirements regarding color palettes, resolution variants, and platform styles.
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01 Feb 2001 |
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The gentoo.org redesign, Part 1: A site reborn
Have you ever woken up one morning and suddenly realized that your cute little personal development Web site isn't really that great? If so, you're in good company. In this series, Daniel Robbins shares his experiences as he redesigns the www.gentoo.org Web site using technologies like XML, XSLT, and Python.
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01 Mar 2001 |
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Measuring Web traffic, Part 1
The best way to know whether your Web site is achieving its goals is to gather extensive traffic data -- not just how many hits you're getting, but which pages are popular, who's visiting your site, when do they visit, and a host of other data that can give you a clearer idea of what's going on. In this article, Scott, Tom, and Andrei introduce you to the benefits of measuring Web traffic, exploring the importance of Web metrics, and describing various approaches of collecting Web data. They also show you how to choose whether to tackle this effort in-house or turn to an application service provider. Finally, they tell you how to make use of this data once it's been collected.
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01 Mar 2001 |
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Measuring Web traffic, Part 2
The best way to know whether your Web site is achieving its goals is to gather extensive traffic data. Here in the second of the two part series, the authors show you how to obtain detailed traffic measurements through analysis of HTTP server logs.
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01 Mar 2001 |
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The cranky user: How not to make your site accessible
This article contains a set of principles for making your site as inaccessible as possible.
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13 Mar 2001 |
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The cranky user: Curbing JavaScript dependency
Here, we'll take a look at the pitfalls of JavaScript. JavaScript can be used as an enhancement, but too often it ends up rendering a page unusable to people who don't run it. There are a number of good reasons why it might not be running in a given browser, and pages should never depend on it.
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20 Mar 2001 |
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Make your Web page picture perfect with frames
Despite the presence of frames in HTML 4.0, Web designers still rely on tables for page layout. However, tables are not as resource efficient as frames and they do not present information as effectively as frames can. Frames minimize unnecessary page reloads, load common parts of your site once, and reduce the amount of page scrolling. Find out the benefits of frames and learn the secret to your pages rendering quickly and efficiently.
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01 Apr 2001 |
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Attribute Explorer
Andy Smith takes a look at some of the benefits of an interactive presentation and exploration of data. He examines some traditional methods of step-by-step data exploration and filtering, and identifies their shortfalls. He introduces Attribute Explorer, and shows how its benefits are brought to bear on the problems identified. Finally, he discusses the potential use of Attribute Explorer in a car showroom kiosk application.
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01 Apr 2001 |
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An XSLT style sheet and an XML dictionary approach to internationalization
In this article, Laura will show you how to leverage XML and XSLT technology to enable dynamic internationalization of your Web pages through a dictionary-driven approach. Provided is a sample of a generic XSLT style sheet that you can extend or include in your applications. Also included is a sample dictionary layout that will work along with the style sheet. This approach will allow you to minimize the number of files you need to edit when the content on your site changes.
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01 Apr 2001 |
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Creating Dynamic HTML in Internet Explorer 4+ using JavaScript
This excerpt outlines how you can access the tags in an HTML page to change them dynamically and enhance user interaction. It describes a couple of simple (but fun) examples of creating dynamic content in HTML pages using JavaScript for use on Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, version 4.0 and later.
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01 Apr 2001 |
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The usability world according to Tog
Bruce Tognazzini has been at the forefront of the ongoing user interface debate for the past 20 years. He has been a relentless advocate of his own design principles, even when his work has been downplayed or ignored by computer companies that have hired him. This piece surveys his thoughts on the problems of usability, based on his online and offline writings. Since he has never been afraid to express his opinions on the subject, there's plenty of material to work with.
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01 Apr 2001 |
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The cranky user: Respecting user privacy, Part 2
In Part 1, we examined why it's important to have an effective privacy policy in place. Here, we take a look at best ways of earning the trust of your users through straightforward, clearly-worded policies that meet consumer needs.
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12 Apr 2001 |
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The cranky user: Respecting user privacy, Part 1
We'll look at why privacy is a much-abused buzzword. The e-commerce industry has failed miserably to produce consumer confidence; not because we haven't tried to do so, but because we've done it through dog-and-pony shows, rather than real respect for personal data.
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24 Apr 2001 |
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The cranky user: Respecting user privacy, Part 3
In the previous article, we examined why it's critical to have effective privacy policies in place, and what goes into one. Here, we add a few more suggestions for implementing policies that work and discuss the importance of sticking by your policy.
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27 Apr 2001 |
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The gentoo.org redesign, Part 2: A site reborn
Have you ever woken up in the morning to the realization that your personal development Web site isn't really that great? If so, you're in good company. In this series, Daniel Robbins shares his experiences as he redesigns the www.gentoo.org Web site using technologies like XML, XSLT, and Python. Along the way, you may find some excellent approaches to use in your next Web site redesign. In this, the second installment, Daniel shows off the new documentation system and sets up a daily CVS-log mailing list.
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01 May 2001 |
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Sending rich messages between client and server using asynchronous messaging
Erik's previous article, "Remote scripting using a servlet," described an infrastructure for asynchronous remote scripting between a browser and a servlet backend. This article expands on that premise by describing an asynchronous messaging system that allows rich messages to be sent back and forth between client and server. In order for these messages to be compliant with most browsers, they will be sent as JavaScript objects. This article builds on the code presented in the earlier piece, and creates an automated messaging layer so that the browser and server can keep in constant contact with one another.
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01 May 2001 |
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A cross-browser DHTML table
The HTML table tag allows users to organize content in a Web page efficiently and in an easily readable form. However, this tag has limitations if you want to do something more than just display the data. You can use Java applets, but they take forever to load and are cumbersome. In this article, Shelley describes how users can create a cross-browser table with DHTML and JavaScript, which does most of the things that a table component written in Java might do.
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01 May 2001 |
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The cranky user: Keeping up appearances
Last time, Peter Seebach examined why it's important to implement privacy policies that work. This time he talks more about your Web page content. In your effort to create usable Web pages, don't forget to make sure your textual content is up to snuff.
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09 May 2001 |
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The cranky user: Instant back buttons
We'll see how Web sites have the power to attract or repel, and how many commonly-accepted Web design features actually drive users away -- even before the page is finished loading.
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24 May 2001 |
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Web-based data mining
The World Wide Web is now undeniably the richest and most dense source of information the world has ever seen, yet its structure makes it difficult to make use of that information in a systematic way. The methods and tools described in this article will enable developers familiar with the most common technologies of the Web to quickly and easily extract the Web-delivered information they need.
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01 Jun 2001 |
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The cranky user: Making URLs accessible
Many Web pages, especially those created in authoring tools, have a tendency to treat URLs as impenetrable magic cookies. Users benefit when URLs are kept readable and understandable, and when the structure of a URL reflects the structure of the site. Even naive users may be helped by such a design. Here, Peter takes a look at why it's important to make URLs accessible, and offers some strategies for doing this effectively.
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20 Jun 2001 |
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The gentoo.org redesign, Part 3: A site reborn
Have you ever woken up one morning and suddenly realized that your cute little personal development Web site isn't really that great? If so, you're in good company. In this series, Daniel Robbins shares his experiences as he redesigns the www.gentoo.org Web site using technologies like XML, XSLT, and Python.
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01 Jul 2001 |
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The impact of peer-to-peer on data management issues for developers
Enterprise peer-to-peer technology is still relatively new. But as peer-to-peer becomes more widely known, it will bring changes in how data is managed within enterprises. This article offers developers a look ahead at emerging P2P data management practices, offering insights into how these implementations will differ from conventional database-driven structures of today.
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01 Jul 2001 |
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Preparing your Web site for machine translation
Machine translation is a sophisticated technology. However, it is not as sophisticated as human language. Understanding how MT works on the Web helps designers and developers prepare Web pages for MT. Preparatory tactics improve the usability of MT output.
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24 Jul 2001 |
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The gentoo.org redesign, Part 4: A site reborn
Have you ever woken up one morning and suddenly realized that your cute little personal development Web site isn't really that great? If so, you're in good company. In this series, Daniel Robbins shares his experiences as he redesigns the Gentoo Linux Web site using technologies like XML, XSLT, and Python. This article: Daniel completes the conversion to XML/XSLT, fixes a host of Netscape 4.x browser compatibility bugs, and adds an auto-generated XML Changelog to the site.
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01 Aug 2001 |
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The cranky user: Sherlock users, Ur 0wn3d!
Update: A number of people have written to point out that a lot of searchsites complained that they were getting no ad revenue when Sherlock searched their sites, and that this is why Apple added ads to Sherlock. This is a reasonable thing; what's not reasonable is that Apple insists on showing you ads for Apple products when you're viewing a site that doesn't provide ads to Apple, because it doesn't depend on ad revenue. For instance, an online store may want Sherlock users to search its product listings -- and may well not want the users to be bombarded with ads for Apple's (competing) online store.
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01 Aug 2001 |
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Fly on the Wall
For developers to make products that delight customers, they need adequate information about who exactly the customers are and what their requirements are. The User-Centered Design (UCD) process provides numerous options for gathering both customer and user input, with wide variation regarding the time involved, labor required, overhead costs, and validity of the information collected. The "Fly on the Wall" (FOTW) technique is a low-cost, low-overhead method of collecting valid customer data. The method is illustrated here through a pilot study that used first-hand, unobtrusive observations by UCD practitioners to collect valid customer data in a timely, cost-effective manner in collaboration with development and marketing staff.
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01 Aug 2001 |
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Microbrowser architectures
Web architecture is evolving in new directions now that wireless devices have become a part of the Internet's information infrastructure. In this article, Anne describes various architectures used to support the microbrowsers that connect wireless devices to the Web.
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01 Aug 2001 |
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The cranky user: The Principle of Least Astonishment
When computers are at their most usable, we don't even notice them; when they are at their least, they astonish us. Here, Peter explores the Principle of Least Astonishment, and how it can help you develop better interfaces.
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01 Aug 2001 |
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Enabling XML security
XML is a major enabler of what the Internet, and latterly Web services, require in order to continue growing and developing. Yet a lot of work remains to be done on security-related issues before the full capabilities of XML languages can be realised. At present, encrypting a complete XML document, testing its integrity, and confirming the authenticity of its sender is a straightforward process. But it is increasingly necessary to use these functions on parts of documents, to encrypt and authenticate in arbitrary sequences, and to involve different users or originators. At present, the most important sets of developing specifications in the area of XML-related security are XML encryption, XML signature, XACL, SAML, and XKMS. This article introduces the first two.
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01 Sep 2001 |
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Designing a Palm user interface, Part 1
Porting an application from a Windows to a Palm OS environment is no mean feat. A diverse IBM development team shares experiences and lessons it learned during just such a development process. This will give other software developers and interaction designers food for thought when undertaking similar processes. Although the case study presented here is specific to the port of a wireless client, the observations are useful to those who develop any kind of application for the Palm OS, regardless of whether that application has a Windows legacy or not. Here, in Part 1, the authors examine how Palm OS features -- specifically, non-object-oriented graphical user interface and modal applications -- affect the process of porting an application from Windows to the Palm.
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01 Sep 2001 |
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Crafting a wizard
Designing an effective wizard is no magician's trick. Even though wizards are intended to make complex tasks appear easy, shielding users from complex details is real work to designers and developers. This article will share 15 dos and don'ts gleaned from the author's experience to help you create a wizard that works.
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01 Sep 2001 |
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The cranky user: What's with the attitude?
When users complain about sites, webmasters frequently respond with hostility, derision, condescension, or just plain silence. No wonder users rarely bother to complain. Bad attitudes stand between the site you created and the site your users want to use.
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01 Sep 2001 |
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Rapid Web development
What do you do when you need to have a Web site done "yesterday"? This article answers that question, showing you how to create sites quickly and flexibly using Web standards like cascading style sheets (CSS), structural HTML, and server-side includes. It contains examples that demonstrate how rapid Web development not only streamlines the process, but also makes updating easier.
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01 Sep 2001 |
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Writing a simple IPv6 program
This article discusses the concepts behind a simple IPv6 program -- specifically, how IPv6 solves the problems of address space and large routing tables. A programmer familiar with IPv4 will be able to recognise an IPv6 address and configure one for his machine. The article also covers tunneling, mapped addresses, and porting IPv4 to IPv6 applications, as well as the logic of enabling an IPv4 client to handle IPv6 addresses.
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01 Sep 2001 |
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The cranky user: Constraining users with modal dialogs
Most GUI's incorporate a "modal" interface -- one that prevents you from doing anything else until you've completed the current task. This is almost always a mistake because it restricts user choices, often for no good reason. In this article, Peter explores the specifics of how modal dialog boxes can be inappropriate and annoying.
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01 Oct 2001 |
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Preparing for supply chain architectures
Corporate Web architectures are likely to change as companies connect more fully with their supply chain partners. In this article, analyst Anne Zieger describes what changes will probably take place, and why.
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01 Oct 2001 |
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Modularization of XHTML
This tutorial is designed for users who need to understand the modularization of XHTML, either to use a subset of XHTML, or to add their own tags to create their own markup language variants.
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23 Oct 2001 |
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Empowering users with launchpads
Today's software designs attempt to limit the amount of expertise that's required of end users. As a result, usability and help mechanisms, such as wizards, have gained in popularity. However, sometimes even the most well-designed wizards are not enough to help end users successfully complete complex tasks. If you encounter this problem, a launchpad may be a relatively inexpensive solution. Here, Daina shows you what a launchpad is, how it can be useful, and how to design one that effectively empowers your users to be more productive.
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01 Nov 2001 |
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Understanding dynamic positioning
This tutorial is designed to assist Web developers who need tight control over the placement of content on their pages, but who understand the need to separate content from presentation in order to improve compliance with standards and ease of maintenance.
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13 Nov 2001 |
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Implementing Internet call management
The might of the Internet has been applied to many different business areas, from finance to HR. Here, Jon Hatcher introduces the benefits and implementation issues of an Internet call centre, focusing on the server-side technologies that glue the solution together. Jon also discusses the need for accurate statistics and reliable communication of data, along with other session management issues on the Internet. He includes an example written in PERL and Apache.
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01 Dec 2001 |
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JavaScript floating objects
This tutorial is targeted at Web developers who want to create objects, such as images and menus, that hold their place (or float) in the browser window even when the user scrolls or resizes the window. You can achieve the same effect using JavaScript in the browser -- creating content, placing it, and controlling its location as the user scrolls or resizes the page.
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20 Dec 2001 |
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More Web-based wizard tips and tricks
Building on the concepts presented in her first developerWorks article, "Crafting a wizard," Jodi Bollaert dives deeper into the art and science of developing effective wizards. The first half of this article covers tips and tricks related to the wizard development process; the second half includes more insights about wizard interface design.
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01 Jan 2002 |
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Working XML: Compiling XPaths
This month our columnist describes how he implements the DFA construction algorithm, giving the first concrete example of using the compiler to recognize XPath.
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01 Jan 2002 |
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Exchanging information with a server without reloading your HTML page
Does constant page reloading make your Web site a resource hog? Perhaps your applications are spending too much time communicating with the server, reloading the entire page when only part of it needs to be changed. This not only decreases Web performance, but also increases Web server workload and traffic between server and client. Fortunately, there are techniques you can employ to solve these problems. Here, developer Tong Li offers three such techniques.
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01 Jan 2002 |
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UCD for different project types, Part 1
Today's software applications need to be both useful and usable, supporting simple and efficient completion of tasks by the intended user audience. Much has been written about methodologies for designing software that meets user needs. But little emphasis has been placed on what types of activities are truly essential in achieving these goals. Here in part 1 of this two-part article, the authors tap into their 30+ years of combined experience in applying such techniques to boil the design of useful and usable software down to its essential activities.
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01 Mar 2002 |
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UCD for different project types, Part 2
This article describes the applicability of core activities across a range of development project types -- selection and possible customization of a vendor application, evolution and rewrite of an existing application, and creation of a new application.
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01 Mar 2002 |
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Flex your PHP
When you're working with the Wireless Markup Language, you should know that it can get more dynamic with the use of PHP. Contributor Vivek Malhotra takes you through sample Hypertext Preprocessor tasks. After following this free, dW-exclusive tutorial, which contains detailed sample code, you'll be able to create dynamic wireless and Web pages.
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19 Mar 2002 |
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Managing structured Web service metadata
This article builds on an earlier developerWorks article on using the Resource Description Framework (RDF) to enhance WSDL, and related to a recent article on using SOAP with RDF. Uche Ogbuji looks at how updates in WSDL affect the techniques presented earlier, and draws on the significant discussion of RDF and Web services description to show how developers can use both to their advantage.
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01 Apr 2002 |
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Improving Web page loading
When your Web pages load, you can't afford to let people be bored by a blank page at the outset. This article gives some tips on how to avoid common page loading problems and give users that valuable information they want even as more downloading takes place.
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01 May 2002 |
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Internationalizing your Eclipse plug-in, Part 1: How to write Eclipse plug-ins for the international market
In this roadmap for writing Eclipse plug-ins destined for the international market, we begin with a brief review of the motivations and technical challenges of internationalization, followed by step-by-step instructions for internationalizing your plug-in. We then examine how these steps were applied to the internationalization of the Eclipse Platform, itself.
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01 Jun 2002 |
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The cranky user: Everything I need to know about usability, I learned at the arcade
A program that is integral to the operation of your business can be hard to use -- yet you will use it anyway. A video game that is hard to use is no fun, and you won't use it. Forged in this crucible is an attitude that's common to most games: Usability is paramount. Productivity software should learn some of the same lessons.
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01 Jun 2002 |
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Developing a technical architecture for Web-based enterprise software systems
As Web-based enterprise software systems become a reality, the need to understand and plan for infrastructures that support these applications grows. Application developers need to understand the processes and the issues involved in developing this infrastructure so they can architect and design their applications accordingly. This article elaborates on the issues associated with developing a technical architecture for Web-based enterprise software systems.
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01 Jun 2002 |
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Create a printable and searchable version of your online documentation
Creating a PDF version of your online documentation or Web site is easy and provides an simple way for users to print, view, and search the information online or offline . This article walks you through using Adobe Acrobat to convert your existing Web site or online documentation into a single PDF file that users can print, download, and easily search.
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01 Jun 2002 |
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Customizing Apache for maximum performance
Apache is a marvelously customizable daemon. You can tailor this web server software for specific platforms, environments, and performance thresholds. Unfortunately, most administrators run an out-of-the-box installation with few modifications to the default configuration. In this Linux-focused tutorial, you learn many suggestions, tips, and tricks for controlling Apache and modifying its behavior to best fit its running environment.
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20 Jun 2002 |
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XHTML: The power of two languages
This article takes a pragmatic look at XHTML, a markup language that effectively bridges the gap between the simplicity of HTML and the extensibility of XML. It also covers the essential features of the various flavors of XHTML and includes discussions of the language and a number of real-world applications.
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01 Jul 2002 |
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JavaScript and the Document Object Model
While the Document Object Model (DOM) is perhaps best known in its role as a foundation for working with XML, variations on the theme actually started in browsers with HTML. Now DOM has come full circle as newer browsers implement the W3C Document Object Model through client-side scripting, such as JavaScript. This article looks at the JavaScript approach to DOM and chronicles the building of a Web page to which the user can add notes and edit note content.
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01 Jul 2002 |
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Information architecture concepts
An information architect is a vital member of a Web development team, playing a critical role in how content is organized on a Web site. This article seeks to clear up some of the misconceptions about information architecture and help define the role an information architect plays in Web site development.
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01 Jul 2002 |
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Secure your Web server
This tutorial details how to "lock down" a Web server in less than an hour. It covers physical security, the importance of firewalls, correct application installation, file permissions, application configuration, and techniques that allow Web page maintainers to do their job without sacrificing system integrity.
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23 Jul 2002 |
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The cranky user: Macro viruses
Usability and security, it is often said, have an inverse relationship. Developers must consider the trade-offs between usability and security when designing or developing a new system. In this article, I argue that macro viruses show how important it is to consider both sides of this trade-off, and also that, in some cases, security IS usability.
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01 Aug 2002 |
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An introduction to object prevalence
Persisting state and data has always been a problem with object-oriented software. Over the years, developers have stored object data in many ways, including relational databases, flat files,and XML. None of these approaches really managed to keep the software purely object-oriented. The Prevayler team is changing this with the object prevalence concept. This article introduces object prevalence.
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01 Aug 2002 |
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Exploring XML Encryption, Part 2
In this second installment, Bilal Siddiqui examines the usage model of XML Encryption with the help of a use case scenario. He presents a simple demo application, explaining how it uses the XML Encryption implementation. He then continues with his last implementation of XML Encryption and makes use of JCA/JCE classes to support cryptography. Finally, he briefly discusses the applications of XML Encryption in SOAP-based Web services.
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01 Aug 2002 |
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Using HTML forms with PHP
One of the advantages of PHP has always been the ability to easily manipulate information submitted by the user through an HTML form. In fact, PHP version 4.1 adds several new ways to access this information and effectively removes the one most commonly used in previous versions. This article looks at different ways to use the information submitted on an HTML form, in both older and more recent versions of PHP. It starts out by looking at individual values and builds to a page that can generically access any available form values.
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01 Aug 2002 |
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Develop rock-solid code in PHP: Lay the foundation, Part 1
In this article, PHP veteran Amol Hatwar gives a higher perspective for designing and writing bug-free, maintainable code for medium- to large-scale Web applications.
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01 Aug 2002 |
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The Web's future: XHTML 2.0
Over the years, HTML has only become bigger, never smaller, because new versions had to maintain backward compatibility. That's about to change. On 5 August 2002, the first working draft of XHTML 2.0 was released and the big news is that backward compatibility has been dropped; the language can finally move on. So, what do you as a developer get in return? How about robust forms and events, a better way to look at frames and even hierarchical menus that don't require massive amounts of JavaScript.
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01 Sep 2002 |
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Creating Java2D composites for rollover effects
When creating or using Java applications, you may have experienced some interesting rollover and/or selection effects when using default Swing mechanisms. A more consistent, more common result can be reached using the Java2D API which allows you to methodically define composite values for rollover and selection events. In this article, discover how images are constructed within Java language and how they can be manipulated using AWT composites.
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01 Sep 2002 |
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Use Cascading Style Sheets selectors
With Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), page authors can control the appearance of content with more precision. CSS rules consist of a selector that determines the content to which the rule applies, and the properties and values that are set. While most developers are accustomed to using selectors that are based on tag names, CSS actually provides several different options that enable even greater control. This article discusses each type of selector and shows you how to use it.
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01 Sep 2002 |
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Introduction to Xindice
This article is an introduction to an Open Source Native XML Database System, called Xindice (pronounced zeen-dee-chay). It is also an introduction to Native XML Database concepts.
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01 Sep 2002 |
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The cranky user: User interfaces
We look at a couple of the concepts discussed in Don Norman's book, The Design of Everyday Things, and how they might apply to computer interfaces.
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01 Sep 2002 |
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Develop rock-solid code in PHP: Use variables effectively, Part 2
In this article, PHP veteran Amol Hatwar discusses how to use variables effectively. He also shows how to make script configuration easy by constructing a configuration file parser using variable variable names in PHP.
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01 Sep 2002 |
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Develop rock-solid code in PHP: Write reusable functions, Part 3
Part 3 on developing PHP code discusses building efficient functions that maintain performance and manageability. Amol Hatwar focuses on function reuse and the common problems that occur in PHP coding.
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01 Nov 2002 |
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Zen and the art of installing Request Tracker 2.0.x
This tutorial is designed to be a thorough introduction and installation guide for the great issue tracking tool, Request Tracker (RT). RT fulfills a key need in a project's Configuration Management (CM) process. By the end of the tutorial, you will have a working installation of RT and ready to implement a CM process for your project. The primary focus is installing RT on the average GNU/Linux system. The tutorial also points out possible stumbling blocks in various installation steps.
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05 Nov 2002 |
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Build an abstract Java API for regular expressions
When you work with regular expressions in Java, depending on a concrete regexp library is generally not a good idea. If you use an abstract layer, you can switch between different regexp libraries, reduce the coupling between your code and a particular library, and choose which one best fits your needs. If you are thinking about using a Java regexp library in your next project, software developer Jose San Leandro Armendariz shows you how to keep your code independent of your chosen concrete library. He'll give you a close look at regexps and how they work, then provide you with a little practice.
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01 Dec 2002 |
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Experience remote usability testing, Part 1
Two Pervasive Computing specialists explain why and when remote usability testing is a benefit, illuminate application-sharing tools used for testing, and offer insights into their experiences and the sometimes hard lessons they've learned. (Part 1 of 2.)
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01 Jan 2003 |
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The cranky user: Pigeonholed
Web sites often try to categorize visitors, transactions, questions, and more. These categories can be unnatural or limiting to the user -- as well as annoying. How can online sites please their visitors, while extracting needed information from them?
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01 Jan 2003 |
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Experience remote usability testing, Part 2
Two Pervasive Computing specialists explain why and when remote usability testing is a benefit, illuminate application-sharing tools used for testing, and offer insights into their experiences. (Part 2 of 2.)
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01 Feb 2003 |
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Integrating components
Judith M. Myerson delivers an overview of the promises and problems to providing component-integration benefits to the wireless world.
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01 Feb 2003 |
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The cranky user: Whose computer is this, anyway?
Software that installs unwanted additional programs creates a substantial burden on users, and makes it hard to exercise control over our own computers and software!
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01 Feb 2003 |
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Simple linear regression with PHP: Part 1
Contributor Paul Meagher explains the necessity of a PHP-based math library and constructs a simple linear regression algorithm model as an example. Part one of two parts.
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01 Mar 2003 |
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SAX-like apps in PHP
Nicholas Chase demonstrates a SAX-like method in PHP that allows developers to work with both local and remote XML files.
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01 Mar 2003 |
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The cranky user: Customer service -- it matters
Usability testing on phone systems is a valuable lesson for Web developers. After all, happy customers help with happy business growth.
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10 Mar 2003 |
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