That Net Site

Following on from last post I thought I’d add a new post to say I am now a linux (ubuntu) convert.   I have given it a real go and so far I am very impressed with it giving my PC a new lease on life with far superior execution times and file handling.

As the title suggests I am 95% converted as I still need Windows for a few applications, although I am sure I will soon find replacements for them soon.

What I was using to what I am using;

Firefox -> Firefox
Thunderbird Email -> Thunderbird Email
Photoshop CS4 -> Gimp
Filezilla -> gFTP
Homesite -> Bluefish
MS Office -> Open Office
Syncback SE Pro -> Unison
MSN -> Pidgin

What I am still looking for are;

Quickbooks -> while GnuCash is there I prefer Quickbooks and so does my accountant, probably simply use WINE to run it in Windoes mode within ubuntu
TopStyle -> I am using cssed but it is far from TopStyle, might just be a case of get use to it
Adobe Premier and Encore -> not yet replaced… have an idea?

One of the things I often do is read many of the forums for both Microsoft Windows and also Linux and read through the debates on what is better for what.  There is no question that if your a gamer MS Windows is the choice OS to use, but what about everything else non game?

I am tired of the fanboi Linux users that simply bag Microsoft as the evil business just for the sake of doing so and trying to make themselves appear geeky by saying linux rules.  Don’t get me wrong I am not an MS fanboi, or linux for that matter.  I have used Mac OS’s Linux OS’ and of course the Windows variety with my main PC now running dual boot Ubuntu and Vista.  But at this stage I am probably using Vista more than I use Ubuntu.

It is not that I don’t like Linux it is the familiarity of the applications I have and continue to use on Windows.  There is also this niggling fact that I own a paid for version of Vista and I kind of think well I own it so why not use it.

It is also a case of comparing what linux is trying to be, now lets face it the GUI is based on MS Windows with a little Mac OSX thrown in.  Will linux just become a Windows clone which in turn is becoming a Mac clone?  If I take ubuntu 9.04 as an example it really is an OS that is probably smack in the middle of both the Mac and MS OS’s – but is that a good thing or not?

To try and define what is better that the other is a personal choice.  I will say however that for general use the Ubuntu 9.04 install is very fast compared to Vista, but with Vista to try and compare I have many background processors running – these mainly being the firewall. virus scanner, malware checking and spyware watcher – apart from that it works a treat.  This is where linux does shine, in that if I was to go pure linux the need for those scanners is pretty much gone as linux is not as open to those issues as windows is.

So my dilemma is do I continue to use Windows Vista and when its released update to Windows 7 or do I start the major switch to linux….. tough call really and I am not sure where I stand (yet) – so what do you use and why do you use it?  I am not interested in the fanboi issues, I want to know the real reasons for your choice of OS.

There is obviously a cost factor here, in that to continue operating windows I will need to update at a cost to me , whilst with linux the updates will always be free – so long as they keep providing those updates.

Hmm to go linux or stay with MS Windows?

I have had quite a few people wanting to use the icons I put together to replace the default awful looking 7-zip ones with many requests for the dll for the 64-bit version.  Instead of trying to keep pace with the 7-zip updates what I have now done is simple created the icons and added a file to change the registry entries for the links to each icon that 7-zip uses.

The icons are simply ‘ico’ files within an icon folder, of which after you have installed 7-zip you copy the ‘icon’ folder to your 7-zip install folder, for example c:/Program Files/7-zip/ and then run/open the registry file in the archived linked below (you may need to confirm as an admin user to do this).  To show the new icons simply log-off your windows account, log back in and presto your icons are now a little nicer than the default ones

Feel free to share the zip file below, any link backs are very much appreciated

7zip Replacement Icons

Download the replacement icons

Ever heard of the phrase ‘Less is more’?  I am sure you have and you only need to look at the internet and some of the most popular websites to know this is so true.

For myself and many others I talk to getting to a website with a busy header, content on the left and right, some in the middle, some in the top of the middle a few more in the centre at the bottom and then there is the footer, oh and somewhere in all that mess is a menu – you know what I mean, the cluttered website.

So why is it that Less is more?

Well branding for one, how easy is it to see your name and logo if your name and logo is clearly visible and not being distracted by other header images or other highlighted content?  Google of course is the first that always comes to mind.  Google has shown that over the many years it has existed it has run a site that is… well simple comes to mind.  It has its logo, brightly coloured and very large when you consider the size of the text on the rest of the page.  Compare this to Yahoo.  While Yahoo is still a well known brand what comes to mind first for most people – do you Google it or Yahoo it?

Having a page less cluttered also helps the reader read your page.  An uncluttered page will have a more natural reading flow from top to bottom which is very user friendly.  Having extra columns with flashy signs might draw a persons attention which is fine if that is what you want (and many do), but if you want your content to matter then that is what you want your readers to see.

If you must have additional columns for content navigation and general awareness a great example is A List Apart (http://www.alistapart.com/) with its main content to the left for better reading and its columns while there are kept simple but easy to follow.  This also shows how a page can be well styled visually while still maintaining that simplicity.

There are lots of example sites out there on the internet that show how less is more… so consider it when designing your next website and maybe make your site less cluttered and strive for less to get more.

Other example sites;

That Net Site (http://thatnetsite.com) < shameless plug

Twitter (http://twitter.com/)

The Web Squeeze (http://www.thewebsqueeze.com/)

Creaticca (http://daily.creattica.com/)

Apple Computers (http://www.apple.com/) < Their ads often show good examples of less is more….

If you have other good examples of how less is more please share them

Well it was something in the planning for quite some time, saying should I or shouldn’t I but in the end I did it and I am happy to announce the release of cameraforums.com.au.

cameraforums.com.au

While it might seem like your normal run of the mill forum site this site has been developed by me to fill a need.  By that I mean it is targeted more to the Aussie user, but it is by no means restricted only to Australians.  Anyone from anywhere is welcome to come along and make themselves a member and chat about everything related to cameras.

Rather than focus on one type of camera I have made it cover cameras of all types and styles and uses.  From the older film cameras to the more current digital, from the point and shoot all the way up to the Digital SLR range of cameras.  It also covers camcorders and other video camera types such as web cams and security cameras.  Basically if it is camera related then this is the forums for it.

The forums however will only be successful if they are used so what are you waiting for go and create an account and help me make them useful for everyone

I will also be allowing store owners to make posts about their services and supplies and hope to soon have a discount system in place where members will be able to get a discount from the stores that do post on the forums – more on that soon

So anyway hope you like the new forums and find them useful and as always any feedback is always helpful

Link: http://cameraforums.com.au/

It has been many years that we have all been reading about the various antitrust cases against Microsoft for one thing or another, basically because they have a greater market share than their competitors.  While I agree competition is needed I do feel that Microsoft is simply a target that is too easy to hit.

The why, the how or the where it came from is the past in my view of what Microsoft is today. It has a greater market share than its rivals because it has a great marketing tool, easy to use software and is now the most familiar and more user friendly OS and system to use for the average computer user, and this includes Internet Explorer.  While many will claim it is buggy, and has errors etc the fact is that if any other OS or browser had the market share that Microsoft has then you would be hearing they have just as many bugs etc.

Before you comment let me first say I don’t use IE except for testing, I use and have for quite a few years used Firefox.  I also tried Google’s Chrome, and while it was all nice and shiny and seemed great to load it, in my own personal view, did not live up to my expectations and my familiarity with using Firefox with my commonly used extensions.

I use a Windows PC as my main work platform, actually all our PC’s run the various Windows versions from 98SE through to Vista Home Premium.  Why do we use WIndows versus linux vs apple.  Well without starting an OS debate and without starting a browser war the fact is that we are happy with how Windows works, we use windows applications as they install, integrate and work very well with the OS and, well, like I said we are familiar and comfortable with it.

The other night I was sitting with my kids and they were watching a DVD, WALL-E, and while sitting there I was thinking that while a cartoon the monopoly of BnL is kind of similar to many peoples/companies fear of Microsoft, in that I think there are too many that fear Microsoft will become the be all and end all of software.  Could it do that, well yes it could, but with all these antitrust  cases I guess the big companies like Google will try and stop that happening, not that I think it will happen anyway.

Google joins EU Anti-trust Case...

Also with Google now in the mix of the EU case, could Microsoft turn around and do something similar to Google and file an antitrust or monopoly type of case against Google as they are the primary and most used search engine and online email… just to mention a couple.  I mean just the other day there was panic with Google mail being down.

My view on a lot of this is that if the other providers like Google, Mozilla and Opera want a greater market share then they need to ensure they have a better tool for others to use.  While I think Firefox is a better browser the average person either does not know it exists or does not like how it works, it really is that simple.  I have family that I have tried to convert to Firefox, note convert – you actually have to forcibly get them to use another browser, but in the end I gave up, why did they not swap over well they liked how IE worked, they liked how IE looked and they were comfortable and familiar with it.

Is it Microsoft’s fault that people do not use Firefox, Chrome or Opera, no of course it isn’t.  I understand that Microsoft have their browser built into the Windows OS, which gives a perceived advantage but it IS their OS, it is their right to have their browser.  I mean your not going to go into a BMW dealer and buy a BMW car and have a Honda interior are you – so really what is the difference.  Ok so that is not quite the same but you get the idea.

I also realise Windows has the greater market share, so therefore so has IE, but I still come back to the fact that Mozilla, Opera, Google etc have themselves to blame for not having greater market share, they need to take responsibility for their own actions, get out to the greater market, develop a new OS based on Linux if they must, offer a true alternative to Windows, offer a true alternative to IE that every average person can use without having to get add-ons, without having to learn what a linux kernal is or similar.  They need to be simple, easy and available.

Or maybe just sit down with Microsoft and say, hey guys would you mind including our browser in your Windows install and thus give the end user the choice of browser they want to use – not that they have to in my view but it may be as simple as that.

I’m sure this will spark much debate as it has over the years, which is great but keep it clean

Changes in our lives can be difficult, a total sea/tree change can be very daunting to most but it does not need to be, hopefully our tree change adventure can inspire you for your sea/tree change.  Join us over the next couple of months as we make our tree change….

First up – what’s the difference between sea change and tree change, well first up we believe that the change part is away from your normal life of usually inner city or suburban living to a place where you have space, room to grow and be part of a much smaller community.  On the flip side there is also those that have had the quiet life and want (for whatever reasons) to be in amongst the busy city life, either way it is a total change of life.

Sea change is the moving to the sea and enjoying the beach air, the fresh winds and the waves at night while having your space and quiet surrounds.

Tree change is the moving to the hills or country away from suburbia usually with some acreage or even a farm (of various sizes)

Of course you could have both a Sea and Tree change depending on where you wish to go

Back on topic…

This topic title is a big one for most families, or even those thinking about starting a family (or not).  So when is the right time for a change in direction that not only affects you but the people around you (your family and friends).  Over the years I have read, listened to and watched people make great plans or wishes to do things in their lives and never follow through with them, to be told that it is not quite the right time to make life changes etc.  It is something we also have been thinking about as well and really when is the best time…. ?

Even my parents have great plans, but to be honest by the time they get to even act on those plans they will be way to old to enjoy them.  So when is the best time… for anything?

The answer to that will differ with every person reading this post, we all have different backgrounds, lived our lives a certain way and have our comfort zones we cling to as part of our every day life.  But is that living life or life living – I can’t answer that for you as only you will know that answer.  However what I can say for the most of us is that we keep making reasons not to change rather than reasons to change.  For my family and I, well we were just getting by, doing the norm and it actually put us in a rut and very unhealthy situation.  So change was needed but what change and is it the right time for change now or should we  wait until the kids are older (ages 13, 9 and 7)…. well I was ready, my wife was ready so what about the kids.

We bounced ideas back and forth to each other and considered everything about if this was the right time to put the kids through this and then we thought .. hang on we are doing it again, we are making reasons ourselves as to why we should not do it rather than reasons we should.  So we decided it was time to open the discussions to our children, after all they will be affected and should have a say in what we may do.  We did not want to pressure the kids or push them into any one direction, we simply wanted to hear from their points of view on a few options we have considered.  We requested a family meeting (yes we request not demand) and asked them;

• are you happy?
• how happy?
• what would you like to do different?
• do you like where we live?
• would you be interested in moving house?

This laid the ground work for us to decide if we should continue with the discussion and responses were positive, interesting to both of us was a notable shift from love where we live to like where we live as you do once you have been in the same place for quite some time (7+ years), so we led into a discussion

• What do you think about the idea of moving to a larger property?
• What about moving schools
• How about living on a  farm (got a great response on that one – i.e. can I have a pony, motorbike etc)

They asked questions as well and we opened the discussion from there to hear from them what they wanted and what they felt about moving.  For the kids ages we were really happy with the way they asked questions and raised ideas and noticed a growing excitement from them, particularly our eldest whom we thought would prefer to stay put.

The end result of the discussions was a resounding yes, it was time to make the next move and this move would be quite a change.  I’ll make a further post soon about the next stage in our tree change but the point of this post was simply to share with you that the right time is any time, it is not when you feel comfortable, it is not when you have enough money, it is not when the kids are older, it is now, if you feel you need a change in life then you do.

The biggest thing I got out of this process so far was the realisation that we like most people were stuck in a zone that was a life, but not ‘the life’ and whenever we considered a change we were looking for reasons not change rather than reasons for change.

While our tree change is still in the process I really wish to pass onto anyone contemplating a change to;

• make reasons for not against
• make reasons that are positive not negative
• involve your whole family, they may have ideas you have not thought of – our kids did
• look forward not back.

While weighing up pros and cons sound good, leave the cons out as they only provide a negative outlook, list the pros – all of them and build them and have fun doing it… we did

Sea/Tree change part 2 coming soon….

It has again been no news from me on the site – sorry people just too busy with other aspects of my life – will try and get into this blog thing a bit more over the next few weeks and don’t be surprised if you see some more controveral topics

I often read on forums I frequent many requests for designers with specific skill sets that are mainly related to the design side of web design, I guess that is why they call it Web ‘Design’.  The problem I have with this is that there are many web designers out there that can whip you up a quick design but lack skills in how to manage the web design process from proposal, concept and all the way through to completion.

I also often read many posts where a company or even an individual has chosen a free lance designer or even a company to design their web site and the end result has been very poor, not so much in the design side but in the functionality, the methodology of the web design project and of course communication misunderstandings… to name a few.

A good designer for anything be that web, print or anything else needs a skill set beyond design or at least have a partner or supervisor that has these skill sets for them to follow, these skills sets consist of, but not limited to;

Project Management: Any web site design project needs to be managed as a project and it needs to follow certain steps from concept through to completion.  This will include development of time lines, reporting on progress, detailed scope of the project, time management, expected outcomes, project modifications (that are agreed to or provided by the client) just to name a few.

Communication: Clients love to be involved and kept in the loop of their project, it is their money so they want to be involved in the decision process so you need to keep up contact, it might just be a quick update report every few days or a phone call or online chat to show them progress, whatever it is keep the contact with the client, keep them interested in the project and let them get involved.  This obviously means that a web designer needs good communication skills, both in writing and verbally.

User Interface Methods: A good design is only as good as the user functionality of a web site.  There is no point having the best looking website if no one can use it or find it difficult to find what they are after.  Most users of the web have a short instant desire to find what they want, if they cannot find it quickly they move on.  So A good designer will need to know how a site will be used, who will be using it and will test the user interface over and over again with the client and also a group of unrelated people (peers etc) that can test for you.

Knowing what to charge: It would be an interesting exercise to see how many web ‘designers’ have any idea of time management and billing as it is quite amusing to see some of the guess work charges you see on various forums where there is a request for quotes.  There are many examples where a project request has gone out and there are prices that will range from $1k to to 20K (or more) for a simple online store.  There is suggestion that the $1k quotes are from monkeys and that anything decent will cost the higher end.  Buyer beware is what I say as the higher priced ones are usually well over quoted and things can be done far cheaper still with great quality results.  The Web ‘Designer’ needs to know what they charge per hour and keep that clear in their mind, whether that is $15 or $150 per hour (or more) will depend on their market and skill sets.  Then be realistic and quote with what you are comfortable with getting for your time and effort.

Marketing: A good designer knows about marketing, not marketing themselves but for their clients as this will need to be incorporated into the design of the site and how it functions, this will include Search Engine Optimisation.

Know your limits: A good designer will not take on a project they are not comfortable with or not have the skills to complete. I have taken on quite a number of projects where a previous designer has tried (very hard) to get the client the results they wanted but they lacked the specific skill sets required to get it to work.  Know what you know, keep learning and by all means develop some non client websites to test and learn from but don’t take on a project that has work required that you cannot fulfill as this will kill your reputation.

What to out source: Out sourcing some of the project is fine, but you need to project manage that very well and keep that contractor to time lines and ensure they know their work also.  Be mindful of other contractor costs and better yet develop a contact list of developers that have skills sets you may require (that you do not have) and use them where needed and ensure your quote if you need them covers that cost as well.

Have an open mind: We all know the expression of ‘Work outside of the box’ but often many designers are not sure how to achieve that.  It is not as difficult s it may seem, it is a case of keep your mind open, listen to the client and NEVER say something cannot be done as sure enough they will find someone that can do it.  By all means suggest, make comment and provide guidance to the client but keep an open mind about the possibilities of what they are suggesting, is it really not achievable, if you are creative and keep that mind open more times than not you identify a solution that suits the client and along the way the designer will learn.

Be Versatile: This one really bugs me, where a designer uses one or two, or maybe three different platforms or open source solutions to build everyones website…. While this can work well for basic template sites most websites need specific elements that one solution for all cannot really fulfill effectively.  Too often I see a simple site being created with a significant Content Management System (CMS) like Joomla, or Drupal etc and the site is small and does not need to be as complex as those CMS systems.  Stop trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, develop a solution for the client not the client for the solution.

Ok so the above is a few skill sets I feel a good designer needs, there are others and I will do up a part 2 of this post next chance I get, so if you have comments you think might be useful in a part 2 please suggest away as I am always learning too

Well if your a visitor to my site every now and then your probably thinking I have left the building, well nothing could be further from the truth.  The fact is I’m busy – very very busy and as such have little time to do what I really want to do, such as make posts here

But no matter I am still around, just in case you are curious… I have even had a few of my clients ask where I am as my MSN has been offline for a few days…  I have been there just my MSN was off (by accident of course).

That brings me to a new topic I am writing and it is about support from freelancers and I mean after completed work support.  I pride myself on after project completion support no matter what it is and I know my clients really appreciate it.  However I am interested to hear (or read) any views on after web site deign support, to what level (if any) do you provide free support, what support fees you charge (if any), do you have a support fee structure and how well is that received by your current and past clients… so may questions and do little time – so anyway I’ll be back soon with an expanded topic relating to after web site design completion support… so come back soon