I found some info on how ZeroConf (Apple likes to call it Randezvous) works and how you can incorporate its technology into your own applications. I wonder how hard it would be to create a networked multiplayer game using this technology... This should pretty much put an end to all the IPX LAN-based network play that windows gamers are used to and extend it beyond the LAN. Hmmm... Smells like something project Eggland could use...

Oh, and we published a book written by one of our colleagues, Steve Little, who is no longer with us. I almost never volunteer to deal with clients and all that relationship manager stuff, but for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing, this should be a really good book to add to your collection since Steve was an excellent relationship and project manager. He's the best project manager I've ever had. :)


0 comment(s) | link to this entry | edit this entry

My apologies to Safari users.. I really haven't had time to fix the site to work correctly under safari and I really don't want to render the "LITE" version of the site for Safari, either... The site works perfectly fine under Mozilla variants under Mac now... (make sure you have cleared your cache if you still see weirdness) I really don't feel like doing anything for Safari until it comes out of the "Beta" phase... :P Sorry~

UPDATE ( 6/27/2003 ): So Safari 1.0 is out, and it does solve half of the problem, but not all. I'll look into this when I get a chance, but if you see weirdness, just resize the window and the layout will adjust accordingly.


2 comment(s) | link to this entry | edit this entry

Yes, it has arrived. The final release of the latest incarnation of dJsLiM.COM code named "L.M.N.T" I will still have to go around making sure all the old posts that were poorly written (i.e. it didn't use generalized image links, etc...) and fix them, but other than that the migration went smoothly like a baby's butt! Here's a quick list of changes:

Back-end

  • Content has been completely separated into various bits of XML data sources organized by categories, languages, and site structure.
  • Template engine handles all rendering of XML data into HTML using XSL that gets chosen dependent on the user agent's capabilities (LITE version and HEAVY version are in place).
  • XSL resources have also been further divided by language where it makes sense (although I only have English for now... so I guess that was over-engineering. ^^;;).
  • Reusable C# classes using the .NET framework support the entire back-end.
  • Easier to install and use ASP.NET version of the ASP ment-O-matic distribution has been implemented for the site.
  • "Permanent functionalities" have been re-implemented to allow for future extension ( i.e. link to this entry function for example )
  • It is now much easier to do synopsis publishing to other Blogging sites such as Xanga ( that's really only for my convenience ^^;;)
  • The site directory structure was rethought to avoid as much as possible the cluttering of querystrings and file names. ( i.e. http://djslim.com/lmnt/geek/projects/ vs. http://djslimcom/lmnt/geek/default.asp?subsection=projects)
Front-end
  • CSS files have been modularized to two parts. One that handles styling of different pages and on that handles different aspects of pages (layout vs. styling).
  • HEAVY version of the site uses absolutely no tables or inline layout attributes and all layout and styling are done by CSS.
  • LITE version of the site scales down gracefully for browsers all the way down to LYNX
Usability
  • Better indication of user's whereabouts within the site structure has been implemented through the use of right hand side navigation items.
  • Special care was taken to make the LITE version of the site easy to navigate given the constrained browser environment.
  • Words were more carefully chosen to indicate the destination or purpose of each link (i.e. "link" vs. "link to this entry")
  • When you follow the "link to this entry" you will now be presented with a page that shows just that single entry along with all its comments on one page to serve the purpose of the link better.
  • More important informations were bubbled up to the upper portion of the right hand side navigation (i.e. links to other sections of the site)
  • Last update dates on sections that have essay-style content were also bubbled up to the top so that users could quickly see if the content had been updated since their last visit. ( a "new" icon on the right hand nav itself could be better, but I couldn't solve it from a visual design angle... -.-;; )
Interactivity
  • Forum links have been sprinkled all over the site on various topics that are of interest to me to invite guests to interact and make better use of the forum.

Phew~ I think that's the gist of the accomplishment. I ain't touching this for at least another 2 years now. :P I do need to QA the site more extensively on my iBook, though... So if you're experiencing weird layout issues on Safari or Camino then lemme know.


5 comment(s) | link to this entry | edit this entry

Want some more? Dig in to the archive for past entries.