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04 Jul 07:48

20+ resources for learning web design & development

by Cameron Chapman

Educational resourcesThere are tons of blogs, tutorial sites, and other resources out there that can teach you about web design and development. But what if you want something a little bit more formal, without actually having to go back to school?

That’s where resources like the ones below can come in handy. These sites offer courses modeled after those you’d find (or actually from) leading colleges and universities. They’re a great option if you’re not sure where to start, or if you want to bridge the gaps in your current training.

They can also be excellent options if you’ve taken courses in the past, but want to make sure your knowledge and skill-set is completely up to date.

Google Developers University Consortium

The Google Developers University Consortium offers a ton of great courses for developers interested in working with Google products. Of course that includes designing and programming for Android, as well as Google Maps, Google App Engine, and more. It also offers more general web technology courses, including an AJAX tutorial, PHP development, and information on GIS and KML.

In addition to using the University Consortium for learning, you can also submit a course, including course materials, assignments, lectures, and projects. The only catch is that it has to be Creative Commons-licensed.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Dev.Opera

Dev.Opera can help you learn all the latest open web technologies, including JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5, and SVG. In addition to web technologies, Dev.Opera also offers up courses and tutorials on Add-Ons, Mobile, and TV. And of course if you have information to share with the Opera development community, you can submit your own articles.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Lynda.com

Lynda.com is one of the largest premium tutorial sites for software, business, and creative topics. They have over 1900 video courses, all by expert teachers. For $25/month, you get unlimited access to all of their courses, making it a good deal for anyone who wants constant access to new learning materials.

Lynda.com’s courses are all mobile-friendly, so you don’t have to be chained to your computer to learn. And you can even create your own custom playlists of the courses you want to watch, which can then be shared with others (of course, they’ll need their own Lynda.com account to watch those videos). Lynda.com does offer a free 7-day trial, so you can test the waters before you commit.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Don’t Fear the Internet

Don’t Fear the Internet is a little different from other resources on this list. It covers basic HTML and CSS, but was specifically created for non-web designers, and is instead aimed at creatives in general.

So far there are seven lessons, covering typography, targeting content, CSS, developer tools, HTML, and even a basic primer on the internet. Every lesson is delivered in video format, but with text notes you can easily refer to later.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

P2PU’s School of Webcraft

P2PU’s School of Webcraft is a peer-powered learning environment that’s backed by Mozilla. It’s all completely free, and you can take individual courses or complete beta challenges to test your current knowledge.

Current courses offered include basics like choosing web hosting or a text editor, as well as more advanced topics like Coffeescript and PHP. There are even courses offered in Spanish. And like most resources of its kind, you can create and submit your own courses, too.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Codecademy

Codecademy lets you interactively learn to code, all for free. There are courses for everything from basic HTML to JavaScript to Ruby and other more complex programming languages.

The nice thing about Codecademy is its incredibly interactive nature. Every single lesson includes an interactive element that helps you retain the information you’ve learned. This is a big deal for those who learn by doing, rather than just by reading or listening.

In addition to standard courses, Codecademy also has a strong community where you can join groups to code with others, as well as profiles that let you show off badges and progress.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Code School

Code School is another online learning environment that stresses learning by doing. They offer “Paths” that give you a clearcut list of courses you should take to learn different disciplines. there are paths for Ruby, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and iOS. They also offer “Electives”, which cover topics outside of the basic Paths, including Git, R, and Chrome DevTools.

Code School offers both free and premium courses, with the most basic courses generally offered for free. And of course, you don’t have to follow the pre-defined Paths if you’d prefer to strike out on your own.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Udacity

Udacity offers up courses in a number of technology and design related areas. There are classes on web development, HTML5 game development, programming languages, interactive 3D graphics, and even topics like building a startup.

The courses are free, and are all highly interactive. Video lectures are bite-sized, meaning you can learn at your own pace without having to sit through hours of someone speaking. And of course all the instructors are industry leaders, so you’re learning from the best.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby

Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby is one of the best free Ruby courses online. It’s funny, easy to follow, and has great illustrations and comic strips included that really help drive the concepts home.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Udemy

Udemy offers courses from leading instructors around the world. A lot of the courses offered are tech- and design-focused, though there are also some great courses about startups and other topics.

Udemy also lets you teach your own courses, and earn money doing so. Courses range in price from only a few dollars right up to hundreds, depending on the subject, instructor, and length. There are even some free courses, though you might have to dig to find them.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Skillfeed

Skillfeed is a relatively new offering from Shutterstock. They offer a paid monthly subscription (just $19/month) to access courses, though there’s a 7-day free trial as well.

Courses are focused on technical and creative skills, and there are also “Skill Snacks” that offer up quick tips and tricks that you can learn in just a few minutes. Skillfeed video classes can be accessed from your desktop, laptop, or mobile device, too, so you can learn anywhere.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Treehouse

Treehouse offers a huge library of step-by-step video courses and tutorials for a variety of in-demand technologies. You can learn to build websites and web apps, mobile apps, or even how to start a business.

There are currently over 1000 videos in the library, with more being added all the time to keep you up-to-date. As you complete courses, you’ll earn badges you can proudly display on your profile to show your achievements. And each course has interactive elements to make it easier for you to retain the information you learn.

Pricing ranges from $25-$49/month, depending on which plan you choose. The more expensive Gold plan gives you access to feedback on your projects, as well as additional information and workshops.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Coursera

Coursera offers courses on a huge number of subjects, including a robust catalog of information, tech, and design courses. Courses in these subject areas include topics like social media, data science, creativity, innovation, metadata, digital democracy, and much more. Courses are offered on a regular basis, and are done more like a traditional college with weekly lessons and assignments. Each course runs from just five or six weeks up to 19 weeks or more.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Tuts+ Premium Courses

The Tuts+ Network has been a leader in design and technology tutorials for years, with both free and premium resources. Now, their Tuts+ Premium Courses give a more formal educational environment for learning about some of your favorite topics. There are courses on everything from parallax scrolling in web design to jQuery to web application design. Most courses run a dozen to two dozen lessons, though there are some that fall outside of those parameters.

Courses are available to all Tuts+ Premium members (who also get the benefit of hundreds of tutorials and 73 ebooks, as well as weekly new content). Tuts+ Premium membership is $19/month (or $15/month if you pay yearly). They do offer two free courses if you want to try it out: 30 Days to Learn HTML and CSS, and 30 Days to Learn jQuery.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Timothy Training

Timothy Training offers tutorials for a number of web technologies and programs, including Dreamweaver, HTML and CSS, PHP, MySQL, and more. They also offer live training and even on-site training.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

OpenLearn

OpenLearn is the online home of the free courses from The Open University. They offer courses on a huge variety of subjects, including technology and design. The Design and Innovation category has some great courses that would be of interest to a web designer, including Design in a Nutshell, while the Computing and ICT category has more technical courses, including classes on open source, Google, design thinking, and more.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

iTunes U

iTunes U is probably one of the better known online educational portals out there, with courses from some leading educational institutions around the world. They offer courses designed by schools, colleges, universities, and other organizations from around the world.

Courses can be found by searching or browsing, as well as by looking through the top-rated charts. There are even topical collections put together by top institutions. There are a number of courses and collections aimed at designers and developers, including Developing Apps for iOS, iOS Game Development, Talking Design, and Creative Media. iTunes U can be accessed through any iOS device. Educators also have the option to create their own courses.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Academic Earth

Academic Earth offers free courses from colleges around the world in a variety of subjects, including Introduction to Visual Thinking, Building Dynamic Websites, and Computer Graphics. Lessons are presented in video format.

Courses offered through Academic Earth are presented by institutions including Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Indian Institute of Technology, MIT, and more.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

KillerPHP.com

KillerPHP.com was created to teach practical PHP skills to web designer types, rather than developers. They offer up video tutorials on PHP and MySQL. You can subscribe for just $29 for 3 months or $99 for 12 months, or purchase courses individually.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

WebDesign.com

WebDesign.com approaches online learning a bit differently than most of the other sites listed here. Instead of letting you simply watch video lessons on your own time, they offer live, interactive webinars. Webinars are also included in their video training library, which subscribers have complete access to.

They offer some live webinars for free (mostly on non-technical subjects), while others are only available to members. Membership is $197 for a full year, which includes access to the full library as well as their library. Monthly and yearly subscriptions to just the live webinars are also available, for $47 and $97 respectively.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Web Standards Curriculum

If you’re interested in learning web standards, then the Web Standards Curriculum, offered by W3C, is a great place to start. It covers everything from web design standards to HTML to CSS, and even has information on JavaScript, accessibility, mobile web development, and SVG.

They also include resources aimed at teachers, with additional references, teaching materials, and project activities.

20+ resources for learning web design & development

 

Conclusion

Regardless of what you want or need to learn, you’ll almost certainly find what you’re looking for at one of the sites above. They’re a nice way to educate yourself without the cost of a formal education, but with more direction than just randomly surfing tutorials.

Have you used any of the resources above? Or did we miss any you think should have made the list? Let us know in the comments.



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20+ resources for learning web design & development


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02 May 20:31

Mario Sberna, il deputato montiano che sembra grillino e si taglia lo stipendio

by Irene Buscemi

Viaggia in seconda classe tra lo stupore dei controllori, indossa dei sandali, e rendiconta tutto su Internet. È il “deputato francescano” Mario Sberna, bresciano, sposato con Egle e padre di 5 figli, dei quali due adottati. Sembra un grillino, ma l’apparenza inganna. È stato eletto con la lista di Mario Monti, Scelta civica. Dal suo stipendio da parlamentare, 11mila euro per il mese di aprile, ha tenuto per sé 2500 euro, devolvendo il resto in beneficenza. Il suo conto corrente e i bonifici effettuati a favore dei poveri e famiglie disagiate si possono trovare online, sul suo sito. “L’avevo promesso in campagna elettorale, prima di entrare in Parlamento che mai avremmo cambiato la nostra classe sociale – ci racconta al telefono Sberna – è una scelta condivisa con la mia famiglia, sarebbe uno scandalo guadagnare tutti questi soldi mentre milioni di persone annaspano, restiamo nella classe sociale da cui proveniamo”. Figlio di un operaio, appassionato della trasparenza in rete, il suo sito è una vetrina curata nei minimi dettagli. Lì si trova il suo curriculum ricco di esperienze all’estero, nell’ambito della cooperazione e integrazione.

MISSIONARIO in Brasile per quattro anni, è stato volontario nella Curia di Brescia, è a capo di una cooperativa sociale per persone disagiate e presiede l’associazione nazionale Famiglie numerose. “I nostri compagni di viaggi sono sempre stati i poveri – racconta Sberna – è evidente che con 16mila euro ogni mese, per una famiglia il cui conto corrente ha sempre viaggiato sul filo del rosso, dimentichi da dove vieni e anche dovi stavi andando”. Da come parla e si muove, con i suo sandali francescani sempre ai piedi, sembra non avere nulla a che fare con i banchieri e i ricconi legati al mondo bocconiano del professor Monti. “È stato lui a chiamarmi e io ho deciso di accettare, almeno da dentro si ha più possibilità di cambiare le cose, in passato facevi mille viaggi a vuoto per andare a parlare con i politici delegati”. Non ama farsi chiamare onorevole: “Fatelo fra tre o cinque anni quando avrò fatto qualcosa di concreto e onorabile per il mio Paese”.

Anche se ha molto in comune con i 5 Stelle non cambierebbe mai casacca. “Lei mi vuol far passare dall’altra parte, sarebbe un passaggio veloce, sono nostri compagni di banco, ci separa soltanto una scalinata” dice scherzando. “Sto bene dove sto, in Scelta Civica ci sono tante persone rispettabilissime, anche Bombassei che guardavo con diffidenza è di una umiltà e sobrietà straordinaria”.

LO STIPENDIO però Sberna se lo decurta come e più dei 5 Stelle. “Guardo quei ragazzi e vedo in loro i miei figli, talvolta penso che siano troppo inquadrati e ingenui, ma la loro voglia di novità, impegno e volontariato è ammirevole – dice ancora Sberna – spontaneamente si decurtano lo stipendio, non è un gesto da poco, soprattutto perché sono giovani che magari guadagnavano mille euro e oggi si ritrovano con cifre da capogiro in tasca”. Ma se verso i parlamentari 5 Stelle c’è ammirazione, Grillo e Casaleggio non si meritano le stesse parole garbate. “Un miliardario, con la moglie che si bagna le chiappe a Malindi, non può venire a fare il predicatore, distribuisca un po’ di soldi e poi vediamo, glielo dice uno che pagava 60mila lire per andare a vedere i suoi spettacoli”. Sono tante le scelte che allontanano Sberna dal movimento 5 Stelle: “Non alzarsi davanti a un uomo di 87 anni è inconcepibile, puoi non condividere, ma abbiate rispetto di un uomo anziano” dice riferendosi a Giorgio Napolitano. Sul governo Letta il deputato è ottimista, ha dei volti sobri che lo rassicurano, come quello di Graziano Delrio e Cecile Kyenge, ma chiede a gran voce una delega per la famiglia. Anche su questo fronte la sua candidatura non gli sembra incoerente. “Ha fatto più Monti in un anno per le famiglie che il suo predecessore, volere l’abolizione dell’imu è demagogia, per le famiglie è più importante evitare l’aumento dell’Iva a giugno”.

da il Fatto Quotidiano del 1° maggio 2013

12 Apr 22:30

La storia di Abel, da tifoso a magazziniere del Real Madrid grazie a Mourinho

by Cesare Rinaldi

Chi pensa che José Mourinho abbia una caratteraccio, che sia una persona scontrosa, dopo aver letto questa storia non potrà far altro che ricredersi. Ce la racconta il tabloid inglese Sun e ha per protagonista un tifoso messicano del Real Madrid che grazie all’allenatore portoghese ha vissuto un’esperienza che sicuramente non dimenticherà mai nella vita. Abel Rodriguez è un uomo di 41 anni, messicano immigrato in America, è padre di tre figli e lavora come inserviente in una stazione ferroviaria a Los Angeles. Da sempre è un grande fan delle Merengues e quest’estate ha lavorato come magazziniere nel ritiro degli spagnoli durante la loro tournée americana, un lavoro non retribuito, compensato soltanto dal privilegio di vedere i suoi beniamini ogni giorno a pochi passi da lui.

Il suo vero sogno era però quello di assistere un giorno al Clasico, così ha cerchiato di rosso sul calendario il 2 marzo e dopo aver messo da parte i soldi necessari ha deciso di prendere un aereo per la Spagna, incoraggiato dalla moglie Olga che lo ha aiutato a rompere ogni indugio. Arrivato in Europa ha però scoperto che tutti i biglietti erano ormai stati venduti, una notizia drammatica per una persona che aveva investito gran parte dei suoi guadagni per quell’ambita trasferta. L’uomo non si è scoraggiato e ha deciso di andare presso il centro di allenamento del Real a Valdebebas per provare a incontrare qualcuno che potesse aiutarlo. La sicurezza non lo ha fatto entrare e così si e messo fuori dai cancelli ad aspettare per ore che succedesse qualcosa, pregando per un miracolo.

Il miracolo è davvero arrivato e aveva il volto di José Mourinho, il tecnico uscendo dal centro ha riconosciuto Abel è ha chiesto al suo autista di fermarsi, ha abbassato il finestrino e lo ha salutato: “Amigo! Che ci fai qui?”. Abel non poteva credere che il mister lo aveva riconosciuto, ripresosi dallo choc ha cominciato a raccontare la sua storia, dei biglietti esauriti, del fatto che per dare la caccia al tagliando ancora non si fosse preoccupato nemmeno di trovare un posto dove dormire. Il portoghese ha ascoltato attentamente la storia e ha deciso di aiutarlo.

Il problema del biglietto è stato risolto in fretta, Abel ha potuto assistere alla partita del Bernabeu vinta per 2-1 dai padroni di casa dall’area Vip e dopo la partita ha potuto chiacchierare con i giocatori. Ma Mourinho ha fatto di più offrendogli anche un posto letto, il messicano ha così dormito nell’albergo di lusso degli spagnoli nei giorni precedenti la partita. Dopo il Clasico Mourinho ha chiesto ad Abel che programmi avesse per i prossimi giorni, per poi fargli una proposta incredibile: “Ti piacerebbe venire con noi a Manchester come magazziniere?”. Per Abel è stato nuovamente uno choc, ovviamente ha accettato subito, Mourinho gli ha chiesto di poter fotografare il suo passaporto e con un paio di telefonate ha in pratica trasformato il tifoso venuto dall’America in un dipendente dei Blancos.

Anche l’esperienza di Champions League è stata indimenticabile, il Real ha conquistato un’altra vittoria e Abel si è presto trasformato in una mascotte porta fortuna, molto amato dai giocatori, in particolar modo da Cristiano Ronaldo, Coentrao e Kakà. All’Old Trafford ha potuto conoscere Sir Alex Ferguson (“Era negli spogliatoi a fine partita, rosso in volto, arrabbiatissimo. Poi però mi ha detto di andare a chiamare Mourinho perché era pronto il vino. Sono molto amici.”), ha incontrato Maradona, anche lui spettatore del big match, soprattutto ha lavorato come tutti gli altri magazzinieri, preparando le divise, scaricando e caricando le borse sull’autobus. Poi sono tornati in Spagna, ha finito il suo lavoro e ha preso l’aereo che lo ha riportato a Los Angeles.

Non ha avuto modo di ringraziare come voleva Mourinho per il grande regalo che gli aveva fatto e così ha deciso di raccontare la sua storia al Sun, corredata da foto che dimostrano la veridicità dei fatti, per poter far arrivare il messaggio allo Special One: “Vorrei dire al mister che non ha fatto diventare realtà un sogno, ma una pura fantasia. Non so come ringraziarlo, quando sono tornato a casa non riuscito a smettere di piangere per la gioia. Non dimenticherò mai quella settimana. L’immagine del mister non è forse delle migliori, ma le persone semplicemente non lo conoscono bene. Quell’uomo ha un cuore grandissimo, è una persona eccezionale”. E dopo aver letto questa storia anche i suoi più accaniti detrattori non potranno non vederlo sotto una luce diversa.

La storia di Abel, da tifoso a magazziniere del Real Madrid grazie a Mourinho é stato pubblicato su Calcioblog.it alle 20:28 di venerdì 12 aprile 2013. Leggete le condizioni di utilizzo del feed.



03 Apr 07:15

Australia, blog per italiani emigranti. “Aumento pazzesco dopo elezioni”

by Mariangela Maturi

Italiansinfuga è un blog nato nel 2008 da un’idea di Aldo Mencaraglia, 43 anni e una vita in Australia; attualmente il sito vanta 22mila sostenitori su Facebook e un accesso medio di 10mila visitatori al giorno. Un anno e mezzo fa, Aldo ha lasciato un lavoro di analista commerciale per dedicarsi esclusivamente al suo blog: consigli, esempi, guide per italiani decisi a trasferirsi all’estero. Senza retoriche o false speranze, Italiansinfuga racconta la vita di chi è partito, e sbroglia parte della matassa di dubbi e incertezze di chi lo progetta. Così Aldo, che vive a Melbourne, lo racconta: “Sono in molti a scrivermi chiedendo consigli. All’inizio mi scriveva chi migrava per ambizione, ora chi lo fa per necessità, da paio d’anni con disperazione, perché non si trova lavoro. Pazzesco l’incremento dopo le ultime elezioni. Immagino ci fosse una speranza di cambiamento, una luce in fondo al tunnel, invece sembra che ora le cose siano ancora meno governabili e sono tanti a dire basta, andiamo via”.

Lo stesso Aldo non vive più in Italia da molti anni, e conta di tornarci ora, dopo sette anni di lontananza, giusto per una vacanza. Partito per studio, dopo dieci anni in Inghilterra si è trasferito in Australia con la moglie, inglese, e lì sono nati i suoi due figli. Proprio sperimentando la voglia e le difficoltà del trasferirsi ha pensato al blog: “Allora c’erano parecchi siti di espatriati anglosassoni, mentre quelli in lingua italiana erano pochissimi. Mi è sembrato più efficace condividere la mia esperienza con altri italiani”. Muoversi in Australia per Aldo non è stato complicato: sua madre è nata lì, quindi non è incappato nel ginepraio burocratico dell’ottenimento del visto. Benché sia una meta ultimamente molto ambita, trasferirsi in Australia è però un’impresa ardua: “La politica migratoria è molto selettiva, solo un decimo di chi fa richiesta riesce a ottenere il visto. Devi essere giovane ed essere un professionista con esperienza. Tanti italiani hanno contratti con scadenze brevi, magari di tre mesi in tre mesi e in differenti aziende, oppure lavori in nero, e questo non aiuta. Devi naturalmente conoscere l’inglese, altro ostacolo per gli italiani. Inoltre, non è che trovi un lavoro ad attenderti all’aeroporto, anche qui ci sono australiani che cercano impiego, e se non hai le competenze adatte può essere davvero difficile”.

Italiansinfuga però non si occupa solo dell’Australia, ma di tutto il mondo. Il suo sottotitolo è “Verso un futuro migliore”. Che la migrazione sia l’unica via per la felicità? “Certo che no – ribatte Aldo – Il futuro migliore può essere anche quello di chi trova le possibilità in Italia. Io cerco solo di fornire indizi utili per qualunque strada si intraprenda. Che sia in Italia o all’estero, il mio consiglio è di investire sulle lingue straniere: si possono studiare in tanti modi, c’è una gamma di cose che si possono fare e vanno dal costo zero a cifre esorbitanti. Guardate i film in lingua originale, usate il web, seguite corsi se siete iscritti all’università. Nella vita poi non conterà se avete preso 28 o 30 ad un esame, ma se sapete le lingue. Molti stranieri parlano le lingue meglio di noi, e non importa quanto hai fatto bene a scuola o al lavoro: se non riesci a comunicare, può essere che una persona meno competente di te vada avanti al posto tuo”. Il lavoro di Aldo è costellato di richieste di aiuto, supporto, suggerimenti: “Quello che davvero mi spiace è che tanto traffico sul sito provenga da persone in situazioni difficili, per cui non posso fare granché. A volte mi sento impotente, perché so che non tutti ce la faranno. D’altro canto però ho anche soddisfazioni: ho incontrato alcuni italiani che sono riusciti a venire in Australia, qualcuno mi dice che ho cambiato la loro vita, che li ho aiutati. Una cosa che nel mio lavoro precedente ovviamente non è mai capitata”.

02 Apr 15:44

50 Amazing jQuery Plugins That You Should Start Using Right Now

by Martin Angelov
50 Amazing jQuery Plugins That You Should Start Using Right Now

jQuery has a wonderful community of programmers that create incredible things. However, it may become difficult to sift through everything that is released and find the gems that are absolute must-haves. This is why, in this post, you will find a collection of 50 new jQuery plugins and JavaScript libraries that, when applied with good measure, can make your sites a joy to use. The plugins are organized into categories for easier browsing. Enjoy!

Dialogs

The browser’s built-in dialogs are easy to use but are ugly and non-customizable. If you want your application to look sharp and professional, you will have to part with the loathed default look. The plugins in this section can substitute the built-in dialogs and can be readily customized.

1. Alertify.js

Alertify (github) is small library for presenting beautiful dialog windows and notifications. It is easy to customize with CSS, has a simple API and doesn’t depend on third party libraries (but plays nicely with them). To use it, include the js file and call the methods of the global alertify object:

// alert dialog
alertify.alert("Message");

// confirm dialog
alertify.confirm("Message", function (e) {
    if (e) {
        // user clicked "ok"
    } else {
        // user clicked "cancel"
    }
});
Alertify.js

Alertify.js

2. jQuery Avgrund

jQuery Avgrund (github) is another cool dialog solution. It is not as feature-rich as alertify, but it has the Wow! factor that your web app needs. The dialog is shown with an impressive animation that brings it into focus, while blurring and darkening the background.

jQuery Avgrund

jQuery Avgrund

Forms

Forms are tedious and boring. Everyone hates filling them. It is even a bigger deal if no client-side validation is present and we are forced to enter the data a second time. The plugins in this section attempt to make things better by enhancing your forms with useful functionality.

3. iCheck

iCheck (github) is a jQuery plugin that enhances your form controls. It is perfectly customizable, works on mobile and comes with beautiful flat-style skins. To use it, include the js and css files in your page, and convert all your radio and checkboxes with a few lines of jQuery.

$(document).ready(function(){
	$('input').iCheck({
		checkboxClass: 'icheckbox_minimal',
		radioClass: 'iradio_minimal'
	});
});
iCheck

iCheck

4. Long Press

Long Press is a jQuery plugin that eases the writing of accented or rare characters. Holding down a key while typing will bring a bar with alternative characters that you can use. The plugin also has a github page.

Long Press

Long Press

5. jQuery File Upload

jQuery File Upload (github) is a widget with multiple file selection, drag&drop support, progress bars and preview images. It supports cross-domain, chunked and resumable file uploads and client-side image resizing. Works with any server-side platform (PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java, Node.js, Go etc.) and is easy to embed into your application thanks to a number of hooks and callbacks.

jQuery File Upload

jQuery File Upload

6. Complexify

Complexify (github) is a jQuery plugin that aims to assess how complex passwords are. You can use it in signup forms to present a percentage to users (like we did in this tutorial). With this plugin you can force passwords to contain a combination of upper/lowercase letters, numbers, special symbols and more. I should note that this is purely a client-side solution, which means that it can be circumvented. This is why you should also check the password complexity on the server side.

Complexify

Complexify

7. jQuery Knob

jQuery Knob (github) is a plugin for turning input elements into touchable jQuery dials. It is built using canvas, and is fully customizable by setting data attributes on the inputs like this:

<input class="knob" data-width="150" data-cursor=true data-fgColor="#222222" data-thickness="0.3" value="29">

The dials can be controlled using the mouse (click and drag; mousewheel), the keyboard, and by using touch on mobile devices.

jQuery Knob

jQuery Knob

8. Pickadate.js

Pickadate.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that creates a responsive and mobile friendly date selection widget. It is very easy to use and can be customized with CSS. To use it, include the js file and the stylesheet, and call the plugin on your input element:

$('.datepicker').pickadate();

The plugin takes lots of options which you can find in the docs.

Pickadate.js

Pickadate.js

9. Chosen

Chosen (github) is a powerful widget which converts a select input into a searchable dropdown list. It is easy to customize with CSS, and you can hook your own code thanks to a number of callbacks. The plugin also updates the original element (which is hidden) so that submitting it as a part of a form or reading it with JS will give you the correct result.

Chosen

Chosen

10. Fancy Input

Fancy Input (github) is a jQuery plugin that makes entering or deleting text in a textboox uber cool. It uses CSS3 animations to achieve the effect. To use it, simply include the JS file after jQuery, and call the plugin:

$('div :input').fancyInput();
Fancy Input

Fancy Input

11. Typeahead.js

Typeahead (github) is a fast autocomplete library by twitter. It is inspired by twitter.com’s search box and is full of features. It displays suggestions as users type, and shows the top suggestion as a hint. The plugin works with hardcoded data as well as remote data, and rate-limits network requests to lighten the load.

Typeahead.js

Typeahead.js

12. Parsley.js

Parsley.js (github) is an unobtrusive form validation library. It lets you validate form fields without having to write a single line of JavaScript. Instead, you have to place data attributes in the input fields that you need to be validated, and Parsley handles the rest. The library works with either jQuery or Zepto and is less than 800 lines long.

Parsley.js

Parsley.js

Page scrolling and Parallax

Single page websites that feature a parallax scrolling effect are popular these days. They will probably stay in fashion for some time, as they are perfect for sites with low information density and lots of photos – marketing sites, portfolios and more. These plugins aim to make them easier to develop.

13. Windows

Windows (github) is a plugin that lets you build single page websites with sections that take up the whole screens. The plugin gives you callbacks that are called when new sections come into visibility and handles snapping, so you can easily extend it with custom navigation menus or more. Here is an example:

$('.window').windows({
    snapping: true,
    snapSpeed: 500,
    snapInterval: 1100,
    onScroll: function(scrollPos){
        // scrollPos:Number
    },
    onSnapComplete: function($el){
        // after window ($el) snaps into place
    },
    onWindowEnter: function($el){
        // when new window ($el) enters viewport
    }
});
Windows

Windows

14. Cool Kitten

Cook Kitten (github) is a responsive framework for parallax scrolling websites. It organizes the sections of your site into slides and uses the jQuery Waypoints plugin to detect when they come into visibility, which causes the navigation menu to get updated.

Cook Kitten

Cook Kitten

15. Sticky

Sticky (github) is a jQuery plugin that gives you the ability to make any element on your page always stay visible when scrolling the page. This can come handy in your single-page website to present a sticky navigation menu or sharing bar. It is straightforward to use, the only option you may pass is a top offset:

$("#sticker").sticky({topSpacing:0});
Sticky

Sticky

16. Super Scrollorama

Super Scrollorama (github) is a jQuery plugin for cool scroll animations. It lets you define tweens and animations that are triggered when an element comes into view, or on specific scroll points.

$(document).ready(function() {
  var controller = $.superscrollorama();
  controller.addTween('#fade',
    TweenMax.from($('#fade'), .5, {css:{opacity:0}}));
});
Super Scrollorama

Super Scrollorama

17. Stellar.js

Stellar.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that provides parallax scrolling effects to any scrolling element. It looks for any parallax backgrounds or elements within the specified element, and repositions them when the element scrolls. You can control the scroll speed of the elements by using data attributes for a true parallax effect. To trigger the plugin, simply call it on your root element (or on window):

$('#main').stellar();
Stellar.js

Stellar.js

18. Scrollpath

Scrollpath (github) is another scrolling plugin, but what it gives you that the previous plugin does not, is the ability to define your own custom scroll path. The plugin uses canvas flavored syntax for drawing paths, using the methods moveTo, lineTo and arc. To help with getting the path right, a canvas overlay with the path can be enabled when initializing the plugin.

Scrollpath

Scrollpath

Text effects

There has been a huge improvement in web typography in the last few years. From just a handful of web-safe fonts that we could use not long ago, we now can embed custom fonts and enhance them with CSS3. The plugins in this section give you a great deal of control over text.

19. Textillate.js

Textillate.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that combines the power of animate.css and lettering.js, to apply advanced animations on text elements. The animations are CSS3 based, which makes them smooth even on mobile devices. There is a large number of effects to choose from.

Textillate.js

Textillate.js

20. Arctext.js

Arctext.js (demo) is a jQuery plugin that lets you arrange each letter of a text element along a curved path. Based on lettering.js, it calculates the right rotation of each letter and distributes the letters equally across the imaginary arc of the given radius, and applies the proper CSS3 rotation.

Artctext.js

Artctext.js

21. Bacon

Bacon (githug) is a jQuery plugin that allows you to wrap text around a bezier curve or a line. This gives you a great deal of typographic control, and as illustrated by the plugin’s home page, the ability to put bacon strips in the middle of your designs (finally!).

Bacon.js

Bacon.js

22. Lettering.js

Lettering.js (github) is a simple but effective jQuery plugin for better web typography. What it does, is split the textual content of an element into individual spans with ordinal .char# classes, so you can style each letter individually.

Lettering.js

Lettering.js

23. jQuery Shuffle Letters

jQuery Shuffle Letters (demo) is one of our experiments. It creates an interesting effect that randomizes the content of a text element. Here is how to use it:

// Shuffle the container with custom text
$('h1').shuffleLetters({
	"text": "show this text!" // optional
});

The text parameter is optional – if it is missing, the plugin will take the content of the element.

jQuery Shuffle Letters

jQuery Shuffle Letters

24. FitText.js

FitText.js (github) is a jQuery plugin for inflating web type. It automatically scales the text of an element to take up the full width of its container. This makes the layout responsive and looking sharp on any device.

FitText.js

FitText.js

Grids

The plugins in this section make it easy to organize content into grids. They calculate the best way to pack your items densely and align them in real time.

25. Gridster.js

Gridster.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that allows building intuitive draggable layouts from elements spanning multiple columns. You can even dynamically add and remove elements from the grid. Dragging an element causes the others to rearrange and free up place for it, which can be great for user-controlled layouts and dashboards.

Gridster.js

Gridster.js

26. Freetile

Freetile (github) is a plugin for jQuery that enables the organization of webpage content in an efficient, dynamic and responsive layout. It can be applied to a container element and it will attempt to arrange it’s children in a layout that makes optimal use of screen space, by “packing” them in a tight arrangement.

Freetile

Freetile

27. Stalactite

Stalactite (github) is a library that packs page content depending on the available space. It takes a lazy approach and sorts the elements sequentially with the scrolling of the page, which makes for an interesting effect.

Stalactite

Stalactite

Custom scrollbars

Something that we have all wanted to do in one point or another is to customize the appearance of the default browser scrollbars. Some browsers allow this, but it doesn’t work everywhere. The two plugins below make that possible.

28. nanoScroller.js

nanoScroller.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that offers a simplistic way of implementing Mac OS X Lion-styled scrollbars for your website. It uses minimal HTML markup and utilizes native scrolling. The plugin works on iPad, iPhone, and some Android Tablets.

nanoScroller.js

nanoScroller.js

29. jQuery Custom Content Scroller

jQuery Custom Content Scroller (github) is a custom scrollbar plugin that’s fully customizable with CSS. Features vertical/horizontal scrolling, mouse-wheel support (via the jQuery mousewheel plugin), scrolling buttons, scroll inertia with easing, auto-adjustable scrollbar length, nested scrollbars, scroll-to functionality, user defined callbacks and more.

jQuery Custom Content Scroller

jQuery Custom Content Scroller

Backgrounds

Full screen backgrounds are another popular design trend. The plugins listed here aim to make it easier to set a single image, a gallery or even a video as a background.

30. Tubular.js

Tubular.js is a jQuery plugin that lets you set a YouTube video as your page background. Just attach it to your page wrapper element, set some options, and you’re on your way:

$('#wrapper').tubular({videoId: '0Bmhjf0rKe8'});

The plugin also supports controlling the video with play/pause, setting the volume and more.

Tubular.js

Tubular.js

31. Backstretch

Backstretch (github) is a simple jQuery plugin that allows you to add a dynamically-resized, slideshow-capable background image to any page or element. It will stretch any image to fit the page or block-level element, and will automatically resize as the window or element size changes. Images are fetched after your page is loaded, so your users won’t have to wait for the (often large) image to download before using your site. For the curious, and those that don’t want to use plugins, there is also a technique that can set a full screen background image purely with CSS.

Backstretch

Backstretch

32. Supersized

Supersized (github) is an advanced full screen background plugin for jQuery. With it, you can show a set of photos as a slideshow that takes the full width and height of the page. This makes it perfect for photography sites, portfolios, or event sites. The plugin comes with lots of options, supports multiple transition effects and can be extended with custom themes.

Supersized

Supersized

Galleries and image effects

The plugins listed here aim to enhance the way visitors browse images on your site, and let you apply interesting effects that will make your galleries stand out.

33. jQuery TouchTouch

jQuery TouchTouch (demo) is a plugin we released last year that aims to be simple to use and to work on mobile devices. It uses CSS transitions to make animations smoother, and preloads images dynamically. Also, it can be completely restyled by modifying a single CSS file.

jQuery TouchTouch

jQuery TouchTouch

34. iPicture

iPicture is a jQuery plugin that can create interactive image walkthroughs. It can overlay tooltips and hints on top of the image, and presents rich content like HTML, photos and videos. It is easy to integrate into your site and can be customized and extended with CSS.

iPicture

iPicture

35. Adipoli jQuery Image Hover Plugin

Adipoli (demo) is a jQuery plugin for creating stylish image hover effects. With it, you can turn images black and white, apply popout, slice and box transitions. To use the plugin, you only need to include the necessary files and define the start and hover effects:

$('#image1').adipoli({
    'startEffect' : 'normal',
    'hoverEffect' : 'popout'
});

This makes it the perfect addition to your gallery or portfolio page.

Adipoli jQuery Image Hover Plugin

Adipoli jQuery Image Hover Plugin

36. Swipebox

Swipebox (github) is a lightbox plugin that supports desktop, mobile devices and tablet browsers. It understands swipe gestures and keyboard navigaton and is retina-ready. To enable it, include the plugin JS/CSS files, and add the swipebox class to the images that you want to show in a lightbox:

<a href="big/image.jpg" title="My Caption">
	<img src="small/image.jpg" alt="image">
</a>

Like the rest of the plugins in this collection, it can be customized entirely with CSS.

Swipebox

Swipebox

37. TiltShift.js

TiltShift.js (github) is a neat plugin that replicates the tilt-shift effect (which causes real-life object to appear as miniatures) using CSS3 image filters. The bad news is that this only works on Chrome and Safari at the moment, but support should gradually land in other browsers as well.

TiltShift.js

TiltShift.js

38. Threesixty.js

Threesixty.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that creates draggable 360 degree views. You have to provide the plugin with the path to a collection of images of your product (shot from different angles) and Threesixty.js will assemble them into a interactive view. You can drag or use the arrow keys to explore the object from different angles.

Threesixty.js

Threesixty.js

39. Swipe.js

Swipe.js (github) is another responsive slider. What makes it stand apart is that it is specifically targeted at touch devices. This allows it to not only understand gestures, but to also react to touch similarly to a native application. It has resistant bounds and  scroll prevention and is compatible with browsers from IE7 onward.

Swipe.js

Swipe.js

40. CamanJS

CamanJS (github) is a powerful image manipulation library, built on top of the canvas element. With it, you can manipulate the pixels of an image and achieve an almost Photoshop-like control. If you can remember, this is the library we used a few months ago to build a web app with filters similar to Instagram.

CamanJS

CamanJS

41. SpectragramJS

Spectragram (github) is a jQuery plugin that aims to make working with the Instagram API easier. It can fetch user feeds, popular photos, photos with specific tags and more.

SpectragramJS

SpectragramJS

Misc

This section holds plugins and libraries that don’t belong in the other categories but are worth the look.

42. jQuery Countdown

jQuery Countdown (demo) is a jQuery plugin that shows the remaining days, hours, minutes and seconds to an event, and updates the remaining time with an animation every second. It is easy to use – include the plugin JS and CSS files, and trigger it on document ready:

$('#countdown').countdown({
    timestamp   : new Date(2015, 0, 3) // January 3rd, 2015
}

The countdown will be presented in the #countdown div.

jQuery Countdown

jQuery Countdown

43. List.js

List.js (github) is a library that enhances a plain HTML list with features for searching, sorting and filtering the items inside it. You can add, edit and remove items dynamically. List.js is standalone and doesn’t depend on jQuery or other libraries to work.

List.js

List.js

44. jQuery PointPoint

jQuery PointPoint (demo) is a plugin that helps you draw users’ attention to a specific part of the page. It presents a small arrow next to the mouse cursor. This can be useful for pointing to missed form fields, buttons that need to be pressed, or validation errors that need to be scrolled into view.

jQuery PointPoint

jQuery PointPoint

45. Social Feed

Social Feed (github) is a jQuery plugin that presents a feed of the latest public updates on your social accounts. It has a clean design that is built using a template, which you can easily customize.

Social Feed

Social Feed

46. Hook.js

Hook.js (github) is an interesting experiment that brings the “pull to refresh” feature you often see in mobile apps, to the web. You can use this to update your mobile site with new content, fetch new posts and more.

Hook.js

Hook.js

47. jQuery PercentageLoader

PercentageLoader (bitbucket) is a jQuery plugin for displaying a progress widget in more visually striking way than the ubiquitous horizontal progress bar / textual counter. It makes use of HTML5 canvas for a rich graphical appearance with only a 10kb (minified) javascript file necessary, using vectors rather than images so can be easily deployed at various sizes.

Loader.js

Loader.js

48. Chart.js

Chart.js (github) is a new charting library that uses the HTML5 canvas element and provides fallbacks for IE7/8. The library supports 6 chart types that are animated and fully customizable. Chart.js doesn’t have any dependencies and is less than 5kb in size. Say goodbye to flash!

Chart.js

Chart.js

49. Tooltipster

Tooltipster (github) is a powerful jQuery plugin for displaying tooltips. It works on desktop and mobile browsers, gives you full control over the contents of the tooltips and supports a number of callback functions so you can hook it into your application. If you need something even more lightweght that doesn’t use JS at all, you can give a try to hint.css.

Tooltipster

Tooltipster

50. Toolbar.js

Toolbar.js (github) is a jQuery plugin that lets you display a neat pop-up menu. You can choose the actions and icons that are presented in the menu and listen for events. This is perfect for making more of the limited space of a mobile web app interface.

Toolbar.js

Toolbar.js

51. gmaps.js

gmaps.js (github) is such a useful library that I decided to include it in addition to the 50 plugins above. Gmaps is a powerful library that makes working with Google Maps a great deal easier. You can place markers, listen for events, set the coordinates, zoom level and more, all with a fluid jQuery-like syntax. This is like a breath of fresh air compared to the regular maps JS API, and I highly recommend it.

Gmaps.js

Gmaps.js

It’s a wrap!

You know of a cool plugin that deserves to be in this list? Share it in the comment section!

02 Apr 15:44

Essential tools for every web designer

by Andy Leverenz

Every web designer requires the right tools to do their job. To create well crafted original designs you certainly need to be inspired to do so.

Getting to that point is sometimes the hardest challenge in the field of web design. Luckily enough for us and our fellow design community there are tools available to assist in completing the job quicker and more efficiently.

Below, I have outlined a list of tools I recommend for any web designer. Be sure to bookmark these pages so you can utilize them to your advantage like I have!

Color

Adobe Kuler (free)

A great tool offered by Adobe which allows members to upload, create, and edit color schemes of their choice.

 

Pictaculous (free)

From the creators of Mailchimp comes a color palette generator different to any other. Simply upload an image and colors within the image are sampled to create a custom color scheme.

 

Colorzilla (free)

ColorZilla for Google Chrome is an extension that assists web developers and graphic designers with color related tasks – both basic and advanced.ColorZilla includes a Color Picker, Eye Dropper, Gradient Generator and many additional advanced color tools.

 

Dribbble.com (free)

Many designers turn to dribbble.com for great inspiration. You can search common terms but even better you can search by color. Visit dribbble.com and click the explore link in the top navigation and then select colors to explore inspiration for your designs by color.

 

Hues ($2.99)

Interested in native apps rather than web apps? Hues from giant comet is a color scheming tool for you. At only $2.99 from the app store you can sample colors on any project you’re working on.

 

Typography

Google Webfonts (free)

Google has numerous web fonts for any web designer to make great use of. They are free and incredibly easy to implement into your projects.

 

Font Squirrel (free)

Font Squirrel is your best resource for free, hand-picked, high-quality, commercial-use fonts. Even if that means they send you elsewhere to get them.

 

Lost Type (from $1)

The Lost Type Co-Op is a Pay-What-You-Want Type foundry, the first of its kind. With a great selection of fonts any web designer could push their designs to the next level.

 

Typecast (from $29 per month)

Typecast is a very valuable tool which allows you to quickly style, check readability, and rendering as you work. Instead of downloading web fonts and constantly changing the way they read inside a Photoshop document this new technology will help any designer’s work flow.

 

Wireframing

Balsamiq (from $79)

Balasmiq is a rapid wireframing tool used to produce mockups of user experiences. Their sketched UI design embraces the fact that it’s a tool for brainstorming and critical thinking when it comes to designing with users in mind. Options to design for web, mobile, and tablets all exist and are easy to implement.

 

moqups (free)

moqups is a HTML5 app used to create wireframes, mockups or UI concepts. The style and features available are very similar to balsamiq. It all boils down to which tool you are more comfortable using.

 

Mockflow (from free)

Mockflow is an online wire framing tool like the couple I mentioned above. The feature I find neat is the collaboration tools. You can make notes to allow another user to see your changes or concerns as well as chat with each other in live time regarding important UI decisions or functionality.

 

Google Drawing (free)

A valuable tool that a lot of web designers pass up is Google Drawing. While it doesn’t feature any presets like those on balsalmiq or moqups, it is an entirely free service which you can store on your online google drive. You simply need a gmail address to get started.

 

Photoshop/Indesign/Fireworks (from $49.99 per month)

The easiest of solutions in my opinion is to create a wireframe from scratch. Going this route is only limited by your creativity and imagination instead of preset UI solutions like many wire framing tools offer. It may take longer but the end result is more personal and customized to fit each individual user experience be it a website, app, mobile website, or tablet app.

 

Layout and Boilerplates

960 Grid (free)

The 960 grid is the benchmark of the web. Every good web designer should already understand the importance using a foundational grid for their layout as it keeps web design much more usable for the end user. The accompanying photoshop actions in the download have saved me numerous hours of getting alignment issues in check.

 

1140 CSS Grid ($5 donation)

If you’re interested in a wider grid width then I recommend the 1140 CSS grid as a great starting point. The complete grid fits perfectly to a 1280 monitor and better yet for smaller monitors or devices the grid becomes fluid and adapts to any width of the browser.

 

Bootstrap (free)

If you’re looking for a pre-made user experience out of the box, then bootstrap will become your best friend. There are numerous features bundled with the framework which is completely adaptive and sexy looking to boot.

 

LessFramework 4 (free)

Less is a framework dedicated to making websites truly adaptive. It’s made to fit nearly any device on the market. It contains 4 layouts and 3 sets of typography presets, all based on a single grid.

 

Skeleton (free)

Skeleton is simply a great starting point for any website. Its simple, light weight structure benefits those who are looking to get started without studying up on how the framework really works.

 

Foundation by Zurb (free)

Foundation just released Foundation 4 which according to them is the most advanced responsive front-end framework in the world. With many new added features and awesome templates to start off with I can say that I am a true fan. Test drive it today.

 

Reset CSS (free)

Without a doubt this globally recognized browser CSS reset is an absolute must for any web designer to offer their designs across any platform or browser.

 

Content Management

WordPress (free)

WordPress takes the cake when it comes to Content Management Systems. Originally the most popular blog posting platform has turned into that and more in the CMS world.

 

Joomla (free)

Joomla is another popular CMS used by millions worldwide. Much like WordPress the default layout installed with the CMS is user friendly and mobile ready.

 

Expression Engine (from $299)

Developed by EllisLab, Expression Engine is a CMS built with the help from an open source PHP framework called Codeigniter. Many larger corporations like Apple, Ford, Nike, and Sony choose Expression Engine to fit their own demands. Expression Engine as a result is not a free CMS but it’s definitely worth reading up on and/or downloading a copy to become familiar with, for future work you may encounter.

 

Drupal (free)

Drupal is an open source content management platform for powering millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported by an active and diverse community of people around the world. Drupal can be used for everything from blogs to extensive web applications.

 

Radiant CMS (free)

Radiant is a no-fluff, open source content management system designed with small teams in mind. Their slogan says it all: content management simplified.

 

Useful Apps, Actions, and Resources

GuideGuide (free)

GuideGuide is an awesome photoshop extension which allows you to create perfect grids on the fly. By using GuideGuide you can create more accurate columns,rows, midpoints, and baselines with one click.

 

iOS Photoshop Actions & Workflows (free)

One of my favorite resources is on a website called bjango.com. The specific article features a detailed listed of actions and workflows created by Bjango. Actions to create new templates for iPhone, or iPad are made with a simple click or if you’re designing an app icon for an iPhone app there is a great action which resizes the app to each pixel width and height necessary. This find was the equivilent to finding gold for me.

 

By People (free)

By People is a great and simple website feature packed with resources which are all free and easy to use.

 

Temboo (from free)

Temboo lets developers focus on what makes their software unique. Temboo normalizes access to APIs, databases, and more to save you time and give you the creative space you need.

 

LittleIpsum (free)

Download this! If you’re a web designer on a mac, you’ll use this every day. I promise!!

 

awesome-fontstacks.com (free)

Awesome Fontstacks is a great online tool to help you mix and match web fonts on the fly. When you are satisfied with your fontstack you get greeted with ready-to go CSS code.

 

Code Editors

Coda 2 (from $99)

Ever since coda was introduced to me I have been a fan. I typically compare other code editors to coda and for me Coda always wins the fight. This may be different for you but I suggest giving coda a try if you haven’t yet. Coda2 is packed with features and easy to use UI which makes coding for the web a breeze.

 

SublimeText 2 ($70)

SublimeText 2 is right up there with Coda for me. There are a ton of features and the sleek UI of the app itself lets you concentrate on the coding process rather than messing with the app to get it in usable condition for your own projects.

 

TextMate (from $59)

TextMate brings Apple’s approach to operating systems into the world of text editors. It’s simple and easy to use and takes up less screen real estate than many other Code Editors.

 

Aptana Studio (free)

Aptana Studio is the industry’s leading web application IDE. Available for both Mac and PC this software harnesses amazing potential to code virtually any type of application you can think of.

 

BBEdit ($49.99)

BBEdit is a professional HTML and text editor for Mac.

 

FTP Clients

CyberDuck ($23.99)

By far my favorite FTP client is CyberDuck. There’s endless ways to connect to web servers, local servers, access devices via ssh, and more. A great tool available for both Mac and PC platforms.

 

FileZilla (free)

FileZilla is a free FTP solution. It’s also open source software.

 

Transmit ($34)

From the makers of Coda comes Transmit. A very fast and effective solution for FTP.

 

FireFTP (free)

Fire FTP is a client available for Firefox users. The application is built into the mozilla browser and offers a quick and easy way to transfer your files.

 

Have you tried out these resources? Have we missed any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments.

 



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Source
29 Mar 10:17

La Liga in chiaro sulle tv locali

by fmarinelli

Un circuito di emittenti locali di alcune regioni italiane ha acquistato i diritti per la trasmissione delle ultime dieci giornate del principale campionato spagnolo di calcio, la Liga, che in questa stagione non erano stati comprati da nessuna emittente italiana. I diritti sono stati acquistati in esclusiva da Primo Canale in Liguria, Videogruppo in Piemonte, Telenorba in Puglia, Rete Veneta in Veneto, Antenna Sicilia in Sicilia, Videolina in Sardegna, Romauno nel Lazio, RTV 38 in Toscana, Antenna 3 e Telelombardia in Lombardia, Video Calabria in Calabria. Tutte le emittenti trasmetteranno le partite sul proprio territorio regionale e saranno visibili sul canale numero 13 del digitale terrestre. Il numero delle emittenti non è definitivo e probabilmente ne saranno aggiunte altre, tra le regioni che sono rimaste fuori.

Per ogni turno delle ultime dieci giornate saranno visibili quattro partite: saranno trasmesse in tutto 40 partite, fino al primo giugno. La prima partita sarà trasmessa sabato 30 marzo con gli anticipi tra Celta Vigo e Barcellona alle 18 e Real Saragozza e Real Madrid alle 20. La produzione delle trasmissioni sarà a cura della Liga, mentre le telecronache saranno fatte dal gruppo di giornalisti di Telelombardia e Antenna 3. L’accordo è stato possibile grazie ai soldi investiti dalla concessionaria pubblicitaria Publishare, che gestisce le pubblicità di diverse televisioni locali: non è ancora stata resa nota la cifra ufficiale dell’accordo, ma si parla di circa 500mila euro. Le televisioni coinvolte sono le stesse che l’anno scorso hanno trasmesso Servizio Pubblico, il programma di Michele Santoro.

È la prima volta che un circuito di televisioni locali riesce ad acquistare i diritti televisivi di un campionato di calcio così importante, tra l’altro in esclusiva nazionale. In questi anni il campionato spagnolo era sempre stato trasmesso da Sky, che però nell’estate scorsa, prima dell’inizio della stagione, aveva deciso di non rinnovare il proprio contratto dicendo che la società che gestisce i diritti esteri della Liga aveva richiesto una cifra doppia rispetto a quella stabilita nei tre anni precedenti. La stessa cosa era accaduta con la Bundesliga, il principale campionato di calcio tedesco, per il quale però Sky ha appena trovato un accordo per due stagioni a partire dalla prossima.

Foto: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

14 Mar 10:13

Rua Goncalo de Carvalho: Most Beautiful Street in the World via...

Stefano

Amazing





Rua Goncalo de Carvalho: Most Beautiful Street in the World via Amusing Planet