One fine day I was trying to fill in an important official form online on my Mozilla Firefox’s browser. After spending about half an hour I reached the last few questions of the form. One question there asked me to click a checkbox to answer but I could see no checkbox on the screen. After wasting a lot of time reading the instructions and every possible detail over and over again I asked for advice from my friends. One person told me that I should try to refill the form on Internet Explorer. I tried it and now the checkbox appeared and I successfully completed and submitted the form online.
The problem just described occurred because the form was designed to work especially for Internet Explorer. You see, designing an application for all systems is tedious as one has to tweak the runtime code again and again to make it compatible to work with different systems. Here is where Adobe AIR jumps in. If an internet application is designed using Adobe AIR then it will automatically work for all systems and browsers.
Technically speaking:
“Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system runtime that lets developers combine HTML, JavaScript, Adobe Flash and Flex technologies, and Action Script to deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) on a broad range of devices including desktop computers, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, and TVs. AIR allows developers to use familiar tools such as Adobe Dreamweaver®, Flash Builder®, Flash Catalyst®, Flash Professional, or any text editor to build their applications and easily deliver a single application installer that works across operating systems.” – Adobe’s website.
Adobe AIR has a wide array of apps that can help designers design better applications. Below I have selected 17 of them.
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Do you know what makes WordPress the number one choice amongst bloggers? Although one can list many reasons but one of the most prominent in the list will be the number of plug-ins it supports. WordPress currently runs more than 20,000 plug-ins that have been downloaded more than 30 chore times! This is both good and bad news. Good news because you will have a lot to choose from. You will almost every time find what you need. Bad news because amongst such a vast ocean of plug-ins it is easy to get lost and drowned in the information overload. To help you out we present you with 20 WordPress admin plug-ins that we feel are the best in their niche. As the name suggests these are admin plug-ins i.e. they will help the administrator of the WordPress blog to operate the blog in a better and more efficient way.
For example, let’s say that you are fed up with all the clutter of the unnecessary and superfluous windows and bars that occupy your WordPress dashboard. Try Ad minimize, listed in the first position below. This plug-in allows you to compress windows to allow more content to be substituted in its place. Obviously different people have different priorities. So with Ad minimize you can customize your WordPress’s dashboard the way you like.
Besides Ad minimize, there are 19 other useful plug-ins that, I think, you should know of. Scroll down and check them out.
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Have you seen the the all new and improved WP Business Bundle? If you haven’t then you need to check it out. If you have been bombarded with numerous WordPress themes in the marketplace and you are suffering from “choice overload” head on out to WP Business Bundle for select WordPress Themes specifically targeted to meet the needs of businesses, corporate portfolios, professionals and other types of business-related websites.
WP Business Bundle has gone through a makeover and the generous folks over there are giving away two great Premium themes for free. That’s right – FREE! By simply signing up with them you can download a stunning Business Theme (Prospect) and a creative Portfolio Theme (Digifoto) for zero dollars! You don’t even have to choose because you can download one or even both.
Prospect Free WordPress Theme is a vibrant and dynamic business theme with features like 10 pre-made skins, an attractive slider, clean and easy to use breadcrumbs navigation, high-end aesthetics and many more excellent features that will appeal to the elite business crowd you move in.
Digifoto Free WordPress Theme is a Portfolio theme with 2 built-in design options (dark and light), numerous custom widgets, unique sliders, drag and drop forms, and other essential features for you to create an impressive online portfolio at zero cost to you.
Once you register to create your free account, simply confirm your email and WP Business Bundle will email the themes to you right away. Unlike most free themes out there, what’s cool about WP Business Bundle free themes is that you can expect:
- Theme Updates
- Cool Resources
- New Free Themes
- No Cost – No Obligation
- Cancel Anytime Policy
You can also find useful plugins at WP Business Bundle. Since these plugins are designed to complement all WP Business Bundle Themes. Together, WP Business Bundle Themes and Plugins make a truly winning combination.
Check out WP Business Bundle.com and Download your Free Themes Today!
Free WordPress themes have come a long way since Kubrick. Twenty Ten, Twenty Eleven, and the latest – Twenty Twelve – is the newest Kubrick as far as Free WordPress themes go. Twenty Twelve is the current default WordPress theme.
Let’s take a look at some of the features of this free default WordPress theme:
- Front Page Template where you can add text, images, video
- Responsive, Mobile-first Layout
- Custom ”Open Sans” Font
- Custom post formats: links, quotes, asides, statuses, images
- Widgets and No-sidebar layout
- Custom menu, custom header image, custom background color and image
- Multi columns
- Sidebar
- Flexible width
- Editor style
- Flexible header
- Featured images
- Full width template
- Post formats
- Sticky post
- Theme options
- Infinite Scroll
Those are a lot of features coming from a free WordPress theme, don’t you think? And most of these features are what you also get from a lot of Premium WordPress themes. If we use Twenty Twelve as our standard, what then can we expect in 2013, as far as Free WordPress themes are concerned?
- All of the features listed above will become standard features
- More Premium-like features
- eCommerce options
- Typography options
- Drag and drop options
- Page-builder options
- More Single Page Themes
- Free themes for email, mobile, etc.
- HTML5 and CSS3 and adhering to WordPress Coding standards
Many WordPress themes authors, providers and developers give away free themes as samples of their work. These samples, albeit free, are not necessarily inferior to Premium themes being sold in the marketplace. In truth, some of them are even better (or Best – shameless plug). The fact that these free samples are marketing tools to introduce these new authors to the market should be a weighty incentive for them to release high quality products that will catch the attention of WordPress professionals who are always on the lookout for something fresh.
The evolution of HTML from the time it was introduced years ago to the HTML5 we know today is a technical geek lover’s journey. This article is not about that but just in case you are interested to know how it all came to be here are some interesting resources for you to check out. For those who want a more comprehensive history of HTML5, you can read all about it here – Dive into HTML5 by Mark Pilgrim. For those who just want a quick overview, check out this cool infographic The History of HTML5 published by Mashable. If you are really want to get into the technical stuff, you can go straight to the source right here – W3C.
What’s so Cool About HTML5
According to PCMag:
HTML5 was designed to provide a comprehensive application development platform for Web pages that eliminates the need to install third-party browser plug-ins such as Java and Flash. HTML5 provides support for 2D graphics, document editing, drag and drop, browser history management, audio and video playback and local file storage.
Simply put, HTML5 is composed of a set of rules that tell computers how to interpret code to display websites. It’s the 5th version of a set of instructions, governed by specific rules, that tells your browser how to execute these commands to display a specific design. It is the language of the web. HTML5 includes the following updates:
HTML5 introduces a number of APIs that help in creating Web applications. These can be used together with the new elements introduced for applications:
- Media elements (
video and audio) have APIs for controlling playback, syncronising multiple media elements, and timed text tracks (e.g. subtitles).
- An API for form constraint validation (e.g. the
setCustomValidity() method).
- An API for commands that the user can invoke (used together with the
command element among others).
- An API that enables offline Web applications, with an application cache.
- An API that allows a Web application to register itself for certain protocols or media types, using
registerProtocolHandler() and registerContentHandler().
- Editing API in combination with a new global
contenteditable attribute.
- Drag and drop API in combination with a
draggable attribute.
- An API that exposes the components of the document’s URL and allows scripts to navigate, redirect and reload (the
Location interface).
- An API that exposes the session history and allows scripts to update the document’s URL without actually navigating, so that applications don’t need to abuse the fragment component for “Ajax-style” navigation (the History interface).
- An API for base64 conversion (
atob() and btoa() methods).
- An API to schedule timer-based callbacks (
setTimeout() and setInterval()).
- An API to prompt the user (
alert(), confirm(), prompt(), showModalDialog()).
- An API for printing the document (
print()).
- An API for handling search providers (
AddSearchProvider() and IsSearchProviderInstalled()).
- The
Window object has been defined.
WHATWG HTML has further APIs that are not in HTML5 but are separate specifications at the W3C:
- An API for microdata.
- An API for immediate-mode bitmap graphics (the
2d context for the canvas element).
- An API for cross-document messaging and channel messaging (
postMessage() and MessageChannel).
- An API for runnings scripts in the background (
Worker and SharedWorker).
- An API for client-side storage (
localStorage and sessionStorage).
- An API for bidirectional client-server communication (
WebSocket).
- An API for server-to-client data push (
EventSource).
source: W3C
How Does this Affect WordPress Developers?
The HTML5 standard features make it easier to develop faster, interactive, and more semantically correct web pages, eliminating the need for functions that require JavaScript and Flash. WordPress designers, authors, and developers can take advantage of HTML5 enhancements on these 6 key elements: video, application cache, canvas for images, geolocation, worker threads, and notification. No doubt, HTML5 has bridged the divide between desktop and mobile and so far it is the best way to create mobile-friendly websites on a variety of devices.
What Trends do We Expect See in 2013
- The rise of the baked, boilerplate, bare bones or blank HTML5 Themes
- HTML5 will be supported by all new WordPress themes
- More single dynamic pages websites with animation features
- WordPress themes running on HTML5 compatible smart phones
- Responsive design
- Simple and clean themes (no to options-overload, yes to feature-specific themes)
HTML5 is still a work-in-progress and its adoption into more and more WordPress themes will continue as more and more users turn towards the mobile web. We can continue to expect more power, more speed, and more capabilities from it in the future as this technology continues to mature.
Time management is one of the biggest problems faced by business owners be they digital business or brick and mortar. There are too many things to do and when you do one thing you obviously can’t do something else (MBA programs call this the “opportunity cost”). Therefore, to manage your time properly and make the most out of the few working hours that exist each day, you must find the best tools to help you manage your time properly. Enter digital calendars.
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Web design is not a stand alone activity. It is affected by several factors like technology trends, business trends, market trends, and consumer behaviour. It takes a studied effort in order to intelligently and accurately “predict” what the market wants in the future. No one can claim to make 100% accurate predictions but by taking stock of what goes on not just in the web design industry but in the related industries that affect it as well we can somehow make calculated “guesses” as to what trends may happen in the near future.
Here are some of our predictions on what’s currently hot and what will continue to be hot up to the early portion of 2013:
- Mobile Driven – WordPress themes will continue to be responsive, adaptive, fluid. Older but still popular themes will come out with mobile-friendly versions.
- HTML5 and CSS3 – Stricter adherence to W3C Valid code and significant decrease if not obsolescence of Flash.
- Simplified and uncluttered call to action buttons per page – Simple, minimal and uncluttered themes with lesser number of buttons to click.
- Big Typography – Big, bold and readable fonts.
- Single Web Page Design – Infinite scrolling (parallax style).
- Authentically Digital – Windows 8 style graphics (less shiny, more flat).
- Simplified front end customization – Backend customizations will move to the front making it easier to preview specific customization choices.
- Social Media Management – Integrating social media into the WordPress design template (Instagram, Pinterest, Dribble streams etc).
- Modular Template Layouts – More drag and drop options with less coding required for customization.
- Adaptive to new SEO trends – WordPress Themes will be adaptive to new SEO trends like Voice search, mobile search, humanized ranking, social media factors, etc.
If you a WordPress professional or developer, what emerging trends do you foresee in 2013? Share your thoughts. We want to know what you think.
The Thesis Theme. Some people love it and swear by it. Some people hate it. But those who stand by it are extremely happy that they’ve stuck with it. For those who are unfamiliar, Thesis is the brainchild of one of the most respected and sought-after WordPress theme designers, developer and founder of DIYthemes – Chris Pearson. Although it is called and generally known as Thesis Theme it really functions like a powerful WordPress Framework.
Thesis has been around for quite a while and has since been updated several times. The latest update – version 1.8.5 – was in response to the WordPress 3.4 update. A lot of Thesis users have been waiting for a real major update from DIYthemes since Chris Pearson announced the soon to be released Thesis 2. When exactly is it going to be released? Here’s what Chris had to say:
We’ve got about 120 hours of development and testing left before the alpha (only available to DIYthemes staffers) will be ready. Based on experience, I think we’ll probably have another 60 hours of development on top of that plus a couple of weeks out in the wild before the beta is ready for release.
With that information in mind, I think Thesis 2 will probably make its world debut in August.
And it will be one hell of a debut.
So far it hasn’t been released (as of this writing) so the countdown continues. Meanwhile take a look at some of the features that will hopefully be part of Thesis 2 when it finally comes out.
What to Expect
- New Skins
- New Add-ons
- An updater that will allow you to update the new elements with the push of a single button in the admin panel
- Template editor will allow you to create custom pages much more quickly and in a much more organized manner than ever before
- Automatic updates
- Customization will be easier, more organized, easy to maintain and use
- Integrated page navigation
- API add-ons
- Drag and drop feature
There’s been a lot of anticipation and so much expectation ever since the announcement on this much awaited release. For Thesis fans,hopefully the wait will finally be over soon.
Check Out the Thesis Theme
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