ferdychristant.com :: article feed

PHP Mythbusting

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 01:40:59 +0100

PHP is a technology that is often debunked as sloppy, inconsistent, immature and not enterprise-ready. Having used and seen PHP in an enterprise, in this article I will bust some myths about these conceptions.

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Hierarchical data in MySQL: easy and fast

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:44:00 +0100

Read about the methods I use to store hierarchical data in a relational database. The example I use is a comment system with unlimited nesting.

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Coding a jQuery hotbox

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:09:20 +0100

This artice explains how to code a hotbox, which is a lightbox popup navigation bar that is triggered upon pressing and holding the spacebar. The article includes an online demo and a download of the source code.

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A scientific approach to web design

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:51:04 +0100

A lot of programmers are good with code, but struggle with the creative task that is web and UI design. Programmers tend to prefer structure, patterns and rules over artistic creativity. The mind of an analyst and engineer is much different from that of an artist., Still, did you know that there are scientific methods to web and UI design? Structured rules that are universal, rules that do not depend on a creative mind?, In this article, I will point out a few of these rules. Welcome to the scientific approach of web design.

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The ultimate guide to the Amazon S3 service

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 12:43:38 +0100

This guide explains how you as a (PHP) developer can make use of the Amazon S3 service for "storage in the cloud". We will cover the basics of explaining the S3 service, setting up your account, and finally how to make the most efficient use of it. Even if you're not a PHP developer, much of the concepts can be applied to any development environment.

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Creating your own grunge papers

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:47:31 +0100

This article explains how you can use simple paper, and make it look really old by processes both analog and digital. The result fits nicely into the latest web design trend: the Grunge look. At the end of the article is a goodie: a free pack of ultra-high grunge papers made by me!

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Building your own Captcha

Sun, 7 Dec 2008 03:09:32 +0100

A common sight on web forms nowadays is the Captcha check, a way to determine whether your are a human or bot user. In this article we are going to get creative, and build our own Captcha. A Captcha that is not a hurdle for the user, yet a fun experience that blends into the theme of your application!

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Advanced jQuery form validation

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 02:11:28 +0100

In this article, I will explain how to implement robust form validation on a complex form using jQuery. The form has multiple field types, lots of validation rules, needs to be able to handle Unicode text and work with or without Javascript enabled.

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Building Unicode LAMP applications

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:28:04 +0100

This article describes in detail what it takes to allow for the input, storage and display of Unicode characters in PHP/MySQL applications.

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Battle of the frameworks

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 08:43:37 +0100

This article discusses how to effectively select or develop a proper application development framework, regardless of the platform

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How to manage pet projects

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:23:27 +0100

This article discusses how to run and finish your pet projects

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20 DSLR photography tips

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:02:23 +0100

This article lists 20 tips to get started with DSLR photography. It is particularly useful to those who are used to point-and-shoot digicams and now want to take the next step in their photography skills

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The making of Blogo.NET

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:51:01 +0100

This article explains into detail how I developed Blogo.NET, which is an n-tiered internet blog application based upon .NET 3.5. The article discusses the development process from begin to end

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Application Top 10

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:56:33 +0100

An article listing my 10 favorite applications, along with a tip for each one.

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Debian @ home server

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:38:59 +0100

An article discussing all the incredible things you can do with Debian at a (home) server

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Using Boost C++ libraries in Eclipse

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:11:24 +0100

A short post on how to use Boost C++ libraries in Eclipse

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Multi-threading on the desktop

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:48:01 +0100

An article describing my new s3maphor3 project, called "Thread3r". Thread3r allows you to analyze the performance benefit of running multiple threads to perform large sets of operations.

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Giving great presentations

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 05:47:47 +0100

A small article with 12 tips on how to prepare and give great presentations

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OpenGL programming in Eclipse

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:29:25 +0100

How to setup Eclipse for OpenGL programming in Ubuntu

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Switching from XP to Ubuntu

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 11:51:31 +0100

An article describing my process of switching from Windows XP to Ubuntu Edgy Eft

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Portable openGL programming in C++

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:22:47 +0100

A small article on how to start openGL programming in C++, and to make sure your application is portable

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Learning strategies for developers

Thu, 4 Jan 2007 01:47:51 -0500

An article that explains some strategies developers can use to maximize their potential and to turn learning in your own time from sacrifice into a joy

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Advanced Domino TinyMCE integration

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 01:29:20 -0500

This article will explain how to integrate TinyMCE, a web-based rich text editor, into Domino. Ultimate goal is to have it working reliably in all modern browsers, and well integrated into your Domino back end.

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Web 2.0 panels

Sun, 1 Oct 2006 01:18:22 +0100

A short article on how to implement web panels on your web page. Web panels are collapsable sections on a page that are often seen on portal pages and desktop-like web applications

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Run your own online support center

Sat, 9 Sep 2006 01:44:55 +0100

This article explains you how to set up your own web-based support center using open source software in less than one hour. Useful for developers working on open source software, but also for a small business that sells their software over the internet.

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Domino Tag Clouds

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:42:14 +0100

Tagging is a popular way to structure content on the web. Tag clouds give a visual overview of the weight of each tag. This article describes how to create a tag cloud in Lotus Domino. Both an online and downloadable demo database are included.

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Eclipse for the versatile developer

Fri, 7 Jul 2006 11:16:33 +0100

This articles explains how to use Eclipse to setup a workspace that allows for C/C++, Java/J2EE and PHP development. Included are installation instructions and tutorials on how to set up and run a simple project for all 4 development environments.

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Installing SubVersion on FC 4

Sat, 1 Apr 2006 02:46:24 +0100

An article that explains how to install SubVersion on Fedore Core 4 or similar distributions.

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Domino Fusion Charts

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:06:25 +0100

A small article on integrating pretty flash chart in your Domino application. The article gets you up and running in minutes and includes a demo database.

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