design

How to write a Javascript file

jp.stacey 3 October 2006

Now I know the title sounds presumptuous, but there’s a certain methodology I’ve settled into that seems to work really well for encouraging Javascript that’s legible and safe. I thought I’d share it with anyone that doesn’t consider themselves a JS playa, in case it’s of some use to you too.

Home is where the heart-shaped souvenir is

jp.stacey 17 June 2007

Remember in the days before blogs, when we used to have homepages? Well, technically I suppose I still have one, separate from my blog. How retro is that, eh? My online presence is so fragmented (arguably because my offline presence is that of a genre-flitting dilettante who can’t just sit still for five minutes) that the index of www.jpstacey.info is still not my actual blog, even in 2007.

Programming shouldn't be degrading

jp.stacey 19 September 2007

Steve compares “graceful degradation” with “progressive enhancement.” Mostly he takes issue (rightly) with the rhetorical spin that the former applies to the idea of building a website. But I think you can compare them with each other as if they were two different types of crowbar instead: two ways of prising open the task in hand.

Oxford Geek Night #5: all ready bar the microslots

jp.stacey 6 January 2008

The fifth Oxford Geek Night is on February 6, 2008. We’ve got sponsorship from Torchbox and Google—thanks for that, chaps—and two really interesting keynote speakers booked: Rufus Pollock and Denise Wilton.

RSS feeds: keep them well hidden

jp.stacey 22 June 2008
All the minimalists in the house say "Yo!" All the maximalists say "Well, it really depends on a number of complex and mutually antagonistic factors...."

Mark Pilgrim on extreme minimalism:

Belated and potentially unreliable discussion of Google Chrome

jp.stacey 14 September 2008
I feel it's important to tell it like it is, even in the restricted space of a post title; but maybe I need a lesson from Google in self-presentation.

I'm typing this from Google Chrome. Since it was released almost two weeks ago I've wanted to blog about it, but have been mostly hampered by no easy access to Vista or XP.

Retrospective design is not a sin

jp.stacey 1 December 2008
Flowcharts aren't necessarily harmful unless, when printed off, they run to enough pages to fracture a metatarsal.

Sean McGrath suggests that you should implement first and design later:

A design phase, wedged between two implementation phases, makes sense if you are doing rapid prototyping.