Apr 24 2009, 7:01 pm
Just a quick note on a new feature I have implemented in CoViews. As of RIGHT NOW you have the ability to delete a Comment or Reply that you leave on CoViews. No sign-up necessary, it just works. Go test it out :)
Also, there was a bug on IE that prevented users from viewing their comment after they submitted it (some users experienced this on Firefox 3 and a PC). After a bunch of hunting around I found the problem was a caching issue (IE is super duper lame). So that bug has been patched. All users should have no trouble seeing comments now :)
That's it for now, though I have already started on some new features and will be announcing their release once I finish them.
Be sure to get the CoViews Bookmarklet so you can create CoVIews pages quickly and easily (drag this link into your bookmarks bar):
CoVie.ws This!
Thanks so much everyone!
Peace,
Drew
Also, there was a bug on IE that prevented users from viewing their comment after they submitted it (some users experienced this on Firefox 3 and a PC). After a bunch of hunting around I found the problem was a caching issue (IE is super duper lame). So that bug has been patched. All users should have no trouble seeing comments now :)
That's it for now, though I have already started on some new features and will be announcing their release once I finish them.
Be sure to get the CoViews Bookmarklet so you can create CoVIews pages quickly and easily (drag this link into your bookmarks bar):
CoVie.ws This!
Thanks so much everyone!
Peace,
Drew
Apr 22 2009, 9:58 pm
6 Days ago I had an idea for a new web application pop into my head (which almost happens weekly :)
6 days later (today) I am launching the Beta! It's called CoViews
I am super excited about it, and hope you all enjoy using it! It is completely FREE with NO need to sign-up. You can start using it right away!
So I am sure you want to know what it is CoViews, right?... well:
"CoVie.ws is a simple way to share your thoughts about websites with the world."
At it's core it is a URL shortening service, but there is much more on top of that. You can leave comments about the webpage you are on for the entire world to see, and even reply to. Not only can you leave a comment about the website as a whole, but you can leave comments about specific areas on the website by creating a "Comment Area". Simply click and drag to create one.
Here is a screencast to tell you a bit more:
CoViews is currently in Beta, and I have a ton of cool features planned. A few of them were cut from the beta because of issues with XSS (cross site scripting) I ran into that will take some serious time figuring out a work-around. For example, there is no way for me to tell if you scroll the website up or down, since the website is in an iframe and javascript by nature prevents me from doing this. This totally kills some of the basic functionality you would expect.. like being able to scroll to the bottom of the page and create a "Comment Area" on the footer. If you were to do this, the "Comment Area" would show up at the top of the page when someone else views the page... lame I know. But I am working on figuring out a solution.
On another note, working on this project has once again solidified in my brain the fact that all IE browsers (6, 7 & 8) are horrendous! They all required fixes. Why oh why Microsoft. Why?... No seriously, why?
And just because I know some of you may be wondering.. NO Firerift is NOT dead. I am still working on it, and it is getting close. So no worries there :)
Thanks so much everyone! Please go checkout CoViews and and grab the bookmarklet at the bottom of the page so you can quickly create CoViews pages!
Make CoViews your URL shortening service of choice! (if you would be so kind :)
Peace,
Drew
6 days later (today) I am launching the Beta! It's called CoViews
I am super excited about it, and hope you all enjoy using it! It is completely FREE with NO need to sign-up. You can start using it right away!
So I am sure you want to know what it is CoViews, right?... well:
"CoVie.ws is a simple way to share your thoughts about websites with the world."
At it's core it is a URL shortening service, but there is much more on top of that. You can leave comments about the webpage you are on for the entire world to see, and even reply to. Not only can you leave a comment about the website as a whole, but you can leave comments about specific areas on the website by creating a "Comment Area". Simply click and drag to create one.
Here is a screencast to tell you a bit more:
CoViews is currently in Beta, and I have a ton of cool features planned. A few of them were cut from the beta because of issues with XSS (cross site scripting) I ran into that will take some serious time figuring out a work-around. For example, there is no way for me to tell if you scroll the website up or down, since the website is in an iframe and javascript by nature prevents me from doing this. This totally kills some of the basic functionality you would expect.. like being able to scroll to the bottom of the page and create a "Comment Area" on the footer. If you were to do this, the "Comment Area" would show up at the top of the page when someone else views the page... lame I know. But I am working on figuring out a solution.
On another note, working on this project has once again solidified in my brain the fact that all IE browsers (6, 7 & 8) are horrendous! They all required fixes. Why oh why Microsoft. Why?... No seriously, why?
And just because I know some of you may be wondering.. NO Firerift is NOT dead. I am still working on it, and it is getting close. So no worries there :)
Thanks so much everyone! Please go checkout CoViews and and grab the bookmarklet at the bottom of the page so you can quickly create CoViews pages!
Make CoViews your URL shortening service of choice! (if you would be so kind :)
Peace,
Drew
Apr 8 2009, 12:25 pm
In my last post I announced Fullsize, my attempt to standardize the way image popups happen in the browser. In this post I want to give you an update on how that project is going and where things are.
Over the first 7 days the Fullsize jQuery plugin has had over 1,400 downloads! There have been over 500 supporters (and growing), and the site has gotten more than 13,500 unique visits!
For the first 2 days Fullsize was on the front page of Delicious as one of the top 10 most popular links on the internet! It has been featured in numerous blogs including: Webappers, Ajaxrain, Cssbeauty, Cameron Moll, MaxDesign, and a TON more.
I was fortunate enough to have it linked up on the WHATWG's blog in those first 7 days as well! Awesomeness! This is super encouraging to know that within the first 7 days the Fullsize site pretty much did it's job :)
There has even been a Wordpress plugin created for Fullsize and hundreds of tweets on Twitter all within those first 7 days.
Needless to say, it has been a great first seven days.
Thanks to all of you who have supported the idea! Another thanks to those of you who have contributed on the Fullsize Google Group.
Please continue to spread the word, and I can't wait to see what happens this next week!
Thanks again!
Peace,
Drew
Over the first 7 days the Fullsize jQuery plugin has had over 1,400 downloads! There have been over 500 supporters (and growing), and the site has gotten more than 13,500 unique visits!
For the first 2 days Fullsize was on the front page of Delicious as one of the top 10 most popular links on the internet! It has been featured in numerous blogs including: Webappers, Ajaxrain, Cssbeauty, Cameron Moll, MaxDesign, and a TON more.
I was fortunate enough to have it linked up on the WHATWG's blog in those first 7 days as well! Awesomeness! This is super encouraging to know that within the first 7 days the Fullsize site pretty much did it's job :)
There has even been a Wordpress plugin created for Fullsize and hundreds of tweets on Twitter all within those first 7 days.
Needless to say, it has been a great first seven days.
Thanks to all of you who have supported the idea! Another thanks to those of you who have contributed on the Fullsize Google Group.
Please continue to spread the word, and I can't wait to see what happens this next week!
Thanks again!
Peace,
Drew
Mar 31 2009, 8:23 am
I started a project called Fullsize a few months back, but have never publicly announced it (other than a small post on twitter way back when). So consider this the public announcement: Fullsize is live!
What is Fullsize?
Fullsize is an attempt to get a new![]()
attribute called fullsize into the next version of HTML. Hopefully it will get the attention of the W3C, and they will add Fullsize to HTML and make it a standard.
What about now?
This is the best part! I am now releasing a Fullsize jQuery plug-in to kick things off! It's totally free and totally rad!
Get the plug-in, more info, and vote for it at the Fullsize site: www.addfullsize.com
Enjoy!
Peace,
Drew
What is Fullsize?
Fullsize is an attempt to get a new
What about now?
This is the best part! I am now releasing a Fullsize jQuery plug-in to kick things off! It's totally free and totally rad!
Get the plug-in, more info, and vote for it at the Fullsize site: www.addfullsize.com
Enjoy!
Peace,
Drew
Mar 27 2009, 1:02 pm
I'm super exited to show this to you all. I know it has been a long time coming, but the wait will be worth it :)
This was just a super quick, and very informal peek at Firerift. I will show you more of the app soon.
Probably the coolest part of Firerift is how you interact with it on the front end via Titan. It is sooo incredibly easy, and I cannot wait to show you all how to do it. For now, please enjoy this screencast :)
This was just a super quick, and very informal peek at Firerift. I will show you more of the app soon.
Probably the coolest part of Firerift is how you interact with it on the front end via Titan. It is sooo incredibly easy, and I cannot wait to show you all how to do it. For now, please enjoy this screencast :)
Feb 28 2009, 4:15 pm
Hey everyone!
It's been a long while since my last update, and for that I apologize. But some really great things have come out of the long silence.
First up, Firerift.
Firerift is still very much alive, but has taken a huge turn. It's foundation has been completely changed and re-written. Why would I spend the time to do this? Simple. The web is changing and I believe Firerift should be ahead of the game.
To see where I am coming from I have broken up my thoughts into a couple different points.
Where is the web headed?
A great indicator of where the web is headed is the browser itself. What are the major browsers spending their time improving upon? Web-Kit (Safari) is spending a lot of time trying to push HTML 5, Mozilla is working on their Mobile Browser Fennec, and IE... well they are just trying to play catch up and not suck. But what are they all spending a lot of resources on... you guessed it, Javascript. They are all trying to make javascript run "the fastest ever" on their browsers. This brings me to my next point.
Javascript
I am sure you all have noticed the popularity of javascript libraries these days. jQuery is by far the favorite amongst designers and developers alike. In addition, AJAX has allowed designers & developers to create websites that feel more like a desktop application. Javascript is all the rage these days, and for a good reason. People's computers are faster today than ever, most people have High Speed internet access, and the browsers are spending the time to make sure that Javascript can run at blazing speeds. So with with all the computers, internet connections, and browsers primed and ready to make your javascript experience a pleasant one... why are people still using PHP, ASP.NET, Ruby on Rails, etc. to do all their web site/application processing. Good question.
Client-Side
As of right now we are at a tipping point. Between the old school way of doing things (server-side) and the new school way (client-side or javascript). Up until now, the clients (browsers) have been just too slow to do any heavy lifting. That coupled with slow internet connections makes using javascript a horrid experience. But as things have progressed you see huge & influential companies using the client to deliver their products. For example Apple used SproutCore, a javascript framework, to build their Mobile Me product. Today, it is now far easier to deliver a much better user experience with javascript and the client then ever before.
Benefits
Using the client to do all the processing takes a HUGE load off of the server. That means literally less traffic going to and from your server. Which translates into money saved. You really only need to have your server side code just save, update, delete & retrieve things from a database. Then you can send back the data to the client via JSON. JSON is great, it is a competitor to XML... But WAY better since it is actual javascript, and looks much cleaner than XML. Just like XML, a JSON file is basically a huge array of data. So once it is sent to the client from the server, you have super quick access to all your data. Doing things on the client can also give your app or website a more "desktop" feel, and it breaks the user experience less, because you do not have to clear the whole screen and then build it back again like you would when you navigate to a new page URL. Though there are times when this is still a good thing.
It is becoming clear that moving things to the client is the future of web development. That means everyone better start gettin' familiar with javascript :) And if you are gonna do that, what better way to do it than learning jQuery. jQuery is by far the favorite of all javascript libraries out there, but unfortunately it is not a framework.
Enter Titan
Wouldn't it be great if there was an open-source javascript framework that had amazing features like a REST API out of the box? So you could just submit data to a URL, and it would save that data to a database, or run commands against the database like update, retrieve, or delete? Then all you would have to do is set up the website, include the framework's javascript files... and it would all work. There are a couple of frameworks out there that do this. As mentioned above, SproutCore does this. But it is VERY restrictive. As a designer I won't use it because you are pretty much locked into their widgets, buttons, graphics, etc. Sure you can customize them... but you have to write code to do it. There is also Cappuccino by the 280 North guys. It is another javascript framework, but who wants to learn Objective-J just to use it? They do have an Interface Builder.. but then again you are locked into their design (which is sweet looking). But where is the flexibility? On either option you are limited. Plus you have to write a ton of javascript code... just like you would have to write a ton of Ruby code in Rails to create a website or app.
Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to learn anything if you didn't want to? Wouldn't it be great if there was a Javascript Web Framework that was built on jQuery, and didn't limit you in any way? Wouldn't it be great if this framework was built in such a way that you didn't even have to write more than 1 line of javascript? Well there is, my partners and I built it, and it is called Titan.
Titan is awesome, and Firerift is built on it.
And Firerift will be the first and only CMS that lets you build your website or app client-side.
You will all be making your own Mobile Me's really soon :)
There is so much to say about Titan: how it works, how you use it.. but that is for another post.
It will be soon though. Things are wrapping up here with Firerift, and I want to make sure I keep you all informed. So that is the reason for this post and the next few to follow.
Thanks so much for sticking with me. It means so much to me!
Peace,
Drew
It's been a long while since my last update, and for that I apologize. But some really great things have come out of the long silence.
First up, Firerift.
Firerift is still very much alive, but has taken a huge turn. It's foundation has been completely changed and re-written. Why would I spend the time to do this? Simple. The web is changing and I believe Firerift should be ahead of the game.
To see where I am coming from I have broken up my thoughts into a couple different points.
Where is the web headed?
A great indicator of where the web is headed is the browser itself. What are the major browsers spending their time improving upon? Web-Kit (Safari) is spending a lot of time trying to push HTML 5, Mozilla is working on their Mobile Browser Fennec, and IE... well they are just trying to play catch up and not suck. But what are they all spending a lot of resources on... you guessed it, Javascript. They are all trying to make javascript run "the fastest ever" on their browsers. This brings me to my next point.
Javascript
I am sure you all have noticed the popularity of javascript libraries these days. jQuery is by far the favorite amongst designers and developers alike. In addition, AJAX has allowed designers & developers to create websites that feel more like a desktop application. Javascript is all the rage these days, and for a good reason. People's computers are faster today than ever, most people have High Speed internet access, and the browsers are spending the time to make sure that Javascript can run at blazing speeds. So with with all the computers, internet connections, and browsers primed and ready to make your javascript experience a pleasant one... why are people still using PHP, ASP.NET, Ruby on Rails, etc. to do all their web site/application processing. Good question.
Client-Side
As of right now we are at a tipping point. Between the old school way of doing things (server-side) and the new school way (client-side or javascript). Up until now, the clients (browsers) have been just too slow to do any heavy lifting. That coupled with slow internet connections makes using javascript a horrid experience. But as things have progressed you see huge & influential companies using the client to deliver their products. For example Apple used SproutCore, a javascript framework, to build their Mobile Me product. Today, it is now far easier to deliver a much better user experience with javascript and the client then ever before.
Benefits
Using the client to do all the processing takes a HUGE load off of the server. That means literally less traffic going to and from your server. Which translates into money saved. You really only need to have your server side code just save, update, delete & retrieve things from a database. Then you can send back the data to the client via JSON. JSON is great, it is a competitor to XML... But WAY better since it is actual javascript, and looks much cleaner than XML. Just like XML, a JSON file is basically a huge array of data. So once it is sent to the client from the server, you have super quick access to all your data. Doing things on the client can also give your app or website a more "desktop" feel, and it breaks the user experience less, because you do not have to clear the whole screen and then build it back again like you would when you navigate to a new page URL. Though there are times when this is still a good thing.
It is becoming clear that moving things to the client is the future of web development. That means everyone better start gettin' familiar with javascript :) And if you are gonna do that, what better way to do it than learning jQuery. jQuery is by far the favorite of all javascript libraries out there, but unfortunately it is not a framework.
Enter Titan
Wouldn't it be great if there was an open-source javascript framework that had amazing features like a REST API out of the box? So you could just submit data to a URL, and it would save that data to a database, or run commands against the database like update, retrieve, or delete? Then all you would have to do is set up the website, include the framework's javascript files... and it would all work. There are a couple of frameworks out there that do this. As mentioned above, SproutCore does this. But it is VERY restrictive. As a designer I won't use it because you are pretty much locked into their widgets, buttons, graphics, etc. Sure you can customize them... but you have to write code to do it. There is also Cappuccino by the 280 North guys. It is another javascript framework, but who wants to learn Objective-J just to use it? They do have an Interface Builder.. but then again you are locked into their design (which is sweet looking). But where is the flexibility? On either option you are limited. Plus you have to write a ton of javascript code... just like you would have to write a ton of Ruby code in Rails to create a website or app.
Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to learn anything if you didn't want to? Wouldn't it be great if there was a Javascript Web Framework that was built on jQuery, and didn't limit you in any way? Wouldn't it be great if this framework was built in such a way that you didn't even have to write more than 1 line of javascript? Well there is, my partners and I built it, and it is called Titan.
Titan is awesome, and Firerift is built on it.
And Firerift will be the first and only CMS that lets you build your website or app client-side.
You will all be making your own Mobile Me's really soon :)
There is so much to say about Titan: how it works, how you use it.. but that is for another post.
It will be soon though. Things are wrapping up here with Firerift, and I want to make sure I keep you all informed. So that is the reason for this post and the next few to follow.
Thanks so much for sticking with me. It means so much to me!
Peace,
Drew
Sep 17 2008, 10:18 am
Hey Everyone!
Again thanks so much for stickin' with me on Firerift!! I appreciate it sooo much!
As the title suggests, I am gonna give you the brutal honest truth on where Firerift stands:
I work on Firerift every single day. It is no way abandoned, nor will it ever be abandoned. As you all know I hired a developer to build the new version of Firerift with me. Unfortunately he greatly mis-quoted me on the timeline for finishing the software. I will not be posting another Coming Soon Date, because unfortunately we have just not been able to meet the deadlines, though I really hoped we could. I have learned a lot about launching a web app through this process, and as I have said before.. it's my first time launching my own app.
We are both working hard to get this thing out. But it is "delayed". If I had it my way, all of you would already be using this thing :) But rest assured... you will :)
I am going to do a screencast real soon here on one section of the admin for you all :) Hopefully I will have time to do that in the next few days :)
Thanks again everyone so much! sorry to disappoint you all :( But I guarantee you will not be disappointed by Firerift.
Peace,
Drew
Again thanks so much for stickin' with me on Firerift!! I appreciate it sooo much!
As the title suggests, I am gonna give you the brutal honest truth on where Firerift stands:
I work on Firerift every single day. It is no way abandoned, nor will it ever be abandoned. As you all know I hired a developer to build the new version of Firerift with me. Unfortunately he greatly mis-quoted me on the timeline for finishing the software. I will not be posting another Coming Soon Date, because unfortunately we have just not been able to meet the deadlines, though I really hoped we could. I have learned a lot about launching a web app through this process, and as I have said before.. it's my first time launching my own app.
We are both working hard to get this thing out. But it is "delayed". If I had it my way, all of you would already be using this thing :) But rest assured... you will :)
I am going to do a screencast real soon here on one section of the admin for you all :) Hopefully I will have time to do that in the next few days :)
Thanks again everyone so much! sorry to disappoint you all :( But I guarantee you will not be disappointed by Firerift.
Peace,
Drew
Sep 5 2008, 10:29 pm
Thank you sooooo much to everyone who has been keeping tabs on Firerift. I cannot tell you all how much I really appreciate it :)
A lot of you are getting annoyed at the delays.. and believe me .. I am too :) But I guess it is better than nobody caring about Firerift at all :)
I am working on it every single day. There have been some unfortunate delays that have been out of my control. However, I am 110% committed to launching Firerift as soon as possible, and making it the best it can be.
I am really truly grateful to all of you who read this blog and are interested in Firerift! Thank you so much!
If I had it my way you would all already be using Firerift :) But I am not a huge multi-million dollar company, so you will have to bare with my delays and bumps in the road. But rest assured Firerift will be out very soon (in the next week), and it will be a rock solid app!
I can't wait to show it to you all!
Peace,
Drew
A lot of you are getting annoyed at the delays.. and believe me .. I am too :) But I guess it is better than nobody caring about Firerift at all :)
I am working on it every single day. There have been some unfortunate delays that have been out of my control. However, I am 110% committed to launching Firerift as soon as possible, and making it the best it can be.
I am really truly grateful to all of you who read this blog and are interested in Firerift! Thank you so much!
If I had it my way you would all already be using Firerift :) But I am not a huge multi-million dollar company, so you will have to bare with my delays and bumps in the road. But rest assured Firerift will be out very soon (in the next week), and it will be a rock solid app!
I can't wait to show it to you all!
Peace,
Drew
