WEBSITE DESIGN

Domain Names

An unusually spectacular Domain Name event is starting to build wild excitement in web design circles.
A terrific selection of really classy .co.uk domain names are to be offered in a live auction style in the Savoy Hotel in September at Domain Focus. This is no ordinary list of domains and we'll be there cleverly mimicing the wise and moneyed!
How to value and assess the value of a domain name ..more..->

Update: the event itself was a great let down with last minute unadvertised change of venue and some people travelling straight back home as they couldn't find the new one etc. Some good domains were sold at good prices, though, and many had high offers but weren't actually closed as sales. recycle co.uk went for £135,000 and fly co.uk for £87,500 - others here. . .

Ajax

Everyone seems to want to use Ajax now. It's a great way to put interactivity on your website with amazing control and coolness. It's a way of using javascript to communicate directly with your server without reloading the page. This gives you a slick front end serving any amount of data, graphics and animation. Using ready made Ajax solutions it can be fairly quick and easy to implement with some useful and fun tools. .. read more ..->

Project Planning

Project Planning for fun and profit. So you're a couple of emails into a new pitch and you can see it running away from you. Lots of suggestions immediately putting days and weeks more onto the project. Scoping the project well, outlining limitations to the functionality and aesthetics that are requested - much like a good defence lawyer - will make all the difference. A good spreadsheet is a start and there are also specially crafted software planning tools to help with e.g. database schema creation. ..learn more..->

MySQL vs PostgreSQL

Which is better, MySQL or PostgreSQL?Your choice of database will depend on the size, complexity and requirements of the project and - as with so many challenges - where you are starting from.

PL/SQL

Why is an understanding of PL/SQL an important addition to your programming armoury?PL/SQL was designed for Oracle databases in order to issue more than one common and garden SQL statement. It is quicker than sending each request separately and is advantageous in other ways such as flow control, performance, portability, security and error handling. Open Source databases such as PostgreSQL model themselves quite closely to the Oracle design and also implement their own versions of PL/SQL - PL/pgSQL in the case of PostgreSQL.

Job Ticketing Systems

A good ticketing system will add kudos to your client relationship.We've compared a few online open source ticketing systems and found them complicated, mostly too complicated for our clients. The key is to keep all the functionality but simplify the client interface.