Comments for GRA2143 Advanced Web Design Class

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Michael Moody

Michael Moody — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:08:48 +0000

As of so far, I’ve never done any server-side coding or anything of that sort. I might have done a little in some school assignments without really knowing it but other than that, I have no experience in it what-so-ever.

So far, I’m really liking PHP and how it works. It can really make things a lot easier when making a website with multiple pages and all of that. Plus, for me, a dynamic page with updating content is much more interesting to me than a static page.

The assignment wasn’t too challenging for me but I think the thing I had the most problems with was setting up the connection in DreamWeaver since I’ve never done that and I was using a CS4 version and your instructions was on a CS5 version. Other than that, it was pretty easy.

To rate this assignment, I’d give it a 8 or 9. I’m very interested in learning more about the server-side aspect of web design and how it works. Not only because it creates more appeal to your website, but also, that’s where a lot of the more popular websites are going towards, and if you don’t keep up with the times, you’ll be left behind.

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Peterson Dierivot

Peterson Dierivot — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:39:03 +0000

1.Have you ever done any type of server side programming before, and if so, what specifically.
I have done a little server side scripting with both Java and Javascript. Its been a while since I have done so but the more practice, the better, of course.
2.What do you think of PHP so far (I know we only entered into if on a basic level so far)?
Its a different way of doing some of the same things in a different language (syntax). That this point, it just depends on what is more comfortable to the programmer or what syntax the can learn quicker.
3.What was the most challenging part of last weeks assignments for you?
The challenging part was figuring out the syntax to go up two folder from our main folder. Once I had that, everything else was straight forward.
4.On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being absolutely no interest), how interested are you in learning how to create dynamic Web pages and or designing for them?
I would say 10. The more languages that I can get my hands on and become more farmiliar with, the easier it will be to compare and contrast likes, dislikes, and determine which language I will use to create my own site.

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Matt Turner

Matt Turner — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:08:35 +0000

Have you ever done any type of server side programming before, and if so, what specifically.
No, this is my first real experience with Server Side Scripting.

What do you think of PHP so far (I know we only entered into if on a basic level so far)?
I love it and think is the specific tool that is required to make a website pop and just run much cleaner and more efficient, not to mention with much less work required.

What was the most challenging part of last weeks assignments for you?
Getting the back links just right, it took a little while for me to figure out, but once I did, the rest was a snap.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being absolutely no interest), how interested are you in learning how to create dynamic Web pages and or designing for them?

10 – I love this type of dynamic content and want to learn as much as I can.

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Nurgul

Nurgul — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:04:00 +0000

1. No, I haven’t done Server Side Programming before.
2. I like how it works. It can make a web designer’s life much easier
3. It wasn’t easy to find out the right “relative path”. Then I found that when we need to move a directory up we need to put ../ I did that, it didn’t work. It took me 2 days to do that small part. Then all of a sudden, it decided to work. That was crazy. Apparently I was doing something wrong, but I don’t know what. I love coding, but sometimes it can be frustrating.
4. I think is 10. It won’t hurt to learn more, right?

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Jordan Harrison

Jordan Harrison — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:23:20 +0000

1. Have you ever done any type of server side programming before, and if so, what specifically.
No.

2. What do you think of PHP so far (I know we only entered into if on a basic level so far)?
I enjoy PHP very much. It seems to streamline coding to make the task easier for the coder if you use it properly.

3. What was the most challenging part of last weeks assignments for you?
Spent a few hours beforeI realized I wasn’t previewing the uploaded version of my assignment, so the changes I was making weren’t showing up. Status quo.

4. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being absolutely no interest), how interested are you in learning how to create dynamic Web pages and or designing for them?
8.

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Zack Ernst

Zack Ernst — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:54:02 +0000

1.Have you ever done any type of server side programming before, and if so, what specifically.
I have not really done any server side programming before this, I have done a little playing around with php, but it was a while ago, and I didn’t get very far into it.
2.What do you think of PHP so far (I know we only entered into if on a basic level so far)?
I like it, It reminds me alot of c++ but with smarter variable declorations. I think it would be useful to utalize and know more of.
3.What was the most challenging part of last weeks assignments for you?
I would think the most challenging part was my link not working, which was really more frustrating then a challenge, and It ended up not being related to what I was doing. I also had a little issue getting the title to work, but it ended up just being the way I was trying to do it, having to use the echo to get it to show up kinda threw me off a little bit. Besides that the worst/most challenging part would be not having dreamweaver to upload/synch my files for me, so I had to upload it many times with FTP.
4.On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being absolutely no interest), how interested are you in learning how to create dynamic Web pages and or designing for them?
I would say probabily like an 8, I think it would be very good to know and it seems pretty easy and fun. I would very much like to learn more php.

Comment on Server Side Scripting and PHP from a designers viewpoint by Tina Ortiz

Tina Ortiz — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:41:55 +0000

1. I have taken C++ and SQL in the last year at TCC. My hardest classes.
2. I really like PHP much better than C++ and SQL. It makes more sense to me but also if I hadn’t taken these other classes before this assignment I think I would have struggled with completing it.
3. The calculator was the hardest, took the most time to figure out the variable for the counting.
4. I guess a 10, I am always interested in getting more knowledge with computer web or graphic design. That’s why I decided this semester to use a substitution I had for the Linux class that is no longer offered, to take a Graphic Design class with Mr. Rice. It has been a great learning experience to add to my knowledge as a designer.. so always up for learning new things.

Comment on Open Source Software: What benefits does WordPress offer for Web Designers? by Jordan Harrison

Jordan Harrison — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:47:29 +0000

1. How do you see open source software such as this contributing to the area of Web Design?
I love it. Personally I think wordpress and its user-driven database of resources spur creativity, allowing artists to design and create on a limited (no) budget whereas products like photoshop and dreamweaver can cost hundreds of dollars. Granted, this is far from dreamweaver and photoshop and it would be argued that they aren’t even in the same vein, but you get what I mean. If money is holding you back from creating, something is wrong with the system.

2. Discuss If you think you as a Web designer can see yourself using this platform in the future and in what ways specifically.
If a client needs a simple website that doesn’t demand more than wordpress has to offer, I can see myself using it. Although I would rather build something completely original and unique for a unique and original client, a paycheck is a paycheck and man hours can be saved by utilizing this amazing and free service.

3. And talk about one of the plugins you installed that you felt would be most helpful to a Client with a Web site like your fictitious one you installed in your blog folder.
I’m probably going to change what I created for the first assignment, with that in mind, I installed a facebook “like” button for my content updates as well as a flash photo gallery plugin to help with… photo galleries. Social networking is only becoming more popular with it’s population slowly climbing towards the world’s population. A button to instantly share content with your peers or client base can be incredibly helpful, especially if you are built on viral marketing.

Comment on Open Source Software: What benefits does WordPress offer for Web Designers? by Kyle Lind

Kyle Lind — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:15:21 +0000

1. Open source is Amazing. I prefer it in many, many cases. In addition to convenience, and the fact that it’s free, I can see that it’s probably also very helpful in showing designers (including web designers) what a customer values in the programs they use. What changes, for example, do they choose to make to the code? Do several people tend to make the same changes? etc.
Additionally, these Open-Source softwares are always available on the web. This means that the groups that host them always need web designers to manage the Host Sites that are downloaded from. Maintain them. Run the blogs and other pages that let customers give feedback on what to change and what not to.
One of the greatest competitors to open source would be entirely online applications. RSS. Ajax. etc. Those are the biggest competitors in terms of convenience, but the fact that these two actually overlap, and the fact that RSS wont work when ofline (no wifi, traveling, etc) shows that winning out between those two isn’t necessarily an outcome we’ll even move towards

2. Using WordPress as a platform is…both very convenient and also very irritating. The problem, however, is not really one with wordpress, but rather with the plugins for it. so many basic functionalities (I would describe them as organization and navigation preferences) are missing from those lists.
I could see wordpress being used widely, even used by myself. I was surprised, as I went through many things, how easy it was to set up what could promise to be a very extensive website.
I could also see myself, and others working extensively to add to it’s functionality (given it’s popularity, as you describe, I doubt it will be replaced unless the next edition has severe benefits or increases ease of use–and then only if comparable plugins are not available)
The problem I found is not really one with wordpress, but rather with the plugins for it. So many basic functionalities (I would describe them as organization and navigation preferences) are missing from those lists. Thus added word for more plugins to be created, etc.

3.I’ll make mention of 2:

The Plugin I was probably Happiest to find was “SexyBookmarks”. I made mention of this in the post’s on my blog, but one of the things that exited me about it is that it did so well some of the simple things other plugins turned into a pain. Why on earth did the all-in-one-seo pack not have a nofollow option for in post links? why were there–what was it?–5 plugins to add a “like” button, or a “send” button, but were all dependent on exterior sources that didn’t function or connect properly?–one connected directly to facebook, but then asked you to write in the raw code for the effect you wanted. And then, after I’d given up on using those options entirely, i stumble onto this one that does those, AND provides option to link to 50 other social networking sites.
The only thing I’d change would be an option to re-size the on-screen display.
(big seo helper)

However.
As far as helpful to MY ficticious Web site–or a client with one just like it–the most helpful thing is navigation and accessibility control.
There were very few accessibility controls I found.
As far as navigation, The closest I discovered was called “Folding Category List” which would allow only certain category posts to display at any given time. This, combined with an on/of switch for weather a ny thread is open to further posts would have allowed the instant switch between the site hosting 1 blog or 100 separate, unrelated blogs.
That would be very convenient.
However: That particular plugin didn’t work (personally I think it would be a nice thing to have as an inherent part of wordpress, but it’s not). It should have worked. It had all the functionalities. but it reverted to default settings every time I tried to apply one or more of the changes it offered. probably a small code error. but I didn’t know how to fix it, and for some reason, there weren’t a lot of plugins of that nature to search through for a replacement.
alas.

Comment on Open Source Software: What benefits does WordPress offer for Web Designers? by Nurgul

Nurgul — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 02:04:46 +0000

1. I am using another open source software; Joomla. I think this kind of software is great because even if you are a beginner in web design, you can use it. It is very easy to use and very efficient.

2. As I mentioned above, I am already using this kind of software. I made a web site using Joomla for my friends who want to open a web site for educational purposes and it is working very well.

3. I installed Google XML Sitemaps plugin to my blog. I think this is very helpful, because this plugin generates a special XML sitemap which helps search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com to better index my blog.