Riding, riding, riding – I’m back again!
Seasons come and seasons go; life turns in a constantly changing manner. But, as after every summer, I’m back and I long to write for you! 
Posts in the "Technology" Category
Adding HTML5 placeholder attribute support through progressive enhancement
I continually talk about HTML5 and how progressive enhancement is a simple approach to make any new behavior possible in web browsers that haven’t implemented it yet. I thought I’d show you a simple example how to do this with the new placeholder attribute for input elements.
HTML Validator extension for Safari
A couple of days ago, Apple announced support for developing extensions, so I felt obliged to implement my HTML Validator extension for Safari too.
Sweden’s Best Developers, the 2010 take
Two years ago, the Swedish magazine Computer Sweden listed Sweden’s Best Developers 2008, where I was listed as number 19, the highest ranked Interface Developer. Today they announced Sweden’s Best Developers 2010 
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Catching clicks with clickCatcher before your JavaScript files have loaded/events been applied
One of the key things to improve performance of a web site, real as well as perceived, is including your JavaScript files at the end of the document (as I described in Improve Your Web Site Performance – Tips & Tricks To Get A Good YSlow Rating). However, there is a drawback to that.
The WebM video format – the saviour of open video on the web?
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I’m saying something really really important has happened for the future of the Open Web. Finally, it looks like there might be a solution to the video codecs and patent encumbered alternatives we have been dealing with.
My iPad review (aka a nice way to look at Kristen Bell)
After having owned an iPad for a little time now, I thought it deserves a review.
CSS3 Animations
I recently wrote about CSS3 Transitions and the next step for that is sort of CSS Transitions on steroids: CSS3 Animations (CSS Animations Module Level 3 specification).
Geek Meet May 2010 – HTML5 & JavaScript
It is soon summer (Yay!) and about time for a last Geek Meet before a summer break!
Embrace, extend and extinguish
With various discussions and things taking place right now, it reminds me of a phrase that has been around for some time.
Using CSS3 Transitions and Transforms to mimic Mac OS X Stacks behavior
The other day when I wrote Using CSS3 Transitions To Create Rich Effects I was thinking of nice ways to apply this. One of the things that came up was creating the Mac OS X Stacks behavior entirely in CSS!
Using HTML5 custom data attributes to store data on HTML elements
When writing JavaScripts for a web page, since the beginning of time, web developers have had the need to store extra data for HTML elements. I remember reading about custom data attributes in HTML5 some time ago, and recently Remy reminded me about them – they are here to save us!
Using CSS3 Transitions to create rich effects
There has been discussions about allowing CSS to help developers create smooth transitions of CSS properties for elements, and it’s something being specified in CSS3 in W3C CSS Transitions Module Level 3. Here I’m going to show you how to implement it in Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari & Opera.
Using the File API for reading file information & multiple file uploads – another sister specification to HTML5
A constant drag when developing web sites have been when the end user wants to upload files to it. Luckily, though, those problems are to come to an end due to the File API.
Using CSS instead of images when coding your web design
As an Interface Developer, it has always been a challenge to make the designers’ dreams come true, especially when it comes to shadows, gradients and various level of transparency. Slicing images till no end, trying to make it look good. Nowadays, though, a nice alternative is to do it with CSS.
How we give feedback
Recently I was talking with a Product Manager at another company about how feedback manifests itself.
Using Offline Web Applications to offer offline capabilities – sister specification to HTML5
In a world where we carry our computers/Internet-connected devices with us all around, we’re bound to lose connection now and then but still want to be able to continue our work. That is where Offline Web Applications steps in.
Speaking at SWDC 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden
June 2-3 third this year a number of high-profile speakers are coming to Stockholm, Sweden, to talk at the SWDC 2010 conference, organized by Peter Svensson (who also organizes the GTUG events in Stockholm).
Creating good content mark-up: Content Management Systems vs. hand-crafted HTML
There’s an inner beauty of HTML code that I can never seem to get away from. The wonderful world of semantics – choosing the right element for the right task, something that conveys meaning, makes it more accessible and strikes the perfect balance of different parts of a web page. Which moves us on to Content Management Systems.
I’m a keynote speaker at the P2P Conference in Bulgaria April 24-25
In two weeks from now, April 24th – 25th, I’ll be going to Bulgaria to be one of the keynote speakers at the P2P Conference (in Bulgarian).
HTML Validator extension for Google Chrome
Validating HTML is very important to ensure maximum web browser and operating system compatibility, and making sure it is ready for CSS and JavaScript code to interact with it. Therefore, I have created an HTML Validator for Google Chrome.
Using HTML5 Web Workers to have background computational power
When performing advanced load-heavy operations in a web browser, both the web page it is run in as well as the web browser UI becomes unresponsive till it’s finished. However, there’s a way to address that with HTML5 Web Workers.
What will happen to open video on the web?
With more and more people getting faster Internet connections, and video being one of the ultimate online multimedia experience (so far), it was due to get native video elements in web browsers. However, open video is threatened by codecs and patents, and I thought I’d discuss the situation and possible outcomes here.
CSS pointer-events to allow clicks on underlying elements
Ever placed an element on top of another element, but wanted the one under to be clickable? Now it’s doable, with CSS pointer-events!
postMessage in HTML5 to send messages between windows and iframes
Ever had the need to communicate between windows or the current window and an inner iframe? Across domains as well? I bet you have, but now we have a nice option for doing that!
Testing the Internet Explorer Platform Preview (IE9) – reviewing the good, the bad and the main letdown
At MIX10 yesterday, Microsoft announced IE9 and spoke about its upcoming features. And, lo and behold, they released a Internet Explorer Platform Preview for anyone to download and play around with!
Drop shadow with CSS for all web browsers
One of the most common CSS effects is using shadows in various ways. Before, we needed to resort to images, but now we can offer this to all major web browser with CSS!
Geolocation in web browsers to find location & Google Maps examples
More and more services around us focus on where we physically are located at the moment, and how we can be assisted in the best fashion depending on that. Today I’d like to introduce the geolocation possibilities we developers have, and also play around a little with Google maps.
Do hidden elements load background images?
One thing I have always pondered about is whether elements that are hidden will load any images associated with it, either inline or through CSS, directly at page load. And apparently, my colleague Jonatan Larsson has as well.
Is WebKit too fast for its own good?
Let me start by saying I have the utmost respect for the WebKit team, and all the amazing things they have delivered with their rendering engine. Also, very important, for putting pressure on other rendering engine vendors and making them step up.
No more version of Mac OS X?
I recently read a, to say the least, interesting prediction about the future of Mac OS X.
The price of our hunt for better technology
We rush away in our lives, whining about slow computers and constantly have more and more demands. Maybe it’s time to take one step back and look at the consequences of our desires.
Geek Meet March 29th 2010 – Internet Explorer Evangelist Giorgio Sardo speaking
Time for another Geek Meet, and this time, we’l be trying something new.
CSS display: inline-block: why it rocks, and why it sucks
Usually when you want a horizontal list, you need to use float in the CSS code to make it work, with all its drawbacks. However, there is an alternative with display: inline-block.
CSS files downloaded twice in Internet Explorer with protocol relative URLs
I think we can all agree that performance of web sites matters a lot, and slow web sites are very annoying both for developers and, more importantly, end users. Therefore, we need to talk about a newly discovered problem: Internet Explorer, protocols and inclusion of stylesheets.
CSS gradients for all web browsers, without using images
One thing that is quite nice is that we now have the ability to create gradients in our pages just from CSS code, and without the use of any images.
My trip to, and HTML5 presentation at, FOSDEM, Brussels, february 6th-7th 2010
Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to FOSDEM to give a presentation about HTML5 and to experience a very big open-source conference.
Speaking at FOSDEM 2010 – An Introduction to HTML
Just to let you know, I will be speaking at FOSDEM 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, next Saturday February 6th. I will talk in the Mozilla Developer Room and give an introduction to HTML5, which will be followed by HTML5 demos by Paul Rouget.
If you are attending, please come along and say hi!
Geek Meet February 8th 2010 – Christopher Blizzard of Mozilla!
I know, I know, there has definitely been some time since the last Geek Meet. But believe me, this one will make up for the wait!
The video element in HTML5 – great possibilities, but also codec and licensing problems
Man has always been inspired by things moving around and giving away noises, so it was just a matter of time before video content showed up on the web. For a number of years, Flash was the de-facto standard of showing video, but now, with HTML5, the video element has made its way into our lives.
IE and Life
The other day I sort of had an epiphany, a revelation if you will, which made me realize something hard to accept: Internet Explorer will always be there throughout my entire career working with Internet.
Tools for concatenating and minifying CSS and JavaScript files in different development environments
To follow up on the topic of cutting down the number of HTTP requests that I mentioned in my posts How to improve your web site performance – tips & tricks to get a good YSlow rating and How to reduce the number of HTTP requests, I wanted to put together a good list of tools and approaches to concatenate and minify CSS and JavaScript files in different developing environments.
How to reduce the number of HTTP requests
As you might be aware of, I believe web site performance is truly a critical success factor, and I have written about it before in How to improve your web site performance – tips & tricks to get a good YSlow rating
CSS background transparency without affecting child elements, through RGBa and filters
Looking at the design of most web pages today, almost exclusively all of them include some semi-transparency of elements. However, getting the desired effect in CSS is harder than one might think.
Thank you for 2009 – Happy New Year!
I hope you are all having some nice time off; I just wanted to take the time to reflect on 2009 and what it was like for me.
Releasing Inline Code Finder as a Google Chrome extension
I put a lot of time into ensuring web interface code quality, both for code in projects I work in and in doing code audits for other web sites. One of the best ways to find undesired inline styles, inline JavaScript events and javascript: links, I believe, is my Inline Code Finder extension and now it’s available for Google Chrome as well!
Testing Object-Oriented CSS (OOCSS) for easier CSS development
Let’s face it: developing CSS that should work across various web browsers and platforms is hard, and could prove to be quite a challenge. This is where Object-Oriented CSS (OOCSS) steps in.
Content Management Systems are a dying breed
Based on my experience and thoughts over the years, and feedback from a number of very smart and talented people, I believe that Content Management Systems (CMS) are far from the promised savior, but rather the bane of web sites.
My trip to Lisbon, Portugal, and the Codebits conference
I had the pleasure of spending last week in Lisbon, Portugal, for the Codebits conference.
Speaking at Codebits in Lisbon, Portugal
Next stop on my little European tour is Codebits in Lisbon, Portugal!