Web design news week in review 20 January 2007

Are you sick of the iPhone yet? It's not even out yet, and I've gone from desperately wanting one to dissing anyone who even uses the word. At least, if I had the emotions the media ascribes to me, I would... My personal theory is that nothing could be as good or as bad as the hype that's been all around it. "It runs Leopard!" "It runs nothing!" "It's better than cake!" "It's worse than a heart attack!" Until I know whether my pages will look better on it than on a Wii, I don't know that I care at all...

• This was actually announced last week (1/8) but I didn't see it until now, I guess I was too caught up in the iPhone buzz! Adobe and Verisign are going to collaborate to distribute rich media (aka Flash) content on Web sites.
• Another item that got lost in the iPhone buzz was that Barebones has release a new version of BBEdit - version 8.6.
• SiteVista now tests more than just Web pages. You can use it to see how your HTML emails will look as well.
• If you blink you'll miss it. Mozilla is scheduled to release Firefox 3 in Q3 or Q4 of 2007. Are the browser wars re-heating?
• Drupal has released version 5.0 and it's also it's sixth birthday. Happy birthday, Drupal!
• Okay, this isn't really Web related, it's just disturbing - Anywhere the eye can see, it's likely to see an ad. One of the reasons we dumped our TV was to get away from all the ads. But now they're showing up on EGGS!?!? I'll be buying chickens soon.
• Weebly makes Web creation easy - at least that's what they say. They launched this week and use Web 2.0 tools to help people build sites.
• There is now a sweeping Dutch law that requires Web standards. They are also very pro-accessibility.
• Are you worried about how to protect your data from Google? You might be surprised at the things that can make their way into the Google database. But luckily Tony, the Network Security Guide at About, has an article on how to Protect Yourself from 'Google Hacking'
• Don't worry, if you run a corporate site it will soon be on your site. Phew! I was worried that I might find out about all those XSS (cross-site scripting) holes before a genuine hacker exploited them - but now we can all continue to rely on the negative-publicity-is-better-than-no-publicity theory...
• Jeremy Keith has released a new book: Bulletproof Ajax.
• And Vitamin has unveiled their new job board. Web developers can find and post jobs here.
• If you are running a Web application that wants to take advantage of Google services, now there is an accunt authentication proxy from Google.
• WordPress has released an update for security - version 2.07.
• Brian at Copyblogger has written an interesting article on Link Building Strategies that Work. These are some great suggestions, and let me tell you, they work.
• Okay, I don't usually think a lot about my office furniture, but Herman Miller (maker of the Aeron chair, mine is green, what color is yours?) has a license to create a desk that will recharge your devices. I'd consider updating my Dania desk for that.
• If you're trying to figure out how to write "linkbait" hold on a second - Search Engine Land says that that is passé Instead, you should be working on Widgetbait.
• Now you can do heuristic testing for Web applications. Or you can just make sure your apps don't fall into one of these traps.
• Steelpixel has just announced lifetime hosting. Never think about where to host again (or pay, for that matter).
• Now Andy is working on more than just speed optimization. He's released an explanation of color harmony and how to adjust your images to be more, well, harmonious. Not for the faint of heart, there are even math symbols on the page! :-)
• According to Information Week, IE is still losing ground to Firefox. And that's with their 100 million IE 7 installs. Hmmm.
• Apparently, to stay on AOL as a blogger, you have to stick to the standard outlets - they are letting go "editors of smaller and unprofitable sites" by the end of the month. Buh-bye.. no more niches for you.