Google launches O3D, 3D in browser

Google launched today a plugin to get 3D in the browser. A very exciting news for the guys that are pushing for 3D in our day to day web browsing. The downside is that you have to install a small plugin to get this to work, the engine is based on their own JavaScript engin, V8.

The demos are pretty cool, but it begs the question: Google way or the canvas way of Mozilla ? Well for my part I don’t know, I tend to say more open is better, so Mozilla is ahead in my opinion.

However, Google said this was only an example of what it could be. They wanted to “start” a discussion on the ways to push 3D in our browser. Kind of crazy…

Google launch analytic API

Good news to you guys out there that always wanted to have Analytic in your CMS. Google just launched an API that does just that! I did not have a very good look at the API but it looks pretty cool. With this release I feel pretty sorry for companies out there that had a statistic API to sell. Go Google! Take over the world!

Head over to Google for more informations!

Does making an IE6 stylesheet makes you lazy?

I always wondered what was more time efficient between using an IE6 stylesheet for every bug I see, or try to track down the problem in my website. Most common bugs can be solved without using css tricks. I can pretty much say that half my ie6 css bugs are in fact small errors in my coding but that got fixed by newer browsers automatically.

I rarely use an IE6 stylesheet mainly because I learned most IE6 problems and do workarounds before testing on it. I think it makes my templates more solid that way. When I know this template works on IE6, IE7 and Firefox without the use of IE stylesheets, I know it will probably work everywhere.

I know the IE png fix needs to…

Feature your products with Jquery

When you have to put forward 2 or 3 products on your web page, you always ask yourself : How I’m gonna offer an interesting view of these products? Well this script can help a bit. Using Jquery it can animate 2 or 3 products creating an interesting way of displaying them.

When you click on a product, the product image will zoom out to see a featured close-up shot and a description. When you click on another product, the last opened product will zoom back and the new clicked product will zoom out. Here’s an example so you can understand better:

View demo

Get this to work on your website

First you will need to use my HTML structure. Don’t forget to put a height and a…

Position:Absolute Beta

Perhaps a bit more ambition than it was, Position Absolute is relaunching with a new concept.

The design is a somewhat, an heavily modified template from Smashing Magazine. Hope you like it.

Javascript timesaver ressources

The last 2 weeks have been very busy, but I still took time to write this little entry. As developers we all have to code javascript snippets, but most of the time, chances are, someone has already done this script. And chances are, he did it better.

Using javascript snippets can really be a timesaver, here are some websites than can help you create a really good javascript components library.

ajaxrain.com

This site is delightful, you want something, it has it. Image galleries, ajax form, form validators, etc. All scripts are written for every popular library like mootool and jquery. The scripts are handpicked and the quality is there. I don’t think you’ll find a poorly written script. My scripts never got in this site actually !

devsnippets.com

A newcomer…

CSS for IE6, 6 common problems and fast ways to fix them

At some point in the internet evolution, IE6 was the Golden Grail of browsers. Big CSS support, new features, it had everything. That was 10 years ago, in a time where the words “web standards” meant the same thing as go fu** yourself. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn’t have to update it, IE6 competitors were practically nonexistent or not worth bothering.

Now IE6 is a pain in the ass. I will try to give you tips that will relieve your pain.

1. IE6 double margin bug when using float property on a div

Ahh this is one of the most common bug, but also the easiest to correct. If you use margins on a floated DIV , most of the time (yeah not always, weird..) it will double your margin…

Do you know who is Brendan Eich?

Brendan Eich is the Javascript language inventor, that’s certainly something good to have on your curriculum!

Brendan invented javascript when he was at Netscape. But how old do you think he is? He isn’t even fifty. The guy works at Mozilla as Chief Technology Officer (I like that title) and is actually 48. I really wonder how it is to go to Mozilla on your first workday and present yourself to your new team:

- So… on what did you work prior to Mozilla?
- Well you know, I invented javascript, the language half your team workings with or on, no big deal.

Anyway, just wanted to share my amazement of the day, Brendan explains a bit more on how JavaScript is born in his blog here:

http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/roadmap/archives/2008/04/popularity.html#more.

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100% CSS compatibility or degrade correctly?

This article was first featured on cssglobe

I was talking with a front-end developer friend recently and was arguing that I would try to only use CSS3 rounded corners and shadows in the near future. No more pixel perfect for IE if it degrades correctly. My friend was not far from being outraged, for him, the user experience is King, and all users should have access to the same experience.

New CSS properties have enabled us with so many possibilities. Shadows and rounded corners are now possible in CSS3 but we have a problem, IE users do not see them. Should we use them anyway or should we implement longer CSS tricks to get those beautiful effects for IE users.

From an ethical point I agree with my…