the singularity of being and nothingness
Microsoft
Emails in Outlook 2010…Ugh.
Aug 14th
At work, we recently kicked off an effort to make sure that all of the emails coming from our applications are Outlook 2010 compliant…meaning that they render in a reasonably acceptable manner–at least as emails go. On the surface, this doesn’t appear to be that big of a deal. However, for us it is, because the prior version for which we tested emails was Outlook 2003.
So what’s the problem? Well, if you didn’t hear, Microsoft made the brilliant move of deciding to switch their email-rendering engine from IE (Outlook 2003 and before) to Word. In short, this means a massive decrease in support for HTML standards, CSS support, etc. In fact, the move is so counter-standards that an entire movement has been started to try to pressure Microsoft into fixing the problem…so far, nothing.
But arguments about the “smartness” of this change aside, the facts on the ground still require that my co-workers and I fix some emails. So far, my experience has been that in terms of layout, not a huge amount of revision has been necessary. What has caused issues, however, is the lack of CSS support. If you ever find yourself needing to get an email looking decent in Outlook More >
Microsoft Word is the Devil
Mar 1st
I've made clear in the past my great distaste for Microsoft Word and the "formatting" which it injects into WYSIWYG fields. I could write scores of pages about my dislike, but I'll let the following example speak for me. Keep in mind that the following is for 19 words.
<p><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDONVAN%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDONVAN%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDONVAN%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><w:WordDocument><w:View>Normal</w:View><w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom><w:TrackMoves /><w:TrackFormatting /><w:PunctuationKerning /><w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /><w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid><w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent><w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText><w:DoNotPromoteQF /><w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther><w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian><w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript><w:Compatibility><w:BreakWrappedTables /><w:SnapToGridInCell /><w:WrapTextWithPunct /><w:UseAsianBreakRules /><w:DontGrowAutofit /><w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark /><w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp /><w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables /><w:DontVertAlignInTxbx /><w:Word11KerningPairs /><w:CachedColBalance /></w:Compatibility><w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel><m:mathPr><m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math" /><m:brkBin m:val="before" /><m:brkBinSub m:val="--" /><m:smallFrac m:val="off" /><m:dispDef /><m:lMargin m:val="0" /><m:rMargin m:val="0" /><m:defJc m:val="centerGroup" /><m:wrapIndent m:val="1440" /><m:intLim m:val="subSup" /><m:naryLim m:val="undOvr" /></m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"LatentStyleCount="267"><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7" /><w:LsdException Locked="false" More >
removeChild() and IE7
Jan 27th
Just a quick post 🙂
I've been working on a pretty simple bit of code where one "row" of information is removed and added to a different table of information. Pretty simple stuff.
However, I ran into a issue with IE7 (go figure, right?). When using the "removeChild()" function, IE was not always removing the element specified. I debugged my code to no end, and couldn't find any issues.
Now I'm not sure if this is an actual bug, or an error in implementation on my part, but I ran across a post that seems to indicate that the best way to handle removeChild() in IE is to recursively remove all of the element's children, ending with the element itself (most other browsers don't seem to care, and just remove what you ask for!).
So really, I'm saying anything new, but just getting Google a bit more information to work with to other poor slobs looking for this answer.
Here's where I found the solution:
And here's the recursive function:
function removeChildSafe(el) { //before deleting el, recursively delete all of its children. while(el.childNodes.length > 0) { removeChildSafe(el.childNodes[el.childNodes.length-1]); } el.parentNode.removeChild(el);}
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Will Chrome Kill Firefox?
Oct 12th
I've read alot of articles on the interblog in which people claim that Google's new browser, Chrome, will hurt Firefox, rather than Internet Explorer. The biggest reason for this, the protagonists claim, is that given that Internet Explorer users are the least likely to change their browsers, the majority of acceptance of Chrome will come from others…hence the hit to Firefox.
But is this really accurate? I don't buy it. The way I see it, the argument made above is true, but in reverse. It is undeniable that people who use IE, besides being horribly misguided in their choice of browsers, are less than likely to switch to a new browser. But it is equally true, IMO, that those who use Firefox are already predisposed to using more than one browser. So rather than a huge pile of competition, Chrome represents just another option.
Of course, if Chrome turns out to be really flippin' cool (which I don't see yet…) and vastly superior to all other options, it is probably more accurate that ALL browsers are in trouble. The time is not far away when Google will be placing proprietary OS's on new computers and, just like the Behemoth Microsoft before it, More >
The Day to End All Days
Mar 24th
Well, in case you live in a hole somewhere, the next three weeks are shaping up to be huge. In less than two weeks, God-fearing Americans will celebrate the day-before-Lent (Fat Tuesday) by more or less determining the identities of the Democratic and Repulican presidential nominees. In another week and two days, lovers across the world will commemorate their passions with cheap chocolates and over-priced floral arrangements.
Yet few realize that an even more momentous event will occur between these big days. But this event will be truly earth-shaking, and it will hit February 12th.
No, it's not the most recent Jack Van Impe prediction for the return of Christ, and it is not the release date of what is going to be the incredibly awesome sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight.
Nope. February 12th is none other than the death of Internet Explorer 6.
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, and not entirely accurate. Despite fervent prayers in support of IE6's digicide, IE 6 has proven, historically, to be more difficult to kill than it is to design a website for (and that's saying something!). Rather, February 12th marks the date when Internet Explorer 7–IE 6's better (but still not More >
IE8 Beta and Kicking Microsoft to the Curb
Mar 24th
Ok, so for those who know me, I've never exactly been the biggest fan of ANYTHING that Microsoft has forced upon the genearl computing public. IMO, Word is about the best thing that they've done, and even that is pretty lame.
Obviously, I have complained more than once about how Microsoft does (or maybe I should say "doesn't do) the web. However, because of the fact that the majority of people still use this inferior browser, I've tolerated it.
Well, this last week, the beta of IE8 came out .
(Warning: To install IE8 you will have to install it over the top of IE7–you can't run them side-by-side. However, IE8 does allow for the emulation of IE7, which is a reasonable compromise)
Over the last couple of weeks, I've done a fair bit of reading about IE8, and even blogged about it . So it was with some anticipation that I signed up for the beta. On the whole, the improvements are positive. The interface itself looks a bit better (less off-color-ish than IE7 and IE6) and cleaner. There are a bunch of add-ons (called "Actions") that can be downloaded, and for what is the first time (I think), developers can actually begin More >
IE8 Beta and Kicking Microsoft to the Curb
Mar 19th
Ok, so for those who know me, I've never exactly been the biggest fan of ANYTHING that Microsoft has forced upon the genearl computing public. IMO, Word is about the best thing that they've done, and even that is pretty lame.
Obviously, I have complained more than once about how Microsoft does (or maybe I should say "doesn't do) the web. However, because of the fact that the majority of people still use this inferior browser, I've tolerated it.
Well, this last week, the beta of IE8 came out .
(Warning: To install IE8 you will have to install it over the top of IE7–you can't run them side-by-side. However, IE8 does allow for the emulation of IE7, which is a reasonable compromise)
Over the last couple of weeks, I've done a fair bit of reading about IE8, and even blogged about it . So it was with some anticipation that I signed up for the beta. On the whole, the improvements are positive. The interface itself looks a bit better (less off-color-ish than IE7 and IE6) and cleaner. There are a bunch of add-ons (called "Actions") that can be downloaded, and for what is the first time (I think), developers can actually begin More >
The Day to End All Days
Jan 25th
Well, in case you live in a hole somewhere, the next three weeks are shaping up to be huge. In less than two weeks, God-fearing Americans will celebrate the day-before-Lent (Fat Tuesday) by more or less determining the identities of the Democratic and Repulican presidential nominees. In another week and two days, lovers across the world will commemorate their passions with cheap chocolates and over-priced floral arrangements.
Yet few realize that an even more momentous event will occur between these big days. But this event will be truly earth-shaking, and it will hit February 12th.
No, it's not the most recent Jack Van Impe prediction for the return of Christ, and it is not the release date of what is going to be the incredibly awesome sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight.
Nope. February 12th is none other than the death of Internet Explorer 6.
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, and not entirely accurate. Despite fervent prayers in support of IE6's digicide, IE 6 has proven, historically, to be more difficult to kill than it is to design a website for (and that's saying something!). Rather, February 12th marks the date when Internet Explorer 7–IE 6's better (but still not More >
