Dennis Ritchie, RIP
Pioneering computer scientist Dennis Ritchie has passed away at the age of 70. Ritchie was a father of both the Unix operating system and the C programming language.
While unknown to many, his tremendous contribution to technology, both directly and indirectly has affected the lives of most people in the world. Virtually all software in use today from web servers through to your phone and even your microwave can be traced back to his work.
Do yourself a favour and upgrade your browser today!
Having worked with many clients over the years, I’ve noticed that many people are still using old, out of date versions of their web browser. Many of them don’t even realise how much they are missing out on!
Most web developers and major companies have dropped support for older browsers like ie6, so some sites will not display how they are intended to. Although all good web developers will insert alternative code for older browsers to display correctly, a lot of new technologies will only work in new browsers
For example, all those nice rounded corners and shadows on your new design will not appear in older browsers without a lot of extra work and code that will slow down your sites performance. You could be missing so many features on your own or your favourite website without even knowing it!
The more you stay up to date, the more it will push the web industry to give a more innovative experience to you, the user.
Older browsers are also more and more vulnerable to modern threats. Of course you shouldn’t just rely on a browser to protect you, but an older browser can be an easy way in for these threats – so why not update?
The best part is that all of the major browser updates are free to download, so there really is no reason not to keep up to date and take advantage of all the great new features out there!
eSterling client Frumoo launches new pack design for its new semi skimmed recipe
We love to see our clients grow, so it was great to receive this press release from Frumoo in my inbox this morning…
Frumoo has completely revamped its packaging and launches its new pack look with Ocado.com later this week.
“We want to show what’s at the heart of our Frumoo smoothies, which is a love of British provenance. With of course our brand mascot Bertie the Cow looking on,” says Founder Maria Leavesley. “You have to keep evolving to survive, so we’ve also reduced our box size by a third, very compact.”
“It’s the only product in this category to be made with fresh milk, not yoghurt. We’ve got to get that message out there,” adds entrepreneur Sir David Tang, Frumoo’s financial backer.
Made exclusively with fresh British milk and all natural fruit, the new look Frumoo now uses semi skimmed instead of whole milk, following the School Food Trust Guidelines.
As delicious as the original but now with fewer calories and even lower sugar, each 200ml re-sealable pouch provides a quarter of a child’s recommended daily Calcium intake and 100% of their daily Vitamin C requirement.
Also new on pack is the stamp of approval from the Vegetarian Society and a partnership to aid recycling with Terracycle, as well as an endorsement from leading Nutritionist Christine Bailey.
Two flavours: Blackcurrant, Plum & Apple and Raspberry, Pear & Apple. New price £2.99 for Multipack x 4 (200ml pouches).
For more information, images or just a chat please get in touch with Cally: mum@frumoo.com or call 01283 790111.
Visit www.frumoo.com to find out more and to check out their eye catching and interactive website that was developed by eSterling.
Are paid links bad for my website?
I often hear people in the SEO world saying all paid links are bad news. If you’re buying links from link farms or spammy sites then Google may penalise your website, but there are also a lot of good quality links out there that are up for grabs.
These could include links generated through press releases, directory listings, article submissions or adverts. All of these sources create links that will bring relevant traffic to your website. They are also available from genuine sources. So why should Google penalise you for paying for these links?
In fact, Google likes to see your site being given a ‘thumbs-up’ by other websites, as this shows positive interaction with your brand. Think of the times you’ve shared a link to a site with a friend because you’ve found it helpful, or fun, or interesting…
So next time you hear the term paid links don’t automatically think ‘bad’, because there are a number of paid links that could be beneficial to your website. Simply give us a call for more information about how to create good quality links to improve your Google rankings.
Back to Basics Part 4: Hosting
What is hosting?
Web hosting is basically making sure your website is available online. Your website will be hosted on powerful computers called servers which are connected to the Internet at all times.
Is it secure?
eSterling use Cloud hosting which has a safe, reliable infrastructure meaning that your site is always available. We take daily back-ups of your site to preserve your web content. Sensitive information (such as payment details or customer information) will be securely exchanged between you and your customers and will be stored in a safe way.
Is it flexible?
Absolutely. The nature of Cloud hosting means that if you need more space it is always available, so if your website expands the hosting system will expand too. We can always add more resources, just contact us to discuss your requirements.
Is it expensive?
In many cases eSterling offer secure hosting packages for free, as part of your wider service with us.
eSterling offers a bespoke hosting package for each of our clients, handling each site in the most appropriate way. If you have a large site and require dedicated hosting, we can offer a safe and secure package. Simply call us today to find out more.
Steve Jobs – Well the day has finally come…
People will remember the legacy of Steve Jobs: a visionary, inventor, designer, entrepreneur and icon. But we all need to remember that the people that will feel the loss more deeply are those who call him a Husband, Father, Brother and friend.
Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011
His creations have touched the world in so many ways, the iMac, iPod, iPhone & iPad have literally changed the way we go about our daily business. As a Web Designer his creations have changed the way I do my job – I cannot understate the influence he has had, and continues to have on my career.
I’ve read many articles already today relating to what he gave the world and what type of man he was but one of my favourite articles is written by someone who didn’t know him very well, but lived just a few doors away from his home in Palo Alto, a fascinating read:
http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/my-neighbor-steve-jobs
The fact that I learnt of his death while using one of his devices is really not lost on me. I own quite a few Apple products and they all do their job perfectly and seamlessly, I would dearly love to list benefits of my Apple products but I could be here for quite a while! But all I will say is that they make life easier which is all you can hope for really.
Steve you truly have made a difference, ‘Thank you’ doesn’t really seem to cut it.
Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011
“Don’t be sad because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
Steve Jobs, RIP
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
The New iPhone – what do you think?
After much speculation, the brand new iPhone was launched yesterday. Many of us were expecting a fifth version of the popular gadget, but instead we’ve had to settle (for now) for the iPhone 4S.
The presence of Steve Jobs was missed as new Apple CEO Tim Cook took the helm to talk us through the new features. Although the iPhone 4S is not a re-invention of the smartphone, there are some pretty good features…
The iPhone 4S benefits from having the iPad 2’s dual-core A5 processor under its hood, making it twice as fast as its predecessor. The dual-core graphics are seven times faster too which is good news for gamers. Video recording has also been upgraded to full 1080p HD.
Better still, it will be noticeably improved in terms of call quality – something that has always bothered iPhone fans in the past.
There was also a surprising new feature that has left opinions divided…
The new Siri intelligent personal assistant comes loaded on the 4S and is a voice-controlled information device. You shout your question into your iPhone, and Siri gives you the answer (albeit after a few attempts). Personally, the thought of scary Siri’s voice has me reaching for the mute button!
So will you be buying an iPhone 4S on 14th October? Or will you hold out for the iPhone 5, rumoured to be launched early next year?
Either way, this new launch confirms that the Apple iPhone is here to stay – so make sure your website is iPhone compatible by calling us today.
The Google +1 button is rolled out for use on the move
Google+ has enjoyed huge success since its release in late June of this year, reaching 10 million users within the first two weeks! Now that Google + is available to everyone, its popularity is growing and this trend looks set to continue.
A lot of Google + users have described it as a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter – a new social networking tool that integrates with the web seamlessly. Both Facebook and Twitter are available as smart phones applications, so when will Google follow suit?
Google+ is taking its first baby step in to the mobile web world with the introduction of the +1 button to mobile browsers. It should already be available to anyone running either iOS 4.0+ or Android 2.1+ browsers. More browsers are destined to follow.
We should expect continuous updates from the search giant over the next few months. Technically, Google+ isn’t even out of the Beta stage yet – so who knows how powerful it will become once all the bugs are ironed out.
It is estimated that more than 1 million websites have the Google +1 button embedded into them – make sure yours is one of them and call eSterling to update your site today!
What the hell is Responsive Web Design and do I need it!?
The clever chaps in the eSterling Development Team like to think they keep up-to-date with what’s going on in the industry and were therefore all over ‘Responsive Web Design’ some years ago.
It has grown to be a quite an important ideology throughout the internet and therefore deservers a mention on these hallowed pages.
The Idea
The thought process of Responsive Web Design is to build a site which responds and is even able to adapt depending on how the user is viewing the site. Here are just a few parameters which have an effect on how a web site is rendered:
- Browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari etc)
- Monitor Resolution (1024×768, 1280×1024 etc)
- Size of Monitor (11″, 15″, 17″ etc)
- Ratio of Monitor (4:3, 5:3 etc)
- Device (PC, Mac, Tablet, Mobile Phone)
There are one or two variants there but that’s not the half of it!
Here at eSterling we’ve been perfecting this methodology and now incorporate this into every single web build we now undertake. TEST TEST TEST! is the cry from our Development team and our customers reap the benefits!
So next time you need a website always remember to test it as much as possible because you never know what crazy set up some people are using!
I have covered the very basics here but to learn how to incorporate responsive web design into your web site visit our good friends at Smashing Magazine for more information.