Durden

Done!

I would say a fair few people know how they really work. However I worry for the generation that is younger than myself (and I'm only 28) that they won't know how they work or be truly inspired to do great things with them. There is a new school being built where I live and every child will be giving a free Ipad! Buy in a load of Raspberry PI's and inspire kids with small projects that will show them the potential of technology. If kids in this country were inspired the right way in school then our computer industry might actually be good in this country in a decade or so. As far as I am aware schools and universities get massive discounts from Apple and call me cynical, but it's a clever tactic by Apple. Have the kids using thei stuff at school and their parents and themselves will be future customers. At the end of day Apple will probably never let customers tinkle with the hardware. That sort of thing is not Apple's strong selling point...theirs is the brand. @Alluziion You are so right about the board. Jobs didn't create much for the products, but he knew what customers would buy and how to be able to charge a premium for the product and get the customer to still feel grateful. The man was a genius of business. Cook on the other hand is a numbers man, not a visionary.

I must say I this is quite a statement " Apple has gripped the next generation of computer users"! When I was quite a bit younger I was exposed to Windows and Macs at the same time. Macs were quite fun, but no use as I couldn't pull them to apart! My own windows machine (95) was slow by todays standards. However it inspired me to become quite obsessed with PC's. I took it to pieces, put it back together and it worked! I broke Windows so many times but at the same time discovered things that others around me didn't know. The idea of what you imply with your statement actually scares the crap out of me. Sure kids will know how to do cool stuff with software (great you can do that with windows and linux too). My concern is they won't know how their computers work, they won't even think about it and if your statement became true then they would be as locked to Apple as the hardware and software is. I don't think Apple are bad, they have done some good things, however even investors are getting nervous that they will be unable to keep the gravy train flowing. I'm sure Apple has some amazingly talented people working for them, however if the people at the top can't see the big picture...well we all know what happened in the 90's.

If you think Microsoft's grip on the market is weakening and Apple's is getting stronger, you should read these numbers closely http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0 The grip looks pretty tight to me! Not sure how Apple can ever compete with Microsoft on their home turf when Windows works on a silly range of hardware and Mac OS...well is for Apple only. Apple hasn't made its silly money trying to beat Microsoft at what it does well, it's made it by doing what Microsoft has not done well. Then again if Apple spent some of it's profits on a decent amount of R&D rather than stuffing in under their bed they make some progress elsewhere...they can only ride the Ipad/Iphone wave for so long.

I wouldn't say Google are struggling, in fact Google + is growing at a huge rate. I don't see it competing with Facebook as the way it's evolving means it suits different people that use Facebook. I use it more than Facebook now and I really like it. The amount of interesting and intelligent conversations you come across are really good. IMO Facebook has become old and pretty boring. Its good for people using the chat function I suppose, but my wall is just littered with blooming suggested posts. When Facebook was listed and they had cash in the bank, they should have invested it in developing a variety of products that would make them regular money. If only Mark could come up with another idea, instead all he can see is Facebook. IF Google had stuck to being just a Search Engine, then yes they would still be big and make money. They have financed so many projects that are really useful, software and real life hardware. You want to start a social network, go for I say. I don't buy into the whole, Facebook has is sewn up! We need people to challenge what is here already to ensure that the experience people have online grows through those not driven by just shareholders. A social network may need investment and cost good money to run, however always remember "Big things have small beginnings".

I am finishing my computer science degree at the moment. The module choice has been quite varied and on the most part interesting. A big part of it is programming, especially related to wed development. Last year was C++ with this year having a focus on PHP and Javascript. Throw in Systems Design and Analysis (Agile), CIsco Networking, Database Development (SQL), work based project and even some psychology (ICT in society) and I've learnt quite a bit. PC for me, Apple (products) are of a good standard, I just prefer how Windows work. Plus I prefer to build my own machine as I've not built an unreliable one yet...Apple obviously doesn't let you do this.

It depends what you consider to be too much. To be honest 70 quid doesn't get you much, that would only be what 3 hours of my time. Its not right to charge by the page, it's how much time goes into a project and the overall quality of that work. For 70 quid the design work will be very minimal as will the functionality of the website. A CMS site works pretty much the same, (Anee), it can be set up in no time at all, however it comes down to the details of where the design came from. Too many people sell a CMS site with a cut up theme that they purchased for next to nothing. To have a custom built design for a CMS tends to cost in the thousands range, and for good reason. The only reason to charge more is if you are good at what you do. Skill set and experience are key. Back to the original question by teodora, I think for a family friend that is probably still a little cheap. You should charge them a reduced rate per hour, show that reduced rate on a quote and they will know they are getting a good deal from you. Stevo!

It may be, the registration town is the same as the profile. I assume cash is made through advertising only.

I'll give more detailed feedback when I can.... Quick note, your embedded youtube video plays automatically when the web page loads up....this is a pet hate of mine...and for alot of people. If you learn some basic html5 you will have no need to use a youtube video. Stevo

But others do, folk like you do jobs for nothing and then people expect jobs done for nothing in the future....it simply devalues the service that is provided to the customer. On a separate note, you tone and wording in posts is fairly arrogant...rather than taking work off people...get back to your supposed successful business....

You could do worse than use software such as FreeAgent (http://www.freeagent.com/tour/invoicing). The contract is sent before works begin. And yes you can edit it in browser then download and print it off. Where possible get an actual signature from the authorised person. You could email them and they can email back agreeing to the terms of the contract, which is them basically legally entering the contact. I would present two invoices, if you take part payment. One for any payment due upfront and one for final payment once works have been completed. Good luck to you! Stevo!

Would something like this do? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-D505-Pentium-M-1-5Ghz-40GB-15-DVD-CDRW-Wifi-Wireless-Laptop-P3-/230865861110?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item35c0ad79f6 Kit like this would allow them to explore different aspects of computing with his children. If he sticks Linux on them, then in a couple of years his kids should be pretty good with a computer. They could also try out some simple coding as there is resources out there for kids of this age. Good luck! Stevo!

Hi, HTML and CSS plus PHP is enough to start freelancing. The question is, doing what? You could freelance as a coder, putting together other peoples designs ready for the web. The other option could be to do the whole job, design and code. To go freelance I would say that you need a few portfolio pieces, to show potential clients what you can do. These do not have to be for real clients, do some mock designs and code some for made up businesses. The other option would be to approach a local charity and offer to do a website for them, free of charge of course. This would allow you to start on your development process (how you go from project investigation, to design, to build and to live). It would give you a feel of how it is to work for a real client too. Once you have this and a decent portfolio site...the hard work then begins. Pick an area to market yourself and get out there and speak to people. Shout about your business, services and what you can do for businesses. A brand can be alot easier to market than just a name. People tend to forget names, but a business name with decent branding, will stick. Honestly, just start thinking about why you want to help businesses become a success online, grab some paper, try out some names and then sketch out some ideas for a logo. Once you have something, then go and use photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp or whatever you like to use and get it made. Show it to folk who are not just web designers, as they may tend to look at the technical aspects of the design. However other folk will tell you from a non design view. Hope some of this helps and good luck to you! Stevo!

such a helpful evaluation of a website that someone has taken time and effort to put together. Your possibly as bad as the people who post looking for feedback and they never ever post back. Oh...guess your trying to get your post count up!

I do actually remember your previous build. My first thought of the new one, was it looks cool. That is until the wooden background image..loaded some seconds later. I'm not sure of what you could use yet, perhaps just an actual CSS colour (which would speed loading time). I quite like the header and the splodges on the main page. Web Design Page - As much as we all love talking about ourself's...potential clients do not. They want to read about what you are going to do for their business and an overview of how it will benefit their business. There is no one thing they care about more than THEIR business. If you secure interest and you meet a potential client then they may want to find out more personally about you. I would recommend reading some articles on copywriting to sell or even better grab a copy of Ogilvy on Advertising. Essentially that is what you site is, a selling tool, and your services are the product. When I buy any new web design book, it always tells me what reading it will do for me and how it will benefit me...same goes for your website. You state on the page the following "Because I am aiming to build on my web design portfolio, I am willing to make you a website for, compared to the current market, next to nothing." To me this says that you are not a professional and so I will be receiving a website that is not as good as it could be if I had paid a few hundred pounds more. Don't sell yourself short and don't appear to offer to do work for next to nothing, clients may take advantage and other designers in your area may not like it that you are offering almost free web design....be nice to fellow neighbours. Portfolio - it may be better if you were to lay this out in a grid format for easier reading, ie..less having to scroll. The Apple product pics are nice and all...but don't do much for me. Simple screenshot, description of project (shows that you know what your talking about) and most importantly a prominent link to the live sites. This builds customer confidence that you have actually done the sites, they are live and they can see how good you are. Never hide your work away...scream about it! Logo Design - Same as the portfolio section really, except you can't link to the live products. Still a brief on the project would be nice. Contact Page - Try and put a contact form, makes you seem professional and you are less likely to get spammed as you can use validation. It would be great to see a blog on your site. This lets potential clients (business owners and agencies) know that you are active in your love for all things WEB! It's also great for SEO if you update it on a regular basis. Link up on social media sites and see if people will comment on your blog posts...which will again help you SEO. Well I hope I've not been too harsh. None of this is personal, just based on what I see and read. I hope it helps. Stevo!

The layout seems ok, however I do think the site in general is a little dark, the navigation is dark grey, and your background is black, not very appealing. In terms of the market you are trying to reach and products you are selling I perhaps try a design that is more lively and has some fun colours. After all is that not what you are selling, tools for fun if you like. Hope this helps in a way. Stevo!

Web design is alot more than good coding practices, which can be easily learnt. Design however is something that you will be learning every day, no matter how long you spend at it....good job it's lots of fun! All that green on black is pretty tough on the eyes, takes me back to a job that had computer systems that displayed everything in green on black..after 3 years of using them, the result is now glasses! You site will be a solid first attempt if you can tone done the colours. Check out some websites online for more modern design looks, http://designshack.net/articles/inspiration/the-30-best-web-design-gallery-picks-of-2012/ These it can be a plus to space content out so everything is not so cramped on the screen. Good luck on the never ending twisting road of web design! Stevo!

your logo at the top - it was quite difficult to read the words that curve round the inside. This section is more for actual coded website reviews. As this is just a design it should be in that section of the forum. Stevo!

I guess some of these might help you http://ibrandstudio.com/inspiration/helpful-tutorials-to-make-your-own-social-media-icons Stevo!

I'll wade in on a delicate topic here. By bespoke he means, a site that is designed and coded from the ground up. No templates and no site builders. Dreamweaver can be used as a site builder, however many use it to just do good old fashioned code, no table layouts or anything. wordpress and other CMS platforms are not exactly site biulders. Yes you can install templates and create your own menus and insert your own page content. However for it to be bespoke, it simply means coding the theme yourself. If you do a bespoke website then it is completely unique and is designed for the specific requirements of the client, rather than the requirements fitting a website builder / template. Bespoke is not a site that a user can manage themselves, that is a Content Management System, like Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal and many more (though a client will need some training in it) If you are offering web services and will use a website builder to deliver the website to the client, you need to be very clear to them that is what they are paying for, not a bespoke job. Top dollar is paid for websites that are coded from scratch and designed from scratch following a development process. My thinking is that you should look at some recent HTML and CSS tutorials, start with the basics, learning how to use DIV's and even HTML. Learn CSS to add style and positioning of elements on your site. Try using an editor like Notepadd++ (free of charge) which will force you to type ever word and line of code (unlike Dreamweaver which anticipates the code for you). It will be tough going to begin with, but with time and hardwork you will know the coding without having to really think about it. In terms of the website being dated, I think that Railport means, websites have moved on quite a bit from the type of design that you have gone for. For some inspiration check out http://www.1stwebdes...ortfolios-2012/ Hopefully this helps you. Reactions can seem harsh and personal, but please try and not take them to heart. The web industry is a warm place and there are so many people that are willing to pass on knowledge ( this forum is filled with them). What people on this site, and in the industry do not want though, is people offering inaccurate described services to clients as it distorts the image of what web development companies are about. As I said hope something in this helps and good luck on this fun but never ending road of learning! Stevo! Oh, and I'm not trying to say that you are miss-selling your services, beacuse your not I just wanted to pass on some knowledge about bespoke design over other methods. If your wanting customers to manage their own sites, then a CMS may be the solution for you.

An angry sheep...like....

perhaps move this to the server side section, pm a few members who specialise in PHP. Stevo!

There's giving constructive criticism and then there's telling someone there work is "crap"! I'm getting so tired of hearing folk go on and on about people using templates! The comments they receive on this basis must make them think...Why would I want to get any better at what I do because I may turn in to the same folk that basically have a go at me. Peoples work will always have flaws, small and major ones. For the industry as a whole its important to encourage people in a way that you are not just putting your own personal feelings down. If they think people in this industry are not nice then they may pick another career. You all know who you are, try getting of that pedestal that you have put yourself on and make this forum a warmer place. Stevo!

I've used wordpress to for a site that allows you to download the product that has been paid for. It was the shopping cart that made it possible. check out this list http://wpmu.org/21-e-commerce-plugins-and-shopping-carts-for-wordpress-3-0/ Stevo!