drumbass

Call it sitemap.xml and stick it in the root - that's the default location that all search engines will look for it. Of course you can place it elsewhere and point your robots file to that if you want to. I usually do both and then submit to webmaster tools for good measure! Bing has a similar tool that you can join and use to submit your sitemap there too. Can't remember if Yahoo does or not...

A good start is to include a 'browser reset' at the top of your file - this clears all the default styles across the browsers and gives you a clean slate on which to build. While this will not solve all of your problems it will certainly help. http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/css/reset/

I have tried it. It has some problems though with the way it handles comments and renders JS. Better to run the native app IMO. Also you can't run it on a Mac, nor Linux (as far as I'm aware...). You should try Virtualbox.

When you get sent an .ai or .psd file by someone it does come in handy! (or do those apps handle these file formats?). I don't doubt that the free apps are fine (in some respects better - less bloat i'd imagine) than Adobe/CS, but you can't deny that it is industry standard - and I'm not saying that this makes it better. Have you tried Virtualbox for your IE testing? http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads I use the same images on Windows/OSX and Linux, no problem.

Don't forget Sun Virtualbox if you're looking to run windows from within OSX - it's free! You can have an installation of XP with IE6, one with IE7 and a version of Windows 7 with IE8 for testing as separate installations. It's a good solution. As for the keyboard, the mac keyboard looks good but for programming it's not ideal - same goes for the mouse - I'd recommend trying out a few alternatives. Edit: I'd also say that while Linux is a great OS it does not have native Adobe Apps (Creative Suite) - I think this puts a lot of people off.

Your choice on this may well be limited by what font you want to use... SIFR is the hardest to set up, but offers the largest selection of fonts (Licenses/Foundries seem to allow SIFR in a lot of circumstances but not the other two technologies) I really like Cufon but the font options are limited, I don't really think the markup argument is all that valid, I don't think in real deployment circumstances the double text issue (canvas next to original text) will arise. @MolotovRuss - can you offer any further insight? @font-face is clearly the best solution but hardly any decent (commercial) fonts are available (Foundries think that there fonts will be easiest to pirate/copy using this method) There is also Typekit, but I'm really against the licensing strategy and wont touch it until they allow developers to purchase, rather than just rent fonts.

Hi Rja, Don't get hung up on being able to code without documentation. As a developer you will ALWAYS have access to documentation. While clearly it's not practical to have to look up documentation for every tag/function you should set up quick methods of accessing documentation from your code editor and your web browser. I use a text editor which provides me with php documentation and examples (pulled from php.net) regularly. There is no shame in having to look something up. The time I have saved in having to memorize a lot of tags/functions I will never use has been better spend learning new languages/frameworks and methodologies. As for the code you have provided. 1)Use a Doctype 2)Define UTF 8 3)Use a CSS Reset (a matter of preference but something I strongly suggest) - Google 'Meyer Reset' 4)External CSS stylesheet. 5)Tab your code (or better yet use an editor that does it for you) 6)Use hex codes instead of color names Also when posting code examples, its really great for us to be able to link straight through to the document to have a look. Sure we could copy you code - save the file and load it in our browser and then use firebug etc to debug the site but most forum users are not going to do this. I'm not sure if you can get free webspace out there that will let you have a small test area where you can upload files to - there more than likely is. Regards

Also check out JASH for a similar (although many less features) kind of thing. http://billyreisinger.com/jash/

Hi seaniemacc, From my experience, Magento can be a difficult to install and get stable (in my local test environment. That said, a good host with a knowledge of Magento can go a long way in making this as painless as possible). When I moved to my live environment I learned the true value of a competent host with FANTASTIC support. Nublue have a one click installer for the latest version of Magento, offer the best support of any web host (or company) I have ever used. And really know their Magento stuff - just take a read at their blog (they attend Magento conferences and participate on the Magento forum). My advice to you would be to sign up for their cheapest shared package. (around £80) If you just want to test out magento to see what it's like then install Xampp on you local machine and give it a whirl - it should come pre-packaged with all the modules you need. Another piece of advice: Don't install the test data, it's just a pain having to delete it all when you are ready to move into production. And install the 'blank theme' if you are going to skin your own store - means you don't start off with horribly bloated CSS and templates. Good Luck - Magento can seem a bit daunting at first and it has a steep learning curve but it's well worth persevering.

AM - If I was trying to get offensive, you would know about it. Your inability to reason or communicate effectively is not a surprise given your basic grasp of English. What like Democracy, The Deceleration of Independence, Physics and Shakespeare? Oh wait... How do you then communicate those ideas to other people with textspeak? I have not insulted you, merely passed judgment on your use of English based on your posts in this thread. If you are insulted by that judgment then maybe you should improve your use of language? @ErisDS I agree that Facebook can be a useful tool. For many people it is just a distraction though. I didn't say that if you use Facebook you are socially retarded, I was referring to the kind of addiction that means that you update your status every time you sneeze. I think the most important point is this. When you are communicating using the written word other people make judgments on you (as a person) based on the way you write. When I read a post by Wizely (for example) I care what he says because he is articulate, writes without gratuitous spelling mistakes and knows how to use language. I care what he says because he presents himself as being educated and knowledgeable. AM - You come across as an undereducated child. Maybe you are not; Your use of language leads me to believe that. Edit- @Dizi and others - I am talking about the general abuse and misuse of language, of which spelling and grammar are only a small part. I don't have a problem with people making mistakes. It's the opinion that it doesn't matter that annoys me. Do people not aspire to be well educated any more? It's like there is stigma attached to trying to do things correctly. I have not made fun of anyone. I take issue with AM's point of view and his tone. If I'm not allowed to enter debate there is no point of me being on this forum either.

Or misusing it in your case. If you don't care about this discussion then kindly STFU. No, that's not what I'm saying. If you were a bit less arrogant, or had read a few more of the classics you would realise that the book is a story about how language (not just grammar), especially the destruction of, leads to a reduction in the scope of human ideas. Further, the reduction of language to the lowest common denominator (you), and the reduction of thought that can be expressed due to those changes means that it is easier for those who want to retain power to do so. I don't expect you to understand this point. Twitter is not changing the world. People who constantly update their facebook status are socially retarded in my opinion. Do you really think that in a world full of convenience, where you don't need to spend hours doing housework, preparing meals, on the coal face etc. people are more pressed for time? We have more leisure time now that at any point in human history. Concerns about 'not having enough time' does not excuse your apathy towards literacy (especially your own).

I don't use twitter, I think it is totally pointless. I don't use facebook. Maybe it's because I find the amount of actual communication that takes place on those services is meaningless. Frequent || Quick != Good. Read the appendix of 1984.

It's a p*** take I think

Your message can be distorted by misusing language though. I do appreciate your point. I don't think it's in the best interests of anyone for language to be reduced to the simplest common denominator, nor for it to be condensed without regard to the consequences. Have you read George Orwell's 1984? If not I suggest you do, and read the Appendix (below). It makes more sense if you take it within the context of the book as a whole. http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/~smf7/175/chapp.html The formatting is terrible so If you're going to read it, buy the book! I'm not here to belittle or patronize, but I used to have the view that you are trying to espouse. I changed my mind.

Couldn't agree less with you AM; Spelling and grammar convey meaning and being lazy when typing or writing can lead to a watering down of your intended communication. Which you should care about, being a designer and all that. Indeed, the idiots appear to be winning, the Daily Mail and the Sun are the two most read newspapers in the country. No wonder society is full of morons.