Today I independently bought my first piece of software in years. After my recent iPod Touch purchase a few months ago, I did extensive research on the Jailbreaking process. Jailbreaking is when you “hack” your iPods code so that you can circumvent the iTunes Application store and install any apps you’d like for free. Many online friends recommended I do this but it never sat well with me.
It seems typical that many independent developers opt to download program suites like Adobe’s but I have always been fundamentally opposed to the idea of Jailbreaking. The reason is who you end up screwing over. If there is one thing that draws me to Apple it’s not the company but the userbase. Developers who choose to use Apple’s hardware and software are so passionate about what they do and seem so committed to working with each other to solve problems. I feel good paying $7 for my AirSharing application for my iPod Touch because the program is so well designed and detail-oriented.
For this reason I was compelled to order my own copy of Coda created by Panic (who make the popular program Transmit). There is so much I enjoy about the Coda workflow — from the one-panel navigation system to the built-in terminal. It has spoiled me making websites with it (I can’t tell people enough how superior I find it to Dreamweaver). For $100 I can get free upgrades to new versions, and I get access to 4 books which I am able to call upon in the program (ranging from HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP — the book alone costs $50). It also incorporates SVN, a solid file transferring interface, html validation checks and more.
I always encourage people to think about who they are supporting financially. I felt so good processing my order today, as a way to telling the talented Panic programmers thank you for creating an outstanding product and dedicating themselves to the process of always making it better not because they know what’s best but because they listen to what their passionate users have to say.
As a (fairly) proficient website developer let me be the first to admit that I became quite lazy when it came to my decision of entering the Blogging world. Faced with the choice of creating my own management system vs. using a premade package or website that would already do this for me was a tricky one. While creating your own as a developer allows you to get your displayed data exactly how you want it, it can be a time consuming process, especially when you consider the need for RSS feed support, smart URLs, and so on.
Expression Engine
I began by trying out expression engine. My biggest beef with EE was that it seemed like a monumental pain to re-theme your site after you have installed it. In fact, this is my primary beef with all packages — theming being made SO difficult. Spending hours on creating templates for the various pages of my layout is not an enticing thought to consider. Expression Engine and similar packages (like Drupal, WordPress, etc) had to go for this reason.
Blogger.com
Sorry Google, I am hating your Blogger.com for the opposite reason. You can barely theme this at all! What fun is a blog if it’s just going to look like the thousands of others every Jack and Jill are throwing up every minute online. If you expect any shot of achieving the creme of the crop that defies Sturgeon’s Law then you better have a fresh innovative design.
Tumblr
So my journey ended at Tumblr. Here is what I think Tumblr is really doing right:
- The interface and workflow is seamless and beautiful. From updating your information to theming it how you want it, every detail of Tumblr is thought out and pristine. The API is intuitive, simple, and readily available.
- When you customize your design in Tumblr it gives you the entire page to work with, starting from the first HTML tag on your page, to the closing bracket. This is complete control and I am loving it.
- No Advertisements. What a huge sell, to have a hosted blog free of all advertisements and eyesores.
But our relationship is far from perfect. What I am really missing on Tumblr so far is the inability to search other people’s blogs. I am also trying to figure out how I can get my post tags displayed with URL links so I can explore other Tumblr blogs that are tackling the topics I am too. All in all it’s a fresh and welcome approach to accessible blog creation.
Well how can I begin a blog on a day like today, with a historic presidential elect securing a spot in the White House from my very own state, by ignoring this moment. As a 27-year-old this is the first election of my time that has seen an exciting candidate that voices my generations concerns — anti-war, Americas image to the world, alternative energy production, et cetera. But with the past 8 years (and especially, the last election) being stolen by George Bush through a faulty and broken voting system in a very politicized 9/11 time, everyone my age that I know has felt hopeless, apathetic and angry at Bush’s reign as our “leader”.
I often ponder the ramifications of a Democracy in which the “majority” was wrong. On the bus today, while reading the latest issue of Newsweek (November 10, 2008) I came across a quote in an article about Andrew Jackson giving his response to this very question. Looking back at the recent victory it’s a reassuring optimistic point of view that I can once again believe in while feeling, just as Michelle Obama except without apologies, proud of my country for the first time in my life.
“Never for a moment believe that the great body of the citizens of any State or States can deliberately intend to do wrong,” Jackson once said. “They may, under the influence of temporary excitement or misguided opinions, commit mistakes; they may be misled for a time by the suggestions of self-interest; but in a community so enlightened and patriotic as the people of the United States argument will soon make them sensible of their errors, and when convinced they will be ready to repair them.”
