John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged tutorial · everything

www.quirksmode.org

Javascript - Mouse Events

This technical guide explains the mechanics of mouse events in JavaScript, covering the sequence and behavior of mousedown, mouseup, click, and dblclick events, as well as mousemove, mouseover, and mouseout. It addresses practical problems like event bubbling causing unexpected triggers and provides cross-browser code solutions for tracking mouse movement between elements using relatedTarget, fromElement, and toElement properties. The text also introduces Microsoft's mouseenter and mouseleave events as alternatives that bypass bubbling complications in layer-based navigation systems.

Permalink developmenttutorial

Smashing Magazine

11 Almost Perfect Business Layouts | Smashing Magazine

Susy is a Sass-based grid framework that lets designers create custom, responsive layouts purely through CSS and Sass mixins without adding classes to HTML markup. The article demonstrates how to use Susy's core features—the `span` mixin for sizing columns, the `gutter` function for consistent spacing, the `gallery` mixin for multi-column layouts, and the `layout` mixin for switching between grid configurations at different breakpoints. Unlike heavier frameworks like Bootstrap, Susy performs the mathematical calculations for column widths and gutters while leaving all styling decisions to the designer, making it lightweight and flexible for responsive web design.

Permalink tutorialcss3

www.extremetech.com

Speed Up Windows Vista: Use ReadyBoost

Vista's ReadyBoost feature uses USB flash drives to cache disk reads, speeding up random hard drive access without replacing RAM or improving gaming performance. The system encrypts cached data for security, and setup is automatic—just plug in a USB drive and select ReadyBoost from the detection menu, with Windows recommending an optimal cache size. While not equivalent to a RAM upgrade, ReadyBoost offers measurable performance gains for the minimal cost of a flash device.

Permalink storageperformancetipswindows

codinginparadise.org

betterexplained.com

Speed Up Your Javascript Load Time

This piece explains practical techniques for reducing JavaScript bloat on websites, which negatively impacts page load times. It covers measurement tools to identify problem files, compression methods using YUI Compressor, strategic placement of scripts at the end of HTML documents, dynamic on-demand loading via AJAX patterns, browser caching strategies, and combining multiple files into fewer requests. The author emphasizes balancing optimization with maintainability, such as keeping uncompressed debug versions for testing before deploying minified code to production.

Permalink performancetutorial

www.contentwithstyle.co.uk

Moz

SEOmoz | 15 CSS Properties You Probably Never Use (but perhaps should)

This post catalogs 15 underused CSS Level 2 properties with examples and explanations of their purposes, ranging from visual effects like `clip` and `text-shadow` to print-specific controls like `page-break-before` and typography refinements like `font-stretch`. The author notes that browser support varies across these properties and recommends testing before implementation, while flagging certain uses (like generating content with CSS) as conceptually problematic despite being technically possible.

Permalink designtutorialcss3

Smashing Magazine

Free Design Templates

When selecting a WordPress theme, prioritize developer reputation and code quality—which affect security, speed, and SEO—over the price distinction between free and premium options. The piece walks through seven key evaluation criteria: comparing free versus paid themes, testing page load speed with tools like Pingdom, assessing design and user experience through demo browsing, verifying mobile responsiveness, checking SEO optimization claims, examining customization dashboards, and reviewing customer feedback on community sites like ThemeForest to gauge security and reliability. Rather than becoming paralyzed by endless options, knowing your specific needs narrows the choice significantly, just as knowing your wine preference makes selecting from hundreds of bottles manageable.

Permalink designtutorialwordpress

www.ratemyeverything.net

Smashing Magazine

53 CSS-Techniques You Couldn’t Live Without | Smashing Magazine

A curated list of 53 essential CSS techniques and articles covering modern web design practices, ranging from foundational concepts like CSS selectors and layouts to advanced topics such as CSS3 animations, flexbox, grid systems, and responsive design. The collection emphasizes how CSS enables separation of design from content, making websites easier to maintain and update while advocating for accessible, usable, and well-structured code over outdated table-based layouts.

Permalink designtipstutorialcss3

builder.com.com

www.codeproject.com

msdn2.microsoft.com

URL Access

SQL Server Reporting Services allows you to access and customize reports through URL requests by appending parameters that control rendering format, viewer appearance, and report values. The URL structure consists of the report server web service URL, the path to the specific report, and optional prefixed parameters (using rs: or rc: prefixes) or unprefixed report parameters separated by ampersands, enabling you to share preconfigured report links with specific parameter values, languages, or output formats.

Permalink documentationtutorialsql

binnyva.blogspot.com

Bin-Blog: Creating Web 2.0 Graphics In Gimp

This is a tutorial series teaching GIMP users how to create Web 2.0 style design elements—buttons, badges, reflections, and shadows—that were previously only documented in Photoshop-focused tutorials. Each installment covers a specific technique commonly seen in early 2000s web design, from basic buttons to logo reflections with wet-surface effects. The series demonstrates that GIMP is a capable alternative to Photoshop for achieving the same visual results on both Linux and Windows systems.

Permalink designdevelopmenttutorial

weblogs.sqlteam.com