thirtyonethree

A friend of mine asked me for my thoughts on free or cheap software to do Web development. There were a few open source software packages that I have heard of and had been recommended by others. I did a little more research and here are my findings.

Disclaimer - I do not use or endorse these software programs. I am only sharing this as what I have found.

Nvu - This is an open source WYSIWYG editor that is available for Windows or Mac. I had downloaded this program earlier this year. It did not work for me because it did not have some functionality that I was used to in Dreamweaver. I wanted to be able to define the location of my local files to edit and then put on the server. It appeared to me that you could not do this function. It may have been added since I tried it or I just did not figure it out. The editor functions did look good. I probably would have played with it more but I found some inexpensive software that I really like - Coda and TextMate.

GIMP - This is an open source software that would be a substitute for Photoshop. I have never used it because I have Photoshop but a friend of mine really liked it and he is not a designer.

Inkscape - An open source vector graphics program that claims capabilities similar to Illustrator. I have never used this program or know of anyone who has. I found it through doing a search for Open Source software for Web design on a site called Open CD.

Yesterday, I came across Biola’s Perspective Undergrads Web site. I like the style of the design and I am guessing that it appeals well to the site’s intended audience. But not only is it a nice visual design, I believe the site is designed well for useability.

I found that the information on the on “how to get in” for first time students. I think they answered the questions that prospective students would have. I think that the two column content that reminded me of print worked well on this page because it is short enough. Because the information is in two columns, it was easy to scan and see what information was addressed.

On some longer content pages, the two column format did not work as well because you have to scroll back up to read the content in the right column.

Overall, I liked the site and it is a good example of good design and usability coming together.

Last week, Joshua Porter wrote a post, Design is not Art, Redux. Today he posted some of his favorites from the discussion to that article.

I found both of these to be interesting reads. I agree with the distinctions that Josh is making between design and art. Design is trying to communicate to a specific audience. Art may not speak to anyone. Some of those who commented pointed out that a lot of times art is more for the artist than the public.

I am still trying to process this idea. I appreciate articles like this that cause me to think and reexamine.

Larissa Meek explores 7 different styles seen on the Web in Web Design-isms: 7 Surefire Styles That Work. Along with each style, she gives examples from the world of art with links to artists that inspire.

I thought her examples of minimalism were not as minimal as I would have expected. I have seen several sites and blogs that are more simple, some focusing more of typography and less on imagery.

• Subtraction
• Derek Punsalan’s blog

One that she didn’t mention is the wicked and worn look. It might fit into her category of “collage.” I did like how she gave tricks to consider when working within a style.

• Wornamental, Thornamental- Resources for creating the Worn look
• Wicked and Worn - Cameron Moll’s tutorial for creating this style

I met “Skippy” at the Kansas City Zoo. Their exhibit gives a lot of freedom for the animals to roam around their enclosure and puts you right in the middle of it. This is the closest I have ever been to a kangaroo.

See more pictures from my day at the Zoo on Flickr.