Writing

A rundown of the modules that make up our new layout system for the web.

Chance can play such a vital part in your career.

An article originally published in Net Magazine, introducing the CSS Grid Layout specification.

If you only interact with users when they need support or have a feature request, you’re only interacting with the minority of your customers.

A walkthrough of how to have HTTPS and still use Varnish Cache. Something I had to work out for our own servers and though might be useful to other people.

An article originally published in Net Magazine.

There’s merit to keeping your small business nimble by keeping process to a minimum. But even in the tiniest one- or two-person operation, it’s plain that not all business tasks are improved by being hand-crafted.

In this article I’ll be taking a look at how to build a simple yet robust workflow for developing sites that require PHP and MySQL.

Routine software audits sound like just about the most boring thing in the world. But losing access to a DNS server, missing important alerts from a developer, or paying for a forgotten service are adventures nobody needs.

If you can’t afford to take time to strengthen your connections with others, you’re at risk of being the monarch (and the serf) of an impoverished kingdom, indeed.

The web has typically been a place of boxes and rectangles but an emerging CSS specification is going to change that.

Finding that an outsider’s perspective can help when partners can’t quite see eye to eye—or when they agree too much.

An article for 99u about the realities of working when also living with an injury or chronic illness.

In this article I’ll explain how you can benefit from using Varnish even when there are parts of your pages that can’t be cached for long periods, using Edge Side Includes.

How to create stylesheets for use with User Agents such as Prince XML, creating PDFs and printed documents.

A round up of new CSS that I really like.

An article explaining the new VAT legislation in the EU, and how it applies to web designers and developers.

An end of the year look back at how the history of the last ten years is told through articles on 24 ways.

Once you have developed your site, how do you make it live on your web hosting? A tutorial explaining how to move away from manually transferring files via FTP to a proper deployment process.

You’re proud of your product, and welcome user suggestions on making it even better. Will you be able to make everyone happy? Should you even aim to accommodate them all? Before you start coding, think about how to prioritize feature requests, and even say no to some.

Was that conference worth it? There were smart tips and awesome people. Should you buy a ticket this year? For a freelancer or small business, it can be a significant expense. Wouldn’t it be great to know if the investment in time and money is likely to move the business forward?

I write about the things I have learned by being on the other side of the client / developer relationship.

It's never been easier to bring digital products to market. In this article - originally a feature in Net Magazine - I share advice for launching your own products.

Some thoughts on the gap between what is preached from the conference stage, and the real job of web design for small business.

Often our livelihood depends on our physical abilities - such as typing code. Having a product as a side project can offer security if your daily work is disrupted by illness or injury.

A short intro to why you might use Varnish and how to get started.

In this article I describe how it is possible to launch with a really small product and grow from those small beginnings by listening to your customers.

Considering the issue of social events and after conference parties held in bars, and wondering if there are other ways to meet.

What was ultimately one of our biggest mistakes gave us experiences we could draw on when deciding on a pricing model for our product.

The idea that everyone should get time off away from their business, perhaps even completely disconnected from the internet, is a pervasive one.

A local shop is part of an ecosystem — here in England we call it the High Street. The owner of a local shop generally has no ambition to become a Tesco or WalMart. She’d rather experience steady growth, building relationships with customers who value what she brings to the community.

Without clients dictating my workload I’m in the enviable position of being able to choose where to focus my efforts. However, I can’t physically do everything.

In this article I’m going to look at one CSS module, the CSS3 grid layout module, that enables us to define a grid and place elements on to it.

This article is aimed at designers who are not PHP developers but need to install PHP scripts from time to time.

Whether your product is an open-source script, a Web application or a downloadable product, you will need to provide some form of technical support. This article explores the subject based on my experience of supporting Perch.

In this article I’ll explain how, with a few CSS rules, you can create an iPhone version of your site using CSS3, that will work now.

This article poses some questions you should be asking of your client before putting together a proposal for the development of an e-commerce website.