http://phpkitchen.com PHP and Web Development News and Tips Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:24:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A very nice matrix exploring programmer aptitude. http://phpkitchen.com/2009/12/programmer-competency-matrix/ Thanks to Pam for the heads up about this new app in the app store, WorkSnug. WorkSnug uses Augmented Reality to connect mobile workers to the nearest and best places to work in the city. We've visited and rated hundreds of workspaces, assessing noise levels, power provision, community feel, even ... http://phpkitchen.com/2009/12/mobile-workers-can-discover-best-places-to-work/ I thought it was strange when I noticed that the search result position of a customer's site, Eureka Financial, varies depending on whether the customer was logged in or not to their Google account. It should be noted the customer is running Adwords campaigns for their site. But it gets even ... http://phpkitchen.com/2009/12/factors-affecting-google-search-position/ The Readability bookmarklet is by far the most useful bookmarklet I've used. A must try for anyone who spends an inordinate amount of time reading stuff on the web :-) http://phpkitchen.com/2009/12/making-the-web-more-readable-in-one-click/ I wish I hadn't waited so long to install the ClickToFlash plugin, it totally improves the web experience. The idea is simple, all flash animations are paralyzed by default ;-) To view flash, including videos like youtube, etc, you have to click to play. A lot healthier for the laptop, ... http://phpkitchen.com/2009/12/how-to-block-flash/ I've written about this before, but since the interactive mode of PHP (php -a) seems to be broken on OS X, I think it's worth singing the praises of Jan Kneschke's php shell project once again. It's a piece of cake to install the tool with the PEAR installer, and since I ... http://phpkitchen.com/2009/11/php-shell-rocks/ This video really hits the nail on the head when it comes to the kind of interaction you sometimes get with clients over graphic design questions. http://phpkitchen.com/2009/10/graphic-designer-vs-client/ Just thinking of how many package managers, each with a unique syntax, I try to remember how to use: port pear cpan gem yum apt-get ant easy_install emerge rpm (ok that was a while ago ..) I'm sure I'm forgetting some.  Standardisation? http://phpkitchen.com/2009/10/package-managers/ I can't believe Zend is publishing articles on OXID eShop, this is definitely some of the worst code I have seen in ages. As "the PHP company" I think Zend ought to at least select projects that have some merit in terms of software design, as surely beginner PHP devs look ... http://phpkitchen.com/2009/08/phpterror-on-oxid-eshop/ A new look at how to create unit tests - using Photoshop!  Sense of humour required ... http://phpkitchen.com/2009/08/introducing-phpterror-bad-php-usage-exposed/