Valorin's Thoughts
Less sense than many, but more than most.
4 Weeks, 3 Hours, 2 Assignments, 1 Exam & 1 Project
4 years ago, at the start of 2004 I started the course Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering at the University of Canberra.
As of Today, Sunday 21st October 2007, I have...
4 Weeks left until the Final Engineering Project 2007 Presentation (19th November). This is the final thing due for my course.
3 Hours left of timetabled class, scheduled tomorrow (Monday) night at 5:30-8:30pm, it is Biometrics. After this, that is it for classes.
2 Assignmnets are left for me to do. The biometrics Assignment (hard), and the Systems Engineering Practice group assignment (easy - its a website).
1 Exam left for me to sit. It is a 3 hour exam, for Biometrics.
1 Project the final year Engineering Project is what I have spent the entire year working on. We have the Final Report due in two weeks, and then the presentation. This marks the end of our degree, and Everything has been building up to this point.
It is scary to look back at the four years I have spent at the University of Canberra. It has been long, and it has been fun. Some of the highlights:
- Met some awesome people in UC FOCUS
- Got to spend 4 years working with some awesome guys: John Chapman, Dominic Snowdon, Steven Gallagher (for 3 years), Troy Kershaw, Ashley Stacey, Mathew Spackman... to name a few.
- Worked on an awesome final-year project: UC_GameWork: Browsable Games
- Got to be a uni bum!
- and I am sure there are more, but I cannot think right now.
I will try and have something interesting to post soon. Maybe my Proof that friends ruin mornings, which I never wrote before. Or something about the online games which I am planning on re-writing: DTAG & Realms.
We shall see.
~Valorin
Sun, 21 Oct 2007 22:28:27 +1000
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Forget AJAX and start using JUE (Javascript Usability Enhancement)
Anyone who knows me knows that when AJAX was first "the big thing", I was strongly opposed to it. Infact, the first time I used what people would call AJAX was a few months ago in a uni project. From that, I developed a blurb which was my mission statement, you could say, for my use of Javascript:
AJAX [Javascript on the whole], should only be implemented after the page has complete functionality, and should only be used to enhance the usability of the webpage. Every function which is possible through the AJAX, should also be possible in the same or similar way without the AJAX (but usually with an extra page-load or two).
AJAX itself has a number of meanings which come to people, and dispite the obvious cleaning fluid issue, the big one is something which includes heavy client-side scripting, with impressive "live" functionality and breaks with Javascript off. It is because of this that I have decided to coin a new name for the use of AJAX as it should be used (IMHO).
JUE, Javascript Usability Enhancement, is a method of enhancing the usability of a webpage using Javascript, by allowing the content to be reloaded and updated without a full-page refresh. Unlike AJAX, it does not add functionality, it mearly enhances usability of the existing functionality.
There is an important difference between functionality and usability.
On a webpage, Functionality is the ability to do something. For example, submitting data on a form, performing a search, or even clicking on a link and accessing/viewing a web-page. All of that is functionality, all of it needs to be accessable by every user on your webpage. This is also known as accessibility, and is an important part of design.
Usability is how something is done, rather then what is done. So to enhance usability for something, it works on making the functionality easier to use (in whatever form), without adding extra functionality. This means that if the usability enhancements are not valid for a specific group of people, the functionality is still accessable. A good example of this in the world is the humble handrail on a flight of stairs. It is there to enhance the usability of the stairs for those who need something to hold on to, while others might for whatever reason (hands full for example) won't use the handrail.
In the realm of websites, usability is important and if a pages usability can be enhanced by client-side scripting then it is welcomed by most users. However for a user without the required scripting language turned on, the page still functions the same they just lose some of the usability.
So, the moral of this story? Write JUE on your website, not AJAX!
Note: It is important to note that when it comes to using JUE (or AJAX), it is how it is used. You can call it whatever you like, but if you miss-use it, then not even a fancy well-intended name will save you from its lies.
~Valorin
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:38:26 +1000
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Two new banners added
I've just added two new banners into my rotating script. Both of which come from the Sunset series which I posted in my Gallery a few days ago. This brings the tally up to Five images in the banner.
For those who don't know, I am running a script which loads a different banner each day. I decided against making it change each load, as this would slow down page loads after the initial load so I settled for daily. The script is available if you are interested in using it for your website.
The banners which are in the cycle now are:
~Valorin
Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:21:35 +1000
(link here/comments[2])
August Updates
Well, it's back. My "site news & updates & random stuff" page is back online. It's been called a blog by many, a point which I have denied many times, and yet it functions just like one. So this time, it is called Valorin's Thoughts.
I have just finished uploading five new photos, all taken yesterday at Sunset from Black Mountain. You can find them here.
I've nothing much else to report, apart from the fact that I am planning to write some decent posts on things like: AJAX is abused, and how it should be used. (it could take a while coming though)
Anyway, thats it from me.
~Valorin
Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:28:34 +1000
(link here/comments[3])
