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SproutCore models

http://github.com/sproutit/sproutcore/wikis/sproutcore-s-modern-model-layer
http://github.com/sproutit/sproutcore/wikis/sproutcore-s-modern-model-layer-part-2
http://github.com/sproutit/sproutcore/wikis/sproutcore-s-modern-model-layer-part-3
Those links (if you haven't checked 'em out) provide some nice insight into how the SproutCore team is thinking about javascript models. It's an interesting pattern of separation.
Basically:
In a model you use MyModel.get('blah') and MyModel.set('blah') and then (it uses ruby helpers) in a view you do something like this:
PLAIN TEXT
RUBY:

<%= progress_view :progress_bar_id,
      [...]

Rails Conf: Joel Spolsky

Joel today gave a pretty good keynote on the importance of aesthetics and technology today.
He pointed to the success of Amazon's checkout page. His thought is that their checkout page is so well received because it allows users total control of the experience rather than the locked-in Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 process.
It's [...]

Let go of the pixel

A List Apart: Articles: A Dao of Web Design
The journey begins by letting go of control, and becoming flexible.
I will write more on this later, but I think that designers from a print background sometimes get stuck in the rut of "perfection." I think maybe Dan Cederholm said something close to: "Truly [...]

Summing up how I feel about deadlines

Hitting arbitrary deadlines to me sounds good for a highly siloed company aiming to put out "some features." Not a company striving to create a remarkable product in a competitive landscape where innovation is the only thing that's going to count. A company like that needs rapid innovation cycles, feature teams, constant input and [...]

Urgency in software development

http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/966-urgency-is-poisonous
When a few days extra turns into a few weeks extra then there’s a problem, but what really has to be done by Friday that can’t wait for Monday or Tuesday? If your deliveries are that critical to the hour or day, maybe you’re setting up false priorities and dangerous expectations.
Sometimes I think we all [...]

Client side validation for free (as in beer)

Ruby, Rails, Web2.0 » Blog Archive » Live Validation - Easy Client-side Javascript Validation
My library of choice is livevalidation, which has a Rails companion too - if you are using Rails form helpers and standard validation on your models, you don’t have to touch anything just install livevalidation (=drop it to your javascripts folder, it’s [...]

OpenID using your google account

http://openid-provider.appspot.com/
This lets your users use their Google ID to log into any OpenID consumer. It seems that the google accounts page is supporting this now someone has implemented OpenID using Google's new AppEngine. That means Yahoo, AOL, Google all support OpenID... with pledged support from Microsoft. Why bother implementing your own system [...]

Helvetica in interface design

Cocoia Blog » Swiss Interface Syndrome.

"Why, 50 years later, is [Helvetica] still so popular?”
Erik stares into space a few seconds, pondering, sighs, then answers:
— “I don’t know… Why is bad taste ubiquitous?”

This is a really great article about mixing fonts in Mac OSX interface design. I like the last bit the best though.

Vimeo development roadmap

Making the Vimeo
Making the Vimeo Our Developmental Roadmap
So, what are we up to? We always have a lot of great new features and improvements in the oven, so we've teamed up with Toyota to bring everyone a little sneak peak into what we're cooking up. Now you can check out what we're working on, [...]

RubyAMP

code [dot] leadmediapartners.com - RubyAMP
RubyAMP is a TextMate bundle that makes you more productive in editing, navigating, and debugging Ruby code. Now you can easily:

auto-complete from all open tabs
jump to a method, class, or fixture named under the cursor
start the debugger on a series of RSpec examples and break at the current [...]