Simple Sharing Extensions (SSE) from Microsoft

Microsoft introduced a new specification that extends RSS. It’s called SSE and I’m not the first one to blog about it.

Exactly what it does (Microsoft):

SSE could be used to share your work calendar with your spouse. If your calendar were published to an SSE feed, changes to your work calendar could be replicated to your spouse’s calendar, and vice versa. As a result, your spouse could see your work schedule and add new appointments, such as a parent-teacher meeting at the school, or a doctor’s appointment.

This extension of RSS has some great potential. Expect to see some great new web services and updates to old ones.

Tags: Microsoft, SSE, RSS, Simple Sharing Extensions

preg_replace gotchas

I’ve been reading Professional PHP for a few weeks now and I’m really enjoying it. It is one of the few blogs out there that actually writes about code and coding in general. For example, their latest post gives a quick overview of some gotchas with the php function preg_replace. Professional PHP gives some good pointers about how to remove those unwanted extra slashes and things of that nature.

Check out Professional PHP here.

Tags: php, code, coding, programming

Google Analytics

Google has created free analyzing software for your website. Google Analytics promises to be a sophisticated and easy way to track your visitor’s actions while they are on your website and, ultimately, allow you to optimize your site for the most click conversions per visit.

Google Says:

Google Analytics tells you everything you want to know about how your visitors found you and how they interact with your site. You’ll be able to focus your marketing resources on campaigns and initiatives that deliver ROI, and improve your site to convert more visitors.

I have not yet been able to test Google Analytic’s capabilities because it takes the software twelve hours compile it’s initial traffic analysis of your site. All this information is tracked through a simple javascript include that is placed on every page you want tracked. Very simple for us bloggers to just include in our header file. God I love server side programming!

Google Analytics is being compared a new startup company called Measure Map. Although Measure Map does provide similar services, I believe that Measure Map is much more geared to bloggers and Google Analytics seems to be more aimed towards websites in general. This is all speculation on my part because Measure Map is STILL in closed beta. Come guys, just let me in to the beta, please!!!!

Tags: Google, Google Analytics, Analytics, Software, Tracking Software, beta, Web 2.0

Visual Studio Express Free for One Year

Yesterday (Nov. 7, 2005) Microsoft released “Express” Editions of Visual Studio and SQL Server. These new editions to the Visual Studio lineup come with a free 1 year license.

What is an Express Edition? From the mouth of the beast itself:

The Express Editions are an expansion of the Visual Studio and SQL Server product line to include lightweight, easy-to-use, and easy-to-learn tools for hobbyists, students, and novice developers who want to build dynamic Windows applications, Web sites, and Web services.

Express Editions are available for: VB.NET, Visual C#, Visual C++, Visual J# and an edition built especially for dynamic web development creatively titled Web Developer. Also available for download is SQL Server Express Edition. SQL Server Express Edition is a replacement for the SQL Desktop Engine that came bundled with past editions Visual Studio. It is designed mainly for building and testing data-driven applications.

Average download size is between 35-70Mb per Express Edition. I know you may be wondering about licensing restrictions, but rest assured, commercial use is allowed (straight from their FAQ sheet “there are no licensing restrictions for applications built using the Express Editions”).

Optional components are also available such as the MSDN Express Library.

Tags: Microsoft, Visual Studio, .NET, Developer, VS.NET, VB.NET, C#, C++, J#, SQL, SQL Server, MSDN

Adsense Referral Program

Yesterday(Nov 4, 2005) Google added a new feature to their advertising program. The search engine giant now allows current Adsense publishers to refer new users to the service.

Straight from google’s mouth:

Referrals offer you a new revenue opportunity while increasing your users’ awareness of useful products and services. Adding a referral button to your website enables you to generate additional earnings by directing users to download or sign up for products such as AdSense.

The referal happens when a potential adsense publisher clicks on a referal image from your webpage. You can see an example of a Google Adsense referal image in the lower right-hand corner of this page. Yes, I know it isn’t that graphically appealing, but it works. Google offers 22 different images to choose from. Different shapes and sizes are available as well as some designed to entice users to install Firefox with Google Toolbar. All 22 images basically look the same except for a few differences in text and size.

The appeal for adsense publishers to include the referal image is that Google will send you a 100 dollar check when each new referral of yours generates their first 100 dollars. Also, whenver a user installs Firefox with Google Toolbar from your link and runs Firefox for the first time, you will receive up to 1 dollar. Obviously you must be using the firefox images for this to work.

Although very unattractive, the Google Adsense referral plan is quite appealing. It makes you wonder what other products Adsense will be serving via their referral program down the road.

Tags: google, adsense, advertising, referral, firefox, google toolbar

First of Many

Welcome, to All Things Dev dot com! I decided to embark on this new adventure of mine mainly to allow me to post whatever I please on my personl blog and focus more on new and old web development trends here.

My name is Jeff Purcell. I am a senior at LCSC in the technological mecca of Lewiston, Idaho. I will be graduating with a BA in Web Development and Minors in Computer Science and Information Systems. I am by trade a PHP programmer and web designer, although I find myself avoiding web design at all costs these days. Something about working with Edna who wants to sell her “World Famous Jam” online just doesn’t appeal to me like it used to. Plus I’m not graphically creative enough to pull the big jobs.

The aim of this weblog is to discuss current trends in development on the internet. Be it programming, social browsing, or usability, we will be discussing it all. Please point your RSS readers to http://allthingsdev.com/feed/ and stay tuned. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Tags: blog, usability, trends, ecommerce, php, web design