Introducing the pipwerks e-learning development forum

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

I decided to create a simple forum dedicated to e-learning development. I’m not saying I have the answers, but I’m hoping I can at least foster some good conversations and maybe get some of my peers talking and helping each other out. I’m also hoping to use the forum to promote web standards in e-learning development (as Martha says, “it’s a good thing”).

Accessibility development tools

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

There are a great set links for free development tools (validation services, browser toolbars and plugins) posted on the Web Access Centre Blog today:

Looking for alternatives to Bobby and WebXact? Try these!

Loading Captivate files into an AS3 Flash SWF

Monday, January 14th, 2008

Update April 7, 2008: I’ve written a new AS3 class named LegacyCaptivateLoader that uses ExternalInterface to bridge the AS3 SWF and the Captivate SWF. Check it out.
I guess I’m late to the party, but I only recently realized that although a Flash Player 9 SWF can load an older Flash Player 6/7/8 SWF, it [...]

Tip: Quick and efficient screenshots without special software

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

I’ve noticed many people use programs like TechSmith SnagIt to get screenshots. While SnagIt is a fine program, I think in many cases it’s overkill. Here’s a really simple way to get screenshots without needing any special software.

Grab screenshot using Print Screen.
Paste screenshot into Paint.
Save in your preferred format (TIF, BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, [...]

A Tale of Two (or more) Computers

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

A computer is born, and another computer dies (”I’m not quite dead!” he says in his best Eric Idle imitation).

(Mac) Hi, I’m a Mac.
(PC) And I’m a PC.

LMSs are just websites… no, really!

Saturday, November 24th, 2007

Folks, it’s simple — if you have to paste a “this site works best with XXX browser” message on your site, whether it’s an LMS, an online course, or just a website for your mom’s knitting club, you’re doing something wrong. Do us a favor and stop it.

Assistive computer technology and web accessibility

Friday, October 26th, 2007

Just thought I’d pass this link on: http://www.assistiveware.com/videos.php (short write-up here — thanks to Roger Johansson for the link.)

These are video profiles of people with disabilities — mild to severe — who use assistive computer technology to improve their lives. Some people use the computers to simply help them with their jobs (such as a blind person who is a professional French-to-English translator), while others use their computers as a lifeline to the rest of the world.
[...]
Armed with a basic understanding of accessibility, and with a little planning, a web developer can create courses and/or websites that contain rich content — even Flash movies and videos — while supporting a majority of assistive computer/alternative web browsing technologies.

A cross-browser JavaScript prompt

Wednesday, August 8th, 2007

While working on a project earlier today, I discovered a nasty little problem… Internet Explorer v7 (IE7) disables prompt() by default! This means you can’t rely on prompt() being available in IE7 when building your online applications. I decided to make a workaround using Microsoft’s proprietary showModalDialog function.