29 September 2009
In JavaScript, the Date.getDate() method, for the day of the month, returns a number between 1 and 31, as you’d expect.
Date.getMonth() returns a number between 0 and 11.
This means that January 1 is neither 0,0 nor 1,1 – but 0,1.
I have select, unkind words for whoever made this genius decision.
(It’s gotta be worse on those countries that use Roman numerals, rather than names, for the months. It means that the month “IV” returns a value of 3.)
Posted in JavaScript | 1 Comment »
28 September 2009
I’ve of two minds about Google Chrome Frame. On the one hand, it would be great to be able to take advantage of modern Web tech, especially HTML5 features, in Internet Explorer, which forever lags behind. On the other hand, I’m not exactly clear who exactly this plug-in is designed for.
For IE6 users, I guess the logic is that most users (as we’ve seen) are stuck with that browser due to their workplace’s IT department, so this plug-in would let them get around IE6′s limitations. This, however, assumes that an IE department so conservative as to prohibit IE7 or IE8 would also be willing to let users install this plug-in. I’m sure that’s true for some places, but Chrome Frame will hardly be the panacea to the IE6 problem.
The real benefit, I suppose, is for dealing with IE7 and IE8 users, who still are the lion’s share of the Web. Sites that want to use HTML5 (or CSS3) features, and are willing to force IE users to download a plug-in to access the site, can really profit from this plug-in. I suspect that Google Wave, in particular, was a big driver behind this project; Google seems really avid about the project, but also recognized that trying to code it cross-browser was going to be a losing proposition. So by throwing up a plug-in download screen, they can still bring in the IE users.
Unfortunately, I don’t work for a site that is willing to require IE users to grab a plug-in, and I suspect most sites are in the same boat.
Posted in Browsers, IE6 | No Comments »
28 September 2009
My friend Jeff Foley, a former engineer now working in marketing, has started a blog, humorously titled, “The Dark Side: An Engineer’s Guide to Marketing“, designed to give engineers an insight into the how and why of the marketing departments they have to work with.
For instance, today’s post discusses “positioning statements”:
An off-the-cuff example: “For engineers with limited marketing experience, The Dark Side is an informal blog that discusses abstract marketing concepts in concrete, engineering-friendly terms so you can learn how to work with your own marketing department.”
Check it out; Jeff’s own background, straddling two worlds, leaves him readily able to explain what exactly it is that those suits are doing.
Posted in Business | No Comments »