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| Vol.
III No. 3, 2005 |
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The Fight Is On!
DHTML and Flash duke it out, courtesy of Sessions.edu
Faculty members Jason Cranford Teague and David Witt
On the battlefield that is Web design, there are two kinds of developer. In one corner, we have the DHTML programmer, wearing thick glasses, quoting Monty Python, and fighting for accessibility. In the other corner, we have the Flash developer, sporting a goatee, quoting AirAmerica, and fighting for rich media applications.
Who will triumph in this epic struggle for Web dominance? Will Flash's huge power and flexibility win the hearts and minds of Web developers, or will its steep price tag and steeper learning curve steer developers toward the sleeker and cheaper DHTML? We asked resident experts Jason and David to state the case for their favorite technologies and share some general insights about interactivity in the process.
| The DHTML Dynamo: Fast, sleek, simple to learn, and simple to execute. We spoke with Sessions Faculty member Jason Cranford Teague about the mysterious powers of DHTML. Read the interview here... |
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The Fantastic Flash: Powerful, sexy, and, well, Flashy. Sessions instructor David Witt shares his insights into his favorite Web development tool, the inimitable Flash. Read the interview here... |
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Thoughts on Interactive Design with Robert Reinhardt
Robert Reinhardt is the Director of Multimedia Applications for Schematic (www.schematic.com) in Los Angeles, co-author of the Flash MX 2004 Bible and several other books, a frequent lecturer at Flash conferences (such as FlashForward and Flash in the Can), and founder of an L.A. multimedia firm called [the MAKERS]. We caught up with Robert and tapped his brain on the topic of interactive design.
Read the interview here... |
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New
Courses:
Writing JavaScript and DHTML
Over six lessons, this programming course focuses on Web interactivity through JavaScript and DHTML code with an emphasis on writing correct syntax from scratch. With hands-on lessons and projects, you'll create scripts that detect user settings, present dynamic content, animate text and graphics, and more while complying with all-important W3C standards. Write your own code that enhances your sites with interactivity and usability.
Learn about the course: click here
Intro to Digital Arts
This three-lesson course is packed with inspiration to get your creative juices flowing. You’ll learn how digital artists create bitmap and vector pieces from both from a technical and a creative perspective. Case studies feature some of the top digital artists in the industry, and hands-on projects in Photoshop and Illustrator gives you insights into what goes on behind the scenes in creating digital arts pieces.
Learn about the course: click
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Student Spotlight:
Elizabeth Morrill did a wonderful job redecorating her apartment photo in Photoshop Basics class. Before: a barren empty room. After: furniture, lamps, flock wallpaper designs, paintings and prints, and a view of the veranda.
click for larger version
Faculty Spotlight:
Sessions Faculty member Ken Milburn is the featured artist at the Sausalito Arts Festival, a world-class exhibition of fine art and craft that runs from Labor Day through September 7. Every year an artist or photographer is asked to create the festival poster. This year's commemorative poster, designed by Ken, features a stunning representation of the Sausalito water front. The image was created from 27 different photographs, the artist tells us...
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Editor's Note:
Fight! In this month's issue we present two pugilistic perspectives on the options for interactive design on the Web. Specifically, we're pitting DHTML against Flash to see who's the strongest. Of course, in the end they're both winners (awwww). Seriously though, Flash and DHTML both have their strengths and weaknesses. But that doesn't mean it's not fun to try to get Web developers all het up.
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FACULTY FOCUS:
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Julie Meloni is the technical director at i2i Interactive, a multimedia company located in Los Altos, California. Julie is the author of
numerous books on Web-based application development, including Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache and PHP Fast & Easy.
"I'm not a 'designer' in the sense of colors and whatnot; my job as Technical Director is to ensure that our company is aware of current trends in the technical aspects of multimedia development, so we can best serve our clients when we put these technical aspects into play. The list below includes some of my primary sources for relevant news and information regarding development techniques."
A List Apart
Articles for web developers, exploring design and development while utilizing techniques focused on advancing web standards. Everything from business to CSS to DOM to XML and then some.
CSS Weblog
This blog tracks trends, bugs, tips and techniques related to CSS-based design.
CSS Zen Garden
A showcase of CSS-based designs, for graphic artists and by graphic artists, with the intent of inpsiring more designers to embrace CSS and all it has to offer.
Digital Web Magazine
Articles by and for web developers and info architects, with numerous topics in the meta-categories of "discover," "design," "build," and "evaluate."
InformIT Articles
These articles are from the best of the best authors from the major computer and technology publishing houses. Topics range from business to hardware to software and beyond.
Open Source Technology Group
The parent company (and thus the jumping-off point) for resources such as Slashdot, NewsForge, SourceForge.net, Animation Factory, and MediaBuilder.
Patterns in Interaction Design
Here you can find mini case-studies of the design patterns used in granular aspects of web, GUI, and MobileUI design.
Technorati
I use Technorati as my gateway to the "world live web," using the concept of folksonomy to find current discussions about timely subjects relevant to web design (and other things!). |
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