Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Paint.Net plugin lets you view and edit Photoshop PSD files]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/09/paint-net-plugin-lets-you-view-and-edit-photoshop-psd-files/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/09/paint-net-plugin-lets-you-view-and-edit-photoshop-psd-files/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/09/paint-net-plugin-lets-you-view-and-edit-photoshop-psd-files/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The aptly-named Paint.Net PSD Plugin is one of those pieces of software which pretty much spells it all out right in the name. It's a plugin...for Paint.Net...(wait for it)...which lets you open files saved in Photoshop's PSD format.

Download the zip archive, dump the included PhotoShop.dll file into your Paint.Net FileTypes folder (usually c:\program files\Paint.Net\FileTypes), and you're ready to rock. Pretty well anything in the PSD for which Paint.Net has an implementation will load just fine. Saving is another story, so you'd best stick to Paint.Net's native .PDN file when you're done working.

If you don't have Photoshop, the plugin is a handy for looking at PSDs your friends might send you to look at. It's also a nice way to transition yourself to a free alternative if you no longer require Photoshop.

Thanks to FreePSD.com for the template I experimented with -- it's been so long since I used Photoshop on one of my systems that I can't even find any of my old PSDs...
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Paint.Net plugin lets you view and edit Photoshop PSD files originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>drawingediteditorgraphicspaint.netphotoshoppicturespsdTue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How to use Mac fonts on Linux]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/04/how-to-use-mac-fonts-on-linux/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/04/how-to-use-mac-fonts-on-linux/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/02/04/how-to-use-mac-fonts-on-linux/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you're looking for an easy way to port some of your favorite Apple fonts over to Ubuntu, here it is! I've just started to get exposed to alternative OSes like Ubuntu and was really excited to find a way to easily get some of my favorite fonts over to it quickly and easily. TechSource has provided a really great tutorial on how to access those fonts without a lot of fuss.

To get started, open up the Linux terminal and download the required font files with this command:

$ wget http://ubuntu-debs.googlecode.com/files/macfonts.tar.gz

Next, you'll need to extract the files:

$ tar zxvf macfonts.tar.gz

Move the fonts to the /fonts directory:

$ sudo mv macfonts /usr/share/fonts

Then just reload the font cache to start using them:

$ sudo fc-cache -f -v

That's it. To use or test the fonts, head over to System > Preferences > Appearance > Fonts.
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How to use Mac fonts on Linux originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>FontsLinuxMacTerminalUbuntuThu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[DLS Explains: What is SIGGRAPH?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/26/dls-101-what-is-siggraph/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/26/dls-101-what-is-siggraph/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/26/dls-101-what-is-siggraph/#commentsFiled under: ,

For most people, it doesn't mean anything. But for people writing the software that lets the rest of us see imaginary worlds, SIGGRAPH is an acronym for the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques. SIGGRAPH is dedicated to the creation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques. The group specializes in the artistic applications of computer graphics, so nearly every computer game and many movies owes something to someone involved in SIGGRAPH.

If the organization is known at all outside techie circles, it is probably best known for the annual SIGGRAPH conference they sponsor. In 2009, the conference attracted over 11,000 artists, research scientists, gaming experts and developers, filmmakers, and academics from around the world. The attendees find the panel discussions, exhibitor presentations and research papers valuable in advancing their art. This is often the first place they hear of new research. The conference also includes courses in state-of-the-art computer graphics topics. And, new devices are showcased each year that use ever more sophisticated visualization and imaging techniques. SIGGRAPH has members all over the world, from Helsinki, Finland to Melbourne, Australia, but the conference is held in the United States as the largest number of members are there. Since 2008, a separate SIGGRAPH Asia conference has been held on that continent.

Their 37th International Conference will be held on July 25-29, 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in California, the world capital of animation and visual effects. They also host a variety of programs year-round and worldwide to benefit the SIGGRAPH community. If you're in a computer graphic arts field and are interested in attending a program, check out the 2010 events calendar.

For the rest of us, movies and computer games are the points where SIGGRAPH intersects home technology and where we see the fruits of the members' work. Movies have been created in 3D for several years, using digital techniques. Recently, gaming has begun to head down the 3D road. Head-mounted, active display goggles instead of the old, two-color glasses make a screen appear more like a window than a flat picture. These new glasses use an active LCD shutter system to actually opens and closes the lenses in synchronization with the screen images, to create the 3D effect. And new 3D monitors enhance the experience, allowing personal immersion in the games. As reported at Joystiq, 3D gaming will even have its own summit this year.

Beyond the home, a technology known as augmented reality (AR) may someday make inroads to other fields. AR is a field of research combining real-world information with computer-generated data. It allows real-time views of the world to incorporate computer graphics objects. It's expected to find applications in everything from industrial design to architectural visualization. And likely home entertainment too. Imagine having a tactile display that allows you to pick up and "feel" an object that doesn't exist! If that arrives, thank the folks at SIGGRAPH for that too.

DLS Explains: What is SIGGRAPH? originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d3Dglasses3Dmovies3DtechnologyACMARAssociationforComputingMachineryaugmented realityaugmentedrealitycomputergraphicsgaminghometechnologySIGGRAPHsoftwareTue, 26 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Posterous releases directory of themes]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/25/posterous-releases-directory-of-themes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/25/posterous-releases-directory-of-themes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/25/posterous-releases-directory-of-themes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Posterous Themes[Update - As noted in the comments, it appears that themes.posterous.com is not an official directory of themes as the title of this post suggests, but rather is a 3rd-party theme directory that cleverly grabbed the "themes" subdomain at posterous.com.]

The super-simple blogging platform Posterous has released a theme directory, offering up eight new themes in addition to the five default themes offered right from within Posterous's management interface. To download the new themes you must be a member of posterous.us, a forum dedicated to helping users make the most of their Posterous blog.

Once you create your posterous.us account, you can download the theme, which amounts to simply a text file containing the code for a CSS stylesheet. Copy the text and paste it into the management interface for your Posterous blog in the Theme > Advanced section, apply the change, and you're all set.

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Posterous releases directory of themes originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blogbloggingposteroustheme directoryThemeDirectorythemesMon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[10 awesome Personas themes for Firefox 3.6]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/21/10-awesome-personas-themes-for-firefox-3-6/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/21/10-awesome-personas-themes-for-firefox-3-6/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/21/10-awesome-personas-themes-for-firefox-3-6/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Happy Firefox 3.6 release day! In honor of the official release of the latest and greatest version of Mozilla's browser, I thought I'd highlight one new feature in particular: Personas. Firefox 3.6's Personas support allows you to change the look of Firefox with a single click, no restart required. If you've used themes in Google Chrome, you're already familiar with the idea.

The Personas gallery features a daunting 35,000+ themes already, but I took on the challenge of combing through them to separate the good and usable from the just-plain-ugly. I ruled out Personas that lacked contrast or otherwise made the Firefox toolbar tough to read (note to Personas designers: there were way too many of these), and then picked the most visually pleasing candidates from what was left.

I hope you enjoy these Firefox skins, but my list is by no means definitive. If you find a Persona that puts mine to shame and deserves a top place on the list, leave me a comment!

Take the jump to explore the gallery!

Continue reading 10 awesome Personas themes for Firefox 3.6

10 awesome Personas themes for Firefox 3.6 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>firefoxfirefox3.6personasskinsthemestop10Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mozilla celebrates five years of Firefox in pictures!]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/14/mozilla-celebrates-five-years-of-firefox-in-pictures/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/14/mozilla-celebrates-five-years-of-firefox-in-pictures/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/14/mozilla-celebrates-five-years-of-firefox-in-pictures/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Firefox recently celebrated its fifth birthday and decided to get a little creative in the process. A little while back, they challenged users to get artsy and create a design that reflected this milestone. There were almost no requirements for the design and people were asked to think outside the box and create a design that would rally the Mozilla community around their celebration.

The best of the best were picked out and featured on the Firefox blog. I thought it was a nice idea to get the community involved even though I'm not totally sure what they were celebrating with the pictures. Just cements the notion that Firefox is awesome and they have really, er, passionate users!

Check out the complete gallery and even some honorable mentions over at the Mozilla blog.
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Mozilla celebrates five years of Firefox in pictures! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ChallengeCreativeFirefoxMozillaThu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iPhone Mockup helps you quickly design iPhone user interfaces]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/13/iphone-mockup-helps-you-quickly-design-iphone-user-interfaces/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/13/iphone-mockup-helps-you-quickly-design-iphone-user-interfaces/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/01/13/iphone-mockup-helps-you-quickly-design-iphone-user-interfaces/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

iPhone Mockup

Do you have an idea for an iPhone app that you'd like to throw together to discuss with friends, colleagues, or even investors? Or maybe you're just looking for a way to fool around with the various iPhone UI elements to figure out just how you want your app to look. In either case, iPhone Mockup might be just the tool you need.

iPhone Mockup lets you create illustrated mockups of the iPhone application user interfaces quickly, so you can experiment without having to cut even a single line of code.
You get your choice of styles - Illustration has nice clean lines, whereas Pencil looks very much like a back-of-the-napkin sketch. UI elements can be labeled, and you can also upload custom PNG image files to create a truly customized screen.

iPhone Mockup helps you quickly design iPhone user interfaces originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designiphoneiphone mockupiphone uiIphoneMockupIphoneUiuiui designUiDesignuser interfaceUserInterfaceWed, 13 Jan 2010 15:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Wallpaper Juggler downloads, automatically cycles high-res images from InterfaceLift]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/30/wallpaper-juggler-downloads-automatically-cycles-high-res-image/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/30/wallpaper-juggler-downloads-automatically-cycles-high-res-image/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/30/wallpaper-juggler-downloads-automatically-cycles-high-res-image/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Those of you who enjoy rotating through a variety of fresh wallpaper images have probably heard of InterfaceLIFT and Wallpaper Stock. They're both excellent places to download high-quality background images for your desktop.

Perhaps you'd rather take the hands-free approach and let an application handle downloading duties. Have a look at Wallpaper Juggler, a tiny, portable app for Windows which plugs into both sites and cycles through the images it downloads. You can specify the interval at which you want changes to occur and even choose to receive a confirmation alert prior to switching.

The tray app also includes two-click access to delete the current wallpaper as well as a link to your preferences and the download task window. Make sure you keep an eye on that window after firing it up - it'll happily download images until you tell it to stop.

Juggler is a nice, basic app -- if you want something with a bit more "oomph," check out previously-mentioned Wally or John's Background Switcher.

Wallpaper Juggler downloads, automatically cycles high-res images from InterfaceLift originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>interfaceliftportableswitchswitcherwallpaperwallpaper stockWallpaperStockWed, 30 Dec 2009 13:41:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Browser Size helps you see what your site's users see]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/17/google-browser-size-helps-you-see-what-your-sites-users-see/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/17/google-browser-size-helps-you-see-what-your-sites-users-see/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/17/google-browser-size-helps-you-see-what-your-sites-users-see/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Google Browser Size

Google Labs recently released Browser Size, a browser window size visualization tool. Utilizing browser window size data from Google's home page (and thus monitoring a huge sample size of the world, much less your site's visitors), to overlay statistics, in terms of percentages of users, on top of your site (or any site you choose to enter). This data reflects visible area, not actual window size. That is, it subtracts all the toolbar fluff and lets you see what your users actually see.

This tool is very useful (if extremely ugly) for ensuring that important calls-to-action on your site are plainly visible to the widest audience possible. You can adjust the translucency of the overlay and it even allows you to interact normally with your page with the overlay on top. Nicely done, Browser Size team!

Google Browser Size helps you see what your site's users see originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analyticsbrowser sizeBrowserSizegooglegoogle labsGoogleLabsThu, 17 Dec 2009 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Web-based image editor Aviary releases Google Chrome capture extension]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/30/web-based-image-editor-aviary-releases-google-chrome-capture-ext/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/30/web-based-image-editor-aviary-releases-google-chrome-capture-ext/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/30/web-based-image-editor-aviary-releases-google-chrome-capture-ext/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You've probably heard of Aviary, the web-based Photoshop alternative. You're also probably well aware of the fact that Google Chrome v4 supports extensions. You may not, however, have known that Aviary has released an extension for Google Chrome.

Well, they have, and it's incredibly handy if you need to perform in-browser screenshots of the pages you're viewing. Via the extension's options you can set new captures to open in Image Markup or the Image, Color, Effects, or Vector Editor. Click the logo, and you're ready to tweak and save, or share your capture.

Take the jump to see Aviary's brief screencast of the extension in action. If you browse in Chrome and edit in Aviary, this one is a must have - click here to install it!

Continue reading Web-based image editor Aviary releases Google Chrome capture extension

Web-based image editor Aviary releases Google Chrome capture extension originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aviarycapturechromegoogleimage editorImageEditorphotoshopweb basedWebBasedMon, 30 Nov 2009 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Sites rolls out template gallery for web pages, wikis]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/17/google-sites-rolls-out-template-gallery-for-web-pages-wikis/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/17/google-sites-rolls-out-template-gallery-for-web-pages-wikis/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/17/google-sites-rolls-out-template-gallery-for-web-pages-wikis/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Google Sites template gallery
The now-defunct Google Page Creator made it easy to create a reasonably attractive web site without an advanced degree in HTML or CSS. But Google has killed off Page Creator and replaced it with Google Sites, a service which has often been described as a tool for creating Wiki-like pages that are hosted for free by Google and which allow you to collaborate with other people on tasks such as planning a vacation or managing your office calendar and workflow.

You can also use Google Sites to create a public web site. But it's much trickier to make a page on Google Sites look, well... good. But this week Google rolled out an update that should make the service much more attractive, literally. There's now a template gallery allowing you to select and customize a template for any new page you create.

Currently there are templates arranged in categories such as business collaboration, activities & events, schools & eduction, and Personal & family. Google is also making it easy for users to submit their own templates to the gallery, so the number of available designs to choose from should climb pretty quickly.

Google Sites rolls out template gallery for web pages, wikis originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>google-page-creatorgoogle-sitesTue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tutorial9 offering free icon sets, Wordpress and Tumblr themes]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/tutorial9-offering-free-icon-sets-wordpress-and-tumblr-themes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/tutorial9-offering-free-icon-sets-wordpress-and-tumblr-themes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/10/tutorial9-offering-free-icon-sets-wordpress-and-tumblr-themes/#commentsFiled under: ,


Freebie downloads are always welcome. By a happy coincidence, Tutorial9 is offering a 25Mb download until November 26th, 2009 which contains four Wordpress themes, three Tumblr themes, and a whole slew of icons.

Better still, the whole package can be used for commercial purposes. There's plenty of good quality stuff inside, from the grungy sticker icons above to the clean, simple designs WP themes like Home Office and Business.

The set even includes a half dozen free vectors from GoMedia's Arsenal and a discount code for 10% further purchases.

Grab the download and tuck it away in your design goodies stash - you never know when a good free resource might come in handy!

Tutorial9 offering free icon sets, Wordpress and Tumblr themes originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>freeiconstumblrweb designWebDesignwordpressTue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MSN.com gets its first major redesign in a decade]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/msn-com-gets-its-first-major-redesign-in-a-decade/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/msn-com-gets-its-first-major-redesign-in-a-decade/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/msn-com-gets-its-first-major-redesign-in-a-decade/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


MSN.com, Microsoft's search, news and services portal page, hasn't weathered the years well. Tweaking the same basic design for a decade left it far behind the times in terms of design and usability. With today's clean, whitespace-friendly, reimagining of MSN.com, Microsoft ditches the spectre of MSN search and delivers a site that's a little more worthy of showcasing the company's new search hotness, Bing.

A prettier, less cluttered layout and a prominent Bing search bar aren't the only upgrades to the homepage. In a touch that says Microsoft actually knows what year it is after all, you can add your Facebook newsfeed and your Twitter stream to an area on the right side of the page. The news is still there, but it's more customizable, and the layout presents fewer stories at a time than the cluttered old MSN.com did. There's also a local focus, with local weather and a Bing-powered local news widget at the bottom left.

I have to say that, compared to the MSN of old, this new design looks attractive and functional. Speaking of comparisons, though, have a look at our gallery of MSN.com designs since 2001. Looking at how slowly the site changed over the years only underlines how much it just changed overnight.

Gallery: MSN.com through the years

20012002200320042005

MSN.com gets its first major redesign in a decade originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>binghomepagemicrosoftmsnmsn.comredesignWed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Haystack helps web designers and clients find each other]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/haystack-helps-web-designers-and-clients-find-each-other/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/haystack-helps-web-designers-and-clients-find-each-other/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/haystack-helps-web-designers-and-clients-find-each-other/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

HaystackFinding a web designer is a terrifying proposition for many people. How do you find someone qualified? It's not like there's a directory out there that lets you quickly browse and compare examples of work from various web designers to narrow down your set of choices quickly, and can help you get in touch with the one you choose.

Well, actually, now there is. And if that sounds like a good idea, consider that last week 37signals released a new site called Haystack. 37signals is a well-known web development company that is responsible for the incredibly popular online project management software Basecamp, as well as a few other web properties you might know: Campfire, Basecamp, and Highrise, to name a few.

The thing is, 37signals wasn't always an online service provider; at one time they were a web design firm creating client sites, so they know the difficulty web designers go through to attract clients. 37signals also takes pains to understand the difficulties users face, and have applied that approach to building a directory to help clients easily find web designers (and web designers easily find clients).

Early reports seem to be positive, with designers reporting they are signing new clients in short order. So if you're looking to advertise your design abilities, or if you're looking for a designer, give Haystack a look.

Haystack helps web designers and clients find each other originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>37signalsbasecampcampfireclientdesign abilidesign-abilitiesDesignAbiliTue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Declutter your Gmail setup with Minimalist Gmail]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/01/declutter-your-gmail-setup-with-minimalist-gmail/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/01/declutter-your-gmail-setup-with-minimalist-gmail/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/01/declutter-your-gmail-setup-with-minimalist-gmail/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Minimalist Gmail is a Firefox plugin that gives you control over whether to hide or show each part of the Gmail interface. You can take out individual buttons and menus and, yes, even ads. There are Greasemonkey scripts that do similar things, but not every Firefox user has delved into userscripting, so this simple add-on makes a nice alternative.

One of the nicest things about Minimalist Gmail is the way it handles chat. You can hide the chatbox, but as long as you're signed into chat, you'll still see new messages if they come in. If you're using other Gmail skins, Minimalist Gmail might be compatible with those, too. It works with my favorite clean Gmail look, Helvetimail.

[via Lifehacker]

Declutter your Gmail setup with Minimalist Gmail originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>add-onextensionfirefoxgmailminimalist gmailMinimalistGmailSun, 01 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Fugly Friday: Geocities Memorial Edition]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/fugly-friday-geocities-memorial-edition/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/fugly-friday-geocities-memorial-edition/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/fugly-friday-geocities-memorial-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Before there was anything today's Internet users would think of as "web design," there was GeoCities. The homepage service that let absolutely anyone try his or her hand at putting something on the Internet is also one of the cradles of contemporary Web Fugly. In fact, Fugly Friday owes such a debt to the GeoCities aesthetic that this week's installment is going to take a trip down memory lane to look at some early innovations in tearing a human being's eye out using pure HTML.

Today's fugly site, HTML Advanced Tricks & Tips, is a cookbook for everything that make GeoCities sites painful to look at. Tables! Frames! Scrolling marquee text! I will grant you that some people continue to defend tables to this day, but I don't think anyone is defending those animated flame GIFs. Good luck navigating this page by clicking on the text: it's not linked. You're not going anywhere unless you click on those dancing flames. Maybe that's a secret you learn from the "HTML Writer's Guild" once they give you a cool badge like the one on this homepage.

As for the tips themselves? Closing your tags is still decent advice, and cropping and shrinking your graphics was a necessity back in the low-bandwidth heyday of GeoCities. These tips were actually not terrible at the time, but the author has to mess it up by slapping on animated GIFs and encouraging the use of the marquee tag. Between those two, we've covered most of what made every GeoCities page so terrible. Add an autoplaying midi and you'd have a Fugly Tutorial Trifecta.

(This post was made possible by Reocities, a GeoCities rescue attempt that backed up 600,000 pages of potential fugly before Yahoo! shut off GeoCities' animated flashing lights for good.)

Fugly Friday: Geocities Memorial Edition originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animated gifAnimatedGiffuglyFuglyFridaygeocitiesHTMLMarqueeFri, 30 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PDFAmigo - quick, fillable pdf creator in your browser]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/pdfamigo-quick-fillable-pdf-creator-in-your-browser/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/pdfamigo-quick-fillable-pdf-creator-in-your-browser/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/27/pdfamigo-quick-fillable-pdf-creator-in-your-browser/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you're in need of a quick pdf form creator and don't want to dig in your wallet too deep, PDFAmigo might be a good option for you. Running from your browser, PDFAmigo allows you to create enhanced fillable pdf forms utilizing color, different fonts, text fields, radio buttons, etc.

You don't have to sign in to get started, however you will need to if you want to save your work or upload images. If you don't mind the huge watermark across your file, the pdf you create is free. Naturally, that might be a problem, so you can buy the file for $1.00 using Paypal and the watermark will be erased. This fee does not include future changes to the form, so each change you make to the form would be an additional $1. Also, the first page is $1, and additional pages are 50 cents. (If you like to tweak your output this might get a bit expensive). Just sayin.

Another option that is completely free is PDFescape. It also runs in your browser and you can create fillable pdf forms, albeit with less font options and features. Any other faves? Let us know!

PDFAmigo - quick, fillable pdf creator in your browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browser based pdf designerBrowserBasedPdfDesignerfree online pdf form builderFreeOnlinePdfFormBuilderonline pdf creator freeOnlinePdfCreatorFreePDFAmigoPDFescapeTue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mockflow: web-based, real-time, collaborative wireframing]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/mockflow-web-based-real-time-collaborative-wireframing/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/mockflow-web-based-real-time-collaborative-wireframing/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/mockflow-web-based-real-time-collaborative-wireframing/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mockflow: a web-based, real-time, collaborative wireframing tool

A key part of interface design is an exercise known as "wireframing." In this design phase, elements of an interface are blocked out roughly to show relative placement, interaction, and functionality. It is a rapid way to talk through functional requirements of a project and get buy-in from stakeholders without having to waste a lot of time on visual design that won't remain in a finished product.

Mockflow is a flash-based, online, collaborative wireframing tool for Web and Software designers. It contains a fairly complete set of wireframe elements and icons for use in your wireframe with flexible customizability of all the elements. The killer app of the tool is it's ability to collaborate in real-time with other team members online. Very, very useful for distributed teams.

I tend to use Adobe Fireworks for all my wireframing (and everything else) but a coworker pointed me toward this tool and it captured my attention. I find flash-based tools distasteful, they always feel slow to me, but this one was simple enough, with enough features to make it compelling to use. Definitely the right tool for the right situation.

The basic version is free, but ad supported and you are limited to two collaborators. Upgrading (introductory price of $49 / year) grants you unlimited collaborators and projects, is ad-free, and gives you 500 MB of storage. Definitely worth a look for distributed Web teams.

Mockflow: web-based, real-time, collaborative wireframing originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designmockflowwireframeWed, 21 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Adobe Browserlab open for business]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/adobe-browserlab-open-for-business/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/adobe-browserlab-open-for-business/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/adobe-browserlab-open-for-business/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Adobe Browserlab
Several months ago Jay pointed to Browserlab, a very useful new service for Web developers from Adobe. Browserlab allows you to view a Web page in multiple versions of most of the latest browsers. Since cross browser testing is perhaps the most painful part of Web development, any service that aids in this task is very welcome. The service is now accepting new users, and is very cool.

The flash-based tool will render a page in recent versions of the most used browsers, and will let you view an image of the rendered page one at a time, side by side (2-up view) or my personal favorite, onion skin view, which stacks two images from two different browsers on top of each other and gives you a slider to adjust translucency back and forth so you can see just how horribly Internet Explorer renders your page elements relative to every other modern browser.

The service is currently free and I expect that I will be using it quite heavily.

At the time of writing, the supported browsers are:
  • Firefox 2.0 - Windows XP - version 2.0.0.18
  • Firefox 3.0 - Windows XP - version 3.0.4
  • Internet Explorer 6.0 - Windows XP - version 6.0.3790.3959
  • Internet Explorer 7.0 - Windows XP - version 7.0.5730
  • Internet Explorer 8.0 - Windows XP - version 8.0.6001.18702
  • Safari 3.0 - OS X - version 3.2.3
  • Safari 4.0 - OS X - version 4.0.3
  • Firefox 2.0 - OS X - version 2.0.0.18
  • Firefox 3.0 - OS X - version 3.0.4


Adobe Browserlab open for business originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adobebrowserlabbrowsersWed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Make webpages more printable with The Printliminator]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/08/make-webpages-more-printable-with-the-printliminator/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/08/make-webpages-more-printable-with-the-printliminator/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/08/make-webpages-more-printable-with-the-printliminator/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Printliminator is a bookmarklet that gets any webpage ready to print. Once it's activated, you can click on elements you don't want to print to remove them from the page. If you don't want to do it manually, you can remove all images on the page using one button. Another button applies a nice default print stylesheet.

Sometimes there's only one element of a page that's worth printing, and The Printliminator has you covered there, too. Instead of clicking to delete one thing at a time, you can option-click to delete everything but what you're clicking on. If you make a mistake and delete something you wanted to print, there's no undo. Just reload the page and start over.

Make webpages more printable with The Printliminator originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bookmarkletprintingprintliminatorThu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST