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The web development tools I use
There are a wide variety of web development applications available, from simple plain text editors, like Notepad, to all-in-one IDEs like Dreamweaver and Coda. Everyone has their own needs and preferences, but these are the tools I find myself using most of the time.
HTML v XHTML
HTML and XHTML are two markup languages used for describing web pages. They are based on two difference markup standards, the former the older SGML specification, while XHTML is based on XML. When writing up web pages, we (basically) have a choice between these languages - so which one?
Quick tip - CSS3 resize attribute
In Safari and other webkit browsers, the textareas are resizable - you can click-and-drag at their corners to change their dimensions. Ever wondered how you could turn that off, or even apply the behaviour to other elements?
A simple implementation of byte-pair encoding
Byte pair encoding is a simple but (sometimes) effective algorithm for compressing data (especially textual data). Best of all, it is very easy to understand! Therefore, in this experiment I have created a simple Python script that implements byte pair encoding on files.
Digression - a diagram of organic reaction pathways
Following on from part one of my series of chemistry visualisations is a useful diagram detailing the components of many common organic reactions, that typical high school students may come across in their work.
Apple machines a "walled garden"
For years, a dominant debate in the technology world has been the "Mac v PC"* question - that is, whether the products produced by Apple, or those made by Microsoft, are better, and in particular which company's operating system is superior. While I don't think there is an objective answer to this issue, I do believe there are some key differences between the two competing products.