It is assumed that you’ve got the fastest PC that you can afford with the most memory and the largest hard drive. If not, you’ll need one of those, and try not to compromise on the motherboard or the memory as these are essentials. You don’t need a floppy drive, or a blueray player, or a see through case, or LED lighting, you just need something that works very, very quickly. I’m running an augmented Dell Studio XPS system which works for me. Also, one thing everyone forgets is the power pack – if it’s underpowered, everything will slow down, so it’s worth taking a little longer to make sure you’ve got a good one with the right power output. You’d be surprised what difference this can make.

Even if you’re not a hardcore gamer, the software within the games market today is amongst the most demanding software on the market, so unless you’re into video editing in a big way, you’ll be well served by these recommendations for pretty much anything else for some time to come.

[NB - While cloud based gaming as a service is with us, so technically you shouldn't need that massive hard drive for all your gaming software, in most places (in the UK certainly) the broadband consistency and speed aren't here yet. In my opinion this makes cloud services like OnLive a little too ahead of their time, although things are changing. You should be aware that today it's a serious etiquette failing when you're on a US server and you're the one ruining the game for everyone else because your ping is too high. That, and you won't last two seconds when the rest of the opposing team appear to be playing from within their ISPs building. To avoid you being pwned, subjected to flaming, and at worst being kicked, in short you'll need the big hard drive to install the software so that only the smallest data packets need to pass between you and the game server, which even if you've got 'Internet from Africa' as I was accused of having recently - thanks Eclipse - means that you should have a reasonable ping for a reasonable amount of the time. Anyway, I digress...]

There’s loads of advice and guidance on the Internet, so everyone will have a different take on this, but for my money you can’t beat NVidia when it comes to graphics performance for games. Many of the top games are actually optimised for use with the NVidia chipset and without spending a king’s ransom on it, there are a few pretty good cards which are available for less than £200. The GeForce 560Ti is pretty good value, it supports DirectX11 and has been optimised specifically for several top games including Skyrim and Battlefield 3 which should mean that it can run almost anything else on today’s games wish list and it should last for at least the next 6 months before the next Crysis is released which will no doubt require liquid cooled madness to run in safe mode.

From a monitor perspective, they all do much the same thing, unlike graphics cards which are actually worth spending the money on. I didn’t bother upgrading my monitor when I upgraded my gaming rig, so I’m still using a fairly old 19″ Iiyama ProLite which works for me. That said, if you want something awesome then there’s a load of newer ones on the market, although from a brand perspective I’ve stuck with Iiyama who I think make some really good kit.

There’s a good article at Tripwire Magazine about which monitor is the right one for you which is worth a read, and this contains some recommendations if you desperately feel the need to upgrade your monitor. You can read this here – Gaming Monitor Guide.

I don’t really care about viewing angles as it’s only me that uses my machine, meaning that I’m generally directly in front of the monitor as you are most likely to be. If you’re anything like me, watching someone else repeatedly being killed when fighting back the zombie hordes on the hardest difficulty level rapidly becomes a non-spectator sport once the first 24 hour marathon session concludes (what do you mean after the first five minutes? – Ed), so viewing angles really won’t be a problem.

What is important to spend the money on is getting the biggest screen with the highest refresh rate at the highest resolution that you can a) afford, and b) have space to put on your desk!

As they point out in the TripWire Magazine article, response times are critical – if you’re up against a hardcore gamer you’ve got to be fast and accurate and the higher the screen resolution and refresh rate combination the better. A high screen resolution is mandatory so you can see them from a distance and you can target almost at a pixel based level, and the second so you can fire the instant they pop their heads around a corner before they duck back into cover – it’s quite satisfying being able to take your opponent’s head off at a distance with a non-scoped rifle. A few rounds of something like Day of Defeat:Source will demonstrate this point adequately, and also show you how hardcore your skills actually are! Decent kit will definitely help. Decent kit and skills will dominate most other non-clan players. Clan level skills need to be earned.

I would suggest avoiding monitors with built in speakers – they’re all rubbish and they just end up compromising on the monitor quality. You need to be able to hear the enemy sneaking up behind you, or the just thrown grenade fizzing quietly at your feet, so I’d suggest getting a decent sound setup, particularly if you’re into FPS games where things explode. This also helps to double your PC as a home cinema system if you invest in a projector later on and have a blank wall to project your movies onto. [This works really well, and with the lights off it's like you're actually in the cinema. Popcorn and shadow hand puppets are optional.]

Going back to the topic – if you are a gamer, a sub-woofer is a must. There’s nothing like the first time you play a familiar game and you blow up the petrol station on that level and you’ve got the bass setting too high on your new sub-woofer and you’re teeth nearly fall out. You’ll never, ever use those tinny plastic desktop speakers again, I promise you. You’ll also need some really tolerant neighbours.

Alternatively, if you’re really minted, a decent set of headphones will do the trick. It might sound odd, but there’s more money involved with good headphones than there is in getting a reasonable 4.1 sound system so that needs to be considered.

Also, a good microphone is essential. Hardcore gamers taunt their enemies before killing them…

Finally, if you’re unsure what all the fuss is about, and you haven’t seen the graphics quality of some of the latest games, here’s the trailer for The Elders Scrolls – Skyrim. It’s borderline cinematic quality when full screen in high definition and is an example of graphic design at its finest. If you’ve got any questions, our Marketing Manager, Alan Law, is battling his way through this at the moment!

Andrew Liverod, SD Developer

In this series of articles I’ll try to examine what a new developer needs to know in order to either learn web development or start their first job in the industry. So to start here is the ten commandments of web development; at least according to me (it would be nice if they occasionally referred to me as God at work but I’m sure it’s just because they realise I’m an atheist and would be offended – at least that’s what I keep telling myself). Here we go…

1) Commit to subversion (or whatever version control system you use) at least once a day, at the end of the day.

Version control is vital to the operation of a company, for example, what happens if you are off sick did you commit your latest changes to that important project that launches today? Plus the drive that holds the code repositories is usually backed up each night (they are backed up aren’t they?), unlike your c: drive.

2) Comment your code. If someone else needs to take over your project there’s nothing worse than code that makes no sense. Try to comment the beginning of functions, classes, conditionals and loops. I’m well aware that perfect code should technically be self-documenting – but good commenting is your safety net when perfection eludes you!

3) Keep your functions short. If a function does more than one thing then spilt it into two functions. Simple really. In all your code think concise but legible.

4) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours ox. Um… Do not over nest! If there is one way to make code illegible (apart from the ternary operator) it’s multi-nested conditionals: if () { if () {if () { if () {. It makes your head spin and makes the code much harder to maintain.

5) Learn regular expressions. I know at first sight they look gibberish but trust me they make life so much easier.

6) Check the documentation. I’m always amazed how many functions that I’ve written already exist in the chosen language! PHP seems to be notorious for this (as well as transposing the arguments of similar functions).

7) Don’t reinvent the wheel but don’t stop improving its roundness. I hope that makes some sort of sense. Why write code that already exists somewhere. Unfortunately, some code leaves a lot to be desired, so take the code, study it and amend it to be more efficient, more elegant or to make the coffee for you as well and returning a white noise generated random number.

Use the right tools for the right job. Don’t just dismiss a language or a technology out of some code monkey bigotry.  Flashy stuff is good sometimes.

9) Get used to changing projects several times a day. I started out in application development where one project could take a several years. Lets say it was a little shock to discover that I’d need to work on several projects at the same time as well as work orders and bug fixing. It’s hard at first but gets easier especially if you organise. Write a list each day and be prepared to change it.

10) Learn to make the tea. For some weird reason a company seems to run on tea and coffee and if the company runs out then they may as well just call in the receivers. Or be like me and not drink tea or coffee and stick to water. Much safer than trying to remember 15 people’s beverage likes and dislikes, and I don’t have to wash up afterwards.

To finish I’d like to make a personal 11th commandment. Please stop using ternary operators where a simple, normal, readable, ‘if’ statement will suffice. It’s a bit like reading a Tom Clancy and discovering a bit of Chaucer thrown into the prose for no reason. It does not scan!

{ed: I am deeply offended by this unjustified attack on the ternary op. This op. is like discovering the words of Jane Austen within a review of Pride and Prejudice. I won’t push this point too far though – as I might start a civil war amongst the SD technical team!}

After countless hours* of planning meetings, documentation, design, further meetings, website development, programming, head scratching, more programming, more meetings, systems integration, data migration, database querying, head scratching, training, more meetings, and several rounds of testing including alpha, beta, gamma, and several other Greek types of testing, we are finally in a go-live Defcon 1 position with the new Business Answers website. Oh yes.

Indeed, the time this has taken has almost rivalled the amount of time we spend drinking tea and talking about our favourite films of all time so this was quite some project, but we’re delighted that we’re there, and we’re delighted that our our client is delighted, so everyone’s a winner. More to the point, you’re likely to find this site incredibly useful, so we’re even more delighted about that as well.

Project Objective

Business Answers is the new portal to replace the Business Link for Cornwall, Devon and Somerset website, and we’re rather hoping that the rest of the country will sit up and take notice at what we’ve done here. Indeed, every year the regional version of the Business Link site receives over 200,000 unique visitors, and we’re anticipating that with the new functionality at least this number of people will be using this site to find the latest in business advice and information that, in an unprecedented development, will be uniquely tailored to each individual.

Website Design & Development

Through the Ask An Expert system developed by Slightly Different and integrated with the existing Business Link knowledgebase, a site user can ask a question and have the most relevant answers displayed to them based on an automated intelligent analysis of the question. The more accurate the question, the more precise the answer, and the system is self learning, so new answers will be added to the existing knowledgebase which, over time, will create a significant resource for all sizes of companies and organisations.

In addition to this, the Ask An Expert system will also flag questions up to a network of over 80 Business Link advisers who can add their unique knowledge and experience to the answer thus providing the most comprehensive answers to any business questions. With high levels of knowledge in general business, but also with specialist knowledge in a diverse range of subjects including finance, law, marketing, and e-business, this new resource, available for free as part of the Government’s new initiative to support UK businesses, will make a significant difference to the business community throughout the South West.

Why not visit the site at www.businessanswers.info and Ask An Expert today. We hope you enjoy the Slightly Different experience!

* I have been advised to point out that the phrase “countless hours” has been used for editorial effect, and we know exactly how many hours the project took to do, which was delivered on time and on budget. Thanks for that, Andrew.

Whilst few people mourned the passing of Windows Vista, many more will regret that XP will no longer be supported by Microsoft security updates (unless you have version SP3). After running a range of different but concurrent Operating Systems (OS) including Windows 2000, 98 and 98 SE, Millennium, baby XP was born
in 2001.

It was a slightly troublesome teen until SP1 came out then matured through SP2 on to SP3 at the ripe old age of 7 years, it is now approaching an active retirement aged 10 and will probably be seen around making farewell tours in an RV until 8th April 2014 when life-support will be finally pulled by Microsoft.

On Vista’s launch in 2007 many quickly regarded this as a stopgap until something better came along which it did in 2010 as Windows 7 including support for the new 4 core processors (64 bit) for those that could afford them.

Intel who make the microchips in most peoples PC’s had their best ever year in 2010 -‘Recession, what recession?’ as millions of people and corporations upgraded from XP to Windows 7.

Following along with the new OS comes a new browser Internet Explorer 9 ( IE9 )  – this will run on later versions of Vista and Windows 7.  Those remaining with XP will have to keep to IE8 as it does not support IE9 currently in beta testing prior to launch sometime around March 2011.

This new browser is intended to support HTML5 and CSS3 -‘basically allows more advanced and pretty stuff to happen in your browser’ but time will tell as each brand of browser has traditionally differently interpreted any web standards as these; Rather like the Pirate Code, more of a guideline than a rule.

We all want loads of webpages open as we combine online shopping for a holiday, checking places out with tripadvisor whilst listening to YouTube, writing out prices and features on Office 2010 online spreadsheet and catching up with friends by webmail, Facebook and twittering;  All of these sites are pushing us ever more fancy and highly targeted adverts.

‘Browsers are now really ‘sweating’ by comparison to just 5 years ago when we thought an image gallery was
up there.’

In this time Firefox has taken off in a way that Netscape Navigator only dreamed of, plus new kid on the block Google Chrome as well as Safari are amongst the most popular and all free; Internet Explorer 6 7 and 8 have been loosing users to the extent that, due in part to EEC competition rules. This means that in Europe Firefox is now the number one browser.

‘However in the US, IE maintains a 50% market share, twice that of Firefox,’ interesting fact that, in the Land of the Free.

How does that affect me ?

Well Microsoft rely on people using their browser and therefore use Bing ‘their’ built-in search engine and ‘Hotmail’ for email as these generate big time bucks opportunities in adverts;  Change your browser and the choice is yours – ‘power to the people’

If you have a website older than say 5 years old, then best have a look at it in IE9 in March, -‘does it still look OK and work properly?’

Before that, why not also have a look on an iPad or iPhone and other smart-phones if you’re in a popular and competitive market, then consumers are already doing this – ‘how does your site hold up?’

A visit to the nearest Apple and PC stores is a great way to check this out.  If you’re spending on Adwords and your site looks dated or broken it’s costing you real cash as well as loss of business.  Good idea to then check your site in Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 8.0 and Safari, particularly if you use a drop-down or slide across sub-menu system, Google maps, embedded YouTube, newsfeed/ticker, flash movies etc.

‘That now covered over 95% of regular visitors, in your website ‘MOT’ and hopefully no major surprises’

You might want to check out your fiercest competitors and see how they fare – looking dated? or brand new site with whistles and bells plus a mobile app ?

You know where we are if you need us….

02030 088045 ( London )
01326 372416 ( Cornwall )

If anyone had told Alexander Graham Bell, that some time in the distant future, one of his inventions would become a device capable of superior computing power, mail checking, Internet browsing, playing games, taking pictures, taking high definition videos, working as a radio, music player and entertainment system not to mention as a simple phone, ‘he would have no doubt accused that person of witchcraft,’ even if the days of witch hunting had been long since gone.

The phone as a concept completely changed the way humans communicated with each other. You did not have to go to your friend’s house for a chat or even write a letter for them, waiting several days to get a response. Instead, all you had to do was dial and you’d get your response in the matter of minutes, compared to hours or even days.

But human nature is to keep pushing onwards, it doesn’t matter if it’s science, war or love. By creating one of the most ground braking things in the history of mankind, people found one slight problem –‘the telephone was stationary.’

If you went out of your home for example, the only message you could give the caller was: ‘I’m not currently at home right now’ which was resolved by putting answering machines capable of capturing data ( spoken words ) rather than simply ringing the phone receiver later. But this was not what people wanted at all. They wanted to be more mobile, to be able to communicate wherever and whenever they wanted. ‘he wanted to keep pushing onwards!’

That is why the mobile phone concept has been in people’s heads since the first phone call was made by A.G. Bell. But the technology was not there. The phone itself was ahead of its time. But in early 1990’s something happened.

‘A huge blast and an exponential growth in the computer sector meant mass reduction in size of computer microprocessors and batteries.’

Though there had already been few attempts to create a mobile phone, they were unsuccessful. Still just before the dawn of a new century, the mobile phone had become widely available to the public, which also meant a rapid growth in the technology as well. Though at first, mobile devices were split by their functionality (a phone, a Personal Device Assistant and etc.), the expanding sector of computing meant that the merge of all of the technology is inevitable.

‘But Apple was the first company to create the first commercially successful smartphone.’

This meant the start of a new era, where phones have become more like a mobile computers capable of making phone calls rather than a phone with additional functionality and applications.

The rapid expansion has also opened a new area for both companies and developers. Having a computer meant that you were attached to your home or workplace in order to do different tasks, even if it meant checking e-mail or searching for potential customers or business partners while on the move.

With personal smartphones anyone can do all of those things from anywhere. Take Craig for example…

He’s an ordinary guy stuck in a traffic jam while going to work. To pass the time he opens his smart phone, browses the Internet or uses an application to buy something on-line.

‘This is what makes the new generation of smartphones unique.’ They’re the expression of all media types combined!’

This sounds like something complicated but it really isn’t. Creators of these ‘smartphones’ and their platforms try to make the task of developing on their devices as easy as possible.

You can create any kind of application which can do much more than a desktop application or website. It could be an application, which has content controlled from a website CMS, another phone, or chosen based on the person’s location, incoming calls and sms or mms messages, type of phone, even the websites they browsed.

‘The possibilities really are limitless!’

On the other hand, in solving the issue of mobility we found another problem –‘the screen!’

But, pushing onwards, we tried to create a type of computer, which would be portable, whilst having a long battery lifespan and still being easy to use as a smartphone. That is why tablets like the iPad were born, and because they’re based on the principles of a smartphone, any application created for the smartphone will also work for a tablet style personal computer with the same functionality as well. This only expands the capacity and opportunities of current technology but keep in mind that – ‘a mobile app is not a website nor a desktop application’ It is a new kind of software which helps to maximise the possibilities of a modern smartphone.

People are now able to expand their personal worlds not in a physical, but metaphorical sense. Know more, see and be in the places your ancestors had only wished they were, feel the control and create layers upon your reality, which improve your life.

And what would be the next step in all of this? One answer is for sure – ‘more power, more capacity, more control, more mobility and finally’ ‘always pushing Onwards!’

Mobile technology has always been fast moving but one of the most significant developments in the last few years is that of smart phone apps Well we’ve been saving up some answers to questions our clients have asked over the last few months on this subject and thought it would be an idea to share them with you

What does app stand for?

“application”

An application in this context is basically a piece of computer software that a user interacts with. Due to the growth of the mobile sector and the ubiquity of mobile phones – “app” has become synonymous with “downloadable computer program that runs on a mobile device”. So much so, that now most people do not use the term app outside of mobile computing and mobile devices.

How is an app different to a website?

Often an app can behave in a way that is very similar to a website. Behind the scenes however – you can think of an app as being more like the web browser you use to browse a website than the actual website itself. Your web browser, like an app, is an installed piece of software.

What sort of people would use an app?

Every type of person can and does use an app – the only requiement is that they have access to a smartphone or tablet device

Are apps for i-Phones different to apps for other mobile platforms like Android for example?

Some apps are only available for a specific platform [e.g. iPhone]. Other apps are available across multiple platforms. Evenif the same app is available on multiple platforms, it does not mean that the app will be identical across these platforms. As often app developers will take advantage of the unique features of a specific platform. Apps will also behave slightly differently simply by being on a different platform – in the same way that software behaves/looks different when used across PCs and Macs.

Foto credit: NRKbeta / Marius Arnesen

We currently have several apps in development, watch this space, we’ll be shouting about them very soon!

Campaign Memorial Book

Occasionally we publish an update on our work with one of our clients, Friends & Relations, who are steadily expanding their online memorial offering with the back office support of Slightly Different.

For those who don’t know, Friends & Relations was established some time ago now to provide a method of publishing memories of dearly beloved friends and family who have passed away, including tributes and images from others, to create an ever lasting unique celebration of a person’s life.

Often memories that are left by others are incredibly poignant, sometimes amusing, always emotive, and when combined with other memories there is a special feeling of remembrance which wouldn’t be possible without this website.

It is also possible to leave a donation for the charity of the person’s choice within the site, and to facilitate this we have launched a range of branded online memorial books, using Flash technology to show the names of those who have passed away in an intuitive format that then links through to their tribute page on the main Friends & Relations site.

Recent online memorial books include a number of military campaign books including the Battle of Britain, the British Cyprus Campaign, and the official memorial books for both the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.  We have set up a special website for these at www.campaignmemorialbooks.co.uk.

Other memorial books can be seen at www.onlinememorialbooks.co.uk which have been undertaken for a variety of well known charities including Guide Dogs for the Blind, the RNLI, the Tear Fund, and the Fire Fighters Charity, and all are responsible for raising much needed funds for these worthy organisations.

We’re very proud to be the web partners behind the scenes of Friends & Relations and we wish them well.

In any software project, documentation will play a part. Typically it will consist of a set of requirements, technical documentation of the architecture, technical documentation of the source code & user documentation, e.g. help files.

Usually the set of requirements will be made, software written, and enough instruction given to users for them to benefit from the end product.

Occasionally, the technical documentation in a project can be an afterthought, sparse or even non-existent. This is unfortunate as technical documentation can bring varied and worthwhile benefits.

GOOD PRACTICE

Good technical documentation should consist typically of architecture (database layout, physical layout, network diagrams), UML diagrams & explanations of trickier parts of the code and/or tutorials.  There shouldn’t be any need to document the inner workings of each class and function beyond code commenting. Automated documentation tools, e.g. Doxygen, Javadoc etc. can be used to create reference documentation from the source code and comments.

Always include things that may seem obvious to current developers but not to people coming from outside, e.g. project access – where is the source code repository held? Where is the development environment and on which servers? What are the production environment requirements, e.g. OS, available programming languages, libraries, hardware & database types? These are things which will take a short amount of time to write but aid greatly in visibility to staff (future & present) and management of the company.

As time goes on in a software project the technical documents themselves, if created, will become out of date. A method should be found of updating documents to keep them relevant. Auto generating documentation tools like Doxygen can simply be run periodically to remain current but don’t forget to maintain the architecture documentation, e.g. database diagrams and network layouts if changes are made there.

Programmers want to program, but they should produce documentation too although it can hardly be described as fun. So where will the motivation come from? The answer is that the motivation and recognition of the need for it has to come from the company management level. It needs to be a part of the company ethos as documentation is at its heart a collaborative exercise. Without that, proper documentation may not get produced, be incomplete or be of poor quality.

FOR & AGAINST

In an environment where good documentation is available and complete, it provides visibility to those that need to make decisions on future development and allocation of time & resources. It is always much nicer to work on a well documented system, rather than having to work backwards from a user level fault in the product, identifying the bits of code and then ‘grepping’ through the whole source tree to find all the other relevant and related parts to make corrections.  Without it decisions on maintenance and product improvements can be very difficult to gauge and lead to rewrites or projects being scrapped – at which point morale and motivation in a development team can begin to fracture, affecting the other parts of an organisation.

A development environment where developers are aware their work will be documented in some manner can lead to a higher, more re-usable quality of code produced. The documentation process itself can uncover problems/bugs which can at least be documented, giving awareness of a problem to the company before users experience the fault.  As the problem is documented it will more easily be corrected.

There’s no denying it, documentation comes at a cost. It will require, time and resources of development staff who are already familiar with the implemented architecture and source code. There may be a reluctance from the company to invest that resource. After all, they’ve got a working product for which they have customers who should not be overly concerned with dry explanations of APIs & database schemas. However, consider then the costs of absence of documentation as the time comes to extend, or make corrections to those APIs.

Will the original developers still be around? Will new staff have to spend lengthy periods (at company expense) understanding the project before being able to make changes?  In time the savings will outweigh the cost.  Resource allocated to documentation can be considered an investment in the future.

Happy documenting*.

Author: Kevin Smith

*I cannot believe I just said that!

So for the purposes of this article, when I refer to functionality, I’m talking about enhancements to your website which is a subject close to our hearts as you might imagine. It’s things like enabling a tourist attraction to sell tickets online; turning a website containing product photographs and a phone number into a secure online shop; allowing people to find the right holiday accommodation or hire a car and booking it online; creating the ability for geographically dispersed employees to share information and work collaboratively; enabling you to update your website without the need for a computer science degree; indeed, functionality takes many forms and there is usually a way to automate or streamline any aspect of a business to make it more efficient and, ultimately, more profitable.

The downside with adding functionality to your site however is that, to get it right – and believe me your business can’t afford to get it wrong – is usually not cheap, but neither is anything worth having (with the exception of family and friends and perhaps sunshine and views, etc. – Ed). Indeed, functionality could be one way of describing the difference between cost and price. There is always a price to any investment, whether it is hiring a new member of staff, buying a new company vehicle, or enhancing an ageing website, but in making the investment there should always be an increase in functionality that this level of acquisition provides your business, be it additional man hours, the ability to ship your product to your customer more quickly, or perhaps trading online more efficiently. The cost of not doing this could be that your business stays where it is while your competitors grow around you which, in the long run, isn’t good for business.

Ultimately, it’s all about the Return On Investment. None of the examples above are trivial purchases, but adding functionality to a website could generate the biggest return. One major advantage that it does have is that, usually, it’s a one off investment with no ongoing fees, which make its return levels particularly attractive when reviewing financial forecasts.

Functionality isn’t always expensive though. There are some things that don’t cost a lot that could make a surprising difference to your business bottom line. For example, this could be as simple as changing the way you process credit cards or perhaps keepng customers contact details in a different format so that you can communicate with them more effectively.

On a larger scale, your investment could allow you to relocate members of staff, perhaps taking them out of the stock room and into a more customer facing role thus presenting softer benefits in addition to the more tangible ones, or it could allow you to interact with your customers in a better way with no additional effort on you part, perhaps enabling them to create their own online accounts for example so that previous purchases can be saved, gift lists created, and allowing them to find out first what new products you have in stock. It’s things like this that could gain you market share, particularly if your competitors aren’t investing in functionality, and it’s online additions like this that will allow you to compete effectively against companies perhaps much larger than you are, regardless of their marketing budgets.

So, going back to the original question – is it worth it? My answer would be that the key difference in this type of investment is that you can usually calculate your likely Return On Investment before you take the plunge, particularly as, unlike putting your money in the bank or the stock market (pretty much the same thing these days), you’re effectively investing in yourself which is the safest bet of all.

With a partner like Slightly Different capable of providing any level of functionality enhancement to your website, you really do start to stack the odds in your favour.

Call us to discuss your functionality requirements on 01326 372416.

Quality Assurance

In fact we all do QA all of the time without realising it – You use spell checker before sending your emails or Word document and look at the ‘sell by’ date when buying milk or sandwiches from the garage forecourt, right? That’s all QA of some sort.

Having started with its conception and nurtured its development every solution we provide goes through a thorough QA process before it is launched to ensuring that it works as it should of course, that all the links point to the right place, all the images display, videos don’t get stuck, but also that it complies with both user and legal criteria.

Websites, email and any online communication is covered by UK, EU and wider legislation which of course never stands still itself. Some examples of this legislation are the need to clearly state somewhere on the site your trading status, Company registration and Vat Number, and your contact details by post and by phone.

If you are selling something or offering a subscription service, even if free like a newsletter – you should have an up to date Terms and Conditions of usage to protect yourself and you must require users to accept these before obtaining the service – these can be quite complex and require significant research or even legal advice as to what legislation currently applies e.g. Distance Selling Regulations.

As this is specific to your company, as part of our QA we would ensure that these areas are addressed but the content and compliance would be your responsibility to compile and maintain.

Browsers:

Five years ago there were really only 2 commonly used browsers in common usage – Internet Explorer 5 and Netscape Navigator which rendered any given webpage slightly differently, so web designers commonly used 2 styles – one for each so they looked near identical – or kept a ‘simple’ site layout.

Now of course we have far more flashy graphics, embedded video, fancy effects – visitors expect far more engagement and interaction.

Currently there are 3 versions of Internet Explorer 6 to 8 plus 2 versions of Firefox plus Chrome and Opera, then Mac users have Safari, Firefox and Camino – that’s over 9 years in age – each user will expect a site to look perfect in their browser else they are likely to claim the site is faulty.

Developers now spend a lot of time ensuring the near identical appearance which then has to be verified in the QA process by checking through any new site in these browsers.

Many sites more than 4 years old can also suffer as they were developed before all of the modern browsers and so suddenly ‘break’ when viewed in a new version and fixing that can then cause furthur differences between the versions.

Monitors are getting bigger as well as cheaper so sites have to be usable in the lower resolution 1024×768 plus still look good when ‘zoomed out’ to say 1600×1200 used for many laptops and widescreens with the text being comfortably readable at both extremes.

Another issue to consider more recently, is that of smart phones (I-phone, Blackberry’s etc)  and how they display websites – one of the key current issues being the war between Adobe and Apple. Apple (I-Phones) don’t currently allow Flash technology to work on their systems. Flash is used so widely now and is so well supported that this poses a real issue. We do have a range of smart phones as part of our testing suite in-house however and depending on the brief of the project, these are additional platforms to test and check.

Accessibility

During the dvelopment of a new website, we ensure that the site complies with all current legislation known to us, in particular the 1995:2005 Disability Discrimination Act. There is an international standard of accessibility compliance laid down by the World Wide Web Consortium and our work is developed to the recognised W3C WAI Levels. We usually work to a minimum AA standard, which exceeds the legal UK requirements and meets the recommended standards of compliance for all European and public sector websites.

Another compliance factor is the compliance of the website code used behind the scenes to construct the site. We develop websites to comply with all current HTML and CSS compliance standards, and this has the additional benefit of assisting search engines to read your site.

Live Testing

While all of our work goes through the QA process, there is nothing more valuable than an initial period of live testing. This is because of the sheer volume of scenarios that could ever occur, trust me there are lots! Live testing is more a period of time than a “to do”, as it involves us watching very carefully for any odd behaviours or problems as they happen and fixing them there and then. A new website, if it is quite complex, will in our experience settle after 4-6 weeks, a simple website will take much less time. Generally it’s down to traffic – the more users on the site, the better idea we get of any issues.

Support Contracts

We recommend that all of our clients subscribe to a support contract with us, especially if we have developed the site, as we will spend much less time than another developer or hosting company looking into why a particular issue has occurred. We offer support contracts that are combined with our hosting services, although the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

Need our help? Call us on 01326 372416 or email support@slightlydifferent.co.uk