web notes - a blog

Tools that generate color codes from a comp have probably already been developed, but if you don’t have any, or if you enjoy a challenge such as this, you could, theoretically, use the previous command string on a comp to create the CSS for an application.

More to follow …

The link above gets the colors from an image - really nicely.

Drupal is one of the most popular content management systems and modular web application architectures available.

It would be an excellent system to deploy an RPM management system on. This system would generate .spec files for the modules, ensuring dependencies could be enforced and allowing the use of yum or other methods to automate upgrades.

The success of this approach for developers would be dependent upon their ability to architect their implementations without modifying Drupal and interfacing correctly to the module system.

It also requires that Drupal serve as a server component, rather than just an account-level application. Managed carefully, with configuration files and other innovative methods, rapid deployment of manageable Drupal sites would be extremely cost-effective.

http://web-notes.wirehopper.com/2008/06/23/open-source-rpm-spec-file

Using the link above, you can very quickly choose colors for an attractive color scheme and them augment them with images.

Many applications use hierarchical CSS architectures, where common elements have the same CSS and the skin defines or overrides the ‘main’ design colors.

The idea is to use the ColorToy demo to choose the colors, extract the colors it generates, and then run the color mapper.

The key to a successful collaborative environment is to clearly define the responsibilities of each team member and grant them the freedom to meet those responsibilities in the best way possible.

It is extremely important to staff these teams with professionals that have the education and experience to do more than what they are told. They need to understand what needs to be done, and do it, identifying issues and resolving them independently, ever mindful of their contribution to the team, and the available time and resources.

Team communication should evolve with the team. Any process that produces the desired results is adequate.

Location can be considered a commodity - something which is purchased. The cost of business real estate, whether leased or purchased, is not only financial, but affects the people who are willing to visit your business and work there.

Most people don’t want to commit to a location for a job. Today’s career environment is very fluid, businesses change frequently, and the cost to purchase and settle in a home is high.

Thus, when choosing an office location, it is extremely important to position it where the people you want to staff it with are willing to go. The only truly reliable way to identify a location that will attract ‘good people’ is to select an area with similar businesses. This can be used to roughly estimate the available talent pool. Bear in mind it is unlikely you will find an exact population of perfect employees, but by the same token, a general skill set can often be discerned (for example: software, hardware, education).

In the event that the existing location is causing the business to suffer due to difficulty in hiring and retention, there are several possible options:

• Allow telecommuting - extremely cost-effective, potentially risky. Creates communication overhead.
• Open a satellite office - may greatly increase overhead, and includes some of the telecommuting risks/expenses.
• Move - choose a new location, perhaps by starting with a satellite office.
• Import employees - strive to find people eager to relocate into the region.