http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/ en lbell@blueatlas.com Copyright 2010 2010-06-30T14:31:15+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/whats_your_mobile_strategy/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/whats_your_mobile_strategy/#When:13:31:15Z Is your organization starting to think about a mobile project? You have a lot of company as smartphone sales are expected to exceed PC sales by 2011; and mobile web usage will surpass desktop or "tethered" usage" by 2013.  Comscore reported in April, 2010 that 72 million mobile users accessed a website compared to 69 million users who used an application. Both are showing more than 25% year-to-year growth.Is your organization starting to think about a mobile project? You have a lot of company as smartphone sales are expected to exceed PC sales by 2011; and mobile web usage will surpass desktop or "tethered" usage" by 2013.  Comscore reported in April, 2010 that 72 million mobile users accessed a website compared to 69 million users who used an application. Both are showing more than 25% year-to-year growth. The following 3 questions will help you start to formulate your organization's mobile strategy:Does your organization need a mobile presence?Eventually, the answer will most likely be ‘yes’.  As the market projections indicate, mobile users will continue to increase and will soon become the norm.  However, what to provide via a mobile device will be different from organization to organization.  Each organization needs to first understand how their existing web presence is used by their constituents.  What makes their web site a valuable resource?  What sections of the site are most visited?  These trends will provide valid data that will help you determine whether your entire site should be mobilized, or whether mobilized applications will better serve your constituents.What is a ‘native’ application versus a mobilized application?A native application is one that is developed for a specific platform, such as the iPhone, Android, etc.  A mobilized web application is not device-specific.  It is a browser-based application that will perform effectively across platforms.Which is best for our organization – a native app or a mobilized app?The primary benefit of the mobile web is that applications can be developed once and used everywhere.  We can reach more devices with a single development effort. Since mobile app platforms are fragmented, meaning you have to build specific apps for iPhone, Android, Palm Pre, etc., their native applications require independent development efforts.  A mobile website is built to standards that work on all these devices. Another benefit of mobilized applications is the freedom to rapidly innovate and refine without approval or requiring the user to update and download.  Conversely, Apple has a fairly stringent process for applying for application approval, both during initial development, as well as future enhancements to the application. 2010-06-30T13:31:15+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/opening_for_web_developer/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/opening_for_web_developer/#When:14:10:50Z We are looking for a motivated and creative Web Developer to join our team. Characteristics of the ideal candidate include:  enjoys keeping abreast of new technologies, readily accepts the challenge of de-bugging code, and appreciates the opportunity to interface directly with clients.As a web developer for Blue Atlas, you will work with contemporary technologies/tools, and have the opportunity to be involved in the full life-cycle of projects.  Our ideal candidate will be a strong front-end developer, with experience, or a keen interest in advancing to back-end development.  What we are looking for:•    Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Web Design/Development and at least 1-2 years experience developing web sites and web applications •    Demonstrable mastery of CSS, Javascript, HTML, and xHTML•    Experience with at least one CMS application•    Awareness of front-end performance optimizations and best practices•    Adept at using Firebug (or other debugger) to diagnose browser rendering issues and other client-side anomalies •    Ability to analyze customer requirements, and explain your solution in lay terms •    Strong verbal and written communication skillsNice to have’s:•    Experience with at least one of the following: PHP, ASP/ASP.NET (C#), ColdFusion, JSP/Java, Python•    Some knowledge of relational databases: MS SQL Server, MySQL, Postgres •    Understanding of web site web standards, accessibility, and usability•    Ability to investigate new project requirements, prototype a solution and progress through building out that solution•    Interested in conquering the challenges presented by browser differences•    Understanding of the impact of technical decisions and solutions•    Developing code with an understanding that you, or someone else, will need to maintain or enhance that code - code readability is paramount to development efficiency and qualityWe boast a high customer retention rate due to our delivery of rock solid web solutions to a wide array of clients, including the National Institutes of Standards & Technology; Drexel University; Becton, Dickinson & Co.; and NJVC.  Our developers work as part of project teams comprised of internal staff, contractors and partners.  The ideal candidate will be able to effectively work as part of a development team, but also have the skills required to work independently on smaller projects.If this opportunity sounds of interest, we would love to hear from you.  Please forward your resume to 'hr at blueatlas.com'. 2010-06-18T14:10:50+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/itrophymall.com_launches/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/itrophymall.com_launches/#When:16:28:58Z Blue Atlas client, iTrophyMall.com, combines a contemporary online shopping experience with a high quality product line of trophies and awards.Although the market for trophies, awards, plaques and other recognition products is increasing, the online presence for trophy vendors has not kept pace with other corporate e-businesses.  The principals of iTrophyMall had a vision to provide an exemplary online shopping experience for buyers of trophies and awards.  Whether the purchase is for a corporate recognitions program, or for a little league's end-of-season celebration, iTrophyMall.com makes browsing and purchasing very simple.  Blue Atlas designed and developed iTrophyMall to make purchasing a product no more than 2 clicks aways.  With a category system accessible right from the home page, site visitors can easily navigate to trophies and awards that best meet their needs.  The site uses Expression Engine as the content management system and is integrated seamlessly with PayPal to provide a secure and familiar purchase experience.  With Expression Engine, the iTrophyMall.com staff can quickly and easily update their product catalog, add new categories, and highlight product specials.  Visit www.itrophymall.com......you might even be enticed to buy YOURSELF a recognition award! Business Development, Content Management Solutions 2010-05-25T16:28:58+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/who_is_watching_over_your_web_site/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/who_is_watching_over_your_web_site/#When:16:44:25Z When your re-designed web site is launched, the project is not over.......it simply transitions to a new phase which must be pro-actively managed.A new web site or web application is an investment.  Just as you expect to take care of your house or your car to maintain their value and performance, so must you plan to take care of your web site. A web site support and maintenance plan can serve as an insurance policy to protect your new investment.  There are numerous benefits to such a plan: ensuring that your new web site or web application continues to present your organization in the best manner possible ensuring that your organization's brand and messaging continue to be used consistently providing your staff with the confidance to add/edit/delete site content, knowing that they have support ready and available, if needed having another set of eyes consistently reviewing your web site or web application to ensure proper performance A comprehensive web site support and maintenance plan will include: Web site troubleshooting and problem resolution, including such things as display issues, navigation problems and image re-sizing Web application troubleshooting and problem resolution, including performance issues of the site’s content management system Support for hosting, platform, and other related hosting infrastructure, including consulting with the hosting provider regarding modifications to the platform configuration to support problem resolution Support provided to site content editors as they add/edit/delete content Training support for new content editors The most valuable support and maintenance plans are structured to provide immediate, real-time assistance when needed.  These plans typically required pre-paid support hours in the client's 'account' -- this provides X number of pre-paid support hours each month.  The other option for support and maintenance is 'pay-as-you-go.'  However, these plans do not usually provide the immediate access to support that the pre-paid plans do. Remember.......anything worth doing is worth doing well.  Don't stop your web site re-design project at deployment.  Keep it going with a formal maintenance plan and you will gain much more value from your new site over time. Development 2010-04-16T16:44:25+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/pairing_django_and_titanium_in_a_desktop_app/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/pairing_django_and_titanium_in_a_desktop_app/#When:19:56:44Z Over the past four months I have been doing a lot of work in Python and Django. Naturally, while recently playing around with Appcelerator Titanium Desktop (which seems to have good Python support), I wanted to see how Django and Titanium would pair. Assumptions Titanium installed - http://www.appcelerator.com/products/download/ Django installed - http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/topics/install/ What Worked Over the course of a few hours, I was able to accomplish the following: Django Template integration Django ORM interaction Titanium Database communication with the Django DB (SQLite) defined in settings.py Links Source Files Directory Layout Creating the Project When a Titanium Desktop application (with Python support) is running, the Resources directory for the application is placed in the system Python path. Therefore, my first step was to place the main django directory in Resources. From there, I navigated to Resources and executed the startproject command: django-admin.py startproject test_project Next, I updated settings.py with information about my test database: import os DATABASES = { 'default': { 'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3', 'NAME': os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__)), 'test_project.db'), } } I made sure to include the full path to my test_project.db database, knowing that I would eventually need to refer to this path for Titanium Database support. Finally, I executed my syncdb command from within my test_project directory: ./manage.py syncdb When prompted, I added a superuser account for myself. Django Template Integration Template integration was pretty smooth. What follows is a scaled down version of my index.html resource, and its associated files: -Resources -index.html #Yes, this is all I have in my main index.html resource <script type="text/python"> from test_project.contrib.template import index </script> <script> document.write(index()) </script> -Resources -test_project -contrib -template.py def index(): kwargs = {'foo': 'bar'} return _render_template('index', **kwargs) def _render_template(template_name, **kwargs): from django.template import loader, Context t = loader.get_template('%s.html' % template_name) c = Context(kwargs) return t.render(c) -Resources -test_project -templates -base.html -index.html # base.html {% block py_imports %}{% endblock %} <!DOCTYPE html> <html dir="ltr" lang="en-US"> <head> <title>{% block title %}{% endblock %} | Titanium Testing</title> <script type="text/javascript" src="jquery-1.3.2.js"></script> {% block js %}{% endblock %} </head> <body> {% block content %}{% endblock %} </body> </html> # index.html {% extends "base.html" %} {% block title %}Template Communication {{ block.super }}{% endblock %} {% block content %} <strong>Foo</strong>: {{ foo }} <!-- Prints bar --> {% endblock %} Database Communication Database communication also went fairly smooth (though I did get tripped up trying to find a method to use an existing SQLite db for Titanium ... ultimately the following worked for me: Titanium.Database.openFile('/path/to/db')). What follows are the code snippets which represent successful communication with the DB via Django, and via the Titanium Database API: -Resources -test_project -contrib -db.py -user.py # db.py def py_get_db(): from test_project import settings return settings.DATABASES['default']['NAME'] # user.py def py_update_name(username, first_name, last_name): from django.contrib.auth.models import User user = User.objects.get(username=username) user.first_name = first_name user.last_name = last_name user.save() def py_get_full_name(username): from django.contrib.auth.models import User user = User.objects.get(username=username) return user.get_full_name() -Resources -test_project -templates -index.html (full version) # index.html {% extends "base.html" %} {% block title %}Database Communication {{ block.super }}{% endblock %} {% block py_imports %} <script type="text/python"> from test_project.contrib.user import py_update_name, py_get_full_name from test_project.contrib.db import py_get_db </script> {% endblock %} {% block js %} <script> var username = 'leveille'; var first_name = 'Jason' var last_name = 'Leveille' /** * Tell Django to update user first/last name */ py_update_name(username, first_name, last_name); $(document).ready(function(){ /** * Use Django to query the auth database * and return the user fullname */ var $test_1 = $('#test_1'); $('button', $test_1).bind('click', function(){ $('.result', $test_1).text(py_get_full_name(username)); }); var $test_2 = $('#test_2'); $('button', $test_2).bind('click', function(){ var val = 'Empty result set'; try { var db = Titanium.Database.openFile(py_get_db()); var rs = db.execute( "SELECT first_name, last_name FROM auth_user " + "WHERE username = '" + username + "'" ); if(rs.isValidRow()){ val = rs.field(0) + ' ' + rs.field(1); } } catch (err) { val = err; } finally { rs.close(); db.close(); $('.result', $test_2).text(val); } }); }); </script> {% endblock %} {% block content %} <div id="test_1"> <h1>Test 1</h1> <p> <button>Django Query for my Full Name</button> </p> <p> <strong>Result</strong>: </p> </div> <div id="test_2"> <h1>Test 2</h1> <p> <button>Titanium Query for my Full Name</button> </p> <p> <strong>Result</strong>: </p> </div> <div id="test_3"> <h1>Test 3</h1> <p> Passing Template Variables </p> <p> <strong>Foo</strong>: {{ foo }} </p> </div> {% endblock %} The Result If you have experience playing around with these two playfellows, feel free to share them here. Django, Titanium 2010-02-17T19:56:44+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/a_mindset_not_a_process/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/a_mindset_not_a_process/#When:16:05:00Z Over the last few years, web application security has come to the forefront for software developers.  Where in the past, terms such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting where completely foreign, most professional web developers now have at least a basic understanding of what these are and the risks that they pose.Over the last few years, web application security has come to the forefront for software developers.  Where in the past, terms such as “SQL injection” and “cross-site scripting” where completely foreign, most professional web developers now have at least a basic understanding of what these vulnerabilities are and the risks that they pose.  In addition, education and tools have become more readily available, along with techniques and best practices for developers of web applications.However, in spite of the resources available and knowledge gained, adopting web application security best practices is still a difficult process.  Here are a few reasons why: It’s a moving target – the bad guys continue to invent new techniques and technology continues to advance, providing new ways to attack web applications. Security increases costs – developer education, development & testing time, continuous testing, etc. Specialized knowledge and experience in web application security is sparse and, ultimately left to the individual software developer.  Not many dev teams have dedicated security practitioners. Adoption of web application security is a mindset and culture, and it requires attention at all levels of software design and development. Smaller organizations don’t have the expertise or resources to address application security, or the ability to keep up with current trends. With the list above, it may seem that the security challenge is insurmountable, particularly for resource constrained organizations.  However, all is not lost, and there are a number of basic but effective techniques that can be utilized to reduce the vulnerabilities that are exposing your data.  I would call this the “low hanging fruit” of web application security: Discuss & plan internal application security processes and best practices Review and remediate vulnerabilities for your server configuration Use reduced privilege accounts for authentication and database connections Adopt basic vulnerability testing- Numerous free, open source and commercial tools are available- Perform scanning on a recurring basis- Remediate severe application vulnerabilities Scan your applications on a regular basis and remediate vulnerabilities In future blog posts, we’ll expand on these options and provide greater detail. Development, Web Site Security 2010-01-04T16:05:00+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/search_engine_optimization/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/search_engine_optimization/#When:17:33:04Z Search engine optimization (SEO) is not a 'black and white' topic.  Rather, SEO is a somewhat ever-changing goal that ebbs and flows as new web technologies and approaches are introduced.  Using a content management system (CMS) is one sure way to help support your SEO intiatives.We found a great discussion on how a CMS can effect SEO.  Take a look. Development 2009-12-30T17:33:04+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/drexel_university_launches_new_nursing_conferences_site/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/drexel_university_launches_new_nursing_conferences_site/#When:17:21:21Z Drexel University's College of Nursing & Health Professions is a recognized leader of current and continuing nursing education.  Visit their new continuing education nursing website at http:Drexel University's College of Nursing & Health Professions is a recognized leader in current and continuing nursing education.  Please take a look at their new continuing nursing education website. Business Development 2009-12-29T17:21:21+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/blue_atlas_expands_web_team/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/blue_atlas_expands_web_team/#When:14:57:38Z Tony Czeh, an experienced web developer, joined the Blue Atlas team in November.  Tony brings over 5 years experience in numerous contemporary web technologies, including PhP and Python.  Read more in the Washington Business Journal.     2009-12-02T14:57:38+00:00 http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/helping_our_area_schools/ http://www.blueatlas.com/blog/article/helping_our_area_schools/#When:18:26:40Z Our area schools do not always have the IT resources to support their web initiatives.As an extension of what we do in the corporate world every day, we like to get involved in helping our local schools use the web as a valuable resource.  At Good Counsel High School, we have donated athletic team web sites to improve communication amongst coaches, players, parents and fans.  For the MOG School, we have provided services to integrate and configure a solid firewall into their IT network.  Our schools work hard to graduate well-prepared students….we enjoy the opportunity to support our area schools. Helping Our Community 2009-11-25T18:26:40+00:00