Older blog entries for derupe (starting at number 13)

ok ... I've decided that I'll go for a modified dotted style for the Kaprekar Series Generator site - but will put the styles in a separate css file - this way I can change the menu style by relacing this css along (not affecting the rest of the site). This will be aligned to the way I have structured the css for the site - as descibed in the article retooling slashdot.

I have decided not to go along with the xml menu structure - if I go along with that I'll have to give up any hope for making my site truly xhtml valid - it would just close that option for me ... so now someday I'll have the site xhtml valid AND which hopefully will work cross browser ... now now thats a dreamer :)

I released a new version of Matra yesterday night and posted it to freshmeat today.

This is a minor bugfix release of Matra. A few bugs related to parsing within conditional sections have been dealt with. The DTDTree has been added/updated for the following DTDs: MARC, SVG, Reach, Gutenberg, and MathML.

The version is named Matra 0.8.2b. You can get more information on Matra from the Matra web site. Click on the download link on the left navigation bar to download Matra.

I created the MathML DTDTree yesterday and posted it on the Matra web site. Click on "Sample dtdtrees" on the left navbar and then on the MathML section in the content frame.

Still working my the Kaprekar Series Generator Site redesign.

The menu on the site still uses a html table. Plan to move that to a pure CSS solution. But currently stumped as to what approach to go for! The current menu which uses table tags is (hopefully!) cross-browser - it will look more-or-less the same across various browsers. Should I move away from that?

Ideally I would like to place the menu in a simple xml structure like -

<div id="Navbar">
  <menu>
    <menutitle>
      <a href="...">Introduction</a>
    </menutitle>
    <menuitem>
      <a href="...">Sample Output</a>
    </menuitem>
    add other menu titles/items here
  </menu>
</div>

And then use CSS to display the above XML (No, I don't want to go the xslt route ... my server side doesn't support it). Something similar to what Project Gutenberg uses for Three Men in a Boat (Excellent book, btw! A must read).

But I wonder if this will be the right approach. What will be the effect of this approach on search engines? Will it effect my (meagre) search rankings? (since the tags menutitle and menuitem will be non-standard).

Another approach will be to use lists (<ul>) tags as detailed in A List Apart. Or the dotted menu demonstrated at Blue Robot.

But I don't see menus as lists and so I'm still confused as to what approach should I go for!

Forgot to mention that among the changes to the Kaprekar Series Generator project site, I've used CSS ... I'm not sure if it would work on all browsers. I've tested it with Firefox and IE. Lemme know if it doesn't work on your browser.

I converted the Kaprekar Series Generator site from a frame based navigation to a php-based site (with the navigation included in the template). Check it out at http://kaprekar.sourceforge.net

I regenerated the dtdtrees for the updated MARC dtds using Matra and placed them in the project website (http://matra.sourceforge.net). These dtds now no longer have orphan elements.

I recently notified MARC about a problem with their dtds [ MARC Authority/Classification Record and MARC Bibliographic/Holdings/Community Information Record]. Man! They are fast. They have incorporated the changes already!

I'll regenerate the dtdtrees and post it on my site.

just got off the phone with Gurney's. This has been one frustrating experience. (one of the few online purchases that I regret).

I placed an order with them (online) in Feb (yeah February) and I haven't received all the plants yet! I ordered 7 items and I received some of them in a trickle one at a time. Three items are yet to come (after more than 2 months!).

I should have made this puchase from a local store instead of going online.

Whats frustrating is not just the delay, but that the customer service doesn't seem to have a clue when the items will be shipped. Every time I've called them up I've got the reply "It should be in a weeks time". I called April beginning and heard that. Then on April 23rd, same reply. Today, she said that it should be shipped in a week and a half.

I spoke to the supervisor and she said that the plants are available in the warehouse, but she isn't sure how many orders are waiting before mine (hey, there are ppl waiting for more than 3 months here?) and that it should be shipped in 2 weeks (inconsistencies inconsistencies!). She apologized for the inconvenience (but that doesn't help, I want my plants!).

Now thats one site that I'll avoid.

But still hopeful that someday ... I will receive the plants :)

Mark Pilgrim has listed some of the software that he finds essential. interesting read.