It's taken a while (see an earlier post), but I've finally found my perfect setup for developing locally on my Mac.

MAMP & VirtualHostX

MAMP is essential for developing locally on Mac. But with URLs like http://localhost/mysite, testing in a browser was a pain. Not anymore. A nifty little app called VirtualHostX makes setting up virtual hosts like http://mysite a snap. Goes with MAMP like peanut butter and jelly. (NOTE: VHX works with MAMP 1.8.4, but I couldn't get it working with MAMP 1.9.)

From the presentation I gave this weekend at the Phoenix Desert Code Camp. You can also view and download the notes at http://bit.ly/cssforlayout

Why Use CSS?

Cascading style sheets (CSS) allow us to separate content from presentation.

1. Saves time and money. It's easier to change one style sheet than, say, 20 font tags on every page of a 200 page web site.
2. File sizes are smaller and load faster, saving more time, money and your users from frustration.
3. Machines love it because...

I'm a diehard Mac and Firefox user, and if I were Queen of the Universe, everyone else would be, too. My royal aspirations aside, I realize that I have to take into consideration The Browser That Can't Be Named when developing a site. On average, about 58% of all people are still using some version of TBTCBN. At my place of employment, I'm sorry to say, that number is even higher—up to 68% of ASU's web visitors are poor, misguided souls. Because I develop locally on a Mac with MAMP, I don't test in TBTCBN as much or as often in the process as I should. Until now.

You'll probably seen this scene "re-subtitled" a bunch of different ways. This is the first time it's made me laugh out loud. Thanks to Nick Lewis for the link...and the chuckle over "Hitler Finds Out That Drupal 7 May Release Without Panels."

Happy New Year! In celebration of 2010 and my resolution to keep this blog up-to-date again, I decided to redo the place. I wanted a fresh new look to go with my fresh new posts. It's another Drupal Zen subtheme, and I'm calling it "Spare" because, well, it is.

I love the clean, classic look of minimalist design, and it's a perfect fit for another of my (intended) 2010 rallying cries--"Content is king!" With minimalism, there's no hiding behind a snazzy graphic. You've either got it or you don't. And if I don't, I'd certainly like to know about it.