While the outcome of it will largely depend on your speaking abilities, you can still choose to record just what you do without saying anything. But nevertheless, this is by far the best way to share large amounts of information in the least time possible.

For those who think that one can’t get away with a free set of tools are probably unaware of the wide selection we have today. Of course, free ... Read More »]]> Recording screen (screencasting), without a doubt, is one of the fastest ways to share information with others. It can be a presentation, software demo, app preview, tutorial, or simply a way to show your family or friends how to get things done. A single screencast can speak a thousand words. Add a speech on top of it and you are ready to do some serious tutorials and whatnot.

While the outcome of it will largely depend on your speaking abilities, you can still choose to record just what you do without saying anything. But nevertheless, this is by far the best way to share large amounts of information in the least time possible.

For those who think that one can’t get away with a free set of tools are probably unaware of the wide selection we have today. Of course, free tools cannot be compared to those used by professionals. Although some of the free tools may offer a decent amount of features, all that’s really needed is to record the screen and if possible then sound. The best of all is that you don’t need any expensive equipment like cameras, lights, tripods, etc. However, if you want to record your speech, a good quality microphone is a must.

This list is a mix of both free and paid solutions so it is up to you to choose what suits your needs best. If you want a professional all-in-one recording software regardless of the price, there are quite a few to choose from below.

1. ScreenFlow (Mac)

ScreenFlow from Telestream is a screencasting and video editing solution only available on Mac. With the help of it you can record the contents of your entire monitor while also capturing your video camera, microphone and your computer audio. A few editing tools will also come in handy when you want to add text, music and transitions to the video.

2. CamStudio (Windows)

CamStudio is able to record your computer screen with audio input from microphone or speakers. Basically, you can do any task that requires to capture desktop activity. Many support this open source app and recommend it since it allows you to do basic editing and the ability to to annotate and append videos with comments, a time stamp, and a territorial watermark.

3. Jing (Windows, Mac)

Jing is a simple yet powerful screencasting software for taking pictures and capturing videos of the computer screen. It is well-known for its ease of sharing that allows you to upload work to Screencast.com, an FTP site, Flickr, or YouTube. Furthermore, image tools will also come in handy if you want to add text, highlight existing text, or add an arrow or a rectangle to annotate your capture.

4. Camtasia (Windows, Mac)

Considered to be the top professional video recording software, Camtasia has everything you can possibly ask for. It has a powerful toolset and ease of use will also prove useful for people who are just starting out. What’s more is that it offers speech-to-text with a voice training feature and a whole lot more things that will make you look like a pro.

In a nutshell, it allows you to edit videos to perfection and share them on popular video sites, Apple devices, your website, blog or anywhere you like.

5. FRAPS (Windows)

FRAPS, while mostly used to record gameplays, is also a great choice for those who want to record their screen the easy way. Now, most of you may immediately think that FRAPS was designed only for gamers. But this is not simply the case. It has the firepower to create high-quality videos and will capture resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080 pixels, no matter while in-game or on the desktop. Ease of use and professional tools is also a top-priority and as a result you get a lot more than you can ask for.

6. iShowU HD Pro (Mac)

iShowU HD is built for speed. Rebuilt from the ground up, this powerful tool offers high performance and a brand new, easy-to-use interface at a price you can deal with. It has ability to show keystrokes on the screen which is essential for making compelling video tutorials. Above all, It’s easy to get started with and setting it up for recording will take just few steps.

7. Copernicus (Mac)

Copernicus is a great little tool for taking screenshots. But it also handles screen capturing very well. The only downside is that you cannot record audio which is one of the most sought-after features of a screen recorder. But nevertheless, you can do decent quality screencasts and export them as a Quicktime movie files. Most importantly, Copernicus is free.

8. Screenflick (Mac)

Screenflick is a neat software for high performance and quality screen capturing. What is more important is the flexibility which allows you to compress the screencasts at different resolutions and qualities. You can simultaneously record audio from internal or external microphones and the system audio. Overall, this is a great piece of software without breaking the bank.

9. Screenium (Mac)

Screenium is a long time favorite fom Mac users when it comes down to screencasting. As with many other solutions, Screenium allows you to record full-screen, or in a single window or prescribed area. It features a built-in video and audio editor that will eliminate the need for programs such as iMovie to organize and clean up screencasts. Upon finishing creating videos for your family or friends, you can export them in any video format supported by Quicktime. If that’s not enough, how about uploading them to YouTube or any other video sharing portal?

10. Screen Mimic (Mac)

Screen Mimic allows you to create screencasts in as Adobe Flash (SWF), Flash Video (FLV), or Quicktime (MOV) video formats. It can record your full desktop, or a window or spefific area. Do a voiceover using your system’s microphone, or use an audio file as a background track, this software has many great features.

11. FastStone Capture (Windows)

FastStone Capture is a small yet highly configurable, powerful, lightweight and full-featured screen capture tool. Easily capture and annotate anything on the screen including windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular, freehand regions and even scrolling windows or web pages. 19.95$ is definitely worth for a lifetime license considering the huge variety of features this program offers.

12. recordMyDesktop (Linux)

recordMyDesktop is probably the only true screen capturing tool for Linux users. If you’ve ever wondered how did someone capture their desktop video how-to’s, it may very well be thanks to this powerful tool.

13. Snapz Pro X (Mac)

Snapz Pro X helps you to quickly record anything that happens on the screen. It has more control and options compared to other screen recording tools, giving your projects a professional edge. It is hard to compare Snapz Pro X with others, but if there was such a list, it would sit near the top.

So, why should you use online photo editors? There have probably been situations when you were trying to quickly find a tool or service online that would provide powerful photo editing capabilities. In the end, the result wasn’t something you expected. ... Read More »]]> In addition to Awesome Photo Editing Sites, there are few online photo editors that have been recently released and are generally equipped with fabulous features. Some of them are on a whole new level and those who seek alternatives to Picnik will now find out even better solutions. One might ask – why should I care about photo editing and even more, why should I use tools available online? The answer for the first question is very simple – people like to share photos and they like to share them even more if they are edited professionally.

So, why should you use online photo editors? There have probably been situations when you were trying to quickly find a tool or service online that would provide powerful photo editing capabilities. In the end, the result wasn’t something you expected. Luckily, there are powerful solutions that will give you the results you desire with just few clicks.

1. Picozu

Picozu is a recently released online photo editor that stands out due to the many editing options it includes. You can play around with layers, filters, brushes and many more features. Furthermore, you can share your images with the community or simply discuss work by using the Facebook comments feature.

Currently the site is in beta stage and has been released to the public for evaluation. It is undergoing serious modifications as they are continuously improving it.

2. Picmeleo

Picmeleo is a free and feature rich online photo editor that any third-party developers can embed to their website. Some of the most common editing tools include Crop, Scale, Rotate, Auto-fix, Filters and many more. Also, it has built-in multilanguage support.

3. PicMagick

PicMagick is an online photo editor that is designed to be simple and intuitive. It features tools to do all the common tasks such as crop, rotate, sharpen, etc. Also, more complex tools will allow you to smoothen skin and remove red eye. In a nutshell, all it takes is few clicks to make ordinary or simple photos look wonderful. It will surprise you how fabulous your photos can be and how easily this can be done.

4. Citrify

Citrify is an online photo editor with powerful tools for easy photo enhancing. Few of the most common tools will help you to reduce glare and wrinkles, remove red-eye and blemishes. And how about applying the popular “Obamify” effect?

Above all, Citrify is free and allows you to share photos on Facebook.

5. Phixr

Although Phixr has a dated look, it is the most comprehensive html-based image editor you can find meaning that it won’t require Adobe Flash to run. Very useful when certain effects must be applied. Some of the basic tools inlude rotate, flip, scale, crop and enlarge canvas. More advanced tools will allow you to add blur, film grain, remove red eye and many more.

6. Psykopaint

Psykopaint a very unique editor and is more tended for those who are born artists. Well, actually, it allows you to paint without any skill whatsoever. The process is simple – upload an image of your choice, select a brush type and painting style, and start transforming the image into painting.

Also, if you ever wanted to be an artist but were not-so-artistically inclined, this is by far the easiest method to express yourself.

7. thumba

Thumba is a basic photo editor with most sought-after processing tools. You can do simple image editing by using tools such as crop, resize, rotate, flip and mirror. Adjustments will also prove handy when in need of getting the right contrast, brightness, white balance, hues, saturation of your images.

Also, there is a fair amount of popular effects available, including Sepia, Solarization, Vignette and many more.

8. iPiccy

iPiccy is a free and innovative web-based photo editing and sharing application to give users everywhere the ability to quickly and easily edit, enhance and share their photos from any Internet browser. As with many great editors, it allows you to edit pictures, apply photo effects, add text and paint. All of that for free and without registration!

9. PicMonkey

As many people noticed, Picnik closed on April 19, 2012. This left many users without their favorite photo editor. So, now what?

Picnik is promoting a new online photo editor – PicMonkey. The good thing is that it’s being developed by the same engineers who worked at Picnik. PicMonkey has many premium features available to use for free until they launch a royale membership. So, be quick and use these tools for your advantage!

In my opinion, this is by far the best editor I have seen in a while and best of all, this editor is faster, more powerful, and easier to use than its predecessor.

10. Kleki

Kleki is a new and modern browser-based image editing and drawing tool. It’s powerful and loaded with many great tools and, best of all, it requires no plug-ins to do its job whatsoever.

First of all, this tool includes various forms of brushes allowing you to adjust the size, opacity, spacing and blending of the brush. Also, you can also work with layers (yes, similarily you would in Photoshop). So, there are many great tools for those who like to make sketches or just simply draw whatever they like.

Secondly, it’s also great for enhancing your photos by adjusting the brightness, saturation and doing common tasks such as flipping, rotating, resizing and whatnot.

The whole process of adding new extensions is fun and takes a second with no need to restart. Furthermore, it has so many extensions for almost every single task that one may ask – which ones should I install? There is no correct answer when choosing few extensions out of thousands, but I assure you that most of not all of them below are a must-have for any designer and developer out there.

If you own your own website and you want to incorporate something from another website, you might not know the code that needs to be included ... Read More »]]> Many web designers and developers have long been using browsers such as Firefox. It’s very awesome browser with many cutting edge web technologies. But there is just something about Google Chrome that everyone likes – it’s lightweight, fast and on top of that, extendable like no other.

The whole process of adding new extensions is fun and takes a second with no need to restart. Furthermore, it has so many extensions for almost every single task that one may ask – which ones should I install? There is no correct answer when choosing few extensions out of thousands, but I assure you that most of not all of them below are a must-have for any designer and developer out there.

1. Firebug Lite

If you own your own website and you want to incorporate something from another website, you might not know the code that needs to be included in your site to incorporate those features. All you have to do is to go to inspect element and highlight over certain pieces of code to see what belongs to that line of code. It is really helpful and a lot more easier than having to actually view the page’s source code.

2. Web Developer

The official port of the Web Developer extension for Firefox. Developed by Chris Pederick, this is one of the must-have extensions for any developer out there.

3. Stylebot

Stylebot is nothing like Firebug and Web Developer extensions. It allows you to quickly manipulate the appearance of any website to personalize the look and feel. It is also a great tool to learn CSS and for debugging your own site’s design.

4. Vimium

Vimium provides keyboard shortcuts for navigation and control in the spirit of Vim.

5. Eye Dropper

A very useful extension for those who often browse websites for inspiration and like to incorporate some colors in their own design. Picked color history is also available

6. Resolution Switcher

Resolution Switcher allows you to resize the browser window to customizable presets or modify the current window size. Very useful when web designers and developers design responsive layouts, and want to know the current resolution in order to precisely adjust at what resolution an element will be visible or hidden. Allows you to adjust the browser’s outer or inner width and height, taking scrollbars into account.

7. Resolution Test

One of the most commonly installed extensions for developers to test web pages in different screen resolutions, with an option to define your own resolutions.

8. Window Resizer

This extension resizes the browser’s window in order to emulate various resolutions. It is particularly useful for web designers and developers by helping them test their layouts on different browser resolutions. Also, the resolutions list is completely customizable.

9. Google Mail Checker

Displays the number of unread messages in your Google Mail inbox. You can also click the button to open your inbox.

10. SEO Status Pagerank/Alexa Toolbar

Alexa toolbar shows the PR and Alexa rank for every website visited right on the button itself. It is simple, fast, lightweight, and on top of that you get an increased Alexa rank.

11. Alexa Traffic Rank

The Official Alexa Traffic Rank Extension, providing Alexa Traffic Rank and site Information when clicked.

12. Awesome screenshot

Capture the whole page or any portion, annotate it with rectangles, circles, arrows, lines and text, blur sensitive info with just a couple of clicks.

13. Screen Capture (by Google)

Screen Capture is easy to use extension to capture visible content of a tab, a region of a web page, or the whole page as a PNG image.

14. Smooth Scroll

As you may already know, by default, Google Chrome has a choppy scrolling. This is probably the most popular smooth scroll extension and it even features few profiles that mimic the same scrolling effect you would see in IE9 or Opera.

15. WhatFont

Some of you might prefer to inspect elements with Firebug or Webkit inspector but using WhatFont is a lot easier – you can inspect web fonts by just hovering on them. It is that simple and elegant.

16. AdBlock

Ever been tired to see ads floating everywhere you look? This is where AdBlock comes in. The most popular Chrome Extension that blocks ads all over the web.

17. MeasureIt!

Allows you to quickly draw out a ruler that will help you get the pixel width and height of any elements on a webpage.

18. Search by Image (by Google)

Developed by the Google Images team, this handy extension allows you to initiate a Google search to find images that are visually similar by using any image on the web.

19. Speed Tracer (by Google)

The ultimate extension for developers who make web applications and want to identify performance problems in combination with many metrics.

20. PageRank Status

Shows Google PageRank and AlexaRank of current web page, allows for quick access to Geo IP Location, Whois, Alexa, backlinks and indexed pages.

21. Lorem Ipsum Generator

A random dummy text generator that helps designers quickly add placeholder text to mockups.

22. Edit This Cookie

Inspired by the lack of a good cookie manager in Google Chrome, Francesco Capano developed a simple and extremely useful extension that let’s you perform anything you might actually need to do with cookies.

23. Proxy Switchy!

An advanced proxy manager extension that allows users to quickly and securely switch between multiple proxy profiles.

24. SEO Site Tools

Probably the most comprehensive SEO Tool you’ll find on Chrome. Shows a ton of metircs from many sources. Use it to research your competitors and improve your website’s search optimization.

25. Pendule

Extended web developer tools for Chrome that includes a wide array of features, including View Page Source, Color Picker, Display Ruler, Disable CSS and of course quickly validating CSS and HTML.

WAMP is a web server environment and it stands for Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP. There are probably many similar bundles available but this is by far the most popular option available. In addition, it is simple to install and requires no tech skills whatsoever.

WordPress, as everyone knows, is the most popular blogging platform and if you want to know more about it, there’s a nice live stats page available. Furthermore, here are the numbers behind this powerful CMS by W3Techs:

WordPress is used by 53.9% of all the websites whose content management system we know. This is 16.2% of all websites.

So, this seems like a perfect start whether you test your upcoming WordPress blog, theme ... Read More »]]> In this tutorial you’ll learn how to download, install and set up WAMP server, and WordPress with ease for local development.

WAMP is a web server environment and it stands for Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP. There are probably many similar bundles available but this is by far the most popular option available. In addition, it is simple to install and requires no tech skills whatsoever.

WordPress, as everyone knows, is the most popular blogging platform and if you want to know more about it, there’s a nice live stats page available. Furthermore, here are the numbers behind this powerful CMS by W3Techs:

WordPress is used by 53.9% of all the websites whose content management system we know. This is 16.2% of all websites.

So, this seems like a perfect start whether you test your upcoming WordPress blog, theme or even a plugin. One thing is clear – you want to develop it locally and then release for the public to see. Luckily, with the use of WAMP and WordPress, this has never been easier and without further due, let’s get started!

WAMP

Using WAMP is one of the best ways of developing and testing websites, and there are several reasons why this is a good idea.

1. Free

WAMP is totally free and using it for local development purposes is a great idea as opposed to using a web hosting service and paying a monthly fee.

2. Speed

Almost everything that is related to file editing and saving is instantaneous and will vastly improve the work efficiency. Doing the same thing on a hosting server involves file downloading and uploading, and while it may sound totally fine, generally it’s considered inefficient since those seconds add up and in the end you’ll waste a lot of time.

3. Privacy

Keeping mistakes away from the public and avoiding any leakage is also very important. Furthermore, the last thing you need is someone copying your ideas and stealing the content. Doing local development, you can rest assured that everything stays in place.

WordPress

Using WordPress as a CMS (Content Management System) has also a few major benefits.

1. Free

What makes content management systems great is if they are freely available. WordPress is no exception and if you’re looking to start a blog from scratch without paying for custom made CMS, this is a perfect choice.

2. Easy to use

WordPress is easy to install and use and if you know how to set up a Facebook account and use Microsoft Word, then there should be no problem setting it up.

3. Security

WordPress is updated once in a while and it keeps hackers busy.

4. Extendable

I won’t delve into the topic of plugins, but if someone says that there is a plugin for something, he’s probably right. Plugins will come in handy when you want to do a certain task, for example, filtering spam with Akismet. There is no limit when it comes to extending the functionality.

5. Themes

Themes can greatly improve the outcome of your website since they provide more than just a pretty color. Multiple page layouts, custom made widgets are just few common features you’ll find when choosing custom made themes.

The actual process!

1. Download WAMP

The first thing we are going to do is download the WAMP server. Simply go to the download page and select whether you want to download 32-bit or 64-bit version. For this tutorial, I chose to download the 32-bit version.

A popup will open asking whether you want to receive training news from Alter Way, the company behind WampServer. You can skip it and click “download it directly”

You will be redirected to SourceForge and the download will start within few seconds.

SourceForge is a web-based source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development.

When finished, simply click to launch the installer.

2. Install WAMP

First step is now done, let’s move forward! Installing WAMP is very easy since all default settings always work out perfectly.

A window will pop up, asking you which browser should WAMP use. By default, it will choose Windows Explorer. But since many people use Google Chrome, I will select it by going to C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\ and clicking chrome.exe

When installation has been completed, you will notice WAMP icon in your notification area. Click on it, select “Start All Services” and ensure that icon is green colored. This means that everything related to WAMP is now up and running. You’ve successfully installed local web server and now we will move on to installing WordPress.

3. Download and set up WordPress

First, you’ll need to download the latest WordPress version from their website.

Upon successful download, open the .zip file and extract everything from wordpress folder into www folder, located at C:\wamp\www\

4. Create MySQL Database

Now comes the part where you need to set up MySQL database in order for WordPress to function properly. Simply click on WAMP server icon in the taskbar and then go to phpMyAdmin. From the top navigation, go to Databases, choose the name for your database and then click create.

5. Configure wp-admin.php

Now you’ll need to edit wp-config-sample.php and change the following:

• Database Name – from “database_name_here” to “wordpress”
• User Name – from “username_here” to “root”
• Password – from “password_here” to “”

After you have edited this file, save it as wp-config.php. Furthermore, you can delete the wp-config-sample.php since there is no need for this file anymore.

6. Install WordPress

If you have done everything right, type in localhost into your browser and you’ll see a page where you have to type in some details regarding site name, password and so on. Congrats! You have installed a working local web server with WordPress on top of it!

Depending on what you want to do with a local web server, you have two options to choose from. Either downloading the standard version or PRO version. As with any commercially available software, MAMP PRO version offers a set of features best suited for experienced users. It is designed for professional web developers and programmers, but since we are not going to do anything but installing WordPress for local development, standard version is ... Read More »]]> MAMP is a web server environment and it stands for Macintosh, Apache, MySQL and PHP. Anyone who works as a web designer or developer knows the importance of being able to run dynamic website content on your local machine for testing and development purposes. MAMP makes the installation of a local web server a simple and quick process.

1. Download the disk image and install MAMP

Depending on what you want to do with a local web server, you have two options to choose from. Either downloading the standard version or PRO version. As with any commercially available software, MAMP PRO version offers a set of features best suited for experienced users. It is designed for professional web developers and programmers, but since we are not going to do anything but installing WordPress for local development, standard version is all that’s needed.

After you have downloaded the installation package, simply unzip it and run the installer. Installation is super easy and won’t take longer than a few minutes. After installation has completed, MAMP can be found into your Applications folder.

2. Launch MAMP

Upon launching MAMP, a very simple window will open featuring status indicators that tells you whether the server is running or not. Also, a few buttons on the right side will come in handy when you want to quickly open the start page, start or stop the server and edit preferences.

It is necessary to check if Apache server and MySQL server status buttons are both green to ensure everything is working as it should. However, if they are not, and nothing you try works out, you should go to the support forums and seek help. The community is helpful and there are people who probably already had the same problem with MAMP as you have, so there should be no problem finding a solution.

3. Set default Apache and MySQL ports

By default, MAMP uses ports 8888 and 8889 for Apache and MySQL, respectively. There is nothing wrong with that, but instead of typing localhost/8888 every time you request a page from local server, typing just localhost/ would be much less time-consuming. To do this, simply click on “Set to default Apache and MySQL ports” to make the life a little bit easier.

4. Create a new database from phpMyAdmin

From the MAMP panel, click on “Open start page” and then navigate to phpMyAdmin. The only thing you need to do here is to create a database for your WordPress installation. To do it, simply give it a name and click Create. For this tutorial I gave it a name wp_test.

5. Download WordPress

Now you should download the latest WordPress version. After that, navigate to “htdocs” (the document root set at the Preferences -> Apache) folder and paste in the “wordpress” folder from the archive you just downloaded.

6. Configure wp-config.php

You’re almost there! This step involves some editing, therefore you’ll need to open up wp-config-sample.php in “wordpress” folder with your favorite text editor and change the following:

• Database Name – from “wordpress” to “wp_test”
• User Name – from “username” to “root”
• Password – from “password” to “root”

Make sure that you save the edited file as wp-config.php or otherwise nothing will work.

7. Run WordPress installation

Everything seems to be in place and now comes the step of actually running the WordPress installation. Simply go to localhost from your browser and select “wordpress” directory. A new window will open where you’ll need to enter all fields and then click to “Install WordPress”. You can skip Privacy option since local web servers have nothing to do with search engines. Finally, log into WordPress by entering your username and password. If you have done everything right, you have successfully installed and configured WordPress for local testing and development purposes.

These two platforms make up more than 80% of all the smartphone market in the U.S. and are expected to reach even higher shares. To be more precise, Android recently topped 50% while iOS – 30%. So, optimizing for these devices should be one of the main concerns because it accounts for over 100 million users.

iOS Simulator and Android Emulator will let you test your website without using a physical device. They mimic all of the hardware and software ... Read More »]]> Testing websites has become a necessity for web designers and developers, and prior to launching them live, one should ensure that everything looks and works just as expected. This means testing for different browsers and screen sizes, and also why not throw in a few Android and iOS devices to be really sure about that. Why is this so important?

These two platforms make up more than 80% of all the smartphone market in the U.S. and are expected to reach even higher shares. To be more precise, Android recently topped 50% while iOS – 30%. So, optimizing for these devices should be one of the main concerns because it accounts for over 100 million users.

iOS Simulator and Android Emulator will let you test your website without using a physical device. They mimic all of the hardware and software features of a typical mobile device so it will be like using the real thing.

iOS Simulator

iOS Simulator is a part of Apple’s integrated development environment – Xcode. A great tool for testing not only applications but also websites and offers do to so by using iPhone and iPad simulator. The installation process is super easy and will require almost no effort whatsoever.

First of all, you’ll need to grab Xcode from iOS Developer Center. Once downloaded, launch the installation and use default settings since we are not going to do anything fancy here.

Upon successful installation, open Spotlight and type in “iOS Simulator”. The rest should be self-evident.

Now is the part where you can explore what this fabulous tool offers. You can either choose to use iPad or iPhone, rotate them left or right and so on. This little tutorial was just to show you the basic installation and usage since it can get really complicated when moving to more complicated topics like local website development. There will be a tutorial soon on how to set it up, so stay tuned!

For those who like to design their sites with responsive approach, mobile and tablet simulators are even more useful since you will more likely test design not only in portrait, but in landscape mode. Below you can see iOS Simulator showing two amazing websites nicely optimized for mobile devices like iPhone.

Android Emulator

Android Emulator, on the other hand, is available for all three major operating systems – Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It’s included in Android SDK and also features a browser for testing.

The first and most important step is to download the latest version Java since nothing will happen without it.

Next, download the package from Android Developers. Choose the appropriate platform you will be working on.

For Mac OS X, once the archive is downloaded, unzip it and place the folder where it will be easily accessed. Note that it contains only the basic SDK tools which means that you won’t be able to do almost anything. So, an internet connection is a must-have in order to download the latest tools and at least one version of Android platform. But we will talk about that in a second.

Inside the folder you extracted earlier, navigate to “tools”.

Then click to launch “android”.

Finally you are inside the Android SDK Manager. As mentioned above, you must install all the tools and at least one version of Android platform. Check the boxes as shown below.

Once installed, you’re now ready to launch Android Virtual Device Manager. From now on, everything related to virtual devices can be managed there. Simply go to Tools > Manage AVDs.

The options may seem a bit overwhelming at first but once you get used to it, there is nothing hard at all. Also, there is really no need to go into complex topics since all we want is to see how certain websites look, right? Android Virtual Device Manager, as the name suggests, provides a simple way to organize and manage devices you have made.

To set up a new AVD the easy way, the first you need to do is to go to New. A window will pop up. You should give a name for device, then target the Android platform you’ll be using and most importantly, set a resolution. Setting different resolutions will target different types of devices starting from typical phones all the way to tablets.

Released by Jon Skinner in January, 2008, Sublime Text has come a long way ever since. It is constantly evolving and doesn’t think of slowing down because frequent updates make sure users get added features and functionality needed to do their coding easily, fast and without any distractions.

There is really no need for an introduction because there are few interesting features to cover. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and without a further due, let’s get started!

There is probably no such a thing for text editors to take up ... Read More »]]> There has been a buzz recently, countless articles and videos, on why people consider switching to Sublime Text 2. You might have already heard about this awesome text editor but what’s so special about it? That’s a good question and there are many answers for it.

Released by Jon Skinner in January, 2008, Sublime Text has come a long way ever since. It is constantly evolving and doesn’t think of slowing down because frequent updates make sure users get added features and functionality needed to do their coding easily, fast and without any distractions.

There is really no need for an introduction because there are few interesting features to cover. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and without a further due, let’s get started!

1. Lightweight

There is probably no such a thing for text editors to take up a considerable amount of space on the disk, but there sure are quite a few of them cluttered with unnecessary features. Sublime Text 2 is unique and as a result you get a lean editor that packs a big punch. So, instead of coming along with a set of built-in plugins you will probably never use (also called as extensions and packages), you can choose to install the neccessary ones via Package Control to add more functionality (later on that). This way you can expand it and use the tools you actually need. But now let’s talk about how much space does it really take up and what’s the difference between other text editors.

The installation file itself takes only about 5Mb of the disk space which is quite small when you look at the big picture. Of course there is a connection between the size and the amount of features added, but then again, Sublime Text 2 provides almost every critical feature you could think of while taking up inconsiderable amount of disk space. How is this possible? There are many factors affecting this, starting all the way from development process.

However, note that lightweight does not simply mean that it is “better” than other text editors, and this comparison is only made for informational purposes (few random text editors were chosen). But nevertheless, here are the results.

2. Fast

Sublime Text 2 is by far the fastest text editor I have ever used. But don’t take my word for it, you should try it yourself. Try opening a file that is huge (more than 100Mb, for example) and measure time, and then compare it with others. You’ll see the difference.

3. Extendable

So far we know that this is a wonderful, lightweight, compact and simple editor. However, there are a few things missing so we will fill those gaps with some useful plugins and extensions. Not only do they make your workflow more efficient, but also provide features that even some IDE’s lack. The one plugin you should install before considering using others, is Package Control. Without this plugin, further installation of plugins would be a headache if not impossible.

Package Control

Package Control is developed by a software engineer Will Bond to help you easily discover, install, upgrade and remove packages from various sources. This is very important because most if not all plugins will be installed with the help of Package Control. There is a tutorial featuring two simple ways to install this plugin found on his website. To install this package the easy way, follow these instructions:

• Access Sublime Text 2 console by pressing Ctrl+` (Also known as grave accent – you can find it below “Esc” key) and paste in the following code:

import urllib2,os; pf='Package Control.sublime-package'; ipp=sublime.installed_packages_path(); os.makedirs(ipp) if not os.path.exists(ipp) else None; urllib2.install_opener(urllib2.build_opener(urllib2.ProxyHandler())); open(os.path.join(ipp,pf),'wb').write(urllib2.urlopen('http://sublime.wbond.net/'+pf.replace(' ','%20')).read()); print 'Please restart Sublime Text to finish installation'

• Restart Sublime Text 2 upon successful installation

You’ve successfully installed Package Control and installing additional plugins will require no effort whatsoever. Simply go to Preferences > Package Control and start exploring features this plugin offers.

I will also write a post about some of the most popular and useful extensions. Together they will definitely prove that Sublime Text 2 is a wonderful editor with many capabilities. So stay tuned!

4. Minimap

This is one of the neat features Sublime Text is well known for. Minimap comes in very handy when you have to deal with large files containing hundreds or thousands of lines of code. No need to use the mouse wheel to scroll down for a speciffic line of code because it takes ages and is innefficient compared to using minimap. Located on the right, it allows easy navigation. For those users who don’t like it, there is a solution – simply go to View and hit Hide Minimap.

5. Cross-platform

It’s a real advantage when you see software that is designed to run on multiple platforms. Available for all three major operating systems – Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, this editor keeps getting better and better.

6. Color Schemes and themes

Before we go any further, there is one thing you need to know. Schemes and themes are two separate things - themes change the looks of UI elements and schemes change the main text-editing area. Using them is a great way to tune up this editor and the good news is, there are plenty of them.

Schemes

Sublime Text 2 has a great amount of schemes included – 22 to be precise. Similar amount of schemes is also available on other editors but we will talk about how to add additional ones in case you want a wider selection. Although this is more like a personal preference, it definitely helps to customize this editor for your needs. These additional color schemes can be easily added from Package Control.

Themes

There are many available themes but there is one very widespread and well known called – Soda. It’s made by Ian Hill and provides awesome looks just like working on Mac in Coda or Espresso. This tutorial on GitHub will guide you through the installation process which is easier than you might think.

However, if you want the fastest method, follow these steps:

1. Go to Preferences > Package Control and then click on Package Control: Add Repository.

2. Paste in the code:

git clone https://github.com/buymeasoda/soda-theme/ "Theme - Soda"

3. Go to Sublime Text 2 > Preferences > Settings – User

4. Update your theme entry to be either "theme": "Soda Light.sublime-theme" or "theme": "Soda Dark.sublime-theme"

Example user settings:

{
"theme": "Soda Light.sublime-theme"
}

TextMate themes are 100% compatible

This is quite awesome and thanks to the compatibility with TextMate, all of the themes available on TextMate Theme are supported by Sublime Text 2. Simply download .tmbundle files and then put them in Packages folder. They will be recognized automatically.

7. Distraction-Free Mode

Distraction-Free Mode is self-explanatory. It allows you to work without seeing anything but the main coding area, right scroll-bar and top menu. Useful at times when serious stuff must be done.

8. Layouts (split screen)

This is used more among advanced programmers and provides options to switch to common layouts including:

• Single (by default)
• Columns:2
• Columns:3
• Columns:4
• Rows:2
• Rows:3
• Grid:4

But there’s more to it. You can also use them to have multiple views of the same file. This is efficiency to the max and will greatly favor those who work on big screens.

9. Goto Anything

Goto Anything allows you to quickly navigate between and within files. Fast.

Type part of a file name to open it. Files can be open files, recently closed files, or files in the project. The fuzzy matching is fast and intelligent, providing instant-as-you-type navigation on 50,000+ file projects.

10. Portable version (Only for Windows)

I wouldn’t say that it’s rare to see a portable version available for text editors but sometimes you just don’t want to install the whole package on your computer. There may be a hundred reasons for that but I do want to point out a huge advantage of portable version which is only available for Windows.

One of the most common reasons why few people prefer to use it over the installed version is because you can copy and paste all directories along with all the plugins and extensions on a different computer, and it will work perfectly. Portable version is called like that for a reason and if you’re a serious programmer who often likes to store software on a USB stick, then this is a perfect tool for the job.

11. Dev Builds

For those who are always in need for new updates and features, you can always choose to use dev builds. What does that mean?

These are the in-progress versions of Sublime Text 2, and they are updated more frequently. Feel free to use them, but keep in mind you will be running less tested code, and you’ll be seeing many more update notification prompts.

Conclusions

Sublime Text 2 has definitely earned its place among all the popular editors out there. Without a doubt, it is one of the best I have used in a while and many would agree. The real question is, how far can this editor go? With more improvements on the way, this editor gets better and better with every update.

There is absolutely nothing wrong when a 404 error pops up on the page that is not found on the server. However, when it happens upon entering the URL, your visitors will assume that your website has been deleted. This can only result in loss of visitors. To avoid it, and even better, to take advantage for an upcoming website, you should consider using maintenance plugins or teplates.

Most of the time custom under construction page templates will provide more options than plugins, but they are usually not ... Read More »]]> Using WordPress maintenance plugins, whenever your website is down, may be more important than you think. No matter how long it won’t be available for the public, your visitors should at least see that something is happening. Instead of 404 error, a nicely presented maintenance page should do the trick.

There is absolutely nothing wrong when a 404 error pops up on the page that is not found on the server. However, when it happens upon entering the URL, your visitors will assume that your website has been deleted. This can only result in loss of visitors. To avoid it, and even better, to take advantage for an upcoming website, you should consider using maintenance plugins or teplates.

Under construction page templates

Most of the time custom under construction page templates will provide more options than plugins, but they are usually not a free option. However, with prices averaging around five dollars (on ThemeForest), this is very inexpensive way to add professional looks to your maintenance page.

1. Prepare for Launch template

A sleek design and the right use of colors have a huge impact on the first impression.

2. EVO – Fullscreen site launch template

A fine example of taking advantage of displaying images on fullscreen.

Most of these templates can be customized in any way you want. They come with already built-in options panel and applying changes is super easy. Also, countdown timers, Twitter updates, newsletter subscription options, and contact forms are probably most important elements you should be looking for.

3. SuperCharged Under Construction template

Furthermore, to take advantage over disadvantage, you should definitely find a template that has cool effects because it creates a certain hype and most of the time it’s the main reason why visitors return.

Plugins

WordPress has plugins for everything and maintenance plugins are no exception. Fast installation and easy setup are the main reasons why most blog owners decide to use them. These plugins usually come with already pre-defined functionality and changing options should take just seconds. Two of the most popular and widely used plugins are included below.

1. ThemeFuse Maintenance Plugin

A plugin from ThemeFuse which allows you to tweak your website while your visitors see an awesome coming soon page. Includes:

• Twitter integration
• Newsletter subcribe form
• Time count down
• Custom admin message
• Custom background
• Custom logo

2. WP Maintenance Mode

Adds a simple maintenance page to your blog that lets visitors know your blog is down for maintenance.

Conclusions

It all comes down to what you want to achieve by showing maintenance page. If your website will not be available for prolonged period of time, you should consider more professionally designed template with countdown timer and additional features. If the website is going to be down only for a few minutes or so, then a simple plugin is everything you need.

While Wodpress is constantly being updated to whitstand almost any attack, there is always a probability that something unexpected could happen someday. Although it is unlikely, you can never be too sure. Even antivirus software cannot guarantee to completely protect your computer from viruses, because hackers find ways to develop new techniques to bypass their security. The same thing applies to WordPress.

Luckily, WordPress has some nice plugins that do exactly what you want them to – to protect your installation along with all databases and data.

WordPress Plugin Directory has many security plugins, but only very few are updated on a regular basis. Outdated plugins can compromise security and ... Read More »]]> With more and more people starting to use WordPress, it would only be logical to say that hackers are doing the same. Well, they are using it, but only in a different way.

While Wodpress is constantly being updated to whitstand almost any attack, there is always a probability that something unexpected could happen someday. Although it is unlikely, you can never be too sure. Even antivirus software cannot guarantee to completely protect your computer from viruses, because hackers find ways to develop new techniques to bypass their security. The same thing applies to WordPress.

Luckily, WordPress has some nice plugins that do exactly what you want them to – to protect your installation along with all databases and data.

WordPress Plugin Directory has many security plugins, but only very few are updated on a regular basis. Outdated plugins can compromise security and for this reason you should use them with caution. However, the list below includes plugins which have been recently updated and will help you to drive hackers away.

Also, you should definitely use a backup solution to rest assured that your data stays safe.

1. WebsiteDefender WordPress Security Plugin

WebsiteDefender has a very wide feature set and it will determine weak spots in your WordPress installation. Finding weak passwords, securing file permissions, and hiding the version of current WordPress installation are just a few ways WebsiteDefender can help you against viruses and malware. There are many more great features, so feel free to go to their website and check them! And by the way, this plugin is free!

2. BulletProof Security

BulletProof Security is a comprehensive WordPress security solution. It will protect your website against many hacking methods. The huge list of features makes the BulletProof Security WordPress plugin one of the best solutions for your installation.

3. Login Lock

Login Lock is a very powerful plugin that enforces strong password policies, provides emergency lockdown features, monitors login attempts, blocks hacker IP addresses, and logs out idle users.

I really like how emergency lockdown works. Basically, if your site has been hacked then probably all you want is to make sure the intruder is forced to logout and is no longer able to log back in to your site.

4. WordPress File Monitor Plus

A very handy plugin for monitoring files under your WP installation for changes. When a change occurs, WordPress File Monitor Plus will notify about added/deleted/changed files via email.

5. Ultimate Security Checker

Plugin which will help you to identify security problems with WordPress installation. It scans your blog and gives a security grade based on passed tests.

The simple question on how it became one lies between simplicity and a great idea. There is nothing easier than using bookmarklet to pin resources on your pinboard. Not only does it help you to share things with your friends, it also serves as a bookcase (kind of) where you can store all your ideas and projects in case you forget. Of course, there are a whole lot more ways to use Pinterest to manage things you find around the web.