My creaky, antiquated web development methodologies were beginning to show their (and my) age. After spending the better part of 2008 convincing myself that this simply infused my web sites with a certain quaint “charm,” some recent modifications to my business model dictated that I get on with the renovation.
Of course, I didn’t enter the modern age of web design without a fight. After spending the last 10-12 years laboriously coding my own sites, I wasn’t ready to give up control to a bunch of structured, open-source Web 2.0 techniques. Nope. I had my own way of doing things, and I didn’t want my site looking like every other Web 2.0 site. So I cracked open Dreamweaver CS4, rolled up my sleeves, and got to coding. It took only about 15 minutes before I was programming “over my head.” Since I’m more of a “sit on the edge of the pool and dip my feet in the water” kind of web programmer, I tend to thrash around whenever I enter the deep end of the programming pool. And, for me, the deep end means anything beyond basic HTML and CSS.
After about a week of struggling, I’d created a site structure that I rather liked. It looked great in both Safari and Firefox on my Mac. It looked great in Firefox on my PC. In IE7, it started to resemble a “cubist” representation of a website and, in IE6, it was more Jackson Pollock than Pablo Picasso. So I dove back into the deep end and, after another week of thrashing about, I was no closer to having that architecturally beautiful website running on that abomination known as “Internet Explorer.” Regrettably, I knew that over half my clients would be accessing this site through either IE6 or IE7, so there was only one thing left to do: surrender to the call of Web 2.0.
I now know that, not only was resistance futile, but it was stupid. I installed WordPress on my website and, using the highly-customizable iThemes Flexx template, the site was up and functioning (essentially) the way I needed. Sure, it lacks the visual pizazz of my beautiful though IE-hostile effort. But, the very fact that I no longer need to stay up until 5:00am trying to find work-arounds to Internet Explorer bugs means I can do what I’m supposed to do — photography.
So with this post, I present the latest incarnation of the ULTRAsomething photography site. And, as a reminder to myself — don’t be so stubborn to adapt to the ways of Web 3.0 when that day inevitably comes.
©2008 grEGORy simpson
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