dnews

√app«dnews

Web Developer News

Using PHP and MagpieRSS to present Dynamic News Feeds

In my ongoing quest to demonstrate how the resources I review using the drx application are both pragmatic and worthwhile, I present RSS News feeds for Web developers from a number of different sources, and in several categories. I tweak this list often, so stay tuned. Suggestions are also welcome.

Although wrapping dnews as an application object took a little work, the engine behind actually fetching the news items is the MagpieRSS PHP feed parser (via Expat). Magpie supports RSS 0.9x, 1.0, 2.0 and most Atom format feeds. Installing and getting it working was incredibly easy. The Magpie library is very simple to use, but be warned of the old adage “garbage in = garbage out,” meaning pick your sources carefully and check them out by hand before plugging the results into your own pages. This is especially important if you are using XHTML like I am, or you can easily break your site.

On the bright side, since the results are cached, once an update is fetched (by anyone, not necessary you), the items are displayed very quickly. Not only does this improve the quality of the user’s experience, it is also good practice in order to avoid hammering your sources with requests.

On an even brighter note, I spent approximately one afternoon implementing this application. In addition to MagpieRSS, Feedview and the RSS Feed Validator were also very useful while developing dnews. Enjoy.

By popular demand, I have published a document which describes how this application was built. Visit the Howto MagpieRSS tutorial for more information.

RSS Channel Selector

Developer Blogs

1. SitePoint Podcast #52: Building Communities with Derek Pow...

Derek Powazek, co-creator of JPG Magazine and creator of Fray, drops by to discuss the care and feeding of web communities. We touch on the place of forums in a Web 2.0 world, creating communities around commercial products, the potential value of closed communities, and balancing user demands against your own plans. Related posts:SitePoint Podcast #48: Publishing Futures with Derek Powazek Derek Powazek, co-creator of JPG Magazine and creator of Fray,...Managing Online Communities With Patrick O&#8217;Keefe SitePoint Co-founder Matt Mickiewicz caught up with Patrick O’Keefe, owner...SitePoint Podcast #31: SitePoint Cofounders Mark &#038; Matt A real glimpse behind the scenes, this week! Kevin Yank...
Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:33:19 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=e1816de7883f84c9238dd78960fe7...
2. Stickybits App – Tag Real Objects With Digital Files

Jennifer takes a look at a new app and web site which lets you stick digital files on real objects. Related posts:Adobe Shortcut App The Adobe Shortcut App for Creative Suite is a handy,...How to Organize Your Files&#8230;and Remember Where Everything Is, Part 1 We all access, add to and dig through the files...SitePoint Podcast #51: Real Web Designers Get It New browser updates; whether web designers should be code-savvy; and...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:00:00 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=57c413bbccb92668c55e222d86894...
3. How to Get Control of Your Business Finances

As a business owner, having a solid process for creating, tracking and analyzing your budget is extremely important. Alyssa gives you some areas to consider. Related posts:Four Steps to Developing a Business Budget A budget can be an effective tool to help you...10 Easy Ways to Save Money in Your Business How would you like to save on what it costs...You Want To Pay Me What? How Lowering Your Rates Can Hurt Your Business Do you change your rates based on what a new...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:37:05 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=4adc20e24377e0ba11a663f8a5a3f...
4. Do you want to learn every aspect of web design from scrat...

Well... we can teach you. Seriously. No strings attached. Related posts:Learn About Affiliate Marketing&#8230; For Free The Affiliate Convention in Denver, Colorado next month is offering...Look, Listen, Learn: 10 Podcasts For Designers Jennifer takes a look at and a listen to a...CSS Skills = Better Web Design? On the SitePoint Podcast #51 this week, we discussed what...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:34:41 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=ff2865f2028230bfdc074a08e657e...
5. Color In Design: Black

In the penultimate post on the series, Color in Design, Jennifer looks at black. Related posts:Color In Design: Gray Jennifer takes a look at the use of gray in...Color In Design: Yellow Continuing the series of Color In Design, Jennifer looks at...Principles of Design: Color In the final part of her series on design principles,...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:38:27 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=477d75b53cdf8cad2452242b42278...
6. Windows 7 Sells 90 Million Copies

Microsoft are reporting high Windows 7 sales since the OS was launched in 2009. Craig examines how the figures compare to Vista and whether Windows 7 has really been the success Microsoft needed. Related posts:How to Enable Windows 7 GodMode "GodMode" is a great trick that allows you to access...Windows 7 Pre-Orders Sell Out on Day 1 Pre-orders for Microsoft Windows 7 have sold out on day...Windows 7: the First Month Review, Part 3 In the final of Craig's 3-part review, he looks at...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:58:06 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=ccf890b2f047c798fedda2e0ec321...
7. Express Yourself with Creative Prototypes

In today's tutorial, user experience expert Shane Morris takes Microsoft's Prototyping tool SketchFlow for a test drive. Related posts:All Aboard the SQL Server Express! In today’s tutorial, web application development specialist Akash Mehta explores...Your New PHP Editor: Expression Web 3 Thought visual editors were a thing of the past? Well...Six Ideas For Breaking A Creative Block Creative block hits many designers at some stage in their...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:38:34 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=0b5a43e7fc2950377ff920febe793...
8. All Scripts used in jQuery: Novice to Ninja are now FREE t...

For the first time we’re offering the entire code archive for free. Not just the code used in the sample chapters, all code used in the entire book! Related posts:SitePoint Podcast #50: jQuery: Novice to Ninja Kevin Yank is joined by Earle Castledine (@mrspeaker) and Craig...It’s Easy to Fall in Love with jQuery A framework that condenses lines of clunky JavaScript into elegant,...Improve Your jQuery Knowledge with the Source Viewer The jQuery source viewer is a great tool which allows...
Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:40:29 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=6041867c56e8c510219c5b87be864...
9. 10 Notebook Applications for Managing Ideas

There are a lot of notebook applications out there; Alyssa compiled a list of 10 for you to explore. Related posts:How I Use Evernote to Manage My Ideas As a follow-up to a previous post, today Alyssa shares...How To Use Evernote To Create A Mood Board Jennifer has a look at how Evernote can help you...Swipe This! Use A Swipe File For Inspiration Swipe files are a great way to compile inspiring ideas....
Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:24:03 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=728f4116220e334c4eea496fb7c2d...
10. How I Use Evernote to Manage My Ideas

As a follow-up to a previous post, today Alyssa shares her process for managing and organizing ideas. Related posts:10 Notebook Applications for Managing Ideas There are a lot of notebook applications out there; Alyssa...How To Use Evernote To Create A Mood Board Jennifer has a look at how Evernote can help you...21 BlackBerry Apps for Professionals Anything that gives you an opportunity to work without being...
Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:05:06 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=2cd37efa008a3a14c3a0b8783c17d...
11. The Problem With Opera

Few people have a bad word to say about Opera. But that's possibly because so few people use the browser. Craig pinpoints some of its problems and suggests a number of ways Opera could attract a higher audience. Related posts:Can Opera Ever Become Popular? Opera is one of the fastest and most innovative browsers....Is Opera 10.5 the Best Browser Ever? Could this be the fastest, best-looking, and most configurable browser...Why Opera 10&#8217;s User Agent Smells Bad The user agent in the soon-to-be-released Opera 10 will report...
Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:06:14 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=510bd6e666e7a1323f5b0f3b9afe2...
12. Google Buys Picnik

Last week, Google announced it had added Picnik to its stable of acquisitions. Jennifer takes a look. Related posts:19 Impressive Online Image Editors There's no reason image editing should break your budget, or...Have We Become Too Dependent on Google? Google's recent downtime caused a tidal wave of failures way...Store Any File on Google Docs Google will shortly allow any type of file to be...
Published: Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:06:34 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=ef94143be3d1a9c36e91a9035d8e8...
13. Is Opera 10.5 the Best Browser Ever?

Could this be the fastest, best-looking, and most configurable browser available? Craig reviews the newly-released Opera 10.5. Related posts:Can Opera Ever Become Popular? Opera is one of the fastest and most innovative browsers....Opera 10 Final Released Opera 10 is the latest and greatest browser from the...What&#8217;s New in Opera 10 (Part 1) Opera 10 is now available as a beta download. In...
Published: Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:06:38 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=85ca80d1205d8124ddf289b247f2d...
14. New Logo For Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Unveiled

Jennifer takes a look at the newly unveiled logo for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Related posts:New Branding Revealed For Winter Olympics 2014 The official logo for the Sochi Winter Olympic games was...Super Bowl XLV Logo Unveiled By NFL Design blogs are buzzing about the new NFL logo which...Microsoft to Support IE6 Until 2014 Microsoft has confirmed its commitment to support Internet Explorer 6...
Published: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:01:08 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=13931e2d065a24e5e0cf8184daabd...
15. 5 Powerful Ways to Improve Your Focus

Monday morning means back to work, whether you're ready or not. How do you get focused and ready to concentrate? Related posts:4 Ways To Be More Productive Focused productivity is important for everyone, but especially for those...5 Ways Microsoft Could Improve Internet Explorer 9.0 How would you improve IE9? Craig provides his top 5...The Ultimate Guide to Killing Work-at-Home Distractions If you work from home, you may be faced with...
Published: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:13:35 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=256472373e2b703a25757df6e3db7...
16. Design Tweets of the Week Ending 07/03/2010

Jennifer shares some interesting design-related tweets of the past week. Related posts:Design Tweets of the Week Ending 21/02/2010 Jennifer picks out a few of design-related tweets from the...Design Tweets of the Week Ending 31/01/10 Jennifer passes on just a few of the hundreds of...Design Tweets of the Week Ending 07/02/10 Some of the wonderful and weird design-related discoveries of the...
Published: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:19:19 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=68eb5626439bbb5d246fdbd41ae41...
17. Microsoft Fix Their Non-Random Browser Choice Screen

According to several reports during the past week, Microsoft's browser choice screen was not as random as it could be. Craig describes the problem and reveals Microsoft's solution. Related posts:Microsoft Starts the European Browser Choice Update Following the EU's anti-trust case against Microsoft, all European Internet...Microsoft Abandons Windows E and Reveals the Browser Ballot Screen Microsoft has dropped the European-specific version of Windows 7. Craig...Microsoft Agrees to Browser Ballot Terms European Windows users will be offered a choice of 12...
Published: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:13:16 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=8ec6c6e8d7ad96368da032437336c...
18. Stop Being Annoying! How NOT to Promote Your Business on F...

The "best" way to use social networks is subjective, but Alyssa has her own opinions on using Facebook for business...and she shares them here. Related posts:Using Internet Marketing Tactics to Promote Your Business What do you know about Internet marketing? Alyssa explains how...Why You Should Be Using Press Releases to Promote Your Business In the first of a two-part series on press releases,...Tips for Using Blogs, Twitter and Facebook to Find New Clients Social media can be a great way to find new...
Published: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:04:36 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=c1be7fee9eb67ae93bbeca197e112...
19. SitePoint Podcast #51: Real Web Designers Get It

New browser updates; whether web designers should be code-savvy; and prying IE6 from their cold, dead hands. Related posts:SitePoint Podcast #18: Internet Explorer 8 … Percent? All eyes are on the Microsoft marketing machine as it...SitePoint Podcast #16: Online Marketing Inside Out In this episode, the SitePoint Podcast crew interviews Shayne Tilley...SitePoint Podcast #15: This Way Up In this episode of the SitePoint Podcast: Google’s new image-based...
Published: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:43:19 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=eacfa80c745afebae5ff88eb6330e...
20. CSS Skills = Better Web Design?

On the SitePoint Podcast #51 this week, we discussed what Sexy Web Design author Elliot Jay Stocks had to say about designers who don’t know their CSS from their elbow. Related posts:Sexy Web Design Is Back In Stock Our smash hit new book Sexy Web Design may have...I Can’t Believe it’s Not a Web App! Take Your Skills to the Desktop and Win. Did you know that you could use your CSS, HTML...Bringing Sexy Back To Web Design Tired of creating sites that don’t, well, look very nice?...
Published: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:48:39 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=ffb34a2acfd9ec801079fd8622bf7...
21. Creating Beveled Images with CSS

In this post, James shows us several variations of a technique for using pure CSS to create a beveled effect on images -- with no Photoshop in sight! Related posts:The Two Ways of Sizing Absolute Elements in CSS Most developers have used left, right, top and bottom properties...How To Create A Cool Halftone Effect With Text &#038; Images In Photoshop Jennifer demonstrates how to create the retro print effect of...Censor Your Images With A Mosaic In Photoshop Jennifer shows you how to apply a pixelated mosaic effect...
Published: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:23:44 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=88ca35f8286bd899f31077bf2e1fe...
22. Three Strategies for Managing Social Networks and a Full-T...

How do you manage your time on social networks when you are a full-time employee? Alyssa has a few ideas to consider. Related posts:Businesses Count the Cost of Social Networking A recent UK survey discovered that employees were wasting 40...8 Social Media Marketing Tips for Companies Alyssa shares 8 tips for companies beginning their journey in...Developer, Designer, Director, Producer &#8211; Why Your Job Title Does Not Matter The A List Apart 2008 Survey reports a bewildering array...
Published: Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:26:06 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=ad32d761cc08269dab82c196b9161...
23. How to Override PHP Configuration Options

Moving your web application from a test environment to a live server can be tricky if you don't have the same PHP configuration. Craig provides two option-override solutions which could save you from purchasing an expensive dedicated server. Related posts:How to Install PHP on Windows In his final installation tutorial, Craig provides a step-by-step guide...How to Install PHP 5.3 on Windows PHP 5.3 is the most significant update since version 5.0....Free PHP Webinar: How to Increase Performance with Caching Zend are running a free webinar today, with a live...
Published: Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:49:51 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=41da31d0fc877ea2ffd54b209a74f...
24. The Legalities of Starting a Business

As part of Alyssa's series on starting a business, this post covers some of basic legal considerations for starting a business. Related posts:How to Name Your Business A lot goes into choosing a name for your business....20 Ways Starting a New Business is Like Skydiving Are you in the midst of starting a new business?...Four Steps to Developing a Business Budget A budget can be an effective tool to help you...
Published: Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:11:44 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=9e68e381bc60471892c04ad21a190...
25. Color In Design: Gray

Jennifer takes a look at the use of gray in web design and finds it is extremely popular because of its neutrality. Related posts:Color In Design: Black In the penultimate post on the series, Color in Design,...Principles of Design: Color In the final part of her series on design principles,...Color In Design: Yellow Continuing the series of Color In Design, Jennifer looks at...
Published: Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:59:06 GMT
URI:http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=e85f82f818c2130a5800a899b949d...