The good people at New Riders (Peachpit) have given me the opportunity to review one of their newest titles, Designing with Progressive Enhancement: Building the Web that Works for Everyone. I would like to thank them as this has been a topic of much concern in my everyday life for a while, and this book really nailed the topic.

Authored by four brilliant minds Todd Parker, Scott Jehl, Maggie Costello Wachs, and Patty Toland (also known as the Filament Group) make up a great brain trust for this title. Combined they have over 30yrs of design experience working with interactive design, and mastering the art of design for everyone.

This book is unique in that the authors seem to have really sat down and worked out a process, and this book is really a step-by-step guide and explanation of their process. It teaches you that sometimes the best practices are the best steps to take first. They explain that although it takes more time, and energy, that starting with a base HTML structure for your website is the best place to start as the most people will be able to access your site. There is no need for parsers, javascript, codecs, etc.

After getting a base for your site in HTML they explain how and why you should test what the browser in use supports. Does the browser support javascript? Does it support all of the javascript spec, or just parts? Does it support AJAX? JSON? With each test they explain why you want to test, and if the browser passes how to utilize these features.

This is NOT a code book. Their examples are purely theoretical, although some sample and code snippets are provided.

The general idea of this title is to get you thinking about the way you design your product. To make you think outside the fancy and latest jQuery features, and XML and SVG, and make sure you base product is a product that everyone can use.

I’d like to first thank the team at InformIT for making books like Making it Big in Software. I love these titles!

Making it Big in Software is a great read, it is something I think that every software developer would have loved to have had when they were breaking into the software world. I know I would have loved to have had it.

Sam Lightstone has put together what could easily be called the blueprint to a successful career in software. He covers college, post-college pre-career, interviewing, resumes, fitting into the work environment, salary discussions, and more, much more.

The book is broken into three parts each covering an aspect of the flow of becoming big player in software, or at least a medium sized player in software.

The book is spattered with great interviews with some of the greatest minds of our time, including:

• Marissa Mayer, Google VP, Search Products and User Experience
• Linus Torvalds, Creator, Linux operating system kernel
• Steve Wozniak, Inventor, Apple computer
• John Schwarz, CEO, Business Objects
• James Gosling, Inventor, Java programming language
• Bjarne Stroustrup, Inventor, C++ programming language

Sam keeps the tone of the book very light, and I found it quite entertaining.

The chapters are broken into sections and each section is only a page or two long, which makes this a great short reader.

I have praised the writers of interview books before, and I will do it again, I think you can learn a lot from the old dogs (and some new dogs). I think that hearing the war stories and the victories and defeats are important in knowing where you are going, and where you are coming from. I love books like this one.

So again thanks to the team at InformIT and Sam Lightsone for taking the time to write Making it Big in Software.

All I want is my Nexus One, that’s it!

So here is the story. Google brought out this really kick butt new phone, the Nexus One; the thing is amazing sweet! I want it, so I start talking with Liz and finally convince her it is time to upgrade phones, maybe even plans.

Thursday April 8th

We are Tmobile customers already. Our contracts are over. We are free players in the cellphone world. So we head down to the local Tmobile Retail Store and look at phones. I am well aware that the Nexus One can only be purchased from Google, and that you have to have an individual rate plan to purchase the phone at a discount.

So I tell the guy at the retail store, and I am assured time and time again that I will be able to do all this and so we go ahead and purchase the phone for Liz, and break the plan to individual plans so I can go home and purchase a Nexus One. The purchase of Liz’ phone is all that happened that evening. We were told there was a system error, no one seems to know why, and that it would take 24 hours to fix it. Assuming 24 hrs is a short time to wait we went home happy with Liz’ new phone.

Friday April 9th

24 hrs later I have waited, heard nothing, so I call Tmobile customer care to find out what is going on. They inform me there is still an error in the system when trying to switch the plans and that it will take up to 72 hours to fix the problem. I am high on a cloud for my Nexus, so I can wait another weekend.

Monday April 12th

72 hours have passed, I call Tmobile. The news is the same, there is an error and they will put in a 72 hour ticket. I should be able to get my Nexus One by Thursday.

Thursday April 15th

72 hours have passed, I call Tmobile. Again the news that the error is happening, no one seems to know what is going on. I am told that I will get a phone call within 2 hrs and all will be fine and I can have my Nexus One.

No one ever called.

Friday April 16th

24hrs after the last call with Tmobile I call back, and demand an answer. I will admit the young lady who tried to help this time really seemed to try. She offered a alternate route of switching from my grandfathered family plan to a new family plan, and then to break the lines into individual plans. No dice, but a worthy effort.

The young lady then begins to break my heart, my Nexus One may have to wait up to a month, because a trouble ticket can take up to a FULL BILLING CYCLE to be resolved… what?!

The Red Rises

Sitting here before you, I am livid! I don’t know how to control myself, except to say Tmobile had better fix this, they had better fix is now, or I will be a happy Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T customer by the end of the month. I will return the Moto Cliq my wife just bought and I will take my contracts elsewhere.

This is absolutely ridiculous! To tell a customer that they can’t change their plan, they can’t get a new phone, they can’t even change the rate plan to a higher plan is insane! To lie to a customer not once, twice or three times but four or more in absolutely absurd! To think that Tmobile has a good service record (and to be fair they did in my mind until this week).

Figure It Out, NOW!

I am sure there are no Tmobile goons reading this blog, because I have low readership, but I hope the world gets to them before my fists do. I am out for blood (or a Nexus One).