Notes

From Northern Ireland to the world...

Latest November 2024

Simple Analytics: A Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Analytics

In an era where digital privacy concerns are at the forefront of online discourse, many organisations are reassessing their tools to ensure compliance with data protection laws and maintain user trust. One such tool ripe for reconsideration is Google Analytics. While it has...

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November 2024

Simple steps to protect your privacy online

In today’s digital world, protecting your privacy online has become essential. With personal data constantly being shared, stored, and potentially accessed by unauthorised parties, safeguarding...

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November 2024

Introduction to Bluesky

Making the most of Bluesky after coming from whatever Twitter (𝕏) has become involves exploring the platform's unique features, adapting to its smaller, community-driven culture,...

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November 2024

Web application security testing

With the increasing dependency on web applications in daily operations, securing these applications is paramount to safeguarding data and protecting against breaches. This blog post...

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October 2024

Cookieless website tracking and analytics

Cookieless website tracking is a method of collecting analytics data and monitoring website behaviour without the need for traditional browser cookies. Traditionally, cookies have been...

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October 2024

What's going on between WordPress and WP Engine?

The disagreement between WordPress and WP Engine has sparked considerable debate within the WordPress community and could have important implications for users of the WordPress...

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August 2024

Guide to writing a good cookie policy (UK)

A cookie policy informs website visitors about the cookies your website uses, why they are used, and how users can control them. The information on...

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July 2024

Install XAMPP on Ubuntu using Terminal

To use XAMPP on Ubuntu, begin by downloading the XAMPP installer for Linux from the Apache Friends website. Once downloaded, open a terminal, navigate to...

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June 2024

Start/stop XAMPP on Ubuntu using Terminal

XAMPP is a free and open-source software package that provides an easy way to set up and run a local web server environment on various...

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February 2024

Animated SVGs (Scalable Vector Graphics)

Animated SVGs, Scalable Vector Graphics, are increasingly popular choices for adding dynamic elements to websites. Their scalability, lightweight nature, and flexibility make them attractive options...

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December 2023

Using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs)

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) have revolutionised website design, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and interactivity. As versatile graphic elements, SVGs can enhance the visual appeal and...

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September 2023

Designing websites for accessibility

In the ever-evolving landscape of web design, the balancing act between accessibility and aesthetic appeal remains a crucial consideration. As the digital realm becomes increasingly...

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August 2023

How to update your hosts file.

Every computer has a file on it which allows the owner to specify where a website is loaded from. A hosts file is a simple...

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June 2023

Email and newsletter deliverability best practice

Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient's inbox, rather than being marked as spam or bouncing back. High...

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May 2023

Project Management Methodologies

Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall are three of the most popular project management methodologies used in software development. Each of these methodologies has its own advantages...

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April 2023

Create a plain text file on Windows

Quick guide to creating simple plain text (.txt) files on Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS and Linux. Text files are useful for sending code or short...

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April 2023

Create a plain text file on MacOS

Quick guide to creating simple plain text (.txt) files on Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS and Linux. Text files are useful for sending code or short...

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April 2023

Create a plain text file on Linux

Quick guide to creating simple plain text (.txt) files on Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS and Linux. Text files are useful for sending code or short...

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March 2023

Latest web image formats

There are a number of new image formats that have been developed in recent years to improve the performance and quality of images on websites....

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February 2023

Using OpenAI tools in ecommerce environments

OpenAI is a leading artificial intelligence (AI) research organisation that has the potential to revolutionise the ecommerce industry. By leveraging OpenAI’s cutting-edge AI technologies, ecommerce...

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January 2023

Mobile-first Web Design

Mobile-first web design Mobile-first web design is a design approach that prioritises mobile devices when designing a website. Instead of designing a website for desktop...

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December 2022

Web development in Northern Ireland

Web development in Northern Ireland is a thriving industry, with many talented and skilled individuals and companies offering a range of services. Northern Ireland is...

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October 2022

Redirects

Apache, Nginx, PHP, JavaScript and Meta redirects There are two main redirect options 301 for a permanent redirect. Use this when the redirect is pointing...

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October 2022

Spam investigation toolkit

Tools to help identify and engage spammers. I’m often asked what tools are best to use to identify spammers, there are plenty of free tools...

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July 2022

Lighthouse and Google Fonts

I recently had performance issues on Google Lighthouse due to the fonts used on the website. The Google Fonts I used were classified as a...

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June 2022

Cookie Script and GDPR

Quick guide to using Cookie Script for GDPR and cookie tracking. Cookie Script is a tool that helps website owners comply with cookie consent requirements...

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May 2022

Set-up a Rackspace CDN service

Quick guide for setting-up a CDN on Rackspace. CDN Set-up Log into your Rackspace MyCloud account. Click into Storage > CDN then “Create Service”. In...

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April 2022

Web image formats

The image file formats that are most commonly used on the web are listed below. Classic image formats These are the classic image formats universally...

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October 2021

What is Laravel?

Laravel is an open-source web application framework written in PHP, designed to make the development process faster, easier, and more streamlined. It follows the Model-View-Controller...

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August 2021

Apache VirtualHost with reverse proxy

This post documents the process of setting up a reverse proxy to load one (Origin) website in the subdirectory of another. During this process the...

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June 2021

Upcoming changes to eBay's PayPal Payments

Over the course of 2021 eBay will be incrementally changing how it works with sellers. Changes include updates to the fee structure, how fees are...

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May 2021

Choose a better browser

A run down of the most popular web browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Opera as well some alternate options if you'd like something different....

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March 2021

Upgrading WordPress

Keeping your WordPress website updated is crucial for maintaining its performance, security, and functionality. Whether you’re managing a personal blog, a business site, or an...

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Archived Posts

These posts were posted before 2021, they will not have been updated and the information provided may be out of date. Extra care should be taken with any code provided.