Blog

Off-Site Services is an award-winning web development and consulting firm providing strategic services to our partners

Skip security updates and your website just might end up selling Viagra

Mar 8th, 2016 by Max Tokman

This is what happens when Drupal or WordPress security updates are ignored - nothing.  Yet again, maybe your website gets hacked, malicious code is inserted into page templates, and next thing you know, you’re in the business of selling Motilium, as happened recently on an actual website we had to fix.

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Harness-B for Basecamp Classic now allows others to see your workload!

Jan 13th, 2016 by Max Tokman

If you get swamped with tasks, let your slacker colleagues see your workload and take up some of the burden.  Whether they’ll do it is another matter entirely.

Tip of the hat to Bryan Kuester for suggesting this feature.

Harness B group workload view

 

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RIP Internet Explorer 8, 9, 10

Jan 8th, 2016 by Max Tokman

On January 12, 2016 Microsoft is switching off life support for older versions of Internet Explorer, with only IE11 remaining officially supported. This should help them consolidate the approximately 40% of their market share currently spread across multiple versions of IE, and
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Weekend read: Foundation vs. Bootstrap

Sep 25th, 2015 by Max Tokman

The answer to question "What is better, Bootstrap or Foundation" is that it depends. Here are a few pointers to make this decision a little easier to make.
 

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New Firefox 41 for Mac OS thinks your video card sucks

Sep 23rd, 2015 by Max Tokman

Released earlier this week, Firefox 41 uses different algorithm for processing DIV rotations via graphics/video card.  That affects CSS “ transform” property by creating screen artifacts or freezing browser altogether.  Many an award winning website with fancy CSS animations will be humbled by this unexpected gift from Firefox until Mozilla releases a patch or part of the new browser functionality is rolled back to its earlier state.

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Adding Google Analytics attributes to links using CKEditor

Apr 9th, 2015 by Max Tokman

We recently ran into an issue with commonly used Google Analytics plugin for CKEditor, called appropriately googletracker.  While that plugin allows adding attributes to links in content, the issue we encountered is that subsequent content editing removes all inserted onclick attributes. 

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Google algorithm update on April 21, 2015 will rank mobile-friendly websites WAY higher than all those other websites

Mar 31st, 2015 by Max Tokman

’Tis the time to be excited as Google plans to role out a major algorithm update on April 21, 2015 that will improve rank of mobile-friendly websites and mercilessly punish desktop-only detractors. How will it impact the world around us?
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Website design is dead. To a degree.

Feb 22nd, 2015 by Max Tokman

A colleague recently brought to my attention an article which stated in rather axiomatic fashion that website design is dead, period.  As this would obviously concern many a practicing web designer with existentialist questions - if website design has indeed expired, well then, have I? Are my current projects being shaped by forces beyond the grave? - I figured it might be beneficial to explore the question in depth and offer constructive criticism instead of outright dismissal (spoiler alert: you’re not dead).

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Removing background from all images in folder, automated

Nov 26th, 2014 by Max Tokman

Here’s a quick script solution we put together for everyone dealing with large volume product photography, with objects shot against solid color backgrounds.  It is actually a collection of three scripts - AppleScript, JavaScript and Photoshop action - that performs the task. 

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Not every web design project is a web design project

Nov 13th, 2014 by Max Tokman

A popular system of interlinked hypertext documents, known as “the web”, makes almost any information ranging from funny animal videos to software training readily accessible. In some instances, it creates an illusion that task of any complexity can be treated as a DIY project. We beg to differ.
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