Access Experts Exchange Solutions For Free
If you've ever searched for a solution to your tech related problem, you've probably come across Experts Exchange. You've also probably felt the pang of disappointment when you discover that the solution to your problem is blanked out with the text: All comments and solutions are available to Premium Service Members only. Sign-up to view the solution to this question.
Once, I was so desperate for an answer to my problem that I actually forked out $17.95 for a membership (which I'm pretty sure was meant to be a free trial). The previously hidden "accepted answer" that was now visible was pretty useless and in no way pushed me closer to the solution I found later that day.
In the process though, I discovered how to view solutions for free. When you find an Experts Exchange result in Google, press the cached link underneath the result. This will take you to a cached version of the page on Google's servers. The answers are still hidden though. Now press on the text-only version link at the top right of your screen. Scroll down a little and boom, you can now read the previously hidden text.
If you use Experts Exchange a lot then it's probably worth paying for a premium membership to avoid these extra steps. If you're just after one solution, save your cash for something better. $17.95 could buy you one hour of a programmer or sys admin's time on oDesk.
In Summary:
To view solutions on Experts Exchange for free:
- Find the result on Google.
- Pressed cached link.
- Press text-only version link.
- View the solution
In Summary
Every morning, I open my Google Reader and I'm mauled with about fifty new blog posts. Some days I read about three of these posts; other days, I don't read any.
Information overload means that most people won’t read your new blog post. Those that do read it probably won’t finish it. Those that finish it probably won’t remember it in two days.
If you're blogging to get a message across, this is a terrible thing. That hour you spent crafting a beautiful and succinct blog post that embodies your latest and greatest idea has been, for the most part, wasted.
The solution is simple. I'm amazed that so few bloggers do it. At the end of each blog post include a bulleted "In Summary" list. Cut all the fluff from your blog post and give your readers a solid summary of your post's message.
Your readers will get used to the fact that they can read your blog post in twenty seconds if they want to. Bottom line? More of them will actually read your post. As an added bonus, a summary will help your readers remember your message more effectively.
A good blog post should only have a single point.
In Summary
- Always include a summary after your blog post
Imagick PHP Stub
If you've managed to get Imagick working on your local PHP development environment then you're well on your way to using one killer image manipulation library.
Most IDEs don't know about Imagick, so they wont autocomplete any Imagick functions. For me this was enough of a problem to pay someone to write an Imagick stub. The stub contains a fake version of every single function in the Imagick library, along with detailed PHPDoc style documentation. It will teach your IDE everything it needs to know about Imagick and set you on the road to autocomplete goodness.
Save your keyboard from an early demise - ImagickStub.php
And yes, the functions really are fake, so you'll need to have Imagick installed for this to work properly. On OS X the easiest way is to install Apache, MySQL and PHP using Macports, then install Imagick through PECL. Don't even bother trying with MAMP or XAMPP.
What’s Your Core Feature?
When you start working on a new project, think carefully about how you can launch it two months - not twelve.
One way to do this is by paring down your feature list.
Write down a list of features for your next project. If you've spent any time thinking about this project you'll have no problem filling an A4 page with about 30 features.
Now, take that feature list and cut it in half. Remove every second feature, leaving only those that you like the most. Great, your project is looking more manageable already, isn't it? Well, now it's time to cut it in half again. I'm not joking. Keep halving it until you're left with just one feature. This is your core feature. The drop-dead, gotta-have feature that's going to help you beat the competition.
You probably killed off some vital features in the last step. You have my permission to uncross some of those features. Don't cheat though - only add the features that are absolutely vital to your core feature.
Your project will look drastically different from what you originally had in mind, but you'll be able to finish it in a fraction of the time. After you launch, you'll see how people use your product. You'll see the features they like and the features they don't. You'll probably realise how much time you might have wasted pulling your hair out over frivolous features that you left on the cutting room floor.
Once you have a platform of dedicated users who love your product for what it does, its core feature, you're free to start expanding. Take your feature in the direction its users tell you they want it to go.
In Summary:
- Reduce your project's features to a minimum.
- Make sure all features somehow benefit your most important "core feature".