Ah yes, the wicked internet explorer. As web developers, we know that a site is only as good as its cross-browser capabilities. The number of people estimated to still be using some form of Internet Explorer are remarkable. Over 70% of people surfing the web today are using Internet Explorer, 30% of whom use the dreaded IE6.

Using valid XHTML and CSS, we can usually feel pretty comfortable with how a site it going to turn out on all browsers, but feeling comfortable is not enough. This is why we need to thoroughly test our sites in IE 6, 7, and 8. (And if you’re really a stickler, 5.5 as well. Sure, I’ve heard of NetRenderer. I’ve spent more time than I want to remember on BrowserShots. Applications like these allow you to insert your URL into their form, and they’ll return with a screen-shot of how your page looks in IE, or any number of other browsers. These are really cool apps, and usually provide you with some great insight, but they do have their problems. Biggest of which is the ability to test FUNCTIONALITY. A screen shot is great, but what about testing weather or not that javascript is cross-browser compatible?

Enter: Final Builds Site – Internet Explorer Collection! Now, before we get to far in to this little marvel, I will need to say that this is only helpful for those PC users. I work on macs, have for years now. Made the switch and have never looked back. I do, however, also have a PC sitting to my direct right. I use it only to test my websites these days. Problem being, I only have IE7, and can only run the one version of IE on my PC. Internet Explorer Collection allows you to download and intall EVERY VERSION OF IE…EVER and run them at the same time. They are all standalone programs so you can have IE 5.5, 6, 7, and 8 open an running at the same time.

I have only been using this collection for a couple of days now, but I will tell you, it certainly beats asking your girlfriend if you can borrow her work laptop so you can test a site on IE6. Thank you to the guys at Final Builds for putting this collection together, you’ve definitely made my life easier.

It should be an obvious statement that, as a designer, one of your top priorities is to keep abreast of what is going on in the design world. The fastest way to do this? The web! There is certainly no shortage of sites and weblogs out their that can help you accomplish this, but the following are the ones where I find myself spending the most (often too much) time checking out.

SMASHING MAGAZINE

Smashing Magazine is probably my favorite design-oriented site out there. Not only is the content consistently top-notch, but the actual layout of the site is extremely inviting. Easy to navigate, utilizing a ton of guest writers and covering everything from design inspiration to advanced web development, Smashing is a wealth of information that shouldn’t be overlooked by any designer.

NOUPE

Noupe.com is a weblog for designers and Web developers on a ton of subjects. They cover a crazy range of design topics including CSS, Ajax, Javascript, typography, advertising and basically anything else for which you could ask. If you are looking for consistently up-to-date information, this is a great place to start.

SIX REVISIONS

While it may not be as easy to navigate or as “pretty” as Smashing Magazine, the content provided by SIX REVISIONS is right up there with any competitive weblog. Their categories cover everything that is relevant to a designer, especially their blogs on project management. While there aren’t many management posts available, yet, the topics they cover are really informative.

DESIGN REVIVER

Design Reviver was created by designer Henry Jones. I was a HUGE fan of Jones’ portfolio site, and it was his work that got me really excited about the potential of WordPress. He outdid himself with Design Reviver. For example, when other weblogs give you 10 free photoshop brushes, you can head over to Reviver and find 400+ FREE PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES. His expansive library of resources and tutorials will give any designer a leg up on the competition.

A LIST APART

There’s not much I need to say about A List Apart that you can’t conclude yourself with just one visit to this exquisite site. Comparing ALA to the other sites on this list is like comparing Mozart to Led Zeppelin. Each have their genius to them, but ALA offers a classic professorship approach to its cutting edge ideas and coverage of what is going on in the web development community.

Take their latest article as an example:

“Return of the Mobile Style Sheet” discusses the importance and difficulty surrounding mobile specific CSS. Who’s the author? Dominique Hazaël-Massieux, who has been working for the W3C for the past eight years, and is now responsible for the Mobile Web Initiative, W3C’s focus efforts on making the Web on mobile devices rock.

I’ve heard that as a designer, the hardest site you’ll ever have to create is your own, and after finally getting this thing up, I whole-heartedly agree.

I went through a couple of different designs before settling on this final one. I think that the main problem is that unless you set yourself on a STRICT deadline, you can easily end up getting bored with your original design and deciding, “Hey, I can do this better,” and scratching all the work you just did. This seems to only be a problem when I’m working on my own stuff. (Which I guess is a good thing for clients…)

So, what are you going to find here at JimFanale.com? First and foremost, you’ll find samples of my work. I am a freelance designer and am always looking for new work and new challenges. If you haven’t taken a look, yet, please check out my portfolio in here. You will also find me posting blogs about how I work, tips, tricks, where I find inspiration and basically anything else I can find time to write about.

If you are interested in hiring me, please send me a message, and let me know. If you just want to drop me a line, do the same. Let me know your thoughts on the new site, as well!