Greetings all,
I thought I would share some of the latest developments I've recently been working on.

I'm currently making a plugin for a customer privately, and the significant original technologies coming about are quite extensive. After looking at the Mass Media Pro, I immediately saw a need for improved ajah security, and I'm making it happen using my own encoding techniques ( for the admin side - I'll share that for security at http://www.subdreamer.org ). I'm not sure how many bits of encryption it provides, but I believe it's most likely 200+.

The frontend treatment requires something a bit more extensive, a randomly generated 6 level cipher with 60 combinations of dynamically generated data. Many ajax technologies use a timestamp as a security measure - as great as that is, often webmasters find that their site gets busy, causing slow load times -- and ultimately failed ajax/ajah attempts. To greater strengthen the security of the original ciphers, every different installation would have various numeric and textual keys, generated by their server itself providing unique encoded keys everytime.

As SDDepot moves into e-commerce, ajax/ajah becomes a bonus - but not if it uses the standard security measures which quite often break easily, or rely on overused ( and exploitable ) technologies. I think actually "making" something original is a great way to get around that.

Hats off to Brilliant Web solutions, SDDepot's new purchase of this simple to use modification will certainly become a gain for all customers. Just last night, I was preparing a new pay per use section. I can understand that not all customers may need to subscribe to all products - so providing a section using this modification is very customer friendly.

During my use of this modification, I've added a few enhancements - and tonight I shall be adding a few more. These enhancements include:

• Assigning Forum Usergroups
• Time Restricted Access ( in days, months, and years )
• Improved License support
• Improved Customer Interface

These features are, of course very neccessary for SDDepot's business model - and I think these changes will reflect well for customers. After Successfully achieving this, and finalising all matters with Brilliant Web this will be available to subscribers and eventually pay-per-use.

Before the new commercial version is available - I shall add one more feature:

• Automatic Patching of DLM Files - wether it is a clone or the original.

I thank everyone for their support of SDDepot, especially Subscribers for their loyal patronage - and patient understanding during the development of each new product available. Hopefully we will see more of Brilliant Web Solutions in the future, the products which this company develops are top notch.

I have about ten years of professional web developing experience.
In this post I thought I would set the record straight.

Do Tables Suck ? Yes.
Are we stuck with them ? Yes.
Does Robert_J_Ellis hate tables ? More Than You Know.

Here's why:

The Outsiders/Greasers/Tables:
- They stretch to content within them.
- They Will force child div's to fit.
- They will stretch to fit any medium, no matter their width.
- they will consider percentages, and display that way, without disrupting layout.
- they will work well with javascript, and hidden content.
- they by default display content within their barriers, and resize to fit. This causes the
parent to resize - by nature div's do not. CMS's with all of their table driven plugins are no
places for div's.

The Preps/Insiders/Divs
- They do not allow allow new guys within their group. They have a fixed width,
and any "Outsiders" have to fit in. If they're too big, they can leave their width outside, where everyone can see it, and they cannot.
- Unless an initiate takes on their club 100%, they're not listening. Hear no evil.
- they only consider a "percentage" from that of their Parent's cut. if you go over that percentage, you're out.
- Javascript is new control on the turf, they're not willing to pay - so let's turf them out of our height, and leave them sitting on our behinds.
- Resize ? Nah we're preps - and we are not going anywhere you "squares".


Understand, Most designers hate tables, I know I do, but it's what we're left with. Until there is
a parent dependant "div", a <parent>, we will stuck with float to right and left alternatives that will
show your subdreamer plugins with their undergarments off. There is no way around it, there is no fix.

Any CMS developer who does not count on these dependencies, Should be prepared for inconsistencies. There is no way around block level width dependencies for
any browser, thought up browser, or futuristic w3c css reccomendation.

is there a proper place for div's ? Yes, but be careful - or you'll get complaints. I like to use them whenever realistically possible. They're great for most content, just not where "flexible" and "unbreakable" widths are imparative.

SDDCode, our invention, and answer to making plugins look better with less effort. How do we do it ? A lot of hard work and intuitive programming. SDDCode is much like BBCode in many respects, except that SDDcode outputs complex html. For instance to get the attractive error box which we have; we type:



We're moving towards revision 3, which breaks many preconceptions about subdreamer plugin settings, and what is possible. 3-state complex buttons, mouseover tooltip capabilities, and three styles available ( Gel - Sky ( the new Default Style ), Gel - future ( the old default style ), and Accessibility ( especially made for people with sight dissabilities ). Near completion - I thought I would Share a few screenshots with you of our test section in action.

We have completed both Gel-Air, Gel-Future, and Accessibility is well on its way.

Gel - Sky
[attachmentid=23] [attachmentid=24]

Gel - Future
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Update: 10/29/06

Here's the new style available - Accessibility, it's not long till SDDCode revision3 is available ! Accessibility is especially made for those who have sight dissabilities.

coming to an SDDepot plugin Today!

Here is some screenshots:
[attachmentid=27] [attachmentid=28]

The Graphite Pro Alpha Series is alluring for the very fact that switching a header can at most times change the look and feel of the site entirely. One of the reasons why the "suballure" series got its name.

With this in mind we shall be releasing 20 new Headers compatible with the Alpha Series Graphite Pro Skins. All new Headers shall contain psd's so that Subscribers may alter them more effectively.
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Asian, Futuristic, Underwater, Minimalistic, and a few Business style headers will be added.

In this regard, before this takes place, we'll be updating to RC8 the last of the Alpha Series Skins not updated:

• Inspiration
• Inspiration Orange

Thanks to the subscribers for continued support.

Update Monday 25'th 7:14pm

Here's two samples of the newest stuff:

hero ninja
[attachmentid=20]

hero ninja white
[attachmentid=21]

planetscape
[attachmentid=22]

Of course both of these headers include a psd with each effect in layers so that it's possible to alter them. More samples later this evening.