Nick Bradbury

Adobe PDF to HTML Conversion

Adobe has a free online tool which converts PDF to HTML.

Usability 101

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen outlines the basics of usability

FeedDemon's XSL-based Preview

One of my favorite features in FeedDemon is the way you can change the style used when previewing news items. Given my history with TopStyle you might think that this feature relies on CSS, but in fact it uses XSL to transform the RSS feed. While CSS provides control over how content is styled, XSL also enables controlling the content itself - which means that FeedDemon's preview can be extensively customized.

FeedDemon's styles are stored in its \Data\Styles subfolder, so if you know XSL you can create your own preview styles. Even if you don't know XSL, you can experiment by copying and editing one of FeedDemon's existing preview styles.

I'm fairly new to XSL, so I'm curious what a real XSL-guru could come up with.

RSS Feeds are the Better Email Newsletters

About.com says that spam is killing email newsletters, but RSS provides an alternative solution (via Lockergnome's RSS Resource).

New version of HomeSite

Looks like Macromedia is gearing up to release a new version of HomeSite (via Ben Forta).

Good Morning

Comments like this one make my day :)

Twenty4.org

Self-proclaimed "TopStyle Pro User / FeedDemon User" Kris Owens has provided a lot of useful feedback while testing my software, so perhaps I can return the favor in some way by directing people to his new blog.

PS: Be sure to add his RSS feed to FeedDemon.

FeedDemon 1.0 Beta 5a

FeedDemon 1.0 Beta 5a is now available. Be sure to read the release notes before installing. Among the changes is a fix that enables FeedDemon to read AOL Journal RSS feeds.

As always, please post any comments about the beta in the feedemon.beta newsgroup on my news server, and be sure to include "FD 1.0 B5a" in the subject line.

Now, the fact that there's a fifth beta will make some wonder just how betas there will be. The answer, of course, is "as many as it takes!" It's important to me that FeedDemon - like TopStyle - is considered very reliable, so I won't release the final version until testers (ie: you!) tell me it's ready.

Internet Convergence 2.0

Jeremy Allaire on the innovative trends that are shaping the second generation Internet.

Yahoo Blogs?

InfoWorld is reporting that Yahoo is experimenting with a blogging service.