XML Here We Go

So I've taken a deep dive into learning XML. Ok, that is a definite exaggeration. At this point my dive into XML has been focused exclusively on the redesign of my blog template. If anyone other than me is actually reading this blog then hopefully you've noticed some updates. The resources that I've been using have been quite limited - I've been focused on analyzing source code from various existing Blogger templates (and borrowing relevant snippets, of course).

The good news is that my coding skills, though incredibly rusty, have helped me make sense of the source code and, more importantly, make progress. I also remember that, unlike in writting where borrowing from others is considered plagiarism, in software development, if I can call what I am doing software development, borrowing is thought of as a time saving virtue rather than vice.

During my web coding days (1998 through 2002) most websites were still developed primarily using HTML and javascript only, aka DHTML. This was before the time of AJAX and during a period where most implementations of flash were considerably more limited. This meant that aspiring coders could always rely on finding easy access to helpful source code by simply browsing the web and perusing the source of any site that was well developed.

This strategy will be much less helpful as I start again down this path. I can probably finish my entire blog redesign with this approach. However, as I branch out to redesign my personal website (I swear I'll get to this someday) I will need to find online and offline resources to serve as learnings tools and references. Access to a few coding gurus would also help (speaking of gurus it seems like this term has lost the popularity it enjoyed in the early web days).

Now I am just rambling so let me call it a night.