Web-Based Applications, When Away from your "Stations"
So, I've been without a power adaptor for my Powerbook™ for the better part of a week now. My colleagues roll their eyes when I come and yoink their adaptors, like the guy who's "quit smoking" but just needs another drag.
I'm still without power because I refuse to pay the retail price (Apple proprietary hardware bites me in the ass again). So how do you go on when you've been ousted from your station (PC or Laptop of choice)?
Basecamp, Blogger, Drupal, and Web Developer
Sure, my productivity has gone down; being without bookmarks, contacts and preferences drops my up-time by about 30%. I've managed to cope somehow with four (maybe more) web apps:
- Basecamp
- Blogger
- Drupal
- Web Developer
Basecamp keeps me in the loop with development. Communication is maintained and I have a rudimentary FTP app. Post a PDF up there and I can comment right in the message thread.
Blogger, yes it's a limited CMS, but it's what we started with all those moons ago. It certainly travels well (I'm writing from my entertainment PC right now).
Drupal also travels well. I'm just starting to wrap my head around this open source CMS, but it's already changing the way I work. The web-based interface allows me to "develop" right from a browser, which leads me to...
Web Developer. This Firefox extension is manna from the gods. Recently, I've been using this extension for more than CSS. The Images and Outline tabs are now a key part of my Standards-conversion sales pitch. Don't tell your clients that Accessibility and Standards are important, show them!
Down But Not Out
It's not perfect. I still need to do something about my bookmarks (no, I haven't switched completely to del.icio.us).
The biggest problem is imaging. How do I open a PSD or AI file from any computer? I heard that there's a ways to run apps straight from thumb drives, though I haven't tried it. I could use my iPod for some apps but that doesn't get me anywhere with PCs. If anyone knows a solid, cross-platform solution, I'd pay money to know.