Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Announcing Website 25

Posted

I’m proud to announce the launch of a new major revision to Off on a Tangent, bringing the site to version 25.0.

This new version is much leaner and meaner and is built on modern web technologies. The size of each page-load is reduced, as are the number of graphics and other ‘overhead’ items. It includes a modernized custom WordPress theme based on Underscores and also utilizes the jQuery and Bootstrap frameworks. I’ve phased-out the jQuery UI framework I was using previously. Additionally, Off on a Tangent now fully supports high-DPI screens like Apple’s Retina and Microsoft’s PixelSense displays.

If you see any issues please contact me. Read on for a detailed list of what’s changed, what’s new, and what’s improved!

  • New Look and Feel—As always, the new version sports a new look and feel. It’s nice and clean and modern, and inspired by modern UI norms. As before, it should look and work great on everything from small phones to giant desktops.
  • Efficient Design—Reduced overhead and switched to modern, efficient formats (like SVG for vector images). This resulted in a 20% or greater reduction in data transfer over the previous version, which was already much improved from the one before.
  • WordPress Updates—The new theme is based on Underscores, a WordPress starter theme, which brings it up-do-date with newer WordPress capabilities and best-practices.
  • Framework Changes—Made a number of changes to the JavaScript frameworks in use on the site. Off on a Tangent now makes use of jQuery, Bootstrap, SmartMenus, and ColorBox. We no longer use jQuery UI.
  • HDPI Screen Support—All design and layout components now fully support high-DPI screens, including Apple Retina and Microsoft PixelSense. If you have one of these displays, a lot of things should look much crisper and nicer now!
  • Improved Quotes Page—We now have an improved quotes page, which organizes all quotes in the randomizer by author.

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.