Infinity Web Creations

I just finished taking the WordPress 2.8 Test, and realized that I scored within the Top 20% to Top 10% in all of the above tests on oDesk. Naturally I'm happy with those results, especially with the short duration (each test allows you 40 minutes to complete it).

There are over 117,000 web-developers currently on oDesk competing for your business. Don't trust your success to just anybody. Hire an experienced professional.

Ah, I've been asked many times if people should stick with native Javascript, or use a Javascript library like jQuery.

Short Answer: Use jQuery.

Longer Answer:

Why? jQuery is by far the best JS library I've used. It doesn't just take the tediousness out of writing javascript, but it makes it downright FUN. Using jQuery, you're able to write in 1 line of code what would take you 10-15 lines of code using native javascript!

It's very lightweight, fast and has a minimal footprint. It weighs in at about 26KB minified & gzipped.

jQuery gives you the ability to execute code when the DOM is loaded, not just when the window entirely is loaded (meaning all graphics & other external resources). Not only that, but you can specify in multiple areas what code to execute when the DOM is loaded.

jQuery supports CSS 1-3  selectors which dramatically reduces the amount of code you need to write to get your work done. It handles animations, AJAX calls, DOM manipulation, and more with sheer elegance and beauty. Extending jQuery is where it really shines. You can find a plugin for nearly anything you'll need.

If you've ever dealt with native Javascript for anything beyond the most elementary of tasks, you'll probably have discovered that cross-browser compatibility issues sneak up on you in a hurry. jQuery takes care of this. It is fully cross-browser compatible, and is frequently updated to ensure that it remains cross-browser compatible, fast, lightweight and bug-free. This is one of jQuery's most powerful assets.

Still not convinced? Here are just a handful of BIG NAMES that use jQuery:

• Google
• Dell
• Bank of America
• digg
• Netflix
• Mozilla
• WordPress
• Drupal

I encourage you to spend a few hours playing with jQuery and discovering first-hand just how powerful it is. The learning curve is minimal, and the benefits are tremendous. jQuery is THE javascript library to use. You'll spend more time getting things done, and less time coding.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think. Leave me a comment with your thoughts!

When considering the server-side language you want to use for your next web project, you have a few choices to select from. My personal favorite, tried and true, is PHP. Why? Very simple… it just WORKS. Not only that, but the user-base is phenomenal. Security patches are released quickly. Support is widely available (and it should be, considering it's the most popular server-side web development language currently).

Whether I'm building something more complex that requires me to design an elaborate object oriented solution, or a quick script to generate a one-time report based on data in a MySQL database, PHP makes the job easy without sacrificing performance or stability.

If you're a new web developer looking to get started with the field, I would strongly urge you to consider PHP as your first web development language, assuming you're already familiar with HTML/CSS. PHP is incredibly well documented and has a minimal learning curve. As you'll discover, the hardest part is designing the logic behind your applications. There is no "quick" way to learning that. You just simply have to get out there and start coding.

Using PHP makes creating database-driven websites very easy. Interacting with MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc is a snap. A prime example of an application that uses PHP for creating database-driven websites is WordPress (which is what this exact web-site is powered by!). Other content management systems have found PHP to be fast, robust and secure as well, such as Joomla and Drupal.

And finally, another excellent reason to choose PHP is because it's so widely available. Every major web-hosting provider supports PHP and will continue to for many years. PHP has experienced explosive growth in a very short amount of time, and continues to thrive and enjoy tremendous success.

Welcome to what is becoming the new Infinity Web Creations website! The old website was entirely removed because it was basically just out-dated and never maintained. On the new site you'll see blog posts about various technologies that I use when working with clients (such as jQuery, PHP, MySQL, etc), other personal points of interest, and probably some stories about my personal life. You'll also be able to view my ever-evolving and updating portfolio. I am always for hire, and my current rate is $35 per hour. I also offer fixed-rate and capped-rate pricing structures on a per-project basis. The hourly rate is negotiable depending on the scope of the project and whether it's an ongoing position or contract job. Thanks for visiting, I sincerely hope you enjoy!