Ferret’s Domain is now running on WordPress 3, which seems like a significant increase in smoothness since the last version. All the plugins I use carried on working much to my relief.

I’ve also been checking out theme frameworks. This month I have seen:

WooThemes
commercial framework and template – extremely slick and transforms the control panel/front end. Uses the 960GS grid system CSS framework. Very high attention to detail and the admin interface is very pleasing. The front of the site was changed to an events based format, which really impressed me.

Atahualpa
Difficult to spell, very easy to use, free and everything can be dealt with from the control panel with no file editing required. SEO improvements over a standard WordPress install. Atahualpa saved me some serious hours on a client project this week so comes highly recommended.

Thesis
Commercial, very powerful framework that allows you to replace anything in your WordPress install with a different layout or coding. Good for SEO too. Probably a bit over the top for most projects, and a more flexible CMS would possibly be better in some cases.

BuddyPress
Install WordPress with Buddypress and you have a ready made social network in about 5 minutes. Seriously impressed with Buddypress, which saved me hours of customising a normal WordPress install. Good community behind it too, so a big thumbs up.

I’ve found some great apps since switching to Mac, here are some of them.

• Adium – Free multi-network chat client
• Coda – Commercial one window web development app from Panic Software
• Daylite – Commercial calendaring, contact management and email integration – apps to do all this come with OSX but Daylite just ties them together really nicely.
• EasyBatchPhoto  – Commercial image editing app with all the useful tools – resize, watermark, rename etc.
• Evernote – Free app/service that works with web browsers and mobile phones, letting you clip text and images from webpages and sync everything to the Evernote servers so you can access it from anywhere. Great for filing all the stuff that will useful ‘one day’.
• iDrive – Automatically backup your local stuff to their remote servers (Free basic account).
• KeePassX – Free password manager to keep all your URLs, usernames and passwords together.
• Little Snitch – Commercial outbound firewall to stop software contacting websites without your permission.
• MAMP – Free Mac, Apache, MySQL & PHP – Local development environment that mirrors popular web server technologies. Develop your site locally for security and extra speed then transfer to the live server.
• Name Mangler – Free batch file renamer.
• Quicksilver – Free task launcher that starts from a key combo – about a thousand times faster than finding the icon and clicking it.
• Smultron – Free fast, simple text editor with code highlighting.
• Speed Download 5 – Commercial download manager.
• Things – Commercial to-do list app that can be used with GTD principles.

• Transmit – Commercial fast and pretty FTP client from Panic Software.
• Unison – Commercial newsgroup reader that redefines downloading from newsgroups.
• Xee – Lightning fast free image browser that’s much more capable than the OSX Finder or Preview.

Tiny rims? Check. Slammed? Check. Oldskool colour? Check!

Our first Trading Eye shop was completed and launched this week for Bolton based homeopathic remedy suppliers The Natural Remedy Company. It is hosted on our green web hosting and features a completely rebuilt front page from the Trading Eye default along with a custom programmed “Product Finder”.

The system was easy to install, great to style using CSS and very easy for the client to use in the control panel. Trading Eye includes a ton of features that make it easy to develop and use – we liked it so much FCS Websites is now a Trading Eye reseller! We have two more Trading Eye ecommerce sites in production at the moment – both launching very soon.

The Web 2.0 Surgery is a FREE drop-in event in Nottingham where independent businesses, freelancers and community groups can get advice from web experts on developing a new or existing website. The project has already helped a start-up business to sell online, a charity to use social networks for free promotion and a performance group to use live web video streaming to engage with audiences.

Web 2.0 Surgery celebrated its first birthday in June, and also moved to the Broadway Mezz bar which offers a great range of beers and food. As it’s on a Wednesday, you can also take advantage of their Orange Wednesday 2-for-1 film offers and great film and food special offers too.

Future events are as follows – no need to book, just turn up!

Wednesday 14th July, 5.15-6.45pm
Wednesday 11th August, 5.15-6.45pm
Wednesday 8th September 5.15-6.45pm

Mezze Lounge, Broadway Cinema
14-18 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AL

Website: http://www.web20surgery.co.uk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/web20surgery