Over the weekend we updated the Installatron on all of the servers!  Now you can not only install your favorite scripts with just a few clicks, but the new version promises to make backups and updates just that easy.  

I haven’t tested this on any of my personal sites, but I have heard from a few clients already that have found it great to use.The new interface is great too.  

It’s a bit different from the previous version, but after a couple of clicks, I think you’ll get used to it!

We just separated the ClearDev.com and the ClearDev.net sites to make it easier for our existing clients and for new clients to differentiate the two.   It’s still the same crew taking care of the hosting, but we’ve done so many cool web development projects over the past two years, we needed a site to feature those as well.

So, that’s where we are.  ClearDev.net is the hosting side, and ClearDev.com is the development side.  Other than that, it’s the same crew, with some new machines floating around of course .

We’re happy we’re able to keep both sides of the business going and  growing. Thank you for that!

Check out Cyberduck.

Cyberduck is an open source FTP and SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) browser licenced under the GPL with an easy to use interface, integration with external editors and support for many Mac OS X system technologies such as Spotlight, Bonjour, the Keychain and AppleScript.

In a flurry of development, I’ve been using CODA more and more.  I find it’s fantastic for editing pages and well as modifying CSS files and getting an instant, visual result.  Makes for tuning in a particular look or effect much more efficient.  Just wanted to throw that recommendation out there again for any Mac users out there that haven’t gotten their hands on this application.

Go ahead - give it the 30 day trial.  Or just buy it if you have the extra cash!

Well - summer is finally over and it’s time to get into hyper-productive mode.  We have some GREAT sites lined up for the Fall already and can’t wait to get them underway.

One of the sites I’m currently working on will be in WordPress.  I needed to switch out the sidebar depending on the page you’re visiting.  I found a handy snippet and thought I’d share it here in case any of you have ran into this situation:

<?php /* If this is the frontpage */ if ( is_home()) { ?>

<p align=”center”>this is where you put the stuff to appear on the homepage sidebar.</p>

<?php } elseif (strstr($_SERVER[’REQUEST_URI’], ‘/other_page/’)) { ?>

<p align=”center”>this is where you put the stuff to appear on the other page’s sidebar.</p>

Hope this helps you out in your busy fall development work!

Here’s a good site I ran across that has some excellent tips for you Mac users out there.  It’s at http://pixelcorps.tv/macbreak.  Go get a drink of that TextExpander episode - good stuff!  Enjoy!

Most of us have something we regret, but if that thing is a tattoo, now help is on the way! Check out this ClearDev hosted site, CheapTattooRemoval.net. It’s our site of the week - though it’s not for those with a weak stomach, or weak sense of humor.

We built a great CMS on the backend to manage this “LRC” along with 4 other sites! One login manages all the sites - very cool!

Here’s a shot of the back:

I’ve been using WordPress for a blog tool for years now.  Each update gets better and better.  At this point, I find it much more than a blogging application.  Now it’s perfect for building complete websites.  Sure - you can never get a website to be EXACTLY the way you want it unless you do it yourself from the ground up.  But, WordPress has so many super features and plugins available, I’m willing to bend in certain areas.Here are a few of my favorite things about WP:

•  Easy to install (even easier with our Installatron tool)
• Easy to upgrade
• Quickly put together a “complete” site - static pages, a blog with commenting, contact form, etc. 
• Themes-a-plenty - Even if you aren’t an expert at CSS, don’t worry.  There are many themes ready to go for WP and you can use them as is, or make some slight tweaks in order to make them “just right.”
• Great user interface on the backend.
• All open and ready to customize - both the front and back ends.
• Many plugins — there’s a huge community of developers making little plugins that will do everything from producing a spam-proof contact form to sucking in other open source apps like Gallery.
• Smart from the get go — right after installing, you only have to do a few things to make your site live and ready for traffic.  

I could go on and on, but if you’re looking for a simple way to get your site live, give WordPress a spin!  Take a couple hours to fool around with it and I bet you’ll be hooked!

Well, you came to the right place! After you set up your hosting account with us, and use the “Installatron” to easily setup and configure your own WordPress blog, you’ll be live! But that’s when the work begins…

I’ve been blogging here (http://cleardev.com/cdblog) and there (http://mbwpicks.com) for a few months now and

1. I think I’ve made about $4 at it, and

2. Everyday I find out about 5 more things that I “should be doing”.

I think it’s an evolution… a couple of blogs that will help you get rolling are:

• http://johnchow.com — he claims he makes $11k+/month on his blog, and I believe him. Some of his strategies are a little creepy in my opinion, but you can surely get a lot of good ideas and tips.
• http://www.problogger.net/ — another money making type site - but still, good tips.

Finally, my personal advice is to blog about something you really enjoy or are an expert at (or are finding your way though), and two…set a schedule. If it’s daily, hourly, weekly, etc. Just keep some kind of consistency.

Good luck and let us know about your ClearDev hosted blog!