I’ve been pretty liberal in completely redesigning my website for some time now. I built this site sometime in August of 2000, using my own HTML. All dynamics were achieved… well… faked… via re-uploading static HTML files. Version 2.0, a major overhaul, arrived shortly thereafter, and version 3.0 completely migrated to PHP as the base. The site thrived as a Phish music archive and when I moved away from that, I retired what was then version 4.0, and several versions followed until this one, version 9. But alas, shortly, I will begin the design of blog.adamscheinberg.com version 10, and it will be a chore, as I intend to modify most of the tables in my underlying database. Many features I wish I had implemented long ago – such as subscribing to threads and letting users enter a website, thereby not exposing their email address – are long overdue and virtually omnipresent in other weblogs.
I’ve even tossed around using another blog engine and just migrating my data, but then, where would I play?
My primary goal, though, for blog.adamscheinberg.com 10, will be a radically simpler and more attractive interface. I like some Web 2.0 mainstays. Expect larger text, brighter colors, AJAX where appropriate, and simplicity. My new comments page, which I’ve been playing with, is already stripped down and already kind of overwhelming. So back to the drawing board, it appears. Stay tuned for more updates than necessary.
I’ve enjoyed this one, there’s all sorts of neat features tucked away in here 🙂
My personal opinion is to go for cleaner code. Better HTML / CSS / JS and tidy PHP.
The simpler your design underneath, the simpler and more elegant the design on top can be.
Your header is just so large, I’m doing fine with 4 lines and I’m reducing that in the next version.
The Javascript can be combined/compressed using the Y Compressor / Dojo Compressor with a simple bash script, and if you’re interested in setting up a build system to combine/compress the JS & CSS before uploading I’ve built such a system in my Jax Games project.
Good luck with the project, and most of all – enjoy!