Read More]]> We are extremely pleased to welcome Peter Rozov to our IT Crew. He brings with him many skills and a very energetic personality. He is a great teacher, as he has been tutoring students at Chemekta and as we all know when we teach we learn the most. He has a strong knowledge of computer hardware and software concept and follows documented instructions precisely. He worked at GE in their Electronic Repair department for over 10 years.  We believe he and Andrew will make an excellent team and provide our clients with superb IT support and Customer Service.

Welcome Peter!!!

Read More]]>

Recently, while doing a large e-mail migration I ran into a common problem that ate up a lot of my time and resources, and made my end users unnecessarily frustrated. We’ve all run into it before – sitting in front of our computers, staring at a blinking cursor, wracking our brains trying to remember that password that we recently changed.

Everyone has their own ways to remember a password. Some keep a book of usernames and passwords, others have minds like a steel trap, others still use clever tricks like mnemonics or acronyms to remember their passwords and keep their computers and information secure. I have found a better way, at least for me. It’s called LastPass (www.lastpass.com) – it can remember your passwords for websites, computers, routers, anything that might require username and password or a secure place to keep a note. Setting up LastPass is very simple: download the free executable and run the wizard. It’ll step you through not only setting up a free account but also helping you secure the passwords that your machine tracks through common browsers and tools. All you have to do at that point is remember your master password – one password to rule them all. The upside of this tool is that it is available online from any computer at www.lastpass.com. You can also get LastPass Premium to gain access to all your passwords via your Android or iOS device for about a dollar a month.

There are other password encryption programs and database tools out there. I’ve used KeePass (www.KeePass.info)  currently in version 2). KeePass is a standalone program that encrypts your passwords and you can only access them if you have the master password.

I am not saying that the notebook of passwords next to your computer is a bad idea. It might work for you through your entire life. But in our opinion – if you’d like for your computers to be secure at all times, not have your Facebook hijacked, identity stolen, banking information accessed, mail rerouted, and scams pulled off in your name – then you may want to rethink your current password retention methodology.

If you’d like to learn more or to implement these free tools in your place of business, please give Opt(e)Web a call at 503-588-8778.

Read More]]> Hello Everyone! We’d like to tell you about a little event we’re hosting.

Since we moved into our new location a couple months ago, things have been pretty busy! But we’re planning an Open House for clients and community members to come see the new place if you haven’t already (or if you have!).

We’ll have wine tasting and various foods. We hope you can come by! Here’s the info:

Read More]]>

Hello, Opt(e)Web readers. I’m starting a new mini-series here. This series will be pretty technical, so if you’re not interested in such stuff, please check back for other material! To follow this series, you should be (at least) fairly proficient with HTML and CSS. I am planning to post five posts in this series:

• Part 1 – Introduction to CSS Preprocessing with SCSS
• Part 2 – Set up your first SCSS project with Compass
• Part 3 – SCSS Variables and Math
• Part 4 – Mixins and Functions
• Part 5 – Getting started with Zurb Foundation

What is CSS Preprocessing?

How often have you written something like this in your CSS:

a { color: #822828; /* red */ }
div.main-content { border-top: #822828; /* let's see, what was my hex code for red? */ }
div.callout { background: #822828; color: #ffffff; /* here's that red again */ }

or this:

header { height: 248px; padding: 24px 0; }
.logo { height: 200px; }
section.body { margin-bottom: 24px; /* there's that 24px again! */
footer.body { padding: 24px 0; }
div.sidebar { float: left; margin-left: 24px; }

Or here’s one more:

.button, header .widget a, #contactform .submit, .sidebar a:last-of-type { border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #ffffff; background: #474747; color: #dddddd; } /* all these elements look like a basic button */

These are all examples of some pretty well-written CSS, but it’s somewhat unwieldy and you’ll have some difficulty when it comes time to change something. In the second example, let’s say that instead of 24px spacing everywhere, you’d prefer 20px spacing… now you have a bunch of places to change 24px to 20px, and you’ll have to change the height of the header to 240px to account for the change in padding.

In each situation, preprocessing your CSS makes a lot of sense because it allows you to write your code more efficiently.

CSS Preprocessing is the process of writing your style rules in a different language to start with (though these different languages are easy to learn and similar to CSS). Then you run a command that turns your code into CSS, and you upload your CSS to the server to be used with your website. This means you never directly edit your CSS files. Writing in a different language gives you extra functionality while you are writing and maintaining your code.

One common feature of CSS preprocessors is variables, which I’ll discuss in greater detail later. In short, though, I could write the second example like this:

$spacing-factor: 24px;
header { height: 200px + 2 * $spacing-factor; } /* = 200 + (2*24) = 248 */
.logo { height: 200px; }
section.body { margin-bottom: $spacing-factor; }
footer.body { padding: $spacing-factor 0; }
div.sidebar { float: left; margin-left: $spacing-factor; }

This particular example has a little more text in it right now – but note that if you change the $spacing-factor variable, you won’t have to make any other changes in the whole block of code. So it’d be easy to set that spacing to 20px in a matter of seconds.

CSS Preprocessor Languages

There are several different CSS preprocessors out there. Here are some common ones:

• LESS – http://lesscss.org/ – LESS is perhaps most commonly known because the Twitter Bootstrap framework uses LESS.
• SASS – http://sass-lang.com – SASS includes two languages, SCSS and SASS. For the purposes of this post, I’m using “SASS” to refer to the older syntax. This syntax is less like CSS – it doesn’t include curly brackets, for example.
• SCSS – http://sass-lang.com – SCSS is the newer of the two syntaxes from this project. I am going to focus on SCSS in this series. I prefer the SCSS syntax because the syntax is similar to CSS – in fact, you can write plain old CSS in your .scss file without any problem. This allows for a nice gentle learning curve as you switch to preprocessing.

Compass

Compass (http://compass-style.org) is an extension of SCSS. It provides extra functions and patterns to use in your SCSS. One convenient feature of Compass is the ability to write CSS3 prefixed properties easily:

CSS:

.button { -moz-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #000000;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #000000;
box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #000000; }

SCSS with Compass:

.button { @include box-shadow(0 3px 5px #000000); }

When you run the command to compile your SCSS to CSS, this rule will be expanded to automatically include all the vendor prefixes currently needed for the various browsers.

Installing Compass + SCSS

I hope this piques your interest in preprocessing. I’d love to have you follow along with the upcoming posts in this series. I’d advise you to get started by installing Compass on your computer. (which will automatically pull in SCSS):

Windows

If you’re running Windows on your computer, you can simply install:

• Compass.app – http://compass.handlino.com/ – $10.00
• Scout – http://mhs.github.io/scout-app/ – FREE (I have used Scout on Windows and it works just fine)

If you’re comfortable with using Ruby and Ruby Gems on your computer, you can follow the instructions at: http://compass-style.org/install/ – but if not, go ahead and install one of the GUI applications above.

OSX / Linux

On Linux, you will need to make sure you have Ruby installed with through your package manager – for example, on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install ruby

Once you have ruby installed (OSX comes with Ruby preinstalled) then:

gem update --system
gem install compass

It’s generally pretty simple to use the command line on OSX / Linux for these things and I don’t think it’s worth bothering with a GUI app.

More on SCSS

Since we’re going to be focusing on SCSS throughout this series, here is some more information you can browse:

• Video Screencast: Get yourself Preprocessing in just a few minutes (CSS-Tricks): http://css-tricks.com/video-screencasts/111-get-yourself-preprocessing-in-just-a-few-minutes/
• Check out some beginner guides at http://thesassway.com/

Enjoy and check back for Part 2 of this series: Setting up your first SCSS / Compass project.

Read More]]> We’ve been expanding our web design portfolio with some new clients over the past few weeks. I’d like to mention some of the work we’ve been doing lately:

• The Oregon Family Support Network (See OFSN in our web portfolio) first came to us almost two years ago! The project has evolved over time and has been put on hold a couple times – OFSN is very busy with their work in our state. We’re glad to get the new website launched and have enjoyed working with this nonprofit agency. OFSN does good work with supporting families and children in Oregon who are dealing with some difficult mental health and behavioral issues, and we’re proud to have worked with them on their online presence.
• Andy Medcalf Construction (See Andy Medcalf Construction in our web portfolio) is a local commercial and residential construction company. Even though Andy’s company is fairly small, his experience in the construction industry has led him to work on some large projects in our area. Andy is very personable and emphasizes a customer relationship.
• The YWCA Salem (see YWCA in our web portfolio) is one of our longtime clients. This business relationship led the YWCA Alaska to us for a new website. YWCA Alaska is based in Anchorage and serves the entire state, advocating for women and diversity across Alaska. YWCA Alaska asked for a modified version of the design we built for YWCA Salem.

Those are some of the larger web projects we’ve been working on lately. In addition, we’ve been doing smaller projects and tasks here and there to provide support for our web design customers. We’ve also got more in the pipeline – stay tuned!

Read More]]> Here is an Article that was just published in the Salem Business Journal;

My name is Scott Mills, and I’m the owner and founder of Opt(e)Web LLC.  I was born just outside London, England and my father owned a very successful flooring wholesale business.  When I was young, I had dreams of being an entrepreneur, just like my father.  In 2008 that dream finally came true, and my dad also became my mentor.  Although the excitement was overwhelming, the glamor was not as I dreamt.  Starting a business in the depth of a recession was not an easy task, but my determination to be successful was empowering.  Starting a Business can make you feel like you are on a train going full speed ahead, but you don’t know where it is taking you.

I worked from my home, and in 2009 was able to make that first step and rent office space in south Salem.  I became a minimalist and every penny mattered, but I hoped and wished that someday we would move to downtown, and display the image of the firm I wanted Opt(e)Web to be.

In 2012 Opt(e)web went through a very positive development.  After my Business partner left in December 2011, I was able to transform our firm and worked on goals to build the company that inspired me.  I was awarded a scholarship through the Chemeketa Small Business Management program and that opportunity has given me the tools and techniques to use in operating Opt(e)Web.

In February 2013, a dream came true.  I had the opportunity to move to downtown Salem.  We found a space in the historic Franklin Building on the corner of State and High Street.  I was so excited and it created such a positive vibe.  We decorated and furnished it to represent the company we are and the company we are becoming.

Moving downtown wasn’t just about the status; it was about becoming part of the community.  If we were to step back in time about a hundred years, business revolved around downtown.  When the modern world hit us, people started to move to the suburbs and business went with them.  Today we are starting to realize the culture that we lost and how important it is to our community.

Salem has a great downtown business community. The city and private organizations have put a lot of energy and money into creating an attractive downtown district. With new businesses moving in, the development of condominiums, and linking our three riverfront parks, downtown Salem will be a thriving business district as well as a destination for visitors. I am very proud to be a business owner that is part of something this great.

“WE DREAM, WE THRIVE AND WE FLOURISH!!”

Read More]]> I was just listening to the news this week and they were discussing how the small economical cars have all the gadgets and internet access you would need.  It used to be that the gadgets were in the luxury cars. We are in a world that society needs instantaneous information and the gadgets are what sell.  I listened to this story, and realized that history appears to have repeated itself.  Remember the Model T Ford?  The first affordable car.

Read More]]> In a perfect world we could just let all of our installed software update itself. But unfortunately there are many ways to exploit such “auto-updating” software. You would be amazed at how many time I hear people say “Adobe Acrobat keeps bugging me for an update” or “I just updated Java and it keeps wanting another update”.

Understandably annoying, but as computers become networked more and more, the risk of attack is greater and greater. When a security flaw, vulnerability, or attack is found, the vendor of the software writes a patch for that security hole – and if you don’t have the latest and greatest patch, your PC and data are at a hackers whim.

No PC is perfectly safe, however with the few minutes that it takes to update, you can patch the software that is most exploited.

Also, if you are REALLY annoyed, you could update Java and Acrobat at once with this link http://ninite.com/java-reader/. It is a Ninite.com installer, so it will not install any of the toolbars, or bloatware that some software let biggyback on their installers.