Papa's Perspective


A Unified Approach to Client-Side Storage

This simple API can give you a leg up on local storage in your Web apps.

Git Involved in Open Source

Developers are contributing to more than a million projects on GitHub -- why aren't you?

3 Things You Need to Learn About CSS Selectors

If you haven't checked out CSS, understanding the most often used core selectors is a good place to start.

JavaScript Libraries: Picking the Right One for You

As more JavaScript libraries spring up and battle to survive, developers stand to benefit from great solutions that fit a variety of needs.

The Impact from Windows 8, in 2012 and Beyond

Time is causing Windows to evolve, but those changes offer new opportunities for app developers.

Code Reuse with External Templates and Knockout.js

External templates allow you to reduce the code in your main HTML page, and reuse it in multiple places.

Developer Impacts 2012

2012 is barely underway, yet some of the technology that may shape this year is already starting to emerge. Which ones will have the largest impact?

5-Minute Tour of CSS3 Background Gradients

Major browsers support CSS3 gradients (including Internet Explorer 10), but with different rendering engines, it's still good to have fallbacks.

MIX: a Missed Opportunity for Microsoft?

Was there confusion at Microsoft's Web-focused show? Sure. But from Papa's Perspective, that wasn't a bad thing.

2 Great JavaScript Data-Binding Libraries

JavaScript libraries help you build powerful, data-driven HTML5 apps.

3 Impacts from 2011, and What they Mean Moving Forward -- Part 1

Papa's Perspective on Kinect, Silverlight and Microsoft's changing relationship with developers.

Easy Web Development with jsFiddle

jsFiddle is a free code-sharing tool that allows you to edit, share, execute and debug Web code within a browser.

Windows Phone Challenges for Microsoft

When it comes to Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is making headway. But it still has a ways to go, especially in the area of apps.

Working with the HTML5 Canvas: A 5-Minute Tutorial

Get started with this quick but informative guide (and sample code) from John Papa.

An Entity Framework Book Worth Your Time

A new book on Code First Entity Framework is a concise, readable guide to the technology.

Getting the Most out of Twitter

Twitter has revolutionized social networking. If you're not optimizing it, you're missing out.

Silverlight Skills Carry Over to Windows 8 'Metro Style' Apps

Windows 8 is an early preview, but has enough of its shape to show XAML developers that their skills are applicable.

Running Windows 8 in a Virtual Machine

The advantages of using virtualization, and specifically VirtualBox, to develop on the Windows 8 platform.

It's Beautiful, But is it Sustainable?

Software, even the most beautiful software, needs to be developed with an eye toward those who will be maintaining it in the future.

MVVM in 5 Minutes

Learn MVVM fundamentals by building this simple Twitter app.

Windows 8 Animations Library Creates Better User Experiences

Windows 8 has great built-in animations, which can draw users deeper into your app.

Retemplating a Control and Adding Visual States with Expression Blend

Learn how to easily create a toggle button in Expression Blend by retemplating a control and adding visual states.

Effective JavaScript Tips

JavaScript can be unwieldy. But using techniques like separation and Revealing Module Pattern can get it under control.

Expression Blend Drawing Tips

Papa shows how to build a simple button using Expression Blend.

Fundamental MVVM

Understanding Model-View-ViewModel is the first step in using it.

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