August 31, 2004 - In a move that's a huge boost to the missions of standards zealots like ourselves, Microsoft redesigned their web site this month to be far more standards-compliant than it previously was. Before the redesign, the site used dozens of tables and spacer images for layout purposes, and the HTML was saturated with proprietary tags, deprecated tags, and malformed code. It was an accessibility nightmare, it was slow-loading, and there were different versions for different browsers. Now, all the proprietary tags have been removed, all but a handful of the layout tables and all of the spacer images are gone, and CSS is used to keep formatting separate from content. Finally, there's only a single version of the page now that's served to all browsers.
It's not perfect—there are still something like 60 validation errors—but it's a huge, huge improvement, and Microsoft is definitely due ample kudos. The HTML for the home page has been cut down in size by nearly 75%, which should easily save Microsoft hundreds of thousands of dollars per year (or more) in bandwidth, and they'll realize more savings yet in the form of lowered maintenance costs.
If you're interesting in lowering your company's costs in the same way Microsoft has done, contact us to discuss your situation, or take our services for a trial spin by taking advantage of our free web consultation offer.
May 26, 2004 - We've released FlightMath 2.2.2. This new version adds the ability to directly download and display animated radar images from most US weather stations.
March 2, 2004 - We've released FlightMath 2.2! This new version adds the ability to directly download radar images from most US weather stations, as well as integration with Stephen Colebrook's great program, Mac Flight Planner. You can also now buy FlightMath and Mac Flight Planner together as a bundle at significant savings, and get a complete, easy-to-use flight-prep tool set in return. Note that if you've previously purchased either program, you can easily purchase the other one for just $15 by going to our bundle upgrade page.
October 29, 2003 - We've sent out the first issue of Overture, our newsletter for business owners and executives, and anyone else involved in web site strategic planning. If you missed it, you can read the HTML version. If you'd like to sign up to receive future issues, do so via our mailing lists page.
October 14, 2003 - We've created a new eNewsletter for web site owners and strategic planners. Called Overture, it will select a web trend, technique, or technology each issue, and examine it in depth from a business perspective so that you have the knowledge you need to instruct your designers to either embrace the technology, or skip it. To sign up, go to our Mailing Lists page.
August 14, 2003 - We've released new betas of our Clock, Gravity, Planets, and Warp screen savers. Get 'em while they're hot!
July 16, 2003 - We've moved our site to a new provider. Hosted by pair Networks, Inc., the site now leverages the powers of MySQL, PHP, and Apache to provide more reliability and speed than ever before. For more information, see our About This Site page. Also, if you encounter any difficulties with the site or spot what you think are bugs, please let the TriVectus Webmaster know about them.
February 12, 2003 - We've released FlightMath 2.1! This version adds a number of new features, including Internet weather data retrieval, new units conversion options, and a more flexible density altitude pane. We've also updated Gravity, the screen saver which creates an entire chaotic universe right on your screen, and Clock, a photo-realistic analog clock screen saver. Finally, we've released two brand new screen savers: Planets, which realistically models chaotic planetary systems, and Warp, which puts our touch on the classic star field screen saver.
January 26, 2003 - We've posted a new desktop picture! To view it and all our other desktop pictures, and to download any of them for free, visit the Desktop Pictures page of our graphic arts section.
September 3, 2002 - We've redesigned our web site! Let us know what you think.
November 15, 2001 - After experiencing numerous difficulties with our fax number over the last few months, we've changed over to a new one. We apologize for any trouble you may have experienced while trying to send us something.
November 5, 2001 - Diamondbacks win!! In a stunning ninth-inning comeback, the D-Backs blew away the Yanks' much-vaunted aura and mystique. From the B-2 fly-over to Gonzo's game-winning RBI, Game 7 is sure to go down in the books as one of the most exciting in World Series history. Go D-Backs! (Read More...)
July 25, 2001 - We've released a minor update to both of our Mac OS X screen savers, Clock and Gravity.
July 19, 2001 - As promised, we have a lot of news today. To start, our launch into the OS X era is being led by the release of an all-new FlightMath written from the ground up for OS X (registrants of the current version may upgrade for free!). Flanking the new FlightMath are two OpenGL screen saver modules for OS X's built-in screen saver: Clock and Gravity. Clock will keep you on time with an analog clock featuring a customizable face, while Gravity will mesmerize you into being late as you watch events such as planetary birth and solar destruction unfold in a miniature universe that obeys the laws of physics. Finally, we're proud to announce that the OS X successor to Launch Key 4.0 is in development. Like the new FlightMath, it's being rewritten from the ground up to take full advantage of all that OS X has to offer. In the spirit of Macworld, anyone who registers Launch Key 4.0 between today and the release of Arrow (as we've code named it) will receive a free upgrade offer upon release. Oh, and one more thing: we've also posted two new desktop pictures that look great with Aqua. Let the celebration continue!
July 18, 2001 - Macworld Expo starts today! To mark the occasion, we're beginning our own launch into the Mac OS X era. To get things going, we've updated the graphics on our site to reflect the bold spirit of Aqua. And before Macworld's end, we'll have a lot more news, so stay tuned....
July 6, 2001 - Due to DNS problems, our site was unreachable for the last two days, and e-mail sent to us was bounced. If you tried to contact us during this time, we apologize. Things are slowly returning to normal now as corrections propagate through the worldwide network of DNS servers.
June 22, 2001 - We've posted a new desktop picture! To view it and all our other desktop pictures, and to download any of them for free, visit the Desktop Pictures page of our graphic arts section.
May 29, 2001 - The software problem with our site has been corrected. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
May 8, 2001 - The software serving our site has been upgraded, and in the process, a number of the pages on our site have been broken. We are aware of the problem, and hope to have it corrected soon. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; if you need anything, please e-mail us. Thank you for your patience.
April 17, 2001 - We've posted a new desktop picture! To view it and all our other desktop pictures, and to download any of them for free, visit the Desktop Pictures page of our graphic arts section.
April 3, 2001 - We've released SuperLock 4.0.2 Lite. This version fixes compatibility with Mac OS 9.1 along with all other known bugs. It also now hides the control strip if present. Download SuperLock Lite now for free, or read more about it.
March 9, 2001 - Our SuperLock products were reviewed by SecureMac.com! They gave SuperLock Pro their highest rating and called it, "the best desktop security program of the year"; they gave SuperLock Lite their second-highest rating.
February 22, 2001 - Our web site will temporarily be down for maintenance the evening of Saturday, February 24th. It should be back up by mid-morning on Sunday the 25th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you wish to register a program during this time, you may still do so by going directly to our order page at Kagi.
February 21, 2001 - We've posted a new desktop picture! To view it and all our other desktop pictures, and to download any of them for free, visit the Desktop Pictures page of our graphic arts section.