Sessions at Fronteers 2011 on Thursday 6th October

The Internet sits at the head of a long table of technologies that have revolutionised our world. Built on top of the base Internet stack, the World Wide Web has further democratised access to information, opened hitherto closed doors to human self-expression and communication, and laid the foundations of a semantically-rich and interconnected body of knowledge the likes of which have never been seen before.

So the Internet is a Big Thing™. And, both by association as well as by personal merit, so is the web.

And yet, on most devices, the web is currently a second-class citizen confined to life inside another application: the browser.

Furthermore, as pervasive and unstoppable as its progress may seem, the web can still be lost if we don’t temper ideological extremisms that preach ‘the one web’ above all else, including pragmatism and user experience.

In this (no doubt rather controversial) session, Aral Balkan will outline the essential role of user experience in our age and demonstrate how the web must embrace user experience if it is to compete with native. Flawed ‘native is laserdisc’ analogies will be shattered as Aral demonstrates how, in the Age of User Experience, the only possible future is a native one where focused, optimised, and expertly-crafted experiences empower, delight, and thrill users.

In this session Derek will explore the true meaning of accessibility for the modern web. Long-established principles of progressive enhancement help ensure a baseline level of functionality in your sites and applications. We want to make them truly useful experiences. We'll look at how the right mix of modern technology such as CSS3, HTML5, ARIA, JavaScript help you create functionality on web sites that works for everyone, including people with disabilities.

By now most of you know how to use the popular new CSS3 features in your stylesheets, like embedding custom fonts or creating rounded corners, drop shadows, and scalable designs with media queries. However, below the surface, there are many other things that CSS3 brings and most web developers have never heard of. In this talk Lea will present many CSS3 features that are useful but underrated, as well as uncommon ways of utilizing the CSS3 features you already know about, in order to do much more with even less images and code.

With all the whizzbangs of canvas and multimedia, the Ooh!s of the History API and the Aah!s of Appcache, the 30 new elements in HTML5 are often overlooked by developers coming to terms with what's new in the HTML Hood.

But semantics aren't the boring old comfortable cardigan in your developer wardrobe - they're the studded leather codpiece around which the rest of your Mighty HTML Warrior's armour is built.

We'll look at how the new HTML elements came about, note problems with their current specifications, then wonder whether those problems are actually features rather than bugs. We'll also consider the WHATWG's penchant for "teleological semantics" and, back in cardigan mode, propose a middle ground.

There will be no Turkish dancing videos.

In this session, Stephen will introduce, discuss and give examples of CSS3 Regions.

Browsers have begun to introduce actual layout mechanisms like Flexible Box Layout and Grid/Template Layout. For this, we kneel humbly and are thankful. But while we're at it, why settle for rudimentary layout tools when we can add content flow to the mix? CSS Regions attempts to bring the power of content flow from print to the Web. Think of Regions as Multi-column layout on adrenaline. Regions can be extremely powerful and useful on their own. When combined with other CSS3 modules they will give web designers and developers creative freedom which rivals that of printed media.

Modern CSS is amazing, but even more wonderful stuff is in the pipeline and currently being experimented with in browsers. Tab Atkins will explain the soon-to-be-new hotness in simple terms and show how it will drastically change the way you write web pages for the better.

Passion. Purpose. Promise. Pursuit. These are the 4 P's that create a Map for Awesomeness. Discover how to: embrace your passion, define your purpose, foster your promise, and engage your pursuit. Learn how to do this in a creative environment that encourages collaboration.

Questions Answered:

• How do we create opportunities that allow us to live the lives we want while being successful and happy at work?
• How do we build opportunities to connect with others and collaborate with the community?
• How do we align what we value with the actions that we take?
• How do we make awesomeness?
• How do we do good?