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I’m not the one to share my job experience in this blog, but I thought you’d like to know about this.

Since Monday, I’m a member of the Phaistos Networks web team (think Pathfinder.gr), working side by side with some very talented people.

I’m really excited about this and I’d just like to share.

Apart from the mobile Gmail that was announced some days ago, the Google folks decided it was time for another Gmail update, full of minor fixes that just make your life easier.

So what’s new with Gmail?

They added a Reply button at the top of the message you’re currently viewing, at last. No more scrolling down for those pesky reply links. They also did a minor change to the aforementioned links, making them prettier by adding icons to make them stand out. Apart from the Reply functionality, you can find some more stuff in a drop-down list right next to it. Cool.

Ever tried to type a lengthy, substantial reply to an e-mail, only to find out that someone else has already said what you were thinking of while you were typing away? No more. The status of the new e-mails counter is now updated constantly to keep you informed about any new messages in the same conversation you’re viewing or replying. Just hit the “Update Conversation” link to ..well.. update the conversation.

The “Forward all” functionality was added, for those that wish to forward a full conversation to another person. I imagine that’d be harsh if it included some of he conversations in my inbox, I have some that span over 50-100 e-mails. Oh well.

I was hoping they’d include the next addition someday. Now you can also send offline chat messages to a Gmail buddy and she will be able to see them once they go online. Nice addition, indeed.

So. Google continues to make small steps in order to achieve their grand plan: taking over my e-mail life. I tell you people, if someday (God forbid) Google decided to add a, let’s say, monthly fee to Gmail services, I’d be doomed.

But you never read that.

google, gmail, update, mobile gmail

I’ve heard about Aptana before, but I didn’t have the chance to give it a go until recently. I was looking about a Mac app that would include the following stuff:

1. Solid CSS support and good code support.
2. “Projects” functionality that would support FTP upload.
3. Built-in validator and online help.
4. A somewhat pretty interface that would inspire me to work.

I found most of these things in Aptana. Eventhough I suspect it’s somehow directed to Ajax- and Javascript-oriented programmers, it’s quite good for a mere web designer too.

These days I’ve tried almost everything, from mainstream editors like BBEdit and TextMate to specific CSS tools like CSSEdit. For some reason or another, nothing clicked. I wanted a Dreamweaver-like interface, but without all the bells and whistles of Dreamweaver.

Aptana seems quite good. It’s also open-source and overall free and quite good looking. As an added touch, it’s developed in Java, which always provokes warm and fuzzy feelings in my intestines (almost everyone that knows me is aware of my object-oriented passion). It may seem slow to some, but it’s quite efficient for me.

You can download it for Windows, MacOS or Linux, or you can get it as an add-on if you’re an Eclipse guy/gal.

On a sidenote, there are already about 1270 signatures for the “We Want Apple Greece” petition. Do you want to be the next?

aptana, eclipse, IDE, CSS, java