Since this is a Jekyll site, I'm not sure what we could wrap tests around. The beauty of the static site generator is that it just always works -- at least as far as the html content is concerned.
Is there a specific javascript feature or interactive feature that you'd like help with testing?
It does work great! We've gotten this far without them. But it makes me nervous.
I'd like to have a few smoke tests to guard against things like:
* accidental deletion of pages
* accidental removal of header/footer/important elements
* proper 508 compliance
* valid HTML/JS/CSS (and probably lint all those things too)
Also the facility locator is a fair-sized hunk of JS I wrote that needs tests.
edit: also, in the future there will surely be more dynamic parts to the site, so getting a framework in place for tests will both save work and raise the expectation of quality
It's more like you want a linter with custom rules for how you think a page should look. Actually, it's impressive to create the entire site with only content and simple layout. It's interesting there isn't a better way to manage and edit all that content...
508 Compliance is another interesting point. Open source scanner to assess if a page complies? It's another linter, it has to look at the html. I don't know much about 508 but I'm going to say from a quick look at your <html> that it's as clean as you could possibly hope for, and I would expect that latest screen reading tools would be able to navigate it. If that's not the case it says more about the particular reading tool than the website.
The facility locator! That was interesting, the default state is everything selected, please flip it to everything deselected. I haven't tried it out more because it overloaded ;-)
Benefits comparison tool also looks like it has a pretty big data set behind it, that was probably cool to develop.
Having moved a large media co from bespoke systems which worked this way, I couldn't disagree more. Separate frontend and backend systems are an absolute maintenance nightmare and kill time to market which is the lifeblood of any online commercial endeavour. Apart from being extremely dated (c. Vignette) that architecture is a technical conceit which doesn't put business needs first. It is easy to build and easy to secure but that doesn't make it a useful longterm solution.
The DNS ecosystem is much more diverse. djbdns is considered to be the most secure, and there are a few other quality implementations. The root servers, for example, run a mixture of BIND and NSD, so no single bug can affect all of them.
Web Application Developer - Ruby on Rails
Rhode Island Interactive / NIC / RI.gov
Job Description
Rhode Island Interactive would like to add an additional Web developer and DevOps specialist to its small team in Providence, RI. A subsidiary of NIC, Inc. [Nasdaq:EGOV], we make award-winning online services for the state of Rhode Island and manage the RI.gov portal.
Working primarily in our office here in Providence RI, you'll be programming in the Ruby language using the Rails framework and test-driven development practices to build complex Web applications. Your applications will have an immediate impact, helping our state government serve its citizens and business efficiently.
Skills & Requirements
Applicants should have 2+ years experience with Ruby on Rails, be comfortable managing code with git and writing automated tests using RSpec, MiniTest and Capybara. You'll be provided opportunities to build on your current skills, but you get some bonus points for experience with MongoDB, Oracle, Java, Perl, PHP, Puppet. Strong communications skills are also an important trait, as you will be collaborating with our team and state decision makers to map out the best way to bring an offline paper process online.
About Rhode Island Interactive / NIC / RI.gov
Benefits include a comprehensive health package for employee and spouse/dependents, matching 401k contributions, and attendance to training sessions and conferences. Additional advancement opportunities are available if you are interested in relocating to other NIC operations around the country.
How to apply
If this sounds like a career you would enjoy, please send a resume and cover letter to rijobs@egov.com. Include URLs and information about projects you have worked on, any open source contributions you have made, and your Github profile or other appropriate CV links as applicable.
A quick browse through my domain's catchall spam folder shows an e-mail addressed to techdirt@mypersonaldomain. I don't have a techdirt account -- nor have ever used this e-mail address anywhere. Yes, spam bots make guesses, folks.
The Internet would be a better place if people would stop, take a deep breath and think before they type.
Good idea: Let the dropbox folks know that you received spam to a custom address tied to their service and let them look into it, whether it be a directed spam campaign or a possible leak.
Bad idea: "OMG!!1! Dropbox is pwn3d! Admit it! Apologize for your wrongs!"
If you want a registrar and DNS host, I've had great luck with http://dnsimple.com
Great customer support, and they're always adding new features. And having 3rd party DNS hosting separate from your server provider makes switching providers easier.
I've found that if you have a reliable third-party DNS service with a good interface, using godaddy just for registrations isn't that painful. You get to avoid the worst parts of the godaddy interface -- and just need to deal with their annoying upsell attempts each time you renew.
I use godaddy to register my domains, and I use the DNS management I get with my VPS provider (slicehost). I have no complaints.
Is there a specific javascript feature or interactive feature that you'd like help with testing?