ericlaw

Finding Image Bloat In Binary Files

I’ve previously talked about using PNGDistill to optimize batches of images, but in today’s quick post, I’d like to show how you can use the tool to check whether images in your software binaries are well optimized. For instance, consider Chrome. Chrome uses a lot of PNGs, all mashed together a single resources.pak file. Tip:Continue reading “Finding Image Bloat In Binary Files”

Get Help with HTTPS problems

Sometimes, when you try to load a HTTPS address in Chrome, instead of the expected page, you get a scary warning, like this one: Chrome has found a problem with the security of the connection and has blocked loading the page to protect your information. In a lot of cases, if you’re just surfing around,Continue reading “Get Help with HTTPS problems”

Chrome Deprecates Subject CN Matching

If you’re using a Self-Signed certificate for your HTTPS server, a deprecation coming to Chrome may affect your workflow. Chrome 58 will require [why?] that certificates specify the hostname(s) to which they apply in the SubjectAltName field; values in the Subject field will be ignored. This follows a similar change in Firefox 48. If impacted,Continue reading “Chrome Deprecates Subject CN Matching”

The Trouble with Magic

“Magic” is great… except when it isn’t. Software Design is largely about tradeoffs, and one of the more interesting tradeoffs is between user experience and predictability. This has come up repeatedly throughout my career and in two independent contexts yesterday that I’ll describe in this post. Developer Magic I’m working on a tiny UX changeContinue reading “The Trouble with Magic”

Working on Google Chrome – Year One

Four weeks ago, emailed notice of a free massage credit revealed that I’ve been at Google for a year. Time flies when you’re drinking from a firehose. When I mentioned my anniversary, friends and colleagues from other companies asked what I’ve learned while working on Chrome over the last year. This rambling post is anContinue reading “Working on Google Chrome – Year One”