When I first started surfing, I would try to click the text next to a radio button or checkbox in order to select it (after all, that works in most Windows programs). I suspect many web surfers still experience this annoyance.

This is a problem because it violates the expectations of some users and because the size of a clickable area determines the ease with which it can be clicked.

In fact, Joel Spolsky has a whole chapter called "People Can't Control the Mouse" in his book "User Interface Design for Programmers" in which he argues (in part), "you should design your program so that it doesn't take a tremendous amount of mouse-agility to use correctly" (think of the poor person with a ThinkPad or other hard-to-control-mouse).

The need for mouse-agility and the dissonance with many Windows programs (thus violating Mr. Spolsky's cardinal axiom of "A user interface is well design when it behaves exactly how the user thought it would"), makes this behavior a bit of a usability no-no.

Fortunately, a tag added in HTML 4 allows us to solve the problem. The <label> tag, when used correctly, will solve this problem and more.

[More]

I noticed recently that when asked by a fellow ColdFusion programmer on how to perform a task, I frequently point them to one of a short list of ColdFusion related web sites. Truth be known, much of my programming capability comes from checking out these sites when I run into a need.

I thought it might be nice to compile the list into one place. Maybe someone else will find a good site about which they were unaware. Maybe someone will even let me know of a good site about which I was unaware.

Without further ado (and in no order):

• cflib.org: If you ever find yourself needing a function that ColdFusion doesn't have, check this site. It is likely that someone has already written the function that you need.
• cfopen.org: If you need some functionality (other than a simple function) for ColdFusion but you aren't willing to pay for it, this is your place. A collection of free and open-source ColdFusion projects. Take advantage of the generosity of others.
• cfczone.org: Need a CFC? This is a good place to look. Better yet, sign up for the CFCDev list and read discussions by people creating CFCs. I have learned a great deal from this list and I still have so much more to learn.
• cftagstore.com: Need a ColdFusion program? If you are willing to pay for it, then cftagstore might have what you are looking for.
• communitymx.com: An online magazine on Macromedia software and web development. You can pay per article or sign up for a membership. They also have a few free articles. The content is really superb.
  
• houseoffusion.com: Home of CF-Talk, the most popular mailing list dedicated to ColdFusion.
• macromedia.com: I guess I can't leave out this site. It includes a popular Forum on ColdFusion and the Macromedia Exchange (a collection of free and not-so-free ColdFusion/Flash/Dreamweaver components/extensions).
  
• MXNA: MXNA is the Macromedia XML News Aggregator. This is a compilation of several blogs (this one included on ColdFusion and other Macromedia topics. Lots of people have great stuff to say. I highly recommend an occasional visit.

Announced today, Adobe will be purchasing Macromedia (pending approval from stockholders). I don't have any information to add to this, I just thought it was worthy of mention.

http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2005/adobe_macromedia.html

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/adobeandmacromedia.html

http://www.markme.com/mesh/archives/007504.cfm