The domain jonbrown.org was purchased as part of a University Sr. Year final project where I showcased my mastery of then HTML
Web development and design was not part of the curriculum, I had crafted my own project through a self study course capstone at Franklin Pierce College then now Franklin Pierce University.
Since then I have had multiple iterations of the website where I showcased my graphic design and web development capabilities. Early on in the site it was a showcase of what I was capable of and my overall resume. Lack of experience showed but the site itself was a portfolio piece.
In 2005 Jon became interested in desktop widgets the first platform, Konfabulator ran on macOS and used XML and HTML as their core design and development language. Apple came out with Dashboard Widgets and shortly thereafter Jon developed Calorie Counter, Calorie Tracker and Birthstone Picker which was featured in Apple's keynote address and launch of macOS Tiger.
Popularity of the widget really tookoff and Jon started The Flip Side a widget podcast dedicated to macOS Widget Development. Jon then worked for a non profit where he was professionally trained at the Big Nerd Ranch for iOS Development and became developing macOS and iOS apps notably the app BeFit for macOS and Seafood Tracker for iOS.
As Jon grew into his career path, as a certified Apple Administrator he added on to the site a popular blog and social media following as he segued into life as a business owner and operator of then Mac Gurus turned Grove Technologies LLC where he performed Apple based IT Support services for digital agencies.
A historical lookback
of
jonbrown.org
over time
jonbrown.org relaunched
We relaunched the site in 2024 to highlight and celebrate the achievements and new services offered by Jon Brown. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript. Hosted on GitHub using the Jekyll CMS.
Website forwarded to Grove Designs
We transitioned away from being a personal design firm and joined forces with Grove Technologies our IT Support Services MSP business. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript. Hosted on GitHub using the Jekyll CMS.
We featured our Wordpress Plugins, but same overall design and feel. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript. Hosted on GitHub using the Jekyll CMS.
We featured our Github Repo Sample Code and Depreciated our Dashboard Widgets, but same overall design and feel. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript. Hosted on GitHub using the Jekyll CMS.
Dashboard widgets still featured and shown, but same overall design and feel. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript. Hosted on GitHub using the Jekyll CMS.
BeFit for macOS converted from Obj-C codebase to Swift one of the first apps ever to make that conversion. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript. Hosted on GitHub using the Jekyll CMS.
Website theme developed for Wordpress 4.0. A never used prototype was developed. Developed with Bootstrap CSS, HTML 5, and Javascript for Wordpress. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Prototyped in Photoshop and Illustrator. Check out the widgets page on the full site for some easter eggs. Developed with CSS, HTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
I developed a resume page on the site that showcased my experience at the time. Developed with CSS, HTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
After years of Widget developing for macOS I started developing in Obj-C and ported my database from the Calorie Tracker widget to BeFit for macOS. Developed with CSS, HTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
This was the year I really got into DHTML and Ajax scripting. Site is very compact and I'll let you judge how it plays. Developed with CSS, DHTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Designed with old school OSX Striped background as inspiration. Ode to Apple with logo in footer. Developed with CSS, HTML and Javascript. I had a blog this year, hosted on a platform called Nucleus. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Featured on Apple.com Dashboard section. E-Greeting Cards (Check out the Ode to Apple). Konfabulator Widgets still listed. Full portfolio included! Easter Egg in the Contact Form (Aqua!!). Developed with CSS, and Javascript. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Full featured Konfabulator widgets. Do you remember when people subscribed to XML feeds? First 2 macOS Widgets Revealed. Developed with CSS, DHTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Full featured with E-Greeting Cards, Updates on my world travels. Jewelry for sale. Los of image maps. Developed with CSS, DHTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Jon develops the site in ImageReady with Adobe CS2. Showcases a portfolio and other items. Site recovered by the Internet Archive. An original copy of the first ever site was revealed this was the project done for my capstone independent study on web development, for the highland games festival in NH. Developed with CSS, DHTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
Jon Brown: Designing Solutions. Jon starts is own and very first consultancy right out of college. Site recovered by the Internet Archive. Developed with CSS, DHTML, Javascript and PHP. Hosted on CPANEL, provider unknown.
"I have been running, maintaining, and contributing to the efforts around jonbrown.org for the last 24 years. Its really me on a plate and all the things I have done over the course of my life. Thousands of miles traveled, hundreds of thousands unique opportunities and hundreds of projects. Its been an amazing journey. I am looking forward to many more. "
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