HTML Resource ListIndex
OVERVIEW:This document barely scratches the surface of the huge volume of information lying out there in cyberspace that discusses the whole field of Web Page design and Web Site publishing. Your instructor has prepared this document to get you started. It lists six major subject matter areas that youmay wish to review as you begin the task of designing web pages and publishing them on the World Wide Web. Each major topic consists a brief introduction to the topic followed by a list of short explanatory notes that generally contain links to the details on the Web.HYPERTEXT HISTORY:Hypertext, HTML, and the World Wide Web just didn't sprout up in the 90's and take center stage on the network. No, these rather simple ideas had been occupying the minds of thousands of computer scientists and engineers for years, people who were looking for better ways to save, store, and access information so that it could be shared by anyone, anywhere in the world.Although hundreds of engineers world wide contributed to the development of the World Wide Web, several pioneers deserve special recognition for the Web's birth and success. Here's just three of these men and key events.
BOOKS:There is no shortage of information out there on the bookshelves for anyone interested in learning about hypertext, hypermedia, and HTML in particular. Stroll through the computer section at Barnes and Noble next time you're down Framingham way and count the titles currently available on the shelves. There's hundreds of them and for the most part they all look the same after a while. Be careful, don't judge a book by it's size, cover, or spiffy looking illustrations between the covers. There's a lot of junk out there.Also, the next time you're surfing the Web, go to Yahoo, Snap, AltaVista, or whatever your favorite search engine is and key in HTML and let me know what you find. Hundreds, if not thousands or references and links to this subject. You could easily get lost in space, hyperspace that is. Like the book stores, there's a lot of junk out there so you have to be patient and look beyond the color and animated dancing bears. Anyway here's a few books that I have found to be sufficient for anyone starting out. I would recommend the first book by Elizabeth Castro as the best "getting started", "how to" book on HTML. For an excellent enjoyable read about the World Wide Web, get a copy of "Weaving the Web" by the young man who invented it, Tim Berners-Lee.
HTML VERSIONS:The evolution of HTML officially began in 1995 with the release of Version 2.0. As HTML got in the hands of thousands of developers world wide and commercial ventures like Mosiac, subsequently Netscape, Microsoft, and others, changes were made to enhance the capability of HTML. Functions like TABLES and FRAMES were developed and promoted by the user community. This led to two later versions, Version 3.2 in 1997 followed by Version 4.0 in 1998. Just around the corner is Version 5.0.Since all three versions are being used by various outdated browsers and developers, it's important for anyone designing Web Pages be aware of the differences between Versions and be sensitive to the problems associated with incompatibilities between software, hardware, and user configurations. Here's a few pointers to documentation on the web that may help sensitize you to the differences between HTML versions and user community needs. HTML EDITORS:There are three types of design tools that you may choose to use to develop the HTML files that comprise your Web pages. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages and you must decide which way you wish to go. Many developers use a combination of methods to create their files. This course focuses on the simplest method that requires a simple text editor that comes free with every PC.In this day of point-and-click applications, everyone seems to be looking for the simplest, easiest-to-use method to do their jobs. Sometimes, though, the long way around may just be the shortest way home. Although WSYWYG point-n-click solutions are enticing, they cost money and may not be the magic pill you're looking for. Sometimes what we see as progress is merely the exchange of one nuisance for another. Basically, if you just need a simple Personal Home Page with one or two supporting pages, a WYSWYG HTML Editor may be the best solution. It's advantage is that you don't need to learn any of the details of HTML to get the job done. There are some real inexpensive packages out there for as little as $19.95. Others range from $39.99 to over $100.00. If you got Microsoft Publisher with your PC or have Netscape Composer already installed, you've already got the tools free. The problem with this type of application is that you've still got to invest a lot of time learning the user interface with its myriad of poorly documented menu items. And secondly, if you want to do some page layout not supported by the application, you need to learn how to modify the computer-generated HTML code, which is often a tangled mess of spagetti that you need to unravel. At the other end of the spectrum you can bite the bullet, learn how to "markup" your Web pages using HTML, and then use a simple text editor like Notepad to create your own pages the way you want them to look. HTML is not rocket science. It's easy to learn and easy to use and even gets easy as you gain experience. Finally, there's a middle ground that takes some of the drudgery out of pure text editing and also provides a file management tool for testing your marked up document files for errors before the Browser goes haywire and you go haywire looking for typos, misspelled tags, missing tags, etc... The following list points you to some of the more common HTML editors so you can pick your own method. WYSWYG Editors
non-WSYWYG EditorsHomeSite 5.5HomeSite is the choice of the best Web design firms? An article on award-winning Web shops In the July issue of WebTechniques magazine says, "Among the tools used by interactive shops, HomeSite turned up as the all-around favorite HTML editor."CuteHTML Web page editing can be an exercise in frustration if you use a standard text editor. With CuteHTML you can easily cut through the confusion of HTML tags and formatting to create truly outstanding HTML documents. CuteHTML is a powerful Windows-based HTML text editor that provides remote editing of Web pages and the ability to upload them instantly with CuteFTP. Its user-friendly interface and strong list of features make it the tool of choice for serious Web page management. Plain Text Editors
HTML Good StuffHere's a little list of Web Sites to get you started on learning more about the art of Web Page design and publishing. Enjoy.
MARKUP LANGUAGESMarking up text to be printed as formal documents is a process that has a long history. People have been "marking" up text for many years. For example, editors have their own special set of "markup" symbols to indicate changes and corrections to be made to a document before going to the printer.
Web BrowsersA Browser is simply a program that runs on the User's PC and reads your HTML file to determine how to render the Web Page on his or her screen. That is, it interprets all your "TAGS" and lays out the content of your page as directed. The two major Browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer (currently V6.0) and Netscape Communicator (currently V8.0). At the minimum, you should test your pages running under both of these "biggies" before publishing them for the whole world to revile (if you publish junk).TOOLSHere's a brief list of miscellaneous tools that you may want to look at as you proceed with your Web page design work.
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