Vocabulary
about the 'web'
(7 words or terms, several 'file-types' and about 3-6 software items
you'll need):
Let's start with some words or terminology
to use...
Internet: is a
collection of networks of networks - it is NOT your e-mail; it is
NOT your web-browser and it is NOT your company's internal network.
The Internet (notice the 'capital "I"' is the network of
networks that your computer is CONNECTED TO, - typically via one of
four methods:
- a.) Dial-up via an analog modem and a telephone line
- b.) 'broadband' connection - typically a 'cable modem' (via the
same 'company / provider' that you use for your cable-TV
- c.) 'broadband' connection - typically an "xDSL" modem (via the
same 'company / provider' that you use for your telephone service
- d.) MANY people use 'wireless' to connect to the internet - but
that TOO is a 'mis-nomer' / a mis-use of terminology- more on that
mis-understanding here
IF you're going to use / build / manipulate the web- then you MUST use
the correct terminology
Your "computer" at your home is what I will call the 'editing' machine' you will
'edit' your web-pages (and create a file who's name ends in ...html (if
you work on Macintosh or Unix or Linux platforms) or ...htm (if you
work on a Microsoft Windows platform) you can use this 'editor'
(of ...html file(s)) http://www.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla1.7.5/
You can also use something called "Taco" if you edit your html files on
a Macintosh. Here's a link to this 'free' (small-funky)
text-editor: http://www.tacosw.com
.
Web-Page-Editors:
Generic Web-Page-Editors: there are several - but - as is
frequently
the case, they depend on the operating system you're using:
- Apple Macintosh OS "X" operating
system: try using the "Mozilla"
browser / editor (they call the editing function 'Composer' and you
find it under the 'Window' Menu item in the Mozilla tool...
- Linux operating system:
try using the same ' Mozilla '
suite as noted above for Apple's Macintosh
OS "X" operating system (which is - basically, BSD Linux).
- Microsoft Windows operating
system: something called 'CoffeeCup'
html editor works quite well and is fairly inexpensive (less than $50),
but you can also get a 'demo' version. You can also use the free " Mozilla "
browser with an HTML editor (called 'Composer (under the Window
Menu))...
Microsoft
"Front Page" - a
web-page-editor you probably do NOT want to use:
Make certain, - if you are editing ...html file(s) on a Windows
computer that you do NOT use 'Microsoft Front Page'.
Though this
software tool will give you some flexibility in the way that you create
web-pages, it generates code (...html) that will ONLY WORK on Microsoft
Windows based web-servers. This is a 'limiting
factor' -
it's
like having a car that only uses, say, only Texaco
gas. IF You
want
your code (...html file(s) (your web-pages)) to be compatible with any
browser (on the client-viewer-end) as well as compatible with any
'server' technology (software / hardware combination) this Microsoft
Windows "Front Page" is a
'bad choice'...
ON THE OTHER HAND - if you feel you will always be
working on Microsoft Windows based web-servers and that all your
clients / viewers will always be only on Microsoft Windows based
computers - then you have a 'fixed-set' of customers - so Front Page
may be a better choice...
Recognize, though, that it severely
limits your choice on both the server and the client end (author and
viewer-user).
Web-Server: is a computer
(typically NOT located at your home, but MAYBE located at your
business (but in most cases not) where the files (...htm or ...html)
and
other such files for your web-page(s) (...gif and / or ...jpg (image)
files) are 'served' from, to someone who requests them with
web-browser-client-software. Some people can run their own
web-server computer(s) at home - some even on the same computer
(hardware) that they write web-pages on, however, this is not the
'norm' and it is not for the 'faint of heart'. Remember - we're trying
to be 'simple' here...
Web-Site: the
collection of files that make-up a 'site' - but the files actually
reside / are stored on the above mentioned 'server'. Typically
a 'web-site' is a combination of hardware AND software AND the
files you (and/or others) put on a web-site.
Web-Page: - this is
(most typically) a web-page-file (usually ending in ...htm or ...html
(but can also be ...java and/or ...php, etc. etc. etc.) -
however, in most 'beginner' cases this is the file YOU WILL CREATE
with a text-editor or an ""HTML Editor""... - the one I use is
" Mozilla
" available from: http://www.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla1.7.5/
Web-Hosting Company:
a "Web-Hosting-Company" (sometimes it is an 'organization' (not for
profit) has 'oodles' of servers and you - in essence
- buy time and/or space on one of those servers. YES there
are
people / organizations / companies that will host your web-site for
'free' but you typically get what you pay for. IF you get
a web-site for
'free' you may or may not have some of the 'key ingredients' that go
into 'Web-Host-Server' and 'service' (and they are two very different
things and in MANY cases you only get parts of each?:
- a.) reliability - they
may be 'off-line' anywhere from 1 to
12 hours a day - but if you get their services for 'free' - maybe you
don't care?
- b.) traffic-capability
(can 5-10 people all connect at once and
move-files - if it's 'free' - maybe - but maybe not?
- c.) storage - will they
limit you to 5-10 megabytes (where if you
pay for a site they may give you 5-10 gigabytes?)
- d.) support (with a real
staff of real-live-people with real-live
qualifications, experience, knowledge..)
- e.) ability to manage your own
site (your own ftp, telnet, ssh
login)
- f.) ability to do periodic ftp
to/from the site.
- - this allows you
to do weather updates (such as can be seen at: http://www.vikingasia.org/USSCMCws/index.html
- - the above site takes weather information from USSCMC and displays it on-line on a
web-page owned by Bill Schell, hosted at Hurricane
- - some sites don't allow this sort of activity
- - you may not want to do periodic weather information
updates, but some other item you want may be restricted - check
first
I happen to use a (Web-Hosting) company called Hurricane
Electric in Fremont California, USA. I've been using them
for over 8
years, now, almost 9 years and they have never (ever) let me
down. Their 'mid-range' service is $24.95 a month (with no
extra charges) and they have
excellent connectivity, excellent support and excellent service.
IF you choose to go with
them - please tell them that 'Bill
Schell (userID: 'vasisa') sent you; ( and give them my VAR number:
wv0624 )
Web Browser Client Software: -
this is the software tool that most people associate with "The Web" -
this is the software tool that most
people mistakenly believe is all
they need to 'access' the web. The reality is quite a
bit
different from most people's assumptions, but we are not going to
change most people's assumptions, here. You will learn new things
here - maybe YOU can change some people's assumptions.
Typical companies and names for this (Web-Browser-client) software are:
- Microsoft's Internet Explorer
- current version is 7 (circa late 2006),
but many web-sites only can use version 6 (circa late 2004)
- Apple's Safari -
current version is 2.0.4 - circa 2005
- Mozilla's Firefox
- current version is 2.x - circa 2006
- Mozilla's Mozilla
- current version is 1.7.5 - circa 2004
(also includes a web-page- (HTML) - editor tool)
- Netscape's Netscape
- current version is 8.1.2 - circa 2006
- Specialized web-browser-client-software tools - there is / are
truly a plethora of these tools out there specialized for everything
from CAD-engine-driven browsers to browsers for children to browsers
for flower-pictures. Almost all of these browsers are just a
highly
modified version of one of the above browsers, and they hold little
value for those of us attempting to write general web-pages for a
general audience. At this point in your goals of learning
new things and keeping other things simple, you can very safely stay
out of this
'mine-field' and never miss anything.
Now -
lets define or mention several file-types that you'll have to learn to
deal with...
File Types:
...html or ...htm
= the 'source-code-file' this is where the 'bulk' of what
you see on a web-page is written. When I (or others)
talk
about 'Web-Page-Editors' - the software tools that create web-pages are
typically "Web Page Editors". Web page editors
are 'glorified' text-editors. Text Editors are NOT
Microsoft
Word. Microsoft Word is what is known as a Document
Preparation Tool or a Document Editor. It has a huge number of
options and functions that allow it to generate a much larger variety
of 'effects' on the text that it edits. Microsoft Word is
considerable 'overkill' for editing HTML documents. Text
Editors do 'less' and create ' raw
ASCII ' files that end
in ...htm (if you are creating on Windows computer) or ...html if you
are creating on most other computers.
The ...html or ...htm file(s) are the 'foundation' of a web-page.
In today's web-environment you can also find - on several web-servers,
some files written in other languages, such as Java, php, perl,
some databases (MySQL / PostGreSQL, etc.)...
However, I'm going to suspect that because you're reading this web-page
you want to keep your web 'simple' (which normally means (REALLY) fast
for the viewer). You will (at this 'keep it simple
level' - stage of your learning-process ) require probably close to a
year at this 'simple' level to be able to both understand and/or
utilize these other technologies.
Most of your web-page file(s) will be in html. The image
files need to be edited and reduced and so-on but you use other
software to do that. The most common software tool for editing
images is probably "Photoshop"
by Adobe. However,
there are other 'tools' on all platforms that can be used to
'manipulate' bit-maps (image) files. -
...jpeg or ...jpg = these are
(mostly) the files that come out of your digital camera. YOU
SHOULD edit these files to reduce their size and their area (as well as
that drastically reduces your network bandwidth required to send
them). The files you decide to put in your web-page should go in
your web-page-directory (see below - Section 1 - Edit Web
Page files)...
...gif file(s) these - too are
image files, and they, too, must be in your web-page folder
(directory)...
END of 'Vocabulary' section
last updated: 19:23 p.m. on
Sunday, 21 January, 2007; revID: 1f