Creating homepages 1 -Creating homepages 2 - Graphics for the Net - Departmental Homepages - What I use

Copyright & documentation and also, online materials

 

Homepage creation with HyperTextMarkupLanguage:

Notes: You can easily produce a homepage in HTML on any platform (MAC, DOS, Windows) with just about any major word processor--all you need to do is to find and install the matching "translator" that will automatically convert your material into HTM Language -- see below. We use Word for Windows with Internet Assistant, Netscape Gold, and/or Netscape Communicator. A basic understanding of HTML is recommended, but you don't need to learn the language.

If you are a "node", that is, have direct access to the Internet (with TCP/IP, SLIP etc.), you can test every link as you create it from within your word processor.

If not, you can test your internal links to bookmarks and to your other files (those stored locally on your CPU) but not your links to external files (those stored on a WWW server).

To test all links, upload the files--they are text files--to your ALPHA or VAX or ULTRIX disk, then enter 'lynx filename.htm' at the system prompt.

To see what they look like in graphics mode, use a graphical WWW browser (see below).

DOS and Windows 3.x limit you to a three character extension, so you must use htm instead of html. This works fine.

To work at home:

First see The Totally Free Homepage Resource Center. Select what you need. Download it here or from:

Check on the cost of shareware before you download it.

HTML -- to learn the language for greater competence:

WebWeavers Page

NCSA--A Beginner's Guide to HTML -- version 2 as of December 1997

Computer Reference Resource Centers (Macmillan)

Document specific background and foreground control

Devhead -- help with optimizing, coding, design

Gamelan -- lists of Java stuff, incl. applets

WebDeveloper.com -- help with programming and coding, consult Dr. Website

WWW Consortium -- reference code for HTML etc.

Slashdot.org -- news for nerds, and also for Linux

also see Reference and Hoffmann's bookmarks

Maintaining links on homepages:

This is a nuisance because URLs often get changed or disappear. For MACs, I hear Big Brother works, $10 shareware. For PCs, I use BiggByte Software Infolink Link Checker (shareware).  The only free way I know of currently is to either test every link on every page and make a lot of notes -- OR create a bookmark file for every page and update it. Not good.

Copyrights, Referencing, Stylesheets: ref.htm and netref.htm

Direct-access-to-Internet tools:

1) If one has a network card, it usually comes with a socalled packet driver, software that connects the card to the TCP/IP program that sends/receives IP (Internet Protocol).

2) If not, one can procure a direct access connection from a local commercial access provider, for about $20 a month. This may include other protocols: SLIP: a simple IP protocol that is accessed by phone, needs a free comm port and a server which can understand SLIP -- and PPP: Point to Point Protocol; more reliable than SLIP but one usually needs both in case a file only reads SLIP.

When one uses Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups, one also needs Winsock. This is built into Windows NT and into Win95. It may be included in a commercial package.

3) If you have Windows 3.1or WFW and a UNIX account, you can get inexpensive direct access with SlipKnot (shareware, $29.95), a communications package similar to Windows Terminal and also a graphical browser for the WWW which does not need SLIP.

Note: This worked beautifully for me without direct access (SLIP NOT), with Windows 3.1 and an account on the Ultrix server before its modem was lost. But you must register and pay to get gopher access and use beyond the initial test viewing of 200 files. (It's said to work with WFW, W NT, W 95 as well.) Get sntfaq1.txt and slnot112.zip (or whatever the latest version is) from ftp://interport.net/pub/pbrooks/slipknot/.

4) Or shop around for a good Internet provider, preferably one using the best browser, Netscape Navigator. I use IDT-see what I use. Others: MCI-CUNY packet, AT&T Worldnet, Sprynet, AOL: currently all around $20 per month.

* * * * *

With direct access available via network or commercial provider, one can get to the Internet directly from, say, Word for Windows 6.0a + Internet Assistant or from WordPerfect7 + Publisher + Netscape (packaged in the latest version of WP) -- this is neat because one can test a link right after entering it on the homepage. One can also test homepages with Mosaic or with Netscape Navigator (see browsers below).

Without direct access, one can test local files (those on one's CPU) with one's word processor cum HTML translator or with a browser running in stand alone mode -- but only internal links, to bookmarks and other local files--not external ones (to files on a remote server). You can test ALL links by uploading your .htm files to your VAX or UNIX disk and then using Lynx: enter 'lynx homepage.htm' to view your homepage called 'homepage.htm'.

WWW browsers/clients:

See Welcome to BrowserWatch

Also see newsgroup comp.infosystems.www.browsers.ms-Windows.

Lynx is a text-based browser (on the VAX, Ultrix, UNIX Alpha). Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Mosaic are graphical browsers. SlipKnot is a graphical browser with built-in direct access: it needs Windows and an account on a server running UNIX and LYNX (such as the Ultrix or the Alpha).

Before posting your .htm files on a Web server, be sure to view them with all types of browsers.

Netscape Navigator:

The 16 bit version works fine with Windows 3.1--for viewing all internal links. For Windows 95 and up on a Pentium, get the newest version of Netscape, free: I like Netscape Communicator 4.5 with its Page Composer.

If you have no direct access, get the file mozock.dll (fake winsock), put this into your \windows dir as winsock.dll -- be sure it has 5568 bytes and that there is no other winsock.dll in your path-- from

• gopher://pixel.cs.vt.edu/99/GRG/Programs/

Internet Explorer:

This is freeware from Microsoft, for Pentiums: Download Free Microsoft Software (categorical listing).  But the MS editor, FrontPage, costs money.

Plug-ins for Netscape Navigator

Internet Tools: Acrobat Reader, RealPlayer, WS_FTP, QuickTime from Apple -- see next and What I use

You also need Telnet except when you use the newest browser which includes it.

Go to the Netscape site for plug-ins:

Inline Plug-ins: Image Viewers

WWW Viewer Test Page

RealPlayer & RealPlayer Plus Download Page

Download QuickTime for Windows 95/NT

See The Totally Free Homepage Resource Center

See also Graphics on the Net, What I use, Department HomePageMaking

April 1999. If you have any questions, send email to Ursula Hoffmann