Bob Jensen at Trinity University
The document below is out of date. For more current reviews, see
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/245soft1.htm
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/290wp/290wp.htm
My lament over ToolBook is also discussed at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/book99q4.htm#toolbook
Although out of date, the document below provides a historical perspective (1994) summary of how to connect and publish documents on the World Wide Web (WWW). Although the Internet has been in existence since 1969, the WWW came into existence in 1990 and did not really catch on with the public until 1993 when the Netscape Navigator browser was introduced and incorporated WWW protocol (http) and WWW coding known as HTML embedded in text of documents.
(Double Click on Any Topic Below )
Connectivity Providers
Adding a Search Engine for Your Web Site
Tom Hicks has some really helpful tutorials for authoring and networking
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~thicks/
(Go to tutorials) Thanks for sharing Tom
The Wave of the Future: XML and RDF
A brief history of the Internet
and the World Wide Web (WWW) can be viewed by clicking here. A
good complete overview is provided in at Creating Net
Sites by Netscape Communications Corporation.
Tom Hicks has some really helpful tutorials
for authoring and networking
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~thicks/
(Go to tutorials) Thanks for sharing Tom!
Intranets are spreading like wild fire. Intranets
allow organizations to use subsets of the Internet that are protected by various firewalls
from general public access without proper authorization. An overview on intranets is
provided at
this WWW site. http://home.netscape.com/comprod/at_work/index.html
- Most educators can be connected to the WWW at their schools. At home they may have to be connected by a telephone or cable modem like the general public. Click here for a listing of major connectivity hosts. There is generally a monthly charge averaging about $20 per month. There can be added feature packaging that raise this price (e.g., the features on America On-Line and Compuserve). Since there are so many connectivity providers, prices are dropping for unlimited-time access to the WWW. Click here to view a directory of providers
.
- Browsing the WWW does not require file storage space on a computer (server) that is maintained by a WebMaster who provides space for publishing on the WWW. Publishing on the WWW requires such server space. Most schools now provide space to faculty and staff. Many are also providing space to students in selected courses and/or the entire student body. Some connectivity hosts will also provide a limited amount of server space at no cost. However, server space can be rented from other vendors. Since there is aggressive competition, many local and/or small vendors may be risky in terms of long-run stability.
Once your site has be registered and publicized, it is very awkward and confusing to have to change everything because your server provider went out of business. You can register your URL free with HotBot and many other search engines (use the Submit button) at http://www.wprc.com/fldb/dbase/gen/dbgen.shtml
Connectivity providers, prices are dropping for unlimited-time access to the WWW. Click here to view a directory of providers Students may get a small amount of free space from Tripod. An even better source of free web server space is geocities. When I was at the University of Alaska, someone in the audience told me about some even better free spots for students. However, I lost my note on that. If any of you know about such sites, please let me know by email at rjensen@trinity.edu.
- You can keep your home page a relatively private thing. However, if you want the world to know about your address it is not so easy or cheap to register and publicise your web site. You can register your URL free with HotBot and many other search engines (use the Submit button) at http://www.wprc.com/fldb/dbase/gen/dbgen.shtml
Your local organization may have a home page directory. Trinity University provides a directory for faculty, staff, programs, and departments. However, no directory is available for student web sites a at this point in time. You can be listed in one or more of a variety of WWW directories. For additional links to alternatives for web site registration, go to Bob Jensen's Bookmarks and use the search phrase "Registering a URL" without the quotation marks.
Once you have added multiple documents at your web site and have registered your web site, you may add a search engine for your own web site. Various alternatives are discussed at my own search site. Click here and scroll down the document to read about how I did it.
- Faculty and staff can get server space by requesting an email account and password in an email message to WebMaster@trinity.edu . Special arrangements may be necessary for faculty who want multiple accounts for a personal home page plus an account for courses (e.g., an account for each course with documents such as a syllabus, lecture notes, announcements, etc.). Faculty may also want to consider setting up a ListServ for each account. This is an email account that can also be arranged by the WebMaster.
- When TUCC receives a request for a web page, a new directory, labeled "html" will be created in the student's home directory on TUCC8. All web documents need only be placed in this directory to be visible by the web browser. A student's page may be accessed at www.resnet.trinity.edu/users/. Thge base document must be named default.htm (not index.html as it was on the cs UNIX system) to make the base document appear upon initial access to the site from a browser.
As indicated above, must web authors use servers that are maintained by technicians trained in such matters. A drawback is that it may not be possible to get those technicians to configure the server to suit your customized needs for serving up certain types of software. Instructions and illustrations are provided in the following reference on setting up and configuring your own web server:
Building Your Own Website : Everything You Need to Reach Your Audience on the Web
by Susan B. Peck, Stephen Arrants
Paperback Book and Cd-Rom Edition
Paperback, 516 pages
Published by O'Reilly & Associates
Publication date: September 1996
Dimensions (in inches): 1.25 x 9.21 x 7.09
ISBN: 1565922328
- Look at other home pages for ideas of good and bad designs. One place to start is my helper document on home page designs. This document provides samples of good and bad designs.
- After deciding on a design and some components, the first step is to the creation of a directory on your computer for your web site files. My home page directory is webjen. You may want to create subdirectories such as DOCTXT for your word processor documents, HTM for htm documents, IMAGES for pictures and symbol files, PDF for Adobe Acrobat files (if any), AUDIO for audio files (if any), VIDEO for any video files if any, and other subdirectories that come to mind.
- Some clip art images should be transferred directly into your IMAGES directory. These might include 3-D buttons or icons available from HTML editor software, paint brush software, etc. The images should be converted into either JPG or GIF images, since most browsers only accept compressed JPG or GIF file extensions. Paintbrush software such as Paint Shop Pro are excellent for this purpose. If your computer has Paint Shop Pro (PSP) or some other paint program that will read jpg picture files, you should learn to run this program. If you want to order PSP for $69 from JASC or get a free download for a trial period, instructions are given at the URL http://www.jasc.com/ and the phone number is Toll Free Order line: (800) 622-2793 Monday-Friday 7AM-9PM (U.S. CentralTime). The toll line is Sales / Marketing: (612) 930-9800 - Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM (U.S. Central Time). But I would use the 800 number or the URL given below for a free download. The mailing address is JASC Inc., P.O. Box 44997, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. To get a free trial period shareware download of PSP, the URL is http://www.jasc.com/pspdl.html.
- At the Trinity University Help Desk in Halsell 226, Trinity staff and students can learn how to scan photographs on a color scanner. These photographs can be saved directly into JPG or GIF formats. JPG should be used when more than 16 colors are used in the picture. If your file is a BMP or other file format, software such as Paint Shop Pro can be downloaded free. This will convert most graphics files into compressed JPG or GIF file extensions. You may also use MetalWorks in HotMetal Pro to convert images to JPG or GIF extensions.
- Images on the WWW can be captured directly in many cases. Using Netscape Navigator, first click on a picture with the right mouse button. Usually there is a option appearing to simply save the picture to your own IMAGES directory. If not, software such as Paint Shop Pro have capture utilities for capturing part or all of any screen appearing on your computer. Whenever you capture a picture be certain to check on copyright restrictions. Just because a picture appears at a WWW site does not automatically give you the right to copy, store, and publish that picture at your WWW site. Some of the clip art web sites are linked in a section below. If the web link is to a jpg or gif file, you can link to the file without having to save the picture on your own computer. For example, click on http://WWW.Trinity.edu/~rjensen/images/murch.jpg
- It is possible to place link to pictures on the WWW without ever capturing such images or saving them to your own computer or WWW server. For example, picture files at Trinity University are available that can be linked to without capturing. However, beware that pictures may not always remain at other WWW sites over which you have no control Whenever you link to picture it is proper to acknowledge the WWW site of that picture. However, you can always link to another site without copyright violation.
- There are many web sites and some CD-ROMs that offer clip art that can be used in course projects without risk of copyright violation. For example, a great place to start is Yahoo at http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Graphics/Clip_Art/
Another set of links can be found at http://www.trinity.edu/~rjensen/bookbob.htm#Clip1- For animated clip art you can find links at http://www.trinity.edu/~rjensen/busn2311/helpers1.htm#Gif
- There are many web sites that offer various options for creating, purchasing, and distributing graphics images. One such site is the Publishers Depot at http://www.publishersdepot.com/ A Yahoo search site is given at http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Graphics/
- Always remember that in Netscape Navigator you can view the HTML source code of most any web site by clicking on (View, Source Document). This will show all the HTML code that is under the hood when you view most any WWW site. You most likely will not want to type an entire document in HTML code, but you can see the lines of code that someone else used to do a particular thing that you want to emulate. Simple copy those lines of code, delete the parts you do not want (e.g., the other authors text and links) and insert similar parts of your own such as your own text and links.
- Most WWW publishers prepare their intial documents in a word processor such as Microsoft Word or Word Perfect. For example, Microsoft Word can be used to generate DOC or TXT files. Prior to 1996, most HTML converter software was not good. Now there are some good options available. In my viewpoint, the top options are HotMetal Pro from SoftQuad in Canada, FrontPage from Microsoft Corporation, and the Web Graphics Suite from Corel. FrontPage is reviewed in PC Computing, July 1996, pp. 54-58. Most are priced around $150 although academic discounts are usually available. HotMetal Pro can be obtained at an academic discount from SoftQuad for $100. HotMetal Pro was rated by PC Magazine as the top choice, although FrontPage has moved up strong. Web Graphics is a top choice for graphics publishing, especially for Corel Draw software users. Note that there are some word processor utilities that are not possible to convert into HTML. Also, most files need some editing and revision in the HTML converter/editor software before they are suited for your Web site HTM files. Beware that if you plan on continuing to revise a document for both hard copy printing and WWW publihing, you will henceforth be required to simultaneously revise both versions (e.g., the DOC version and the HTM version). The reason is that you will probably have added so many links and other HTML features to your HTM version that it is too difficult to add these all over again in repeated conversions of edited word processor documents. HTM versions will not generally print on hard copy with the same quality as your word processor.
There are many other options for publishing on the Internet. Probably the easiest to use package is called Adobe Acrobat Pro. This will not play directly in a browser, but a free download program from Adobe called the Acrobat Reader can be set to launch automatically by the browser the user wants to read an Acrobat PDF file. Many corporate catalogs found on the WWW are PDF files. Also, the U.S. Treasury Department publishes WWW tax forms as PDF files that can be downloaded for free and printed by the user. Click here for a commentary on Adobe Acrobat.
One of the most popular ways of publishing animations and hypermedia is MacroMedia Director. Director programs can be played on the WWW via a free download player for MacroMedia Director and Authorware called Shockwave. Another option for hypermedia is ToolBook II Instructor from Asymetrix.
For a comparison of advantages and drawbacks of Adobe Acrobat vs HotMetal Pro vs ToolBook II Instructor, click here.
- At the moment, the latest word processors such as Microsoft Word have the ability to add HTML code with a simple choice to save the document as a HTM file instead of a DOC file. You can also add links for images and other documents. However, more options are available in HTML converter/editor software that are quite inexpensive. For example, Microsoft's FrontPage and SoftQuad's HotMetal Pro are two excellent choices. At the moment a free version of HotMetal Pro can be downloaded from http://www.sq.com/products/hotmetal/eval-signup.htm Features and requirements for installation are discussed at http://www.sq.com/products/hotmetal/hmp-org.htm
- Although the latest HTML converter/editor software allow users to create WWW documents without learning much code (some allow you to visuallize the code while your are editing the document), it helps to learn some HTML coding. A good place to start is at this helpful Netscape site. A glossary of HTML codes is provided in various places including aglossary by Geoffrey Sauer.
- Begin your document with
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE.></HEAD></HEAD>
and type a short title after the <TITLE> tag. The title will not show on the WWW site screen, but if a user makes a bookmark for you page this title will be printed alongside the bookmark.- Click on (View, Source Document) in the Netscape Navigator menu for this document and read the code for linking to the picture shown below.
The HTML code <IMG SRC="sananton.jpg" HEIGHT="124" WIDTH="750"> specifies the WIDTH=750 pixels and the HEIGHT=124 pixels. The aspect ratio is 750/124 = 6.05. If the height is changed to 50 pixels, the width should be changed to (50)(6.05) = 302 pixels in order to reduce the picture without distorting it. Note that the picture below is from the same sananton.jpg file with a different size specification.
An alternate change-of-size HTML code for the above picture can be written as <IMG SRC="sananton.jpg" WIDTH="50%">. However, if it is written as <<IMG SRC="sananton.jpg" WIDTH="50%" HEIGHT="50%"> the result has a distorted aspect ratio as shown in the bad picture below:
- Note that the above pictures are linked to the sananton.jpg picture file in the same server as this document HTM file. A picture linked to someone else's server can also be coded. The picture below is linked to a picture file that has never been copied by me.
Its HTML code is < IMG SRC="http://WWW.Trinity.Edu:80/Pictures/Campus/LA.121C.tow.jpeg" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="320"> . It changes to the following if HEIGHT=80 WIDTH=50 is set on the linked image
The HTML code that links to the ideashp.htm document <A HREF="http://www.trinity.edu/~rjensen/ideashp.htm">ideashp.htm document</A>. Since the file is also contained in the same directory as this document, I can also code the link as <A HREF="ideashp.htm">
Suppose you want to link from one point of text to target text in the document. First you must assign a name to the target such as #Keyword. Then you set the target by giving it a name with the code <A HREF="#Keyword">Type target text here</A>. At any other point in the text where you want to put the link, the code can read <A NAME="#Keyword">Text to be linked</A>.
Some longer documents (not all documents) in this web page require that you have an authoring or reading version of Adobe Acrobat. Since so many web users already have this PDF file reader on the system in order to read corporate catalogs and other PDF documents, you may already have this reader on your system. If not , you can download either the Acrobat or Amber readers fromhttp://www.ADOBE.COM/acrobat/main.html. After this PDF file reader is in your computer, you can make it read automatically in Netscape Navigator by clicking on the Navigator menu choices "Options, General Preferences, Helpers". Then click on "Create New Type" button. For example, suppose you have previously downloaded the Adobe Acrobat Amber PDF file reader on the path c:\adobe\acrobat\amber.exe. In the "Create New Type" window of the Helpers options, type in "application" after "Mime Type" and "pdf" "Mime Subtype" . Then type "pdf" under File Extensions. Next click on the option to "Launch the Application." Lastly, click on the Browse button to find the path to your Acrobat or Amber PDF reader. While Amber is in beta form, I recommend the Acrobat reader. Note that PDF files can be printed from a PDF reader. A "mime" stands for multipurpose Internet mail extension to files that tell computers what kind of program to use to view or run a file. Mimes are typically plug-ins to browsers that help launch helper apps or user apps. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat PDF file reader, CLICK HERE to download it at no cost. (If you have the Acrobat Exchange authoring version, it is not necessary to download the reader.)
Software exists for putting complete hypermedia courses on the web. The largest market share belongs to Macromedia with the Authorware and Director options that will run on the WWW with free download software called Shockwave. Some of the most impressive software to emerge includes ToolBook II Instructor and Librarian from Asymetrix. Other options are summarized in Chpter 3 ofJensen and Sandlin.
It is necessary to transfer the files from your local computer to the web server. For Trinity University faculty, staff, and students this procedure is summarized in the ideasftp.htm document.
When visiting a WWW site with a complicated URL, you can copy that URL if (Edit, Paste) menu choices are available on the browser. If not, select the URL and hold the Ctrl and C keys down simultaneously to copy the URL to the clip board. When you return to your HTML processor (e.g., HotMetal Pro), link dialog boxes may appear for which no menu choices for (Edit, Paste) are available. Don't forget that in windows you may place the cursor where you want to paste and click on the Ctrl and V keys down simultaneously to paste from the clip board.
Once you have your web documents up and running, you may want to learn more about who is using these documents. A free service is available from http://www.webcrawler.com/WebCrawler/Links.html from Webcrawler. One of the most popular commercial software options for building professional databases regarding facts about who uses corporate web documents is called Hit List Pro. You can learn more about it from PC Magazine, November 19, 1996, p. NE19 and from http://www.marketwave.com/
The Wave of the Future: XML and RDF
I have updated Working Paper 260 with the following text about XML software (the wave of the tidal future for e-commerce and the web in general). Note that my bottom-line actions are to start to play with a free download of Microsoft Corporation's XML Notepad, and to really get when my order arrives for my purchase of Soft Quad's Version 1.0 of XMETAL.
For a time, not much was out there in the way of authoring software for XML and the standards have not yet been fully established to be embedded in web browser software. However, some business firms are already experimenting with XML. One piece of software that already has an XML backbone is the Dynabase from INSO (800-733-5799) at http://www.inso.com/ . Dynabase can be built on top of such relational database systems as Oracle, Sybase, Informix, SQL Server, and DB2. (It should be pointed out, however, that XML will eventually be an object-oriented database system). Dynabase uses a proprietary programming language that is very close to Visual Basic and will, therefore, integrate well with Microsoft's Office 2000 products. It is a bit early for poor professors to start experimenting with Dynabase since it carries a price tag of $50,000. But Dynabase is already on the move in the corporate world.
A leading company for heavy duty SGML and XML development is ArborText at http://www.arbortext.com/ . ArborText produces a new software product called EPIC described as follows:
Because Epic connects directly to Microsoft Word, you can easily import existing product information contained in Word files and convert them to valid XML. Epic can also use Word’s filters to import product information contained in other formats including Microsoft Excel tables, WordPerfect files, and more. After the import is finished, Epic helps you fix up anything that does not convert to valid XML. In addition to a traditional editing view, Epic also displays the document in an editable, hierarchical view through its Document Map. In addition, Epic contains several tools that simplify the structured XML authoring process. One example is the Insert Element panel on the right. This allows authors to find the appropriate element by first selecting a category; in this example, the author has selected the "List" category and can then choose from all the types of lists that Epic supports.
In addition, ArborText has the The ADEPT Series described at http://www.arbortext.com/Products/ADEPT_Series/adept_series.html
ADEPT Series -- Supports XML and SGML authoring and page publishing on Windows-based PCs and UNIX-based workstations. ADEPT·Editor -- Allows authors to write text, place graphics and create books, manuals, catalogs, encyclopedias, and similar types of information. Also, ADEPT’s Willow technology enables tight integration between ADEPT and document management systems. ADEPT·Publisher -- Includes all the capabilities of ADEPT·Editor plus page composition. ADEPT·Publisher automatically lays out pages by balancing the need for page fullness with the need to keep related elements together to provide a powerful tool for increasing author productivity. Document·Architect – Provides an application development tool to build DTDs (Document Type Definitions), design stylesheets, and and customize the behavior of ADEPT.
Pricing at ArborText appears to be negotiated, and it does not appear possible to find ballpark pricing at the company's web site. It appears that ArborText software is not priced for poor professors.
Microsoft has a free download of XML Notepad in beta form
that will perform some simple XML basics. It is described at http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/NOTEPAD/intro.asp
. Frequently asked questions about XML Notepad are answered at http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/NOTEPAD/faq.asp . I downloaded a free copy from http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/NOTEPAD/download.asp
Microsoft Corporation's dedication to great new things in XML is described at http://www.gca.org/memonly/xmlfiles/issue4/edit.htm
Both Internet Explorer and Netscape have XML viewing capabilities. See http://www.softseek.com/Internet/Web_Browsers_and_Utilities/Browsers/Review_20326_index.html
. On the heavy duty side of XML, see SQL Server 7.0 and XML Power Microsoft’s Product Catalog http://www.microsoft.com/backstage/
Probably the newest XML authoring software packages is called XMETAL from the company (Soft Quad) that originated the HTML and web server software called HOT METAL PRO. The price is only $495 for the world and $347 for poor professors (very reasonable for XML authoring). You can read the following in documents at http://www.sq.com/products/xmetal/index.html
XMetaL is a highly customizable XML authoring tool that delivers unprecedented ease of use to authors while shielding them from the complexities of XML, lowering costs of both customization and deployment.
You can read the initial press release about XMETAL at http://www.sq.com/press/releases/pr990525.html .
