Index
General
information
Web
protocol information
Universal
Resource Identifier (URI) information
HTML details
HTML Specifications
Introductory material on HTML
Tips on writing HTML documents
Browser specific extensions
Be careful if you use those
browser specific extensions.
XML
The Extensible Markup Language
(XML) is a subset of SGML. Its goal is to enable generic SGML to be served,
received, and processed on the Web in the way that is now possible with
HTML. XML has been designed for ease of implementation and for interoperability
with both SGML and HTML. An XML page looks something like an HTML page,
but there the similarity ends. XML uses HTML-style tags not just to format
documents, but also to identify the kinds of information used in documents,
so that information can be reformatted for use in other documents and can
also be used for information processing. To put that another way, you can
use XML to represent data portably. XML is clearly the way of the future
as it establishes a common base from which content can be expanded into
other formats.
XSL is a technology related
to XML. XSL provides a mechanism for formatting and transforming XML, either
at the browser or on the server.
General information
XML Resource pages
-
Developer
Works - IBM's XML resource, with lots of valuable XML compatibility
information and home to xCentral, the XML web search engine
-
The
Development Exchange's XML Zone - home to links for valuable XML news,
information, and web sites
-
The
XML Cover Pages - a comprehensive online reference work for the Extensible
Markup Language (XML) and its parent, the Standard Generalized Markup Language
(SGML)
-
xml.com
- XML information site
-
XML
Magazine - Timely news and information for the XML industry, with features
written by experts and insiders
-
XML
Resources - links to XML related documents
-
XML
World - XML article collection with a Software Guide, FAQ, References
and more
Applications for XML
-
MathML
- mathematical markup language
-
SEML
- Semi-Extensible Markup Language is a new language similar to XHTML and
WML that allows the serving of both WML or HTML from a single source document
-
SMIL
- syncronized multimedia integration language
-
W3C
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) - SVG is a language for describing two-dimensional
graphics in XML. SVG allows for three types of graphic objects: vector
graphic shapes (e.g., paths consisting of straight lines and curves), images
and text.
-
WML
- wireless markup language, used in WAP system
-
XHTML
- HTML 4.01 defined according to XML notations
Using XML with your programs
and applications
XML Tools
-
Apache
XML Project - The goals of the Apache XML Project are to provide open
commercial-quality standards-based XML solutions and focus for XML-related
activities within Apache projects
-
Xalan
- an XSLT processor for transforming XML documents into HTML, text, or
other XML document types
-
Microsoft
XML Notepad - a simple prototyping application for HTML authors and
developers that enables the rapid building and editing of small sets of
XML-based data
-
Publicly
Available Software for SGML/XML/DSSSL - The wealth of SGML software
made freely available for public. The scope of interest in this list is
mainly the Internet.
-
Simple
XML Subset Parser - included in GLib
-
XT
- XT is an implementation in Java of XSL Transformations.
SMIL information
SMIL is a XML based language
for making multimedia presentations. It enables simple authoring of TV-like
multimedia presentations such as training courses on the Web. The SMIL
language is an easy-to-learn HTML-like language. Thus, SMIL presentations
can be written using a simple text-editor. A SMIL presentation can be composed
of streaming audio, streaming video, images, text or any other media type.
General information
SMIL Browsers
Other XML software
Character
sets
Character set problems related
to Finland
Web design
General guides
Usability design
Site accessability
Use of frames
Use of tables
Handling errors
Multimedia
Specific site design tips
Bad things to avoid
Useful sites for more information
HTML
checkers and validators
Why to validate
Page validators
Link checkers
Forms
Frames
Frames allow you to divide the
page into several rectangular areas and to display a separate document
in each rectangle. Each of those rectangles is called a "frame". Frames
are very popular because they are one of the few ways to keep part of the
page stationary while other parts change. Frames are also one of the most
controversial uses of HTML, because of the way the frames concept was designed,
and because many web framed web sites are poorly implemented.
Normal frames are used to
divide the entire browser window (or a frame) to subwindows. Inline frames
appear inside the presentation of a document and allow embedding relatively
small documents onto pages.
Fonts in
WWW pages
Netscape and Microsoft added
their web browsers an option to control the presentation of web documents
in a form of FONT tag. This allowed changing the character font look and
size to fit the needs of web authors. This gives is used right more options
for the visual layout, but if font settings are used carelessly documents
can become invisible, illegible, or inaccessible to many viewers. Well
designed pages should "degrade gracefully". FONT tag is ofther used to
vary font characteristics. Other way to change web page font setting is
do it using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) have have also many options to
control the web fonts.
Cookies
Cookies are a general mechanism
which server side connections (such as CGI scripts) can use to both store
and retrieve information on the client side of the connection. The addition
of a simple, persistent, client-side state extends the capabilities of
Web-based client/server applications.
A server, when returning
an HTTP object to a client, may also send a piece of state information
which the client will store. Included in that state object is a description
of the range of URLs for which that state is valid. Any future HTTP requests
made by the client which fall in that range will include a transmittal
of the current value of the state object from the client back to the server.
The state object is called a cookie, for no compelling reason.
Web
programming and scripting
Several technologies are used
to create customized Web pages, including the Perl language, Microsoft's
Active Server Pages, the PHP hypertext preprocessor, Java, JavaScript and
other methods. Nowadays customizd web pages can be created in the web server
or on the fly on the client side. There are many different scripting technologies
for this kind of and they are each suitable for different applications.
Java
Java is Sun's cross-platform,
object-based programmign language which can be used for wide variety of
applications. In web environment Java is most often used as applets which
are included to webpages and then run by the client web browser Java virtual
machine. Java can also be used to make server side web server extensions
called servlets.
JavaScript
JavaScript is Netscape's cross-platform,
object-based scripting language for client and server applications. JavaScript
is most commonly used to add code to web page which is executed by the
web browser in the client computer. JavaScript can also be used to make
server side scripts on Netscape web server. Even though the name is quite
similar to to Sun's Java, the JavaScript is completely different technology
than Java.
General information
Javascript tutorials
-
How
to Steal JavaScript - "Borrowing" JavaScript code is easy. Making it
work on your own pages, however, can prove difficult. Nadav reveals what
you need to know to make those pirated scripts sail.
-
JavaScript-opas
- JavaScript tutorial in Finnish
-
Thau's
Advanced JavaScript Tutorial - Take JavaScript to the next level with
if-then-else statements, cookies, string handling, browser detection, preloaded
images, debugging techniques, and a lot more.
-
Thau's
JavaScript Tutorial - Learn the basics including variables, if-then
statements, link events, and image swaps in what's been called the best
JavaScript tutorial on the Web.
Javascript references
Javascrit books
Example source code resources
Related technologies
-
An
Introduction To DHTML - JavaScript and HTML make a nice couple
-
ECMAScript
- based on several originating technologies, the most well-known being
JavaScript (Netscape Communications) and JScript (Microsoft Corporation)
PHP
PHP is a simple scripting language
to implement server side fuctionality to web servers which support that
scripting language.
Active Server
Pages (ASP)
Sctive Server Pages (ASP) is
a scripting system included in Microsoft web servers which makes it possible
to include server side scripts to web pages. There is also an ASP
port for Apache web server.
Other
web scripting tools
Anvil
- a presentation template system and application language for web and mobile
services
Server side
includes (SSI)
Adding some web server executable
code to the web pages using some suitable tools. Those pieces of code within
the page are executed and the output of those scripts plus the original
HTML (without those executable codes) are sent to the web browser.
Web server
information useful for scripting
Web server software
-
Apache
- propably the best and most widely used free web server program with good
documentation available on-line
-
Boa
Webserver - a single-tasking HTTP server that internally multiplexes
all of the ongoing HTTP connections, and forks only for CGI programs
-
GoAhead
WebServer - free embedded web server
-
Jigsaw
- The W3C's Server - Jigsaw is a Web server platform, providing a sample
HTTP 1.1 implementation and a variety of other features on top of an architecture
implemented in Java.
-
Red
Hat TUX Web Server - TUX is a kernel-based, threaded, extremely high
performance HTTP server for Linux. It is able to efficiently and safely
serve both static and dynamic data. TUX moves the HTTP protocol stack to
the kernel, and can handle requests for data with both kernel-space and
user-space modules.
-
thttpd
- tiny/turbo/throttling HTTP server is a simple, small, portable, fast,
and secure HTTP server
-
vWebserver
- freeware Web server for Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT with ASP support
-
WN
Server - WN is a Web server which runs on a wide variety of UNIX platforms
and is freely available at no cost for any use under the terms of the GNU
General Public License. The WN server has several extra features built-in,
for example search engine and filters.
Using Apache software
Using other web server software
Perl
PERL is a fairly straightforward,
widely known and well-respected scripting language. It is used for a variety
of tasks, but in the context of web development it is used mainly to develop
CGI scripts.
Python
Python is a powerful, modern,
free, open source, general purpose, interpreted programming language developed
by Guido van Rossum. It is used by many programmers around the world. Python
is easy to learn and allows very rapid developments. Pythin canbe used
as scripting language for example for writing CGI-scripts or it can be
embedded to HTML page using Zope system.
CGI scripts
CGI-scripts are executable programs
separate programs which are run by the web server for generating a web
page on the fly (dynamic web pages, web searches) or for processing the
information sen by the client (usually information from form). CGI-scripts
can be written using practically any programming laguage and using many
scripting languages. Propably the most commonly used language for making
CGI scripts is Perl but there are many other possibilities also for this.
A lot of people have Web pages but most feel that CGI scripts are "over
their head", but you can get started quite easily with many free CGI scripts
if your web server you are using supports them.
General information
Information on developing CGI
scripts
CGI scripts and script collections
Solving problems
Tools
for web page preprocessing
Style
sheets
Graphics
in WWW
Color information
Display properties
Pictures
Free
web graphics
Other
free web page resources
-
Free
Web Templates.com - free templates, free wallpapers, free textures,
free buttons
-
Pagekits
- website templates, with all the code and images you need to get started
in making your own web site
Vector graphics
Scalable Vector Graphics is
an XML grammar defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It defines
a language for describing two-dimensional graphics, consisting of vector
graphic shapes, images and text.
-
Adobe
SVG Viewer - Viewer plug-in for W3C Scalable Vector Graphics
-
Batik
SVG Toolkit - Batik is a Java(tm) technology based toolkit for applications
that want to use images in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format for
various purposes, such as viewing, generation or manipulation.
-
Mozilla
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Page
-
W3C
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) - SVG is a language for describing two-dimensional
graphics in XML. SVG allows for three types of graphic objects: vector
graphic shapes (e.g., paths consisting of straight lines and curves), images
and text.
Making
multimedia web pages
Animation
on WWW
Video and web
Audio and web
Multimedia player plug-ins
Legal things
to consider
General web legal topics
Linking
Web
page usability issues
Useful tools
HTML Editors
-
Amaya
- a browser/authoring tool by W3C
-
Carl
Davis's HTML Editor Reviews - page to help to select what tool to use
-
Evrsoft
First Page III - free HTML/web authoring tool, designed for DHTML authoring
in mind
-
HTMLjive
- HTMLjive is a HTML editor written in Javascript. It allows an intermediate
Internet user to create a HTML document by simply loading a Web page. No
other programs are needed.
-
Mozilla
- web browser software with XML and CSS Level 2 support, has also HTML
editing tool
-
Netscape
Navigator - the most popular web browser, has also a version which
has HTML page editor "Composer" built-in
Processing and converting material
-
Arachnophilia
- Powerful Web Site Workshop with many options
-
ASM
to HTML converter - Java program written to display PIC assembly files
in web pages
-
Converting
UNIX to DOS and DOS to UNIX
-
gohtml.com
- free on-line service which converts many document formats to HTML
-
HTMLDOC
- Convert HTML files to PDF or PostScript
-
HTML
Tidy - processes hard to read HTML files to simpler and easier to manipulate
manually
-
JTidy
- JTidy is a Java port of HTML Tidy, a HTML syntax checker and pretty printer.
Like its non-Java cousin, JTidy can be used as a tool for cleaning up malformed
and faulty HTML. In addition, JTidy provides a DOM interface to the document
that is being processed, which effectively makes you able to use JTidy
as a DOM parser for real-world HTML.
-
Weblint
- free HTML validation program written in Perl
-
Website
META Language (WML) - off-line HTML generation toolkit for Unix
-
wvWare
- wv is a library which allows access to Microsoft Word files. It can load
and parse the word 2000, 97, 95 and 6 file formats. wv allows other programs
access to Word documents for the purpose of converting them to other formats
(for example HTML).
Web page upload and download
-
Expect
FAQ - FAQ on a very useful tool program for automating interctive programs
like FTP
-
GNU
Wget - free utility for retrieving files from the internet using HTTP
and FTP
-
Gnu
Wget - a freely available network utility to retrieve files using HTTP
and FTP
-
Lynx
- most popular text only browser, useful in scripting and HTML to text
conversions
-
WebReaper
- web crawler or spider, which can work its way through a website, downloading
pages, pictures and objects that it finds so that they can be viewed locally,
without needing to be connected to the internet
Off-line browsing programs
On-line tools
-
WebCab.de:
Fetch Page - tool for getting web pages from server and seeing debug
information, this tool can imitate many browsers and even WAP
Scripting languages
WWW based discussion boards
-
Discus
- free discussion board script
-
Ezboard
- online community service
-
Phorum
- Phorum is a web based discussion software written in PHP. Unlike some
popular web boards, Phorum utilizes a database to manage its messages.
-
WWWBoard
- free discussion group making script used in many sites
Converting HTML to other formats
-
HTMLDOC
- Convert HTML files to PDF or PostScript
-
html2ps
- HTML to PostScript converter that gives you nice printouts of HTML pages
than many web browser's build-in printing functions
Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file generators
-
HTMLDOC
- Convert HTML files to PDF or PostScript
-
FreePDF
- Free PDF is a utility which allows you to create PDFs just by printing
to a "Create PDF" printer, from any Windows 9x/ME application FOR FREE!
Other utilities
Tips on using
web tools
Web server
programs
-
Apache
- freely available good web server software for UNIX, widely used
-
Microsoft
Internet Information Server - web server for Windows NT
-
Netscape
Web Server products - available for many platforms
Web browsers
Browser programs
-
Amaya
- a browser/authoring tool by W3C
-
Konqueror
- an Open Source web browser with HTML4.0 compliance, supporting Java applets,
JavaScript, CSS1 and (partially) CSS2, as well as Netscape plugins
-
Lynx
- most popular text only browser
-
Netscape
Navigator - the most popular web browser
-
Microsoft
Internet Explorer
-
Mozilla
- web browser software with XML and CSS Level 2 support
-
Opera
- small and fast web browser
-
W3M
- A terminal based WWW browser
Plug-ins
Web material filters
-
The
Internet Junkbuster Proxy - blocks unwanted banner ads and protects
your privacy from cookies and other threats
-
WebWasher
- filter program for Web pages to avoid unwanted content and for faster
loading times
Other useful utilities
-
Web
Secretary - detects changes based on content analysis and can email
the changed page to you with the new contents highlighted!
-
WebStripper
- makes it easy to copy websites to your hard disk for you to browse offline
later, free advertising supported software
Off-line browsing programs
Resource pages
-
BROWSERS.COM
- download new releases of latest versions of popular browsers
Web caching
information
A Web cache sits between Web
servers (or origin servers) and a client and watches requests for HTML
pages, images and files come by, saving a copy for itself. Then, if there
is another request for the same object, it will use the copy that it has,
instead of asking the origin server for it again. This is used to reduce
latency and to reduce traffic.
Security
issues
Web page
announcing and searching
General information on search
engines
Information on successfully
adding web pages to search engines
Controlling search engines and
robots
Search engines you can add to
your site
-
Atomz.com
- site search service to quickly add a powerful search engine to your Web
site with no hardware or software to install
-
FreeFind.com
- free search engine to add to a site
-
ht://Dig
Internet Search Engines - world wide web indexing and searching system
for a small domain or intranet available under GNU General Public License
-
Isearch
- Isearch is an open source software package for indexing and searching
text documents. It supports full text and field based searching, relevance
ranked results and Boolean queries, and it can index many kinds of documents,
including HTML, mail folders, list digests, and text with SGML-style mark
up. Isearch also includes CGI tools to provide a web interface for searching.
-
Perlfect
Search - customizable and effective site indexing/searching suite available
under an open source licence
-
Sitelevel
- free site search service, includes banner advertising
-
WebGlimpse
- powerful indexing and query system for UNIX that allows you to search
through all your files very quickly
-
Matt's
Script Archive - includes also search scripts
-
Using
SWISH-E To Index Your Site - information on a fast, powerful, flexible,
free, and easy to use system for indexing collections of Web pages or other
text files
HTTP protocol
information
HTTP has been in use by the
World Wide Web since 1990 and its use has increased steadily over the years,
mainly because it has proven useful as a generic middleware protocol.
Web
publishing magazines
Free
web hosting
The following web sites provide
free web hosting services. Usually the free web hosting services will add
advertisements to the pages in them. For more details check what those
service providers have to offer.
Non-conventional
ways to access web
Tools for
webmasters and web publishers
Web
statistics
Other related
links
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