This Week:

Reading Assignment:

Read Chapter Four and do all the exercises in the chapter.

If you roll your mouse over my picture on the left, you will see something unusual. What you see is done ENTIRELY with XHTML and CSS--no Java Script is used. By the end of the course you will know how to do this. Hint: it's related to the <a> tag discussed in this chapter.

But, let's get back to business. The first section of the chapter tells you how to get connected with a Web Hosting Company. The book has to be a little general in this regard because there are so many companies and so many way to go about this task. So, I would like to give you some suggestions that will work well in the San Diego area.

  1. The Real Deal: You can get an account with a top quality web hosting company. This sort of company will set you up with a Domain Name such as www.craftwebproject.com, they provide email accounts for the domain name, and they have what is known as a "C-Panel" which allows you to control many functions of the webserver remotely. For example, you can link to a MySQL database and make your site interactive. You will need this kind of host if you plan to do a lot of semi-pro web design work or it you plan to go commercial at some point. Cost: about $100/year to start. More if you go big time and host several sites. (BTW, I get no kickback or finding fees from any of these companies.) Here are three full-service hosts I know of personally:
    1. Lunarpages.com: This is the company I use to host www.craftwebproject.com. I have been using them since June 2007. So far, so good. I has a question and they answered in less than a day. However, I make no promises or make any guarantees for any company. All I can tell you is what I have used. Your mileage may vary.
    2. Discountasp.net: This is a company that I have used for three years. They have been very reliable and they offer very advanced services. So far, so good. No problems at all. However, I make no promises or make any guarantees for any company.
    3. Alterhosting.com: This is a company that one of the other instructors has used for several years. He tells me that they have been very reliable and they offer very advanced services.
  2. Amateur Level: These hosts offer limited storage and limited bandwidth (i.e., they limit the amount of data that can be downloaded by visitors each day) and they do not give you your own private domain. Your address will be something like: http://members.cox.net/wcraft. As you can see I have one of these accounts through Cox Cable.
    1. Cox.net: As you can see above, I have used this service. It can do FTP and it is good enough for what we will do in this course, but it would not be good enough to do anything professional. It DOES NOT put advertisements on your pages. Cox.net is FREE to subscribers who get their Internet service from Cox. It can be set up very quickly. If you can't find it on their website, search for "personal web page."
    2. Time Warner Road Runner: This is the other cable company in San Diego. I have never had their service but they do give free personal web pages to their subscribers if you get your internet from them. FREE. As with Cox, good enough for this course but not good enough to do anything professional.
  3. Worst Case: There are some companies who provide webpage hosting for free, but it comes with a catch. They put adds on your pages. Tripod.com is an example. Yes, I do have an account with Tripod. Here it is. As you can see, it loads slowly and it has lots of ads. You get what you pay for. However, I do not think this sevice will be good enough for this class. When they put on the adds, they make the entire page non-compliant with XHTML (strict) which is the level we will be at in a few more weeks. If you have no other option please contact me directly and I will try to work with you. Tripod also has paid plans which would probably be OK. However, I have only used their free plans, so I can't tell you for sure.

My Advice: Get a top quality hosting company if you can afford the price. If you are going to develop a "Digital Portfolio" it will look much better to your clients and future employers if it has a domain name that relates to you. Also, if you keep at this stuff, you will want to use the features such as database integration that only a professional web hosting company can provide.

FTP: Pages 132-133 talk about FTP in the manual mode. Don't Do It! There are too many easier ways to do FTP:

  1. My favorite is a plug in for FireFox called FireFTP. It is FREE and it is one of the best FTP programs I have every used. Check it out at the FireFTP website. It works as good as programs costing $75.00.
  2. Another option is Filezilla. It is FREE and I have used it many times. I would recommend it highly, except that I really like FireFTP better.
  3. You can use even your web browser (such as IE 6) but it is getting tricky. If you have Microsoft Vista, it is done with Windows Explorer not Internet Explorer. I recommend you avoid browsers and use a free dedicated FTP program like the two above.

HTTP, Absolute Path, Default Pages, Linking, Target, and Destination Anchors : These topics are the real meat of this chapter. Please read the text carefully and do the exercises. Don't get too fond of "Target" because it is not allowed in XHTML (strict) and that's where we're headed. However, lots of old sites use this trick and it's good to know about it. (Target = Popup)

Discussion

Tell the class what sort of web host you are planning to use to post your pages and why you picked that company or method. Note that the Discussion will close Oct 1st. You must contribute before that date to get credit. Comment on your classmates inputs if you care to do so.

Quiz:

Take the quiz. Note that the due date is October 1st.

Assignment:

  1. Get your web host account set up and give me your new address or domain name It usually takes 3 day to get a domain name promulgated so do wait too long to get started on this.
  2. Do the exercise on Page 154 and post your result on your website. Give me the exact address to see the work you posted.

Note that the due date for both parts is October 1st.

...WPC

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