Links and Resources

Contents

• Introduction to the web
• How to write an academic essay
• Recording Studio Design
• Untrue Lies

 

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Introduction to the web

Free-of-cost HTML Editors

Arachnophilia

Some neat features, small and fast. HTML syntax highlighting! Most important, though, it's completely programmable to work the way you want.

AceHTML Free

More features than Arachnophilia. Useful HTML reference in the Help. HTML syntax checker. Free to download, though they'll pester you to buy the full version. But alas - it's not programmable...

Microsoft FrontPage Express (no link)

No longer supplied, I believe, but there are still many copies around as it was once the default editor in IE4.0. Very basic, but it does work. It used to be available from Microsoft's web site

Netscape Composer

Netscape Communicator's built-in editor. I looked at it once, wasn't over impressed. Still, it could save the day sometime?

NoteTab Light

A neat tabbed editor for text, which has HTML templates, is fully programmable and is available in a free 'light' version - though this doesn't highlight HTML syntax. But still very useful! (the pay-for version does highlight syntax).

Pay-for HTML Editors

Ace HTML Pro 4

Like AceHTML Free, but with site management features and rather faster and slicker. The free version is entirely adequate for beginners.

Microsoft FrontPage

A WYSIWYG editor that is good at some tricks and very useful for designing layouts, even if you hand code them later for production (as we do). The HTML code it produces is sometimes horribly inelegant. In my opinion, only the FP2000 version produces acceptably concise code (on the whole). The graphics utilities with it are useful.

Sometimes-free HTML editors

Adobe PageMill (no link)

I got a legal free copy of this with an HP CD that came (I think) with an ink cartridge replacement! It's a now-obsolete visual-oriented site editor that has some neat tricks. I continue to use it because it is good at analyzing a web site, showing the links and any broken ones as well as live site maps. It's replacement is called Adobe GoLive.

NetObjects Fusion - old versions, and other old versions of web creation tools (no link)

You'll find many companies allow magazines to give away antique version of their crown-jewel product. These are often worth checking out, even if only to see how not to do it ;) I do not mean that the products don't work, or that they are bad products, but NetObjects Fusion is known for 'tables from hell' - that is, rather a lot of them! It's impossible to mix use of this with live coding (IMO).

Introductory material

How do they do that with HTML?

good guide to basic HTML writing

NCSA

The original introduction to HTML. No longer maintained, and I don't like what they've done with the frames, but it's still a sometimes-useful resource.

Dave Raggett's Guide to HTML

Written by one of the people working to set the HTML standards, a useful quick guide to basics, intermediate and stylesheet use.

Intermediate to advanced level

Dan's Web Tips

Excellent (IMO) set of pages on HTML writing for the slightly more advanced author. What and why you can and shouldn't do!

Reference and Resources

The HTML reference Library

Very useful free-of-cost reference: get a copy!

Peter-Paul Koch's JavaScript resources

JavaScripts that work properly! Believe me, that's rare! And no copyright notices!

HTML 4.01 Specification

This is the full official HTML 4.01 specification. For this reason, it's more concerned with being concise, complete and accurate than easy-to-read. It's not that hard, though. It's essential to get this (or one of the similar or succeeding specifications) if you get serious about HTML

Stylesheets

Western Civilisation

A guide to stylesheet use with lots of examples, and software you can download to try (but it is not free)

Bradbury Software

More guide material on stylesheets, and a free 'Light' version of their stylesheet editor

W3 guide to stylesheets

Links to information - fairly technical, but not difficult on the whole.

Tools

FTP Explorer

Free to individuals, companies must buy it. Straightforward and easy-to-use FTP tool for Windows.

FTPThing

Recent arrival from the author of Arachnophilia, it's a straightforward development of the more targeted facility in Arachnophilia. Upload, download, delete, list... And it's free.

CSE validator

Freeware 'Light' version: this is an excellent aid to getting your HTML correct, but not an infallible one. I check all pages with the W3 validator below. But after having validated a page, you'll want to change it. Check it with CSE to keep it valid - but it won't find all the errors, so still check it again. What it does do is give much fuller description of the errors - and what to do about them - than the W3 validator. There's a more sophisticated version available to buy.

HTML Tidy

Freeware. Written by one of the people setting the HTML standards, it very thoroughly checks your HTML for errors (but careful, it doesn't at the moment seem to understand JavaScript).Very useful but rather technical - if you're not, use the checker in Ace HTML (Free or Pro) if you don't have another option, or CSE light.

HTML Tag Buddy

Freeware (or 'begware' - send him $10 if you want): If you prefer to hand code in Notepad or another text editor, this is a useful utility to build the more complicated HTML tags.

Screen Ruler

Shareware: a ruler on your screen. It's useful for many alignment purposes. The shareware version has some limitations, not that I've noticed them. Buy the registered version if you keep using it. It's useful, I don't know of an available freeware equivalent.

THERename

This is a freeware program that is handy for many purposes, especially dealing with directories full of images, renaming them all in logical sequence.

BKReplaceEm

This is a freeware utility that replaces text in any number of documents. It's useful in many areas of site maintenance, modification and update.

Search and Replace 98

Freeware: basic non-GREP fast and effective ASCII search and replace tool

W3.org HTML validator

Free on-line: This is the only real validator I know of. You can give it a webpage reference, or it can check the page on your computer. Check your stylesheets as well!

Bobby - accessibility validation

Freeware: Bobby tests your pages for accessibility to those with disabilities, giving much helpful advice on how to make pages useable by all. It also validates your HTML, checks for errors, gives reports and tells you how long the page will take to download. Oh - and it's free. Better get a copy, no?

PP Wizard universal pre-processor

Freeware: ** Advanced tool ** Written in Rexx - but it doesn't bite, it's easy to use. I use it to build this site. By the time you need it you'll know why you need it...

HTMLPP preprocessor

Freeware (GPL): ** Advanced tool ** Written in PERL - it doesn't bite either, perhaps it's cast before swine (sorry. Bit dry, I know...). It's easy to use. I use it to construct the indices (indexes if you insist) on pages on this site. Again, by the time you need it you'll know why you need it...

 

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How to write an academic essay

What is an Academic Essay?

University of Sussex Language Institute : Study Skills. This page addresses the academic essay in language studies, giving a very different viewpoint, and touching on many issues that I do not deal with here.

Important Concepts in Academic Study

University of Sussex Language Institute : Study Skills. While you're there, why not check out this useful section?

How to write an (English) essay

University of Birmingham, UK. A good collection of links and resources for those wanting to write an English essay in good English.

Writing a philosophy essay

'There is no technique, or recipe, or set of guidelines for writing an essay in philosophy.' Yes, we're definitely talking philosophy essay here! Succinct, useful.

How to Write an Essay

University of Exeter, UK. Another different (and brief) take on how to write a Psychology essay.

Integrative studies in biological sciences: essay writing

A clear explanation of how to plan and write an essay in the biological sciences, together with examples of work. Useful resource.

Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing

Excellent and brief advice on how to get it right. Links to other resources.

Overview of the Academic Essay: Thesis, Argument, and Counterargument

From the Writing Center at Harvard. Clear exposition of what an academic essay is about.

General Procedure For Writing An Assigned Essay

Very general but very relevant advice as to how to put an essay plan together.

How to Write a History Essay

UCSD. Just what it says! To the point... it reminds you to 'Answer the question!'

Write That Essay! Guidelines and Suggestions

University of Sussex, UK - Cognitive and Computing Sciences. A nice guide to the whole process, hyperlinked throughout.

Pre-written Term Papers (!!?!!!)

I was in two minds whether to put this link in - they sell 'term papers' - for err... 'research purposes only'. Is this sort of thing legal??

Academic honesty: '...good manners, not a set of rules.'

To go with the item just above...

Intellectual Property Issues from Negativland

An alternate and slightly 'anarchic' take on copyright issues and plagiarism, together with excellent links to US and other copyright resources. But I bet they wouldn't buy their term papers... :)

What is an essay for?

Commercial: A general essay-writing guide for various disciplines. Sadly, riddled with adverts...

 

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Recording Studio Design

The Recording Studio Design Page

Non-commercial site accessing theory, drawings, data, and a small DOS GWBasic program for those interested in building a new studio or retrofitting an existing facility.

ePanorama - Audio and Hi-Fi page

Links to many useful resources and sites

Fundamentals of Sound

Quick online introduction to sound, from the human ear via soundproofing to acoustics

Acoustics and Vibrations

Commercial: the WWW virtual library - resources

RTTC training

Commercial: large page of useful audio links

Pro Audio Site Guide

Commercial: links to audio sites

Studio design page at About.com

Commercial: links, links, and more links...

Consultants, Services and other Sites of Interest

Commercial: as it says, links to consultants

 

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Untrue Lies

Quick Links

DARPA – history

DARPA is where it all started out - the Internet, that is...

CERN

But CERN is where the 'web started out, many years later.

Ted Nelson

Ted Nelson is behind many things you now take for granted...

MIME

Web pages are actually adapted from email technology, as is multimedia of every sort. Here's some information on the way it's done.

The Internet Worm

The first and perhaps the worst - because of a bug in the code! Nuclear war might not stop the Internet but this did! That is why everyone got so worried.

W3C

Tim Berners-Lee now heads the official Internet WWW standards body

Some Lottery history

Lotteries have a very long history. For millennia, almost everyone has always lost, yet people still buy tickets!

Web pages aren't printed on paper

So why try to make them work like paper?

Cybersquatting

TheStandard.com

NFL Sues Web Site for Cybersquatting

World Intellectual Property Organisation, Geneva

First cybersquatting case under WIPO process just concluded

The Electronic Freedom Foundation

EFF "Cybersquatting and Internet Address & Domain Name Disputes" Archive

Harvard sues...

Harvard Uses Cybersquatting Law for Infringement Suit

Domain Names

All about names?

A rose by any name would not be a domain name - because it's already taken.

Money from names?

Domain names - now trading as commodities.