[robert]

Hi all.
I need info on software that creates/helps in the building of websites. I own Illustrator and Photoshop, so images are taken care of. I guess it is just the skeleton I need to create.
It will show what I do, illustration, and how to contact me.
Very basic to start.
So, I am looking for freeware/shareware for this purpose.
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Robert

Oh and what do I need to know about hosting the site.
What do I look for in a company, etc...
I am in the Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo area.
Thanks again,
Robert

 

[Gerbill]

There's a bit of a learning curve, but I always suggest that beginners learn to write HTML from scratch. You can always switch to a WYSIWYG program later to save time. A particular advantage to the HTML-from-scratch route is that it doesn't cost anything - all that's required is a text editor (free) and a Web browser (free.)

I recently did a short series of "how-to" HTML lessons for beginners that I posted to a user group listserv that I belong to, where it was well received. If anyone is interested, I could send them out as an e-mail attachment.

Cheers :-> Bill

 

[robert]

Thanks Nick and Bill.
Nick, those points are exactly what I needed to know.
Bill, a text editor as in the one that comes with explorer?
Does safari have a text editor too?
Sorry for the dumb questions.
Robert

 

[Ingenu]

No, he's talking about a text editor like the free Text Edit that comes with the Mac OS. It's the only thing you need as for software.

Regards,

 

[Nick]

Hello robert,

For a text editor try BBedit lite. If shareware, I like it a lot.

I also forgot to mention. Make sure that your hosting company is running a linx (Mac os X inlcuded), or sun based server.

What ever you do, do not trust microsoft. MS Server is so crappy thay have to run hotmail on LINUX.

 

[stand_1998]

Hi Robert.

HTML authoring is a great way to be creative. I learned how to create web pages from the tutorials found at "webmonkey.com"

Here is a link to the starter tutorials:
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/authoring/html_basics/index.html

I agree with Bill that it is better to start with HTML and then try out some WYSIWYG programs like: GoLive or DreamWeaver.

Good luck!

 

[Script Kiddie]

MS Server is so crappy thay have to run hotmail on LINUX.

Actually it was Solaris, but who's counting...

You can tell what a site is running by going to www.netcraft.net and on the top left there is a What's that site running?..."

 

[Nick]

Hello robert.

HTML software eh. Try bbedit lite. Its code only but it really makes it easy to read. I like it alot. If your looking and spending more money, try Dreamweaver. I am an Adobe freak, but I prefer it to golive.

As far as hosting, here is where I can help. Look for the ovious like, up-time/cost/web space/bandwith.

But here are the big ones no one looks at. (I work for a dot com design company, I spend half my day doing web stuff now, over print):

1.) Where is the server located? Make sure it is an a major center. ie: Toronta, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax etc... No small towns, go for a 1,000,000 people plus if possible. You tend to get better connections where ever you are located. Which brings me to my second point.

2.) What is there connection to the internet. If it is not OCR or faster, why NOT??? Don't let them try to BS you and say a T1 line is fast enough. It DOES NOT CUT IT. You do not want the other websites to with higher traffic to bog down the speed on yours.

3.) What is the ratio of clients hosted to servers? ie. they are serving 500+ websites on 1 ip address. The more server and IP addresses the better. It means they care about quality hosting gernerally speaking. Check at whois.sc

4.) Are you charged for every pop email account. If so how much space to you get for you much $$$ We charge $5 for a 10 mb email account with unlimited forwarders.

5.) What type of data back-up service do they have in place? Daily?? Weekly?? The more back-ups the better.

6.) Do they have 24 hour a day tech support if your site goes down. What type of up-time do they garantee and how do they check it. We use alertra. Check it out at alertra.com

7.) What bonus are there. Do they offer a comprehensive stats package for you website. What about webmail for your POP account when you are on the go?


8.) What other services are there. ASP and PHP support. How about CFM if you are using that? MySQL database support?

Look around. I am sure a good hosting company will come clear to you very soon.

Cheers.

[ October 22, 2003, 10:22 AM: Message edited by: Nick ]

 

[Podboy]

BBEdit is a good program, but I very much prefer SubEthaEdit. The name is a mouthful, but it's an incredible code/markup editor. Plus, it has THE MOST INSANELY BRILLIANT IMPLEMENTATION OF RENDEZVOUS I HAVE YET ENCOUNTERED. Of course, I am a programmer, so being able to edit the same document at the same time with every other mac coder on the network (or even Internet!) would tend to make me quiver with delight.

At the very least, check out the page. Clicking the link will cost you nothing. Come to think of it, SubEthaEdit is free as well. Hmm...

Cheers,
Podboy

 

[gpigs]

For learning HTML, I highly recommend Pagetutor. It is a bit windows oriented, but it is incredibly funny and makes the process of learning quick and enjoyable.

 

[Sandy McMurray]

I edit HTML with BBEdit. I can't stand WYSIWYG editors, because, too often, WYSInotWYG!

Netscape Composer used to be one of my favourite tools for playing with HTML documents. I recently discovered, to my surprise, that Composer is built into Mozilla. It's free and easy to use. (Simply select File > Edit Page to edit an existing page in Composer, or select File > New > Composer Page to build a page from scratch.

Viewing and playing with other people's HTML is a good way to learn new tricks and see how things are done. However, to really learn HTML, you'll need to do a lot of reading and experimenting with test pages. I learned a lot just by running my test pages through the W3C HTML Validator service.

I can also recommend CSSEdit as a good tool for working with and learning about Cascading Style Sheets.

SMc

 

[Sandy McMurray]

With regard to hosting, if all you want is a brochure-type Web site, you could do worse than a hosted service like .Mac or TypePad. No HTML knowledge required.

For more serious hosting needs, I can recommend OpenSourceHost.com. They offer amazing support and remarkable value for the services they sell. I moved two of my sites there in September and I've been a happy camper ever since.

OSH also has a sister site for people interested in content management system (CMS) software. OpenSourceCMS.com is a great place to test content management systems without having to install them!

SMc

 

[Viivis]

I'm not sure what version of PS you're using, but why don't you just use the automated web gallery feature and then edit the html page?

That is the fastest and easiest way to get a simple page online for images, artwork, etc.

As far as hosting, don't go free crap, ask your provider for a hosting package. I can give you the name of one of best hosting services in the GTA.
$99.00 per year no strings, mail, run scripts (upon approval). Use you own domain.

 

[robert]

Wow, this is great. I guess it is off to the library to get books on html.
The info on hosting is also invaluable. Which companies do people use and what is their opinion of them. Oh and prices for hosting would be appreciated.
Thanks again to all who have replied,
Robert