Web Page Design 101
- What a web page really is...
- Why people make web pages...
- A brief history of HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)...
- Whether you should use HTML or XHTML...
What is a Web Page?
Most of us who have been on the internet can describe what a web page looks like (and sounds like.) You know that you are looking at a web page now and you know that when you use a computer to surf around the internet, your screen displays a page (usually with scroll bars on the right) that may contain formatted text, graphics, coloured backgrounds, animations, and sounds.
What a web page also contains and what separates it from other media is interactive 'links' and 'buttons' that you can either move over or click on using a pointing device. These actions, in turn, will either have a dynamic effect on the current page you're viewing or will —more commonly— take you to another web page. All web pages contain links to other web pages. The gargantuan international collection of all these interlinked web pages is what constitutes the World Wide Web (WWW).
But what is a web page really?...
Why Make a Web Page?
As a means of communication, the internet is the most powerful medium in existence. Although the exact statistics are difficult to nail down, it is reasonably estimated that over half a billion people around the world are currently 'online', i.e have internet access. No single television network, radio station or newspaper can come anywhere near to commanding this kind of attention. Going door-to-door, standing on a soapbox on a busy streetcorner, distributing pamphlets or spending all day on the telephone dialing up complete strangers would likewise fall far short of reaching the equivalent to the number of people who regularly browse the World Wide Web. So if you have anything to communicate to people for any purpose whatsoever, the number one reason why to do so via a web page on the internet is sheer visibility...
A History of HTML
HyperText Markup Language (HTML), conceived in 1990, is the official language of the World Wide Web. HTML is a product of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) which is a complex, technical specification describing markup languages especially those used in electronic document exchange, document management, and document publishing. HTML was originally created to allow those who were not specialized in SGML to publish and exchange scientific and other technical documents. HTML especially facilitated this exchange by incorporating the ability to link documents electronically using 'hyperlinks'. Thus the name Hypertext Markup Language.
Learn HTML or XHTML?
On the one hand you have HTML 4.01 Transitional which is self contained, easy to use and is still widely in effect on the World Wide Web. On the other hand you have XHTML 1.1 which is the cutting edge (as of this writing) of HTML evolution and, in theory, will produce a streamlined and homogenous interoperability for web browser makers and web authors alike.
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