# Web Publishing: HTML for 'Switchers'



## Striderji (Aug 20, 2003)

I just 'switched' ( three weeks ago after some thirty-four years with, well- 'The Other Guys'.

Suddenly I find the need to put up a couple of simple, yet attractive Web sites
( In the mid-sixties I designed type-faces for a living; back when you used pen, ink and a lot of rubber cement ).

The first thing I discovered was that Mac's no longer had a really simple little 'Paint' application on-board ( So you'll find a thread or two in other topics about the joys of networking Win98 and XP Professional Machines with G3's & G4's ).
It's not pretty!!

The second thing I found was ( maybe it was third-see below ) that there is no simple HTML editor on-board either- No developers tools appended to IE 5.2.2 ( 5010.1 ) for Mac

Adobe & MacroMedia tools are 1.) Expensive and 2.) Complicated

Everytime I venture out on Adobe's Web site I come back more confused about their products than when I 'walked-in'.

[ I just discovered TeX and Gimp, X11, and the like but the learning curve for pure Linux, Unix, or Gnu is Well - Steep. )

I just want to build a really clean looking Web site, a small one to get started and I'd like to put up a simply 'Blog' to go with it-

If nothing else to share this entire 'switching' experience <Grin>

Suggestions?   Solutions?



Striderji
mailto:unicity@mac.com   or   unicity@cvip.net

< alias = kas65@csufresno.edu >


----------



## mr. k (Aug 20, 2003)

I suggest learning some simple xhtml and css, not incredibly technical markup languages, but very useful for setting up webpages.  There is not a WYSIWYG html editor that can create websites like xhtml, css, and a little bit of typing.
Here are some resources - xhtml and css.
It will probably be a little harder to actually learn the language, but put in the time and when you look back it will be a lot easier to design a web page if you know the language of the web.


----------



## RacerX (Aug 20, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Striderji _
> *Suggestions?   Solutions?*



For my web design (the stuff I get paid to do) I use GoLive with Photoshop, ImageReady, Acrobat and LiveMotion. 

But, before putting a ton of work into someone site, I make a demo version for them using Stone Design's Create. It is not that expensive for the full version, and it lets you create multi-page documents or web pages. The export as web page feature is enabled even when running in demo mode so you should be able to create a basic site. 

I also use OmniWeb for any additional coding. It comes with a source editor built into it.

Hope that helps out a little.


----------



## Striderji (Aug 20, 2003)

> " It'll probably be a little harder ....."



<Grin>

Thanks for the tips, and the timeliness. I appreciate it.

[ In the meantime- I'll just start with whatever .Mac has to offer and build from there ..... ]

That's what prompted me to explore 'blogs'- But the first one I tried 'blew-up' when I hit the 'publish button' and they ( support ) haven't answered my eMail yet. ( No, I can not remember which one it was. Alzheimer's- Really ).



> " Create" and " OmniWeb"



 Ditto's !!   Any and all suggestions and referals will be deeply, deeply appreciated!!

Hopefully everyone won't have switched over to GNU or Linux boxes before I get my Web site up and running ......


Eric
( Striderji )

------------------------------
G3 ( v.2.2 ) 'Blue & White' w. 120 GB Maxtor HD & _ NEC DVD+RW  - OS X v.10.2.6 ( 6L60 ) 1 GB DIMM RAM - <iPod 30 GB & iSight equipted >
G4 (v.3.3 ) 'Chromed Drive Bay' w. 80 GB IBM & Toshiba SD-R1312 DVD+RW OS X v.10.2.6 ( 6L60 ) 1 GB DDR SDRAM


----------



## Dusky (Aug 20, 2003)

As you're learning raw HTML, this might come handy:

Taco HTML Edit
http://versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15720

I use...
BBEdit Lite
http://versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/604


----------



## nb3004 (Aug 20, 2003)

i used taco for a little while and didnt like it too much, although the colored tags was a plus over BBEdit Lite, if you like to hand code, go with Taco to learn html/css/javascript then move to the full BBEdit if you can afford it.


----------



## Striderji (Aug 21, 2003)

We're up tp four alternatives now ......

I'm still listening.

- - - - -
Is there any truth to the rumor that Plasma Screens ( Does that include the 17" Mac Cinema Display? ) 'Burn Out' in two to three years?


Stridi-the-exhausted


----------



## Arden (Aug 21, 2003)

Plasma screens as in TV's?  LCD screens don't burn out until after a long time, if ever.


For pure HTML editing, use a simple text editor like TextEdit or BBEdite Lite.
For simple WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors, you can use the tools in .mac, Geocities, or any other major web host.  These will probably suit your needs for static web pages well, though they don't use CSS and aren't good for blogs.
For complicated WYSIWYG editing, use a product like Adobe Golive or Macromedia Dreamweaver.  These are much more powerful and flexible than the simple web-based editors and support PHP, Perl, CSS, Javascript, and more.  However, they can be tougher to learn and the scripts produced usually need touching up for professional web designers, though it should be fine for you.
As for blogs, let me find the article.

In the July 2003 issue of Macworld, Scot Hacker recommends GeekLog and LiveJournal for personal use, and Movable Type and pMachine Pro for professional use.  Blogger is easy to set up and use, but it doesn't offer very many features.  Start with Blogger only if you want to get ahold of the basics of blogging and moving your logs isn't very important to you when you decide to upgrade (since it's very hard to move your weblogs from one service to another).


----------



## Striderji (Aug 21, 2003)

* Stone Design
* Create
* OmniWeb
* Taco HTML edit
* BBEdit Lite
* Geek Log
* Live Journal
* TextEdit

- Wait a Minute!!  TextEdit is just 'hacking code' as they used to say !!
  So, we'd have to include OpenOffice here wouldn't we, or MS Office 98,
  Netscape Communicator 4.75, SimpleText etc., etc. Wouldn't we?

 I just discovered I had a couple of old app's hiding in 'Classic' mode .....


  Strider-the-Sleepy


----------



## Arden (Aug 21, 2003)

Any text editor can save text files, which is all HTML is.  It's merely text written in such a way (and saved with a certain file extension) that a browser will parse the code and display your text formatted.  You have to make sure to use a text editor that doesn't include extra symbols in the text; BBEdit Lite is very good for this purpose.


----------



## mdnky (Aug 21, 2003)

I use Macromedia for all my web work, and Adobe on all my print work.  Dreamweaver isn't that hard to learn, es.p if you're only using the basic layout features.

BBEdit is a great program.  If you're doing a blog, I highly suggest Movable Type.  It is an excellent system, and if it's personal noncomercial site you can't beat the price.  Their commercial site licenses aren't that expensive when you figure in the features.


----------



## serpicolugnut (Aug 21, 2003)

There are two freebie options on the Mac for HTML editing...

TacoHTML is good for a nice, free HTML coding client. 

And for simple WYSIWYG, your only option sub $150 is Mozilla's Composer. It's actually getting quite robust and coming close to matching the featureset that PageMill had before Adobe killed it off. It's still not quite as elegant, but for a free solution for a hobbyist, it's not bad.


----------



## Striderji (Aug 21, 2003)

I downloaded Netscape 7.1 ( for a few minutes ) earlier today-

Granted- That was on the G3 using a Neovo S-17 Flat-Screen Monitor .....

But, I could hardly- And I'm being gracious here, I could barely read the type.

Isn't that the 'Mozilla Composer'?

Striderji
( It's getting close to my bedtime )


----------



## Arden (Aug 22, 2003)

In Composer?  What size do you have text set to?


----------



## Striderji (Aug 22, 2003)

Fonts for: Western
Typeface, Proportional: Serif  16 Pixels
               Serif: Times
               Sans- Serif: Helvetica
               Cursive: Apple Chancery
               Fantasy:Gadget
               Monospace: Courier   13 Pixels
Minimum Font Size: None
Allow Documents to use other fonts: Yes
Display Resolution: 90 dpi


----------



## Striderji (Aug 22, 2003)

Safari is much more legible for some strange reason .....


----------



## Arden (Aug 22, 2003)

Screenshots, please!  Any samples you can find (or make).


----------



## uoba (Aug 22, 2003)

Hey Striderji... just a quick welcome... enjoyed your posts 

I echo everyone's thoughts here, I use Dreamweaver MX, though you may find GoLive easier. Anyway, there's no harm in trying Dreamweaver, download the 30-day trial from Macromedia.com 

The tutorials within Dreamweaver are basic enough to follow.

By the way, I'm interested in your type designs (I studied typography at the London College of Printing, so am a typophile at heart  )


----------



## Striderji (Aug 22, 2003)

Nothing says 'Good Morning' like 'Welcome' .....

I haven't touched a pen, since-

<Grin> Probably since 1985 in Hawaii .....

But should my wishes be full-filled, and I actually finish the font I designed
on the Windward-Side of Oahu, Waimanalo - I'll share it online.

( I have a dear friend who actually spent several years learning DreamWeaver )

Thanks for the Welcome, Again!!




Stridi
( Stay-at-home-father of a five-year-old )


----------



## Striderji (Aug 24, 2003)

Enclosed please find an example of how bad, illegible the fonts are within the
frames and windows of my G3's OS X v.10.2.6 .....

How can I fix this, I can not read the type in many of the frames and windows at all- for example:

  'Explorer' , 'Internet Explorer Preferences'
  'Languages' and 'Fonts and Size'


 Striderji
( Eric Cabot Steed )


----------



## Arden (Aug 24, 2003)

I don't see what the problem is... maybe a screenshot that wasn't enlarged?

Choose a font size in the Languages/Fonts panel that is 4 points bigger than what is already there.  Also, be sure you're using the latest version of Explorer, or switch to Safari...


----------



## Striderji (Aug 25, 2003)

The screen shot WAS enlarged- I simply reduced it to actual size when I converted it from *.pdf format to *.jpg format.

Here is a side-by-side-comparison- Do you not see a difference?

       I've got the fonts set at 16 pixels now, what is that
       in terms of point sizes?  Four points larger would be
       how many pixels?

As I recall, the fonts only became illegible on the G3 when I downloaded and installed Netscape and/or Mozilla.

Safari is, was and ever shall be, quite legible, which was my initial question.

Why and how did a Mozilla Install screw up the fonts used withing Explorer for Mac?  And how do I fix it?

Striderji


----------



## Striderji (Aug 25, 2003)

Here is a side-by-side comparison using the same frame, on from my G4
and on from my G3:

     How do I fix this??

 Stridi


----------



## Arden (Aug 25, 2003)

Aha.  It's simply a matter of anti-aliasing.  Check your System Preferences for the smallest size of anti-aliasing your system uses (I think it's in SP, but I can't remember; it also might be in View Options.  Let me boot into OS X on my iMac, and I'll get back to you).  You can use a tool like Tinkertool to make the minimum anti-aliasing font size smaller, as well.


----------



## Arden (Aug 25, 2003)

Okay, I booted into OS X and found the option you want.  It's in the General pane, in the Personal category (the first one).  At the bottom, you'll see a section about font smoothing.  Ignore the type dropdown menu, and from the second menu select the maximum font size that you don't want anti-aliased.  I'd say choose 8 or 9, and see if it works (this is on the G3, BTW).

AboveI meant maybe if you posted a screenshot that had not been enlarged, I'd have an easier time helping you out.  But with your side-by-side, I figured it out.  Hope this helps.


----------



## Pardus (Aug 25, 2003)

BBEDIT
DREAMWEAVER
PHOTOSHOP
FLASH

For easy Blogs do it for free at blogger.com


----------



## Striderji (Aug 25, 2003)

I adjusted that as outlined. Thanks. Maybe it's the monitor, too.
I changed the resolution to 1280 X 1024 just to make it easier for the moment, I can always change it on a case by case basis .....

Actually- And I can't figure this out- Its better at either 1280 X 1024
or 800 X 600 ??? All three of my monitors are set to the same resolution and all three show the same picture a little differently.

The Apple Studio Display is best, the Neovo S-17 second-best, and the Gateway Active Matrix TFT third. [ No, I haven't tried a regular CRT, an Optiquest Q71 for example.]

Thanks Again- I'll just have to adjust <Grin>


Stridi


----------



## Arden (Aug 25, 2003)

Flat screen monitors always look best at their native resolutions, which is almost always the highest resolutions they support.  The reason is that they have a specific size that pixels can be, and at lower resolutions the monitor interpolates the larger pixels from the smaller ones, and lines come out blurry.  On a CRT, you have RGB tubes like a TV, and these support differently sized pixels much better than an LCD screen.

If you have a hard time reading the screen at the native resolution, set it lower unless you need precise pixel output (like for graphics).  800 x 600 on a 17" monitor, for example, is still easier to read than 1280 x 1024, even though it's blurrier.


----------

