About this site

This site has been prepared as a project for the XMIT 694 Internet Technologies course, due date January 12, 2003. It represents my approach to web development. It's a personal philosophy about how to make information available to broader publics through the World Wide Web. It reflects eight years of discovery since I downloaded by first version of Netscape Navigator in 1995.

The site was set up using the following technologies:

Web Standards: Rather than try to tailor a site to a particular browser, we code to the standards of the World Wide Web Consortium . We assume that the visitor is using a fifth-generation browser. For more information about the issues and stakes, check out the Web Standards Project .
XHTML: Version 1 is a reformulation of HTML so that it cleans the slate of all the false starts of the preceding 10 years. Version 2 is now under review.
Cascading Style Sheets: all formatting and layout was done using CSS 2 , including positioning of images and the navigation menu. As an accelerator for the project, we started off with the scheme from our personal site, gci275
Navigation system: We started with a Javascript-based menu scheme by CoolDev , CoolMenu, available as a freeware product. What distinguishes the product line is that it does not use multiple images for mouseover effects, but relies on pure CSS for navigation buttons. This makes for faster downloads and easier management. I've found other attempts at pulling this approach off, but none have succeeded so elegantly and bug-free. The current version of JavaScript is EMCAScript
No frames or tables are used because they run counter to web usability and information accessibility.

Tools

HTML Design Environment: Macromedia HomeSite. I have used this program since it was a freeware program in 1996, way before it hit the big time as shareware, later purchased by Allaire and then taken over by Macromedia.
HTML Editor: HTML-Kit. I use this program for lots of writing and editing of content because it allows me to upload files straight to the website, without using a separate FTP program. Strong support from its author and very extensible.
CSS Editor: TopStyle Pro 3. It makes the complexities of CSS easy to handle. Produced by the same guy who invented HomeSite.
Code Validation: CSE HTML Validator Pro. If I am going to be preaching web standards, I have to make sure that the code works up to specifications.
Graphic editor: Jasc PaintShop Pro. An application that is a nice fit for web work because it does not carry the heavy price tag of Adobe Photoshop and less of a learning curve.
FTP Program: CuteFTP Pro. Another program that I've been using since I discovered the Internet in 1995. Not that it's better than other FTP programs, it just has a nice upgrade policy.
Digital Camera: Canon PowerShot S30. With apologies due to my classmates and professors for having intruding into our learning environment with a flash and lens.

Other resources

When you're done writing a web page, your work is not over. You should also make sure that the page meets minimum standards of accessibility.

See W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative and the U.S. Federal Government's Section 508 . The HTML Writers' Guild also has Aware Program and WebAIM
A good source is Web AccessiBlog by Joe Clark who wrote a book about the whole thing.
Testing: A-Prompt ::: Bobby Scan
You can also get a rating from Internet Content Rating Association or ICRA about the content on your site to show that it is appropriate for children. This certification should prevent your site from being blocked by filtering service or program.

Michael Smith

Site Owner

I am Michael Smith. I work at the Organization of American States in Washington, DC. It's a public international organization, the oldest regional grouping of country states in the world. I work in the Information Technology Division where, aside from being the token gringo, I do lots of things. My main role is a technology pathfinder -- researching options and approaches, mapping out plans and putting a lot of these ideas down on paper. I explain my work on another site.

Since the XMIT program is over, I transferred the material first to my personal website and now to an IT-focused site where it will remain as a tribute to my classmates and anyone else who might be interested. I originally foresaw rescuing content from previous modules and seminars might take longer than the time assigned for this project, but now it's clear that I have to evolve this in new directions. Stay tuned.

Web Server

Apache/1.3.22 (Unix)
mod_ssl/2.8.5
OpenSSL/0.9.6a
PHP/4.0.6 mod_perl/1.26
FrontPage/5.0.2.2623
AuthMySQL/2.20

Feedback

Any comments or suggestions, please send them to Michael Smith .