week 2: web standards

the web standards movement is a group of designers that advocates strict compliance with the letter and the spirit of web standards developed by the w3c. well, doesn't everyone use html and other standards - well, yes and no...

the biggest issues that the web standards folks find with web sites relates to code that works or works well with only certain browsers. for example, a site that says "optimized for ie 6.0 1280x768" is likely not following standards - nor are sites that have hacks for different browsers. the other issue relates to using html tags in ways other than what was intended - i.e. using a table for layout or h1 just to make text bigger....

see this page for a summary of the points supporting web standards

like any movement, not everyone agrees...this article summarizes most of the objections

for the most part, i support web standards. that being said, like any ideology, i feel it does not need to be followed fanatically. there are times, to be frank, i can accomplish a layout with a table easier than with css. however, these are exceptions and should be done with discretion and in an informed way - not simply because one does not want to learn the css way....

week 1: why re-invent the wheel...

see this entry for a great example of a journal entry for week 1

introduction

hello.

i am mike zellers. i will be using this journal for two reasons:
to give you an example of what i am expecting from your journal
to provide you with resources

identifying and using resources is a critical skill in any field - esp. in web/software development. there is so much to know and no one is an expert about everything.

ok. a little about me. prior to coming to lccc fulltime, i worked as a software developer for close to 20 years, in a variety of contexts. i have done web development and "traditional" software development in various platforms. i started fulltime at lccc in january 2002, and i love it.

i think you will find that i will do my best to help you and be flexible. this is *your* course. my only job, is ultimately, to help you learn.