Ready to Begin

[Ron Prestenback]

Hey guys. I don't know if this is the appropriate area for this question, but it seemed to be the closest.

I am starting on my first web page. The purpose of this web is personal in nature. I am however an MCP, and am almost finished my MCSE. I am looking for a job right now, but I won't be out of school for another three months. I have noticed that most positions mention preferences to HTML, Java, asp, etc. so I will also be using my this venture to learn how to create web pages. I'm not interested in really learning the actual code itself right now....I'm just looking for results. I got Dreamweaver 4.01, as well as "Teach yourself Dreamweaver4 in 24Hours" by SAMS Publishing (book). I also have FrontPage2000, but haven't installed it.

Do you guys have any comments or preferences about Dreamweaver? I don't know enough about it to know the difference right now, I'm sure, but would you guys recommend sticking with Dreamweaver, or using FrontPage instead? (or some other program?)

Also, if anyone knows of any websites with tutorials or information on building web sites for people with no HTML experience, please let me know, as the tutorial in Dreamweaver isn't very comprehensive.

Thanks in advance for you help! It took me 8 years to become proficient in general netyworking/computer troubleshooting and operation from teaching myself by trial and error. I would like to abbreviate this period for my entrance into web editing <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

[opiate]

Ron,

I would get a general HTML Referance book, any should do. If you know how to use Microsoft Word then you should pick up HTML pretty quickly. HTML is very simple, it's not really even a programming language, but more of a web page format language. As far as Java... Java is more complex but also offers endless compatability accross different platforms. If you wanna learn Java I would suggest learning C/C++ first for they are both much alike. Pure Java is not just for web programming, some desktop applications are also programmed in Java. ASP is very powerful for web applications, hint "applications" being that an application needs to interact with the user to process transactions, functionallity, and managment. ASP is mainly used for database drivin web sites, e-commerce and security.

Personaly I would stay away from both Dreamweaver and Frontpage. They are considered WizardWare, "What you see is what you get." I like to rely on Notepad to code HTML, ASP, JavaScript. Heehhhee, I know it sound silly that one little program like Notepade can produce all that but, is dosent matter because the internet browser complies the document.


My favority links for coding...
#1 http://news.devx.com
#2 http://planetsourcecode.com
#3 Usernet

Programming is not meant to be easy. It's not something you can just hop into and 5 minutes later complete a program. Companys pay hundreds of thousands of dollars just for program managment, and these people don't even write programs. It really all depends on what you want to do with your career. It takes allot of time to become a entry level programmer, I'm still one and I've been with my company for 2 years.

[lysergic]

Dreamweaver has its functions. The split code/WYSIWYG is very handy if you need to find a table tag in a hurry. As far as coding, there are better utils out there aside from notepad that are free. You might want to try something like Textpad. Don't bother with Frontpage.

As far as books
HTML: Any general HTML should do fine
ASP and MSSQL: WROX
Javascript: O'Reilly Definitive Guide
CGI/Perl/MySQL: Good sites all over the web (do a search for cpan and apache sites)

[pHattmAtt]

I've found Dreamweaver to be very productive for me. You can do a quick and dirty initial design, then tweak the html to your hearts content.

I prefer to learn by example and by picking things up as I need them. If you do too then Dreamweaver is well worth considering. There is a free trial you can download to try it out at http://www.macromedia.com/software/d...aver/download/

Matt.

[Ron Prestenback]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the tips, and I'll update you guys when I have a couple of pages up and running! <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

[KoWind7]

I use a freeware program called Fisrt Page. It has several different user modes, from id10t to hardcore. EvrSoft

[ShadowKing]

Ron, you and I are in the same boat.

I am great with Workstations, Servers, and programming, but know next to nothing about web design. If you are familiar with VB already, ASP is the way to go.

I did a little asp for a family pictures album that builds all of the pages on the fly, so that all I have to do is add pictures and thumbs to the folders and nothing else.

You can see it at http://www.mattlowe.com/pics

I would be happy to email you the source if you so desire. Remeber that HTML is not a programming language, just a markup language. All you are doing is telling the browser how to format text. ASP is programming though. You are giving a unique page to each user. For example, there is a "Display Options" link on the pics page that stores a cookie on your hard drive. Then when you view a picture, it reads the cookie to see how you want it displayed.

[Ron Prestenback]

Originally posted by ShadowKing:
<STRONG>
I did a little asp for a family pictures album that builds all of the pages on the fly, so that all I have to do is add pictures and thumbs to the folders and nothing else.

You can see it at http://www.mattlowe.com/pics

I would be happy to email you the source if you so desire. </STRONG>

I would absolutely LOVE for you to send me the source. I find that I am an interactive learner. I look at a finished project, decide I want to do it, then learn as I go by finding the information on each step as I encounter it.

Your page is exactly the format that I want to present the first part of my web page in! I want to create a page that helps me (and anyone else who needs help) find the answers to questions about problems and errors on their computer. Especially finding the right Knowledge Base article, because that thing is so picky about keywords and such. For someone who knows 3 or 4 terms for each aspect of a computer, you can usually ferret out the particular word that microsoft needs to find the article, but for the average user, the KB, which is a fantastic resource, is unusable!! I would love to be able to use the source from your page as a starting point for this project, and I appreciate the offer very much. Please send it on.

[Imon Fyre]

One of the most useful program combo's ive been turned onto by others is dreamweaver ultradev 4, adn fireworks 4.

here is the start of my webpage. its not finished yet, but i will get around to finishing it later on... made it with fireworks and ultradev

as for books, find whatever one makes the most sense to you... thats about all i can say for that