Opinions Requested

[Mike Copeland]

What's the best set of authoring tools (if there is one...) for
building a simple Web site? Specifically, I want to produce a
"newsletter " site that contains a menu (for key dates and subjects), has
variable-sized text narratives, and contains some pictures. Not much in
the way of graphics, but some different fonts and colors might be
nice...)
I don't want a blog, nor do I intend to do any e-commerce with this
site - just have a lot of "news" content for the few people I'll point
to it.
The reason for this query is that I know of many languages that would
seem to be able to do such a job (HTML, CSS, Perl, PHP, etc.), and I've
purchased a number of books on each. However, I see from what I have a
very daunting task to pick and choose various features and learn them -
something that could well take many months to even get started on this
(personal) task. (I plan to produce a family "holiday letter" that
spans several years, as well as maintain it.) It probably should be
simple and generic, since I can't control what browsers might be used to
view it.
I have some experience with HTML, as well as a small amount of
experience with CSS. The others I only know _of_, but I believe I could
learn them if I knew what and where to to focus on... 8<}}
Any thoughts? TIA

[dorayme]

Re: Opinions Requested

In article <MPG.2349ca8d40 e878ee989715@ne ws.cox.net>,
mrc2323@cox.net (Mike Copeland) wrote:

...Specifically , I want to produce a
"newsletter " site that contains a menu (for key dates and subjects), has
variable-sized text narratives,

"variable-sized text narratives", you a post-modernist?

and contains some pictures. Not much in
the way of graphics, but some different fonts and colors might be
nice...)
I don't want a blog, nor

What we *don't* want can come to a very long irrelevant list. <g>

The reason for this query is that I know of many languages that would
seem to be able to do such a job (HTML, CSS, Perl, PHP, etc.), and I've
purchased a number of books on each. However, I see from what I have a
very daunting task to pick and choose various features and learn them -
something that could well take many months to even get started on this
(personal) task. (I plan to produce a family "holiday letter" that
spans several years, as well as maintain it.) It probably should be
simple and generic, since I can't control what browsers might be used to
view it.
I have some experience with HTML, as well as a small amount of
experience with CSS.

If you had experience with HTMl and some with CSS, you would know that
what you want is entirely possible with just these. I suggest you go
through the tutes at

<http://htmldog.com/guides/htmlbeginner/>

The others I only know _of_, but I believe I could
learn them if I knew what and where to to focus on... 8<}}
Any thoughts?

Yes, Don't blind yourself with science yet. Read the tutes and see. If
you then have specific difficulties, come back. alt.html for general
questions, other groups if it is more html or more css depending. O and
try to supply a URL of your efforts when you do as it is often very
helpful.

(Where the hell is everyone, this whole weekend, everyone has been very
quiet on all html/css ngs? Or is my news server playing up? Has anyone
played tricks on me and reverse filtered themselves from mine eyes?)

--
dorayme

[pecan]

Re: Opinions Requested

dorayme wrote:

In article <MPG.2349ca8d40 e878ee989715@ne ws.cox.net>,
mrc2323@cox.net (Mike Copeland) wrote:
>

>...Specificall y, I want to produce a
>"newsletter " site that contains a menu (for key dates and subjects), has
>variable-sized text narratives,

>
"variable-sized text narratives", you a post-modernist?
>
>

>and contains some pictures. Not much in
>the way of graphics, but some different fonts and colors might be
>nice...)
> I don't want a blog, nor

>
What we *don't* want can come to a very long irrelevant list. <g>
>

> The reason for this query is that I know of many languages that would
>seem to be able to do such a job (HTML, CSS, Perl, PHP, etc.), and I've
>purchased a number of books on each. However, I see from what I have a
>very daunting task to pick and choose various features and learn them -
>something that could well take many months to even get started on this
>(personal) task. (I plan to produce a family "holiday letter" that
>spans several years, as well as maintain it.) It probably should be
>simple and generic, since I can't control what browsers might be used to
>view it.
> I have some experience with HTML, as well as a small amount of
>experience with CSS.

>
If you had experience with HTMl and some with CSS, you would know that
what you want is entirely possible with just these. I suggest you go
through the tutes at
>
<http://htmldog.com/guides/htmlbeginner/>
>
>
>

>The others I only know _of_, but I believe I could
>learn them if I knew what and where to to focus on... 8<}}
> Any thoughts?

>
Yes, Don't blind yourself with science yet. Read the tutes and see. If
you then have specific difficulties, come back. alt.html for general
questions, other groups if it is more html or more css depending. O and
try to supply a URL of your efforts when you do as it is often very
helpful.
>
(Where the hell is everyone, this whole weekend, everyone has been very
quiet on all html/css ngs? Or is my news server playing up? Has anyone
played tricks on me and reverse filtered themselves from mine eyes?)
>

We knew you weren't in the best of moods, and stayed away!!!
:-)

I've been learning Wordpress. Sigh. I've learned how to make a
template. I'll show you all when it's finished.

[dorayme]

Re: Opinions Requested

In article <gbppvq$ie2$1@r egistered.motza rella.org>,
pecan <pecan@NOSPAMro uxville.infowro te:

I've been learning Wordpress. Sigh. I've learned how to make a
template. I'll show you all when it's finished.

Excellent. Become expert and I will find out anything I need to know
from you.

--
dorayme

[Scott Bryce]

Re: Opinions Requested

Mike Copeland wrote:

What's the best set of authoring tools (if there is one...) for
building a simple Web site?

A text editor.

The reason for this query is that I know of many languages that would
seem to be able to do such a job (HTML, CSS, Perl, PHP, etc.)

Whatever technology you use in the background, ultimately a web page is
HTML and CSS. If what you want to do is fairly simple, you don't need to
know any other languages. If what you want to do is fairly simple,
incorporating other technologies unnecessarily will just complicate the
process.

[dorayme]

Re: Opinions Requested

In article <WcadndDQbJ7B8n 3VnZ2dnUVZ_hWdn Z2d@comcast.com >,
Scott Bryce <sbryce@scottbr yce.comwrote:

incorporating other technologies unnecessarily will just complicate the
process

Did you seek permission from Travis to use this? <g>

--
dorayme

[Guy Macon]

Re: Opinions Requested




Stefan Ram wrote:

>Pages of the same site might share common structures,
>therefore, a templating system might help to reduce
>redundancies . A preprocessor or a programming language
>can be used as a templating system, as well as a
>dedicated templating systems.

... or just use a text editor that does a search and
replace in multiple files at once.

--
Guy Macon
<http://www.GuyMacon.co m/>

[Scott Bryce]

Re: Opinions Requested

Stefan Ram wrote:

Scott Bryce <sbryce@scottbr yce.comwrites:

>>What's the best set of authoring tools (if there is one...) for
>>building a simple Web site?

>A text editor.

>
Pages of the same site might share common structures,
therefore, a templating system might help to reduce
redundancies. A preprocessor or a programming language
can be used as a templating system, as well as a
dedicated templating systems.

1) The OP said what he wanted to do was simple.

2) When I need to build a system similar to what you described, I use a
text editor.

[Scott Bryce]

Re: Opinions Requested

dorayme wrote:

In article <WcadndDQbJ7B8n 3VnZ2dnUVZ_hWdn Z2d@comcast.com >,
Scott Bryce <sbryce@scottbr yce.comwrote:
>

>incorporatin g other technologies unnecessarily will just complicate the
>process

>
Did you seek permission from Travis to use this? <g>

Did I use someone else's line?

[pecan]

Re: Opinions Requested

Scott Bryce wrote:

>
>
1) The OP said what he wanted to do was simple.
>

People's ideas of what's simple are not necessarily simple. I have
people saying they 'just want a simple website, something so that the
people can search their products and buy them online, maybe with Paypal
facilities.'

lol
I've also spent an inordinate amount of time converting a vertical menu
to a horizontal on because "I like the menu that site has", only to find
what he liked was the white background, not the horizontal.

[Scott Bryce]

Re: Opinions Requested

pecan wrote:

People's ideas of what's simple are not necessarily simple.

That is true. Perhaps the OP can describe to us just how complex his
version of simple is.

Still, I contend that the best authoring tool is a text editor. I have
built a fairly complex site with little more than that.

[Mike Copeland]

Re: Opinions Requested

People's ideas of what's simple are not necessarily simple.

>
That is true. Perhaps the OP can describe to us just how complex his
version of simple is.

I thought I had done just that... 8<{{
I want to construct a "newsletter Web site" (single column, no
animation) that is built under a one-level menu (which shows key links
to chapters and/or major events), under which is a combination of
lengthy narrative and a few pictures. I merely want to communicate with
some friends the sort of thing I/we used to write in a year-end "holiday
letter".
There's no need for Flash or fancy graphics in this, and if I could
see a few sample sites I could cannibalize the code to what I want.

Still, I contend that the best authoring tool is a text editor. I have
built a fairly complex site with little more than that.

Regardless of such an obvious "tool", I was wondering what - if any -
language or development platform I might try to learn to create and
maintain the "simple" site I plan. I see so much different stuff out
there (Perl, PHP, CSS, whatever) that I'm confused about that direction
the Web creation field has taken/is taking...and that was the basis of
my query.

[Scott Bryce]

Re: Opinions Requested

Mike Copeland wrote:

>>People's ideas of what's simple are not necessarily simple.

>That is true. Perhaps the OP can describe to us just how complex
>his version of simple is.

>
I thought I had done just that... 8<{{ I want to construct a
"newsletter Web site" (single column, no animation) that is built
under a one-level menu (which shows key links to chapters and/or
major events), under which is a combination of lengthy narrative and
a few pictures. I merely want to communicate with some friends the
sort of thing I/we used to write in a year-end "holiday letter".
There's no need for Flash or fancy graphics in this, and if I could
see a few sample sites I could cannibalize the code to what I want.

How often will it be updated? Are you going to archive old newsletters?
For how long?

If you are going to update it weekly and archive the old newsletters
indefinitely, a CMS system or blog system would make things easier.

If you are going to update it daily, get yourself a FaceBook account
instead.

Regardless of such an obvious "tool", I was wondering what - if any -
language or development platform I might try to learn to create and
maintain the "simple" site I plan. I see so much different stuff
out there (Perl, PHP, CSS, whatever) that I'm confused about that
direction the Web creation field has taken/is taking...and that was
the basis of my query.

A web page is, as it always has been, HTML. CSS is very helpful, and is
almost considered a necessity any more. Anything else is additional
resources available if you need to do anything complex. What you
probably want to do is learn HTML and CSS and get a good text editor.
When you are happy with the first page you build, use it as a template
for any other pages you build. If I were publishing a personal
newsletter, say, monthly, and only archiving a year's worth of
newsletters, that is what I would do. For anything more complex, I'd
probably load WordPress on my site and use it to manage the archives.

[Bergamot]

Re: Opinions Requested


Mike Copeland wrote:

>
I want to construct a "newsletter Web site" (single column, no
animation) that is built under a one-level menu (which shows key links
to chapters and/or major events), under which is a combination of
lengthy narrative and a few pictures.

What's wrong with using a blog or a CMS like Joomla? You can disable
bloggy things like user comments if that's what you're concerned about.

--
Berg

[Bergamot]

Re: Opinions Requested


pecan wrote:

>
People's ideas of what's simple are not necessarily simple.

Aye. Reminds me of a former co-worker who always had a "quick" question.
The question may have been quick, but the answer was usually long and
complicated. ;)

--
Berg