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Understanding the Web Design Environment — Chapter 1

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CHAPTER 1

Understanding the Web Design Environment

When you complete this chapter, you will be able to:

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Describe the current state of HTML Move from HTML to XHTML Use good coding practices Describe browser compatibility issues Consider for connection speed differences Design for multiple screen resolutions Address operating system issues

In this chapter, you explore the variable factors that affect Web design. You learn how Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language used to create documents on the World Wide Web, is constantly evolving, and preview the new markup languages that are changing how you design for the Web. You learn how to use good coding practices to create HTML code that is valid and based on current acceptable standards. You see how Web browsers affect the way users view your content, and how variations in the user’s browser choice, screen resolution, and connection speed pose specific challenges to creating Web pages that are displayed properly in different computing platforms. Finally, you consider what type of software tool you can use to create your HTML code.

The Current State of HTML

In this section, you explore the evolution of HTML and its future as a markup language for creating Web documents. You analyze the structural nature of HTML, the need for style sheets that allow you to separate presentation from content, and the use of hypertext as a means for organizing information.

HTML: Then and Now

When Tim Berners-Lee first proposed HTML at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in 1989, he was looking for a way to manage and share large amounts of information among colleagues. He proposed a web of documents connected by hypertext links and hosted by computers called hypertext servers. As the idea developed, Berners-Lee coined the term, “the

9781435429123, Principles of Web Design, 4e by Joel Sklar - © Cengage Learning

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