HTML Notebook


Okay, the FIRST THING you will hear about HTML is that you need the latest and greatest HTML editor. BUNK! The BEST editor you can possably use is already built right into your computer. If your using Windows (3.x, 95, NT, ect) you have a Notebook editor. ALL my HTML editing is done exclusivly in the Notebook editor, unless I want to do something complicated like add a Java applet or an Active-X control. We'll talk more about those later.

To edit your page, just open your browser (without connecting) pull up your page (if you have one) by typing in the pathname in the address field. (I.E. C:\HTML\MYPAGE.HTM [ENTER]) You can then right click on that page, and select "View Source", this will bring your source code up in the Notebook editor. You may then make and save any changes to your page.

Once you have made a change to the page, dont keep closing and re-opening the editor, just minimize it, then click on [Refresh] (for MSIE) or [Reload] (for NS), and instantly see how your changes look.

My favorite method of editing, is to "shrink" my browser to the upper 2/3 of the screen, and "shrink" my note book editor to the lower 1/3. This way, I don't have to keep minimizing and restoring things. I can just make the changes I want in the lower window, and see them in the upper window. :) You will still have to save and reload, but it just goes a bit quicker and cleaner. :)

But why should ILEARN HTML instead of using an editor?
Editors are wonderful things if you are already an HTML professional, but even though they can write the code for you, if something goes wrong with your page (and it will) the editor can not fix it for you. You MUST know how to debug your own code and to do that means knowing SOMETHING about what you are doing.

Also, drag-and-drop editors usually cant seem to handle the old "Cut and Paste". When you receive HTML code through E-mail and you want to just drop it in "as-is", the results are usually pathetic at best. If you do the same thing in Notepad, your results will be greatly increased.

Personal Information and the Internet
Would you run an ad in your local paper saying "Attention Burglers! Im going away for the weekend, the key is under the mat. Please don't take my brand new $5,000.00 stereo system. My name is Jane Doe and I live at 1234 Anywhere Street. I'll be gone till Monday Morning."

Sounds pretty stupid dosent it? Yet it dosent sound so silly to advertise to MILLIONS of people worldwide who you are, where you live, what your life history is, this is a picture of me, my house, my car, my family. When you stop to think of some of the people who have probably seen your personal information on the interent, it kinda gives you the creeps, and yet millions of people each day do it. It's no wonder that identity theft is skyrocketing.

Just as you wound NEVER think of posting your credit card information on the web, you should also never post personal information to the web as well. Shakespere said "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy", and there are wierder people in this world than you might possably imagine. Im not trying to scare anyone, and I gear this mainly towards the kids. DONT PUT PERSONAL INFO ON THE WEB! Especially real names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, photos of yourself or where you live. This type of information is a gold mine for criminals.

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