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Chris Lamb gives some guidance on how to build a home page. From the "Blue Chip News", a publication of the Saginaw Valley Computer Association, Saginaw, MI Why And How To Write A Homepage By Chris Lamb Rather than discuss how to write a homepage in HTML, to gain your own presence on the Internet, I would like to discuss why anyone would want to have the capability, some infrastructure and standards, and sources of support. Also, you may as well get a favorite beverage and relax for a few minutes because it cannot all be said in a couple of paragraphs. What is presented here is merely the tip of a very large iceberg. The Internet started in the 1960s as a way for government and educational researchers to exchange information electronically. With the advent of personal computers and higher speed communications methods, that desire to share, spread even farther. Initially, text files and some special graphics files were exchanged at the blinding speeds of 300 bits per second. Today, we travel considerably faster than that, most commonly at 14,400 bits per second (bits are not the same as a BAUD). Higher speeds of 28,800 and 56K are just around the corner for many home computer users, and they are quite common for industry. Many satellite links transfer data in the hundreds of thousands of bits per second range. The migration is not waiting for technology, it is waiting for noise-free phone lines over which to transfer data. You can get a Aquiet line@ with 56K capability right now for about $300 per month. With the increase in speed and the belief in the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, the data that was being transmitted took the form of graphics. The Internet grew steadily until the early 1990's when it started growing over 100% per year. Today there are close to two million host computers throughout the world, interconnected and commonly called the Internet. Each site generally runs some type of UNIX host with TCP/IP, but not necessarily. As the Internet continues to grow, changes are taking place. No longer is this merely the playground of governments and computer jocks. Marketing, banking, healthcare and entertainment have all entered the virtual world in a big way. Writing Your Own Homepage Assuming you are still interested, writing your own homepage is actually quite simple. There are hundreds of providers that allow home computer users to link through a modem connection to their service. Commonly the connection is made through SLIP (Simple Language Internet Protocol) or PPP (PPP). There are excellent packages available for less than $100 such as Netscape, Internet in a Box, and Chameleon, which provide the basic programs to make it all work. The home enthusiast can use any communications package, such as ProComm or Smarterm to connect to their service. One can still traverse the net in a text manner, but using a GUI (Graphical User Interface), such as some version of Windows or OS/2, makes it fun while providing valuable information. The WINSOCK, such as Trumpet or NEWT, is the program that translates the packets between your PC and your host provider. There have been dozens of books written on how to set up your system to work on the Internet. Once you have that connection, there are many free and shareware programs available to write a homepage, such as HTMLWrit, SGML, or the additions to the popular word processors. Support The best way to write homepages is to go out on the net and look at other people's homepages to get ideas for how you want to do yours. The browsers offer an option to view the source code and copy it into a file for each page you view. You can start at http://www.cris.com/~example/ if you cannot find any other place. There are examples of how to use many different features, including CGI. Start simple and small and grow your pages as you learn. While HTML is supposed to be a standard, there are variations from service to service and I could write volume about the problems with HTML. It is still a good starting point to gain a presence, but HTML is being replaced by more powerful standards, including 3D capabilities. Feel free to visit my homepage at http:/www.cris.com/~tate/ I have links to many sites that offer assistance to the person wishing to write a homepage, or email me at tate@cris.com. For those in the Tri-City area of Bay City, Michigan, I highly recommend Concentric Research (CRIS). Call 517-895-0500 for voice information or 517-895-0510 for on-line information and to sign up. If you call into the local number you can get service for as little as $10 per month flat fee, unlimited use. CRIS is the third largest Internet provider behind Sprintnet and CompuServe. The only way to start is to jump in with both feet and do it. Spending a little time exploring other links will quickly speed you on your way. There are many aspects to the Internet besides the World Wide Web. All the software you need is downloadable from CRIS. In teaching the Internet for 4 years, I observed that it takes roughly 80 hours of hands-on Asurfing@ before it all comes into focus. You do not learn to ride a bike by looking at it. Please send a copy of your newsletter to Saginaw Valley Computer Association PO Box 5827, Saginaw, MI 48603-0827 Lynn L Kauer, President/Editor 73450,3007@compuserve.com LLKAUER@AOL.com

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