Careers in Internet Technologies and Web Design

• Extranet-A Web-based network interface between two or more separate companies or vendors for the purposes of data exchange and project coordination. Unlike Internet sites, extranets are usually private connections between participating companies and involve higher levels of security. Like intranets, the information is accessible via an HTML compatible browser and can often be accessed via the WWW
  
  
• Applet-Developed in the Java programming language, applets are small programs that are delivered to the visitor via a browser to provide additional functionality or visual presentation that is not easily available in standard HTML code.
  
  
  
  
• ASP-A Microsoft technology, ASP is becoming a staple of modern Web development. ASPs are authored in VBScript or JavaScript and allow sophisticated data interpretation and delivery to be computed by the Web server. Results are then sent to the visitor's browser in pure HTML.
  
  
• JavaScript-Developed by Netscape, JavaScript is not a subset of Sun Microsystems's Java programming language. It is however, the single most popular client-side scripting language in use today. Compatible with many current Web browsers, JavaScript allows HTML authors to create interesting and useful user interaction that is processed on the visitor's computer.
  
  
• HTML-HTML is the basic language used to author Web pages for use on the Internet, intranets, and extranets. HTML allows for data formatting, images, sounds, and animations to be delivered to a user with a Web browser.
  
  
• DHTML-DHTML is not so much a particular programming language as it is a method of using HTML, JavaScript, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to create very interactive and attractive Web sites.
  
  
• XML-The extensible Markup Language is a powerful markup language that is gaining popularity among Web developers, especially those designing extranets, for the purposes of data exchange. XML allows authors to create their own markup languages by defining their own markup tags as well as the use of those tags. Unfortunately, XML is only supported by Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher and a number of more obscure Web browsers. Currently, no version of Netscape Navigator supports XML, therefore, its implementations on the WWW have been limited and cumbersome.
  
  
• XHTML-A recent addition to the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) recommendations, the extensible HyperText Markup Language was created to further standardize HTML authoring by using XML Document Type Definitions (DTDs). DTDs are used in XML to define how tags are to be used and structured as well as what data types they can contain.
  
  
• W3C-TheW3C is a quasi-standards organization that makes recommendations on various Web related technologies. Located at www.w3c.org, Web developers can get the latest information on which new technologies will be emerging as standards in the coming months.
  

Books

As with many IT fields, there are scores of books related to various Web development technologies available to you.The following sections contain a small list of books that are considered to leaders in the field.

Beginner Book Titles

• Houser.Tim Catura-Houser, Laurel Ann Spivey Dumas, and Matt Simmons. i-Net+ Exam Prep. The Coriolis Group, 2000. ISBN 1576105989.
  
  
• Oliver, Dick. Teach Yourself HTML in 24 Hours. Sams, 1999. ISBN 0672317249.
  
  
• Tyler, Denise. Teach Yourself FrontPage 2000 in 21 Days. Sams, 2000. ISBN 0672314991.
  

Intermediate Books

• Pitts-Moultis, Natanya, C.C. Sanders, Ramesh Chandak, and JeffWandling. HTML Black Book. The Coriolis Group, 2000. ISBN 1576101886.
  
  
• Buser, David, and Jon Duckett et al. Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0. Wrox Press, 2000. ISBN 1861003382.
  
  
• Milburn, Ken, and John Croteau. Flash 4 Web Animation f/x and Design. The Coriolis Group, 1999. ISBN 1576105555.
  
  
• North, Simon. TeachYourself XML in 21 Days. Sams, 1999. ISBN 1575213966.
  

Advanced Books

• Williams, Al, Kim Barber, and Paul Newkirk. Active Server Pages Solutions. The Coriolis Group, 2000. ISBN 157610608X.
  
  
• Homer, Alex, and David Sussman et al. Professional Active Server Pages 3.0. Wrox Press, 1999.ISBN 1861002610.
  

Reference Books

• Goodman, Danny. Dynamic HTMUTlie Definitive Reference. O'Reilly & Associates, 1998. ISBN 1565924940.
  
  
• Goodman, Danny, and Brendan Eich. JavaScript Bible. IDG Books Worldwide, 1998. ISBN 0764531883.
  
  
• Harold, Elliotte Rusty. XML Bible. IDG Books Worldwide, 1999. ISBN 0764532367.
  

Online Information and Resources

The Internet provides a great number of informative resources for learning and reference on Web development. The following list contains just a smidgen of what is available.

Newsgroups

Many newsgroups are available on the Usenet network that will provide you with a good idea of what being a Web developer is like. You will also find some good information about what technologies are taking off and which ones are on the horizon.

• microsoft.public.frontpage
  
  
• microsoft.public.inetserver.asp.general
  
  
• netscape.public.dev.html
  
  
• microsoft.public.webdesign.html
  
  
• macromedia.dynamic.html
  
  
• comp.text.xml
  
  
• comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html
  

Magazines and Journals

There are a number of online magazines available on Web development, but very few are in print due to the nature of the paperless Intemet.The following list contains a handful of the more popular publications used among Web developers. For a more thorough listing of available publications visit http://dir.yahoo.com/ Computers_and_Internet/News_and_Media/Magazines.

• XML Developers Journal-This is a quarterly printed magazine covering the latest issues in XML technology. This magazine includes articles and tutorials for beginning and advanced XML coders.
  
  
• Web Developers Journal (webdevelopersjournal.com)-This online e-zine is full of tutorials on every existing Web-based technology you can think of. You can also find the latest news on Web technology advancements on this site.
  
  
• The JavaScript Weenie (www.javascriptweenie.com)-Hosted by Paige Turner, The JavaScript Weenie is a lighthearted, yet very useful, e-zine that deals with all sorts of twisted things that you can do with JavaScript and advanced HTML techniques.
  

Web Pages

• Microsoft Developers Network Web Workshop (http://msdn.microsoft.com/ workshop)-This workshop is part of the Microsoft Developers Network. On this site, you can find articles and tutorials on all kinds of information relating to the Web, ranging from DHTML techniques to the Feng Shui of Web design (no kidding).
  
  
• Web Developers Virtual Library (http://wdvl.com)-This library is an online collaboration of articles and tutorials submitted by some of the Internet's best Web developers. Its email discussion list is one of the more active lists on Web development with an average of 150+ email postings per day.
  
  
• Page Resource.com (www.pageresource.com)-This online resource is a vast resource of Web design tutorials and information.There are dedicated sections for developers and Webmasters.
  
  
• Intranet Design Magazine (http://idm.internet.com/webdev)-This online e-zine deals specifically with intranet networks (private corporate networks). Not only are there design tips, but also security bulletins and job boards as well.