Free Resources for Improving Your Website


These are some of my favorite free sites for improving your website.  This document can be downloaded in mebbe 2 weeks at www.hedtke.com/resources.doc

My email address is john@hedtke.com and the website is, natchully, www.hedtke.com 

Learning HTML

HTML: An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners

This tutorial is the one I recommend to everyone who's starting in HTML. If you don't do anything else, do this one.

 

The Beginner's Guide to HTML

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications has a FAQ for HTML.

 

Composing Good HTML

This site contains tips and techniques on composing good HTML.

 

D.J. Quad's Ultimate HTML Site

This is another great site for all kinds of HTML resources. I recommend this site.

 

Beginning HTML Tutorials

More HTML tutorials for beginners, but I do like the one at the top of the list.

 

HTML Table Tutorial

Tables can be a nuisance to understand all the ins and outs of. Here's a tutorial specifically for information on creating tables in HTML.

 

Laura Lemay, Killer of Trees 

Laura Lemay writes the best books on HTML out there.

 

OSU Web Tutorials

Good general purpose tutorials for all levels of web development.

 

Studio B Literary Agency 

You can look up information about a number of authors of computer books on this site and often get links to their own websites.  From there, you can find out more about their books and get additional resources.

 

You should also check out the following newsgroups for information on HTML. You can also ask questions about HTML and building your web site.
comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html
comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc

 

Tools

 

Arachnophilia

HTML editor from Paul Lutus. Arachnophilia is the best webeditor I've ever used. I won't use anything else. (Be sure to check out the Table Wizard; it makes creating HTML tables a 5-second operation!)

 

Free Agent

A newswreader from Forté, Inc. Free Agent is my favorite newsreader.

 

CompuShow

A graphic viewer from Canyon Software, Inc. CompuShow is extraordinarily helpful for viewing graphics when you are sorting through backgrounds and pictures while building web pages. (Hint: use the "Slide Show" feature to scroll through a list of graphics, then press M to move a graphic you like to another directory to set it aside.)

 

Eudora

A mail reader or a 30-day version of Eudora Pro from Qualcomm, Inc. (You can also download documentation in Adobe Acrobat format.) Eudora is my preferred email program.

 

Paint Shop Pro

Agraphic painting and editing program from JASC Software, Inc. Need a world-class graphic program? Try this one!

 

WinZip

The zipping and unzipping program. WinZip should be required for all Windows users.

 

WS_FTP

A file transfer program from Ipswitch, Inc. Use this to transfer files on the net.

 

Zone Alarm

A great basic security program. Download it, run it, set it to “High” (maximum stealth) mode, and let it run with your system startup. 

 

Shareware

 

Shareware.com

One of the first places I go for shareware.

 

www.Download.com

The next place I go for shareware.

 

Walnut Creek CDROM

The home for Walnut Creek CDROM, maker of some of the best shareware collections available. Most of the shareware available on their CDs can be downloaded from this site. I recommend this site.

 

ZDNet Software Library

The ZDNet web page for Windows and other software.

 

Stroud's CWSApps

A collection of Windows applications. This is a very good site for tracking the latest interesting applications.

 

TUCOWS

The TUCOWS web site, a very extensive Internet software web site.

 

Randy's Windows 95 Resource Center Randy Burgess's PCWin Resource Center.

Another good resource.

Backgrounds

The Backgrounds Archive

A very cool collection of backgrounds.

 

The Background Archive

(Note the difference of one character in the name!) An entirely different (and equally cool) archive of backgrounds.

 

Julianne Tolson's Web Page

Great collection of backgrounds, with web pages that let you see what the background will look like when you use them.

 

Yahoo's Backgrounds

Links to backgrounds from Yahoo.

 

GRSITES.COM

This site bills itself as "the largest collection of free background textures on the Internet." I could believe it! I recommend this site.

Clip Art

Cool Graphics on the Web

One of the best graphics sites on the web! The site has several hundred free graphics and links to thousands of other clip art files on the web. I recommend this site.

 

Fractint

Fractals and fractal generators!

 

Hee Yun's Graphic Collection

Jang Hee Yun does lots of fun graphics, many of which are now adorning my web pages.

 

Digital Blasphemy Very cool stuff: over 50 hi-res original 3d-rendered computer desktop wallpapers, animated windows startup screens, tutorials on making your own 3d art, and links to some of the best computer art sites on the web.

 

Yahoo's Graphics

The general graphic links on Yahoo.

 

Yahoo's GIFs

Links to information on graphics, viewers, and other utilities.

 

Yahoo's Clip Art

Dozens more links to clip art.

 

Hee Yun's Graphic Collection

A fine collection of graphics you can use on your web site. I recommend this site.

You should also check out the following newsgroups for graphics and clip art.
comp.infosystems.www.authoring.images
alt.binaries.clip-art

Other Web Tools

WebCounter page

This is one of the best known site counters.

 

Fingers and Toes

Counters, clocks, and related fonts and graphics.

 

!Register-It!

A web site promotional tool that lets you register your web site with a variety of different search engines. I recommend this site.

 

Submit It!: The Web Site Promotion Tool

Another web site promotional tool for listing your web site with different search engines and search services.

 

Web Lint HTML Validator

The Web Lint HTML Validator is a web page analysis tool that checks your web pages for places where the HTML code could be tightened up or clarified.

 

Dr. HTML

Another excellent web page analysis tool to use.

 

MSDN Online Workshop

General resources from the Empire.  Good place to check for general HTML stuff.

 

Steve Callihan's website

Steve Callihan has written a number of books on HTML and web stuff.  There are extensive Java, ActiveX, CGI, and other web programming resources on this list. 

 

The HTML Writer's Guild

The HTML Writer’s Guild is an excellent organization for people who’d like to a substantial amount of of web development. You can get all sorts of resources through this site.

 

Web Developer's Virtual Library tutorials

Another place for really good tutorials for DTML, XML, and all those other nifty alphabet soup things.

 

Web Techniques magazine

Web Techniques e-magazine, for the serious webhead.  Check it out sometime.

 

ISPCheck.com 

Find an ISP. I’m with TheRiver here in Tucson; you could do a lot worse.  Mention my name if you sign up. 

 

CDT Privacy Demonstration Page. Worth a look to find out more about what you're revealing about yourself when you websurf.

 

Web Pages That Suck Vince Flanders' brilliant website is an essential URL for every web developer! This web site shows how to avoid many of the more grievous offenses commonly made by web developers. I recommend it highly.

 

 

Thank you for attending!