Security and the Net

Is any place safe?

This from PracticallyNetworked.com:

"One of the biggest misconceptions is that hackers will target only large companies. The truth is computers get attacked for a variety of reasons. Some of these include the following:

• Snooping: Reading private mail and other personal files.
• Destroying or corrupting computer data: Making files unusable, or making a whole computer unusable.
• Stealing computer data: Taking credit card numbers, e-mail addresses, company information and so on.
• Stopping computers from functioning properly: Blocking incoming traffic so that intended users cannot get access, etc.
• Misusing computer resources: Sending spam without you knowing it, etc.
• Pranks: practical jokes, breaking in just because it's a challenge.

The bottom line, don't think your network is safe just because you're not that important or well-known. Assuming that you aren't personally targeted, moderately secure networks usually cause hackers to attack elsewhere. Yet attacks can come from many different sources and your computer should be equipped to deal with each of these types of attacks."

CAN YOU EVER BE TRULY SAFE AND SECURE ONLINE

Check out your computers vulnerability at GRC.com.
(Gibson Research Corporation)

Also see:
StaySafeOnline.info


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Alternate Bullets

High caliber

There are other images that can be used as bullets in Word, PowerPoint, and HTML.
Allan Wyatt's Word Tips:

Using Words as Bullets

StackOverflow.com:

Make Custom Bullets
Using CSS

Shauna Kelly:

How to control bullets in Microsoft Word
Bullets, Numbers, and Lists





Troubleshooting Bullets and numbering


Also see:
Beyond Bullets.com

Beyond Bullet Points, the book


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Design Patterns

More suggestions


Martijn van Welie of Welie.com, has a collection of designs for web sites, GUI designs, and MobileUI designs.

Patterns

Some topics covered are:

• Site Types
  
• Ecommerce
  
• Navigation
  
• Basic Page Types
  
• Managing Collections
  
• Page Elements
  and
  
• Visual Design

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Script Bling

Page spice

Would you like to add an animation to your web page but don't know how to script?
SimplyTheBest.Net has a nice selection that can be easily pasted into your code.

Here are a few examples:

Animated page title script

A script that lets you animate the page title in the browser.

Animated message page

This script displays text messages on an introduction page before redirecting it to another page.

Bouncing image script

A script with which you can make an image bounce across the page.

Circling images

A script that will draw a circle consisting of a set of images around your mouse pointer.

Dynamic animation

This script can be used to fly text or images onto the browser screen from different directions.

Falling images

With this script you can make images fall down and then disappear from your page.

Floating images

A script that will float one or several images around the screen.

Search light

This DHTML script creates a search light effect on images using a start/stop link.

Transition effects

A script you can use to create transitions between images.

Text animation

A script to animate and fade in and/or fade out with text.

See:
Daniel Eden: Animate CSS


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Free Photos

and other graphics

Robin Good has compiled a list of places that provide royalty free images.

" Finding quality images and photos for complementing an important article, essay or news report is already quite a challenge for many. Imagine when the goal is not just too find good images, but find some that you could openly and freely use without needing to pay royalties or one-time publishing rights to someone."

Free Photographs and Other Visuals

A dozen sources are listed including:
PD Photo.org

"PDPhoto.org is a repository for free public domain photos. Unless something is clearly marked as being copyrighted, you can assume it is free to use. But if you intend to use an image you find here for commercial use, please be aware that standards for such use are higher. Specifically, you should assume no model release was obtained. And pictures featuring products or property should be used with care. The photos are here to be used, but I don't want you to get either of us in trouble over it."

Copyright Information


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Jargon Translation

Tech Stuff for the Web

"There are many Web technologies, from simple to complex, and explaining each in detail is beyond the scope of this article. However, to help you get started with developing your own Web sites, beyond simple WYSIWYG designing of Web pages in FrontPage, this article provides brief definitions of the major Web technologies along with links to sites where you can find more information, tutorials, and reference documentation."

Introduction to Web Technologies

If you have seen or heard these terms, and want a definition with links to more background material, this maybe the place to start.

• Access
  
• ActiveX Controls
  
• Apache
  
• ASP
  
• ASP.NET
  
• C#
  
• CGI
  
• CSS
  
• Databases
  
• Ecma International
  
• FrontPage Server Extensions
  
• HTML
  
• IETF
  
• Internet Information Services
  
• Java
  
• JavaScript (JScript/ECMAScript)
  
• MySQL
  
• Oracle Database
  
• Perl
  
• PHP
  
• SharePoint Team Services
  
• SQL Server
  
• VBScript
  
• Visual Basic .NET
  
• Windows SharePoint Services
  
• World Wide Web Consortium
  
• XML
  
• XSLT

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MS Groups

Web based Newsreader

We can't forget that, even with blogs and google, there are still news groups out there helping to solve common problems.

Microsoft has a site that organizes a number of groups and makes access easy on the web.

"The Web-based Newsreader allows you to participate in discussion groups directly in your Web browser; you don't need to install or configure anything. You can use the Web-based Newsreader to read, post, search for, and reply to messages in discussion groups from the part of Usenet that concerns Microsoft products and technologies."

Microsoft Discussion Groups

Help for the Web-based Newsreader


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Copy Writing for the Web

Writing resources

..."the personal website of Matt Pfeffer. It is an experiment more than anything. An attempt to learn a thing or two, get some exercise, maybe have a laugh now and then.
Everything here is either trivial, or wrong."

ProvenanceUnknown.com


Principles of copywriting for the web

"The guidelines this document describes will tell you how to improve the user experience on your site. They apply to web copy generally - both marketing copy and navigational (or instructional or "guide") copy - and their value is indirect but significant: Observing them will improve your site's ability to do its job well. "

Web copy style

"This style guide seeks to serve as a resource for anyone writing or editing web copy, and to document some of the conventions that distinguish good writing, as published on the web, from writing published in other media."

Got Editing?

"I am glad to provide free editing help to nonprofit organizations and independent web publishers. The offer is generally for one-time edits of a web site, or of any reasonable amount of web content."

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Favicons

Art in 16x16 pixels

When you link to certain sites, you might notice that a graphic is sometimes displayed instead of the IE logo. There are numerous sites that help to create and place these logos.

To add a Favicon, upload the file, favicon.ico to the root web directory of your hosted website Make sure the file is named "favicon.ico." When someone bookmarks your site with a browser that supports favicons, your mini-pic will appear.
You could also link it using this code:

<link href="favicon.ico" rel="SHORTCUT ICON">

MSDN.Microsoft.com:
How to Add a Shortcut Icon to a Web Page

Clickfire.com:
Place a Favicon on your Website

Michael P. Pierce:
MpP Favicon Gallery

Chami.com:
FavIcon from Pics

"FavIcon from Pics is an online tool that can generate a favicon from a picture, logo or other graphic of any size/resolution. It was also the first online tool that simplified the creation of favicons using a regular image without requiring manual edits."

Makiko Itoh:
Favicon

" Here's a roundup of some of the favicons that caught my eye. Please click through to the sites themselves, to see how the favicon works (or not) with the site. Maybe it will get you thinking about your own site's favicon."

Daniel Burka:
Favourite Favicons


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The Well

A salute to our predecessors

Remember the acronym BBS? Remember the Whole Earth movement?

Before "Chat rooms" and IM, for 20 years there has been an online community of readers and contributors.

While it started in the Bay area, it is international in scope.

On the net since April 1, 1985, happy birthday to the Well.

From Well.com:

"There is nothing quite like The WELL, and the secret has a lot to do with its evolution. Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant founded the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link in 1985, starting with a dialog between the fiercely independent writers and readers of the Whole Earth Review.

This set the tone for the open but remarkably literate and uninhibited intellectual gathering that continues today. Over the years, WELL members have made fast friends, created enduring traditions, gathered casually face-to-face in cities 'round the world, and provided support to strangers.

They have founded organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Craig's List, and documented what was emerging in books like Howard Rheingold's The Virtual Community, John Seabrook's Deeper, and Katie Hafner's The WELL. They have gone into business together, fallen in and out of love, cultivated feuds, taken kickass vacations together and enriched lives.

Salon.com bought The WELL in 1999, and upgraded its servers to greet the century. These days WELL members enjoy access to Salon's remarkable independent journalist and the benefits of Salon Premium."

About the Well


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HTML/CSS Resource

"The Ultimate"

You may be put off by the home page for this site, but drill deeper.
Blooberry.com
Brian Wilson

The Author has compiled a very well arranged collection of references.

You might want to go directly to:

Index D O T HTML
T h e A d v a n c e d H T M L R e f e r e n c e

Or

Index D O T CSS
T h e A d v a n c e d C S S R e f e r e n c e

Brian is looking for volunteers to expand the authoring base for this site. If you would like to participate, here is a link to his email address:
Blooberry Email


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Googlr Tutor

User advice

Mark Fleming has started a new omnibus site/blog dealing with the vagarities and varieties that make up Google.

"In my discussions with other Google users, I am always amazed at how few of Google's tools they have heard of. For the most part, people are only familiar with the main search areas such as the web, news and images. And even in these areas, their knowledge of all the options that would allow them to better harness the power of Google is limited.

When I've told others of the vast features and formidable power of Google tools, they are quite frankly astonished. Compounding the problem of this unfamiliarity is the fact the Google does not make much of an effort to even tell us what's new and what's in public beta. You've usually got to hear about it somewhere else or just stumble upon it."

GoogleTutor.com
Google Tutor and Advisor

One entry, for instance, points to the Google Cheat Sheet

Also see:
Google Guide


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Don't Check Spelling

Avoid the squiggles

Omitting text selections from Word's spell checking process

If you frequently include macro code listings or other chunks of cryptic information in your documents, Word's spell checker is likely to have a field day pointing out unrecognized words.

You can make Word's spell checker skip over code listings and other information that it is likely not to recognize by applying the No Proofing language setting.

1. Select the text you would like the spell checker to skip.
   
2. Next, select Tools>Language Set Language from the menu bar.
   
3. In the Mark Selected Text As list box, select the (No Proofing) option and then click OK.

From now on, the spell checker will skip over the text you selected without flagging any spelling or grammatical errors.
Alan Wyatt's WordTips site has a comprehensive list of spell checker links: Spelling and Grammar Checking

BTW: If you want to spell check Web forms and information boxes you fill out using Internet Explore, look at ieSpell:

"ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell checks text input boxes on a webpage. It should come in particularly handy for users who do a lot of web-based text entry (e.g. web mails, forums, blogs, diaries).
Even if your web application already includes spell checking functionality, you might still want to install this utility because it is definitely much faster than a server-side solution. Plus you get to store and use your personal word list across all your applications, instead of maintaining separate ones on each application."

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Very Clever CSS Playground

I didn't know you could do that!

"This site documents my attempts at understanding and exploring the possibilities of CSS. From standard navigation links to my more bizarre experimental techniques.

All my examples are produced with JUST CSS, no javascript, or any other language, has been used in any of the examples. The demonstrations are designed to work in all the latest browsers, but, if you're lucky, some may also work in earlier versions."

Stu Nicholls' Navigation Gallery.
Here are two of the examples demonstrated:

Messing about in boats
Hover over a picture and it enlarges to 100%
Also:



The Streaker
A piece of animation done with CSS alone, no Java.
(I haven't figured out how to use situational CSS in a blog, so you'll have to go to Stu's site to see if the guy gets to the other door.)


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CSS Crib Sheet

Information rich site

When you get serious about web design, CSS or Cascading Style Sheets will add flexibility to your toolbox.

Mezzoblue .com has a wealth of information including:

CSS Crib Sheet

"You will no doubt come across many quirky layout issues when building a site with CSS. You'll end up banging your head against a wall time and again. This is an attempt to make the design process easier, and provide a quick reference to check when you run into trouble."

And:

A Roadmap to Standards

"The old-timers had to figure out the hard way all the tricks and techniques we now take for granted; lucky folks who came in later (myself included) can benefit from their sweat and tears.

In the end, when your skill using standard-based design eclipses your skill using old-school table-based methods, you’ll look back and marvel at how much more sense it makes to layout a page with CSS."

The RSS link is here


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Low Vision

Screen-magnification or zoom

Creating a Web site that accommodates people with low vision should be a goal of designers. Accessibility laws require it in some cases.

The online magazine AListApart.com, has some interesting articles:

Big, Stark, & Chunky

"[Participants] told us that they often copied and pasted material into Word where they could enlarge the font even more and make it bold, thus rendering it easier for them to see."

"We have not done a good job of catering to these screen-magnification or zoom users. Using CSS, it's easy to do, as we shall soon see. And moreover, using CSS to develop zoom layouts is almost exactly what developers of handheld and PDA browsers are doing in their quest for small-screen rendering of wide, multicolumn web pages."

Also:


Web Accessibility


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gMail Print Selection

Obscure clicks

"I would like to know how to only print part of email, as all the parts of an email conversations are not necessary to print. I have tried by highlighting the part I want and then choose "select" on print menu - but the font is so small then (no matter which printer I use). I can select in the print menu which pages to print, but that is not always clear where the page breaks happens. I could copy and paste into a word document, but then the details are missing."

Here's how I do it:

Click on "New window"



Make your selection in the gMail document.
(Hold down the left mouse button and "paint")





Right click the selection and choose "Print Preview"




Find the layout and size buttons




Change to "As selected on screen" and about "150%".





You can also turn off the Header and Footer.

Now you can print the selection.




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WiFi at Home

First steps

"You can use a wireless network to share Internet access, files, printers, and more. Or you can use it to surf the Web while you're sitting on your couch or in your yard. Plus, it's easier to install than you think."

There are 4 steps to creating a wireless network:

1. Choose your wireless equipment
   
   
2. Connect your wireless router
   
   
3. Configure your wireless router
   
   
4. Connect your computers

Set up a Home Wireless network (By Tony Northrup)

Wireless Security for Home Networks (PCMAg)

O'Reilly.net: Setting Up an 802.11b Home Wireless Network (Wei-Meng Lee)

About.com: Wired vs Wireless Networking (Bradley Mitchell)

HowStuffWorks.com: How WiFi Works ( Marshall Brain)

PracticallyNetworked.com: Securing your Wireless Network


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More Java?

It's in the script

Here is a descriptive article from Microsoft's Office Online:


Jazz up your Web site with JavaScript

"Have you ever wanted to add a pop-up window to your Web site? Maybe you've wanted to add a hyperlink that closes the page or to display the current date and time. You can add all of these features and more by using JavaScript: A scripting language that can be used to add functionality to a Web page or a Web site, or to enhance the look of one. JavaScript scripts can run on any type of client or server computer."

Also:
JavaScript

Days Remaining in Year

Use this script to calculate the number of days between now and the end of the year.

Popup Checkbox Navigation Menu

This script opens a small popup window containing a checkbox navigation menu.

Form Field Help

Add a help link to each section in your form. When clicked, an explanation is given of what is required and a box is offered where the information can be entered and transferred to the form.

Image Viewer

Use this script to display different images without opening a new window. Click the links to change the displayed image right in the current page.

Random Password Generator

This script can be used to generate random passwords for improved password strength

JavaScriptKit.com

• Free JavaScripts
  
• JavaScript Tutorials
  
• Free Java applets
  
• Advanced JavaScript Tutorials
  
• DHTML/ CSS Tutorials
  
• Web building tutorials
  
• JavaScript Reference

Java and all that free jazz


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Dynamic Web Templates

DWTs

"FrontPage 2003 introduced Dynamic Web Templates, a new and sophisticated type of Web page template that enables you to share a layout among several pages in a site, preserve specific regions of content from unwanted changes, and save time when you begin to manage the Web pages on your Web site.

By creating a Dynamic Web Template, you can make regions on attached pages available for other authors to add and modify content, while preventing changes to other regions on the same page. This provides you with control to preserve the layout of the pages and the template itself. When you update the content in a Dynamic Web Template, you can update the attached Web pages simultaneously."

Microsoft:
Create a Web page layout
by using Dynamic Web Templates

Change the master page layout
by using Dynamic Web Templates
Also:

Dynamic Web Template Interchange Guidelines

"The Dynamic Web Template Interchange Guidelines have been established by a consortium of web designers and developers in an effort to provide webmasters using a third party DWT the ability to cross over from one design to another with relative ease. The goal of the DWTIG is not to standardize design; rather, to standardize the method in which the content is added to a DWT through Editable Regions within the design."

Expression Web:
Dynamic Web Template Packages



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