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Mary Haggard
Program Manager
Microsoft Corporation
February 27, 1997
The following article was originally published in Site Builder Magazine (now known as MSDN Online Voices).
It's been a year since we launched the MSDN Online Web Workshop, Microsoft's first Web site dedicated to helping professionals learn how to publish information on the Web. Since then, Microsoft has released dozens of tools, and countless megabytes of documentation about those tools. I can't begin to tell you how many desperate-sounding e-mails we get through the MSDN Online Web Workshop feedback line, asking us PLEASE to provide a starting place for learning key concepts, links to pertinent information, explanations of required skill levels, and pointers to other helpful Microsoft and industry resources.
You wanted a place to go to get started.
And here it is.
Dozens of Web sites and books already target computer end-users who want to build a Web page. That isn't you. At the risk of sounding like a personals ad, I'll tell you specifically for whom this column is written: You—a computer professional, employed by a small to medium size business, who understands the key concepts behind client-server computing. You work in an NT-network environment. You understand the fundamentals of Microsoft® Visual Basic®. You have a limited amount of time to develop an Internet or intranet site for your company.
The 10 columns I have planned so far cover everything from putting together the hardware for your Web server to how you can use advanced Java and ActiveX components on your site. Of course, since this is the Web, it will be easy to expand what this column will cover—and pretend we never knew differently.
While this won't be a Question-and-Answer forum with answers to specific problems you pose (for that service, check out my new MSDN Online pals, the Web Men Talking), my discussion will be shaped by the real-world concerns we hear constantly from site builders.
Each bi-weekly column will cover a specific issue related to Web development. For instance, one will focus on getting the right server hardware, another on HTML content generation. Each column will outline important issues, contain references to sources for more information, and provide information on the skill level required for each task.
Here is an overview of what I'm planning:
Your Internet server will only perform as well as its weakest component. The first column in this series will provide an overview of hardware and software requirements for your Internet server, and will help you ensure that you are maximizing performance. Topics introduced will include hardware requirements, hosting issues, IP addressing, Internet connections, domain registration, performance, capacity planning, Microsoft Internet Information Server, important Windows NT services, security, and an introduction to advanced software components.
Content is the most important part of a Web site. Without it, you have no message, nor a site people want to revisit. Concepts introduced will be: HTML as a language; HTML tools and resources; advanced authoring components (frames, tables, stylesheets); content organization; moving print based materials online; HTML for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator; standards and what they mean; and Web site ratings systems.
Graphical elements should enhance the user experience, never detract from it. Here we will introduce color management, download time and management, positioning graphics on HTML pages, layering and other special effects, libraries of graphical elements and tools for building your own, considerations for different browsers, and designing effective site navigation.
The Web provides dozens of ways to publicize your new site. We will overview several options, as well as look at Web-site testing, and tools to ensure you have acceptable HTML code.
Now that you've shipped your site, and you feel good about it, it's time to add some pizazz. Scripting is the easiest way to enhance your site's functionality. We'll take a look at scripting, Jscript™, Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript) and .ASP files, cross-platform functionality, tools and resources, and the skill level needed to implement scripting solutions.
Java and ActiveX™ can add amazing amounts of functionality to your site with a relatively small amount of user download time required. We will meet Java and ActiveX, discuss their relative merits, cross-platform options, tools and resources, and the skill level needed to program in both, or to integrate existing components into your site.
We will discuss optimizing server performance, system services—as well as server add-ons that will increase your site's functionality, such as e-mail, chat, news, and popular third-party system servers.
Now you're talking about serious stuff. We will consider options for publishing data-bound HTML pages, for displaying database information, for selling merchandise on the Web, and the tools and resources that will help you do it.
Planning for the growth of your site is crucial as you begin your Web business. You need to consider quality control, content management, minimizing server downtime, meeting growing capacity needs, meeting growing bandwidth needs, and implementing policies to help manage you site.
Since taking early retirement as commander of the Starship Enterprise and joining Microsoft, Mary Haggard has worked her way through the ranks to her lifelong goal, being Program Manager for the MSDN Online Web publishing team. Mary once worked in a paper mill, so she knows pulp when she sees it.
For technical how-to questions, check in with the Web Men Talking, MSDN Online's answer pair.
Did you find this material useful? Gripes? Compliments? Suggestions for other articles? Write us!
© 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
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