Newsletter Issue 17, January 2001

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 17, January 2001

Hi guys,

Well, here's the third instalment of web building. This time I have a lot of freeware & shareware programmes that can be used if you are wanting to DIY. If you are wanting expert advice - or wanting an expert to check over the site that you have constructed, check issue 15 for details on who is available in New Zealand to do so. Check out Weaving Your Web and Touching Wood below.

Microsoft Windows 2000 Myths   TLAs for SMEs        Short & Hot Keys        Hot Linx

Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Weaving Your Web

Remember from what we have looked at before - that putting together a Web site is not that hard, you just need to do your homework first... and hire in some expert advice to complement your skills.

And here's a good tip: When possible, build the entire directory and file system for your website BEFORE adding any of the main content; it is much easier to test features such as overall navigation, design, and to make necessary adjustments without the pages being filled with information.

If you don't own a web authoring tool, here are some trialware, shareware & freeware programmes to help you get started;

• AceHTML: This free HTML editor can help you create frames from templates that are well organized and easy to edit. This program also comes with ready-to-use JavaScripts, as well as predefined DHTML scripts that you can easily insert into a document. Cost: Free
• Netscape Communicator: This is also a freeware HTML editor that allows you to view what your html will look like on Netscape software (often with remarkable differences to Internet Explorer!). Cost: Free 
• Arachnophilia: The form generator in this editor allows you to make Web forms that are well organized and supported by different browsers, with a customisable toolbar, shortcut key macro feature and WYSIWYG instant view window. You can even create a password box that displays asterisks as information is typed in. The program's Analyse HTML feature checks your Web page for syntax errors and nested tags. Cost: Free
• 1st Page 2000: This program includes 450 JavaScripts that you can use in your document in four user levels: Easy, Expert, Hardcore, and Normal. Each script falls within a category (such as Alerts, E-Mail Forms, Cookies, and Enhancements) and performs various functions, such as initiating e-mail messages with the subject line already filled in, creating pop-up windows, generating cursors that blink, or making text scroll. The program works with existing HTML files, or you can use it to start new ones that support Cascading Style Sheets and Java applets. Other features include automatic image resizing, rollover-button creation, and code checking through the Tidy HTML feature, which you can also use to convert HTML to XML. Cost: Free
• FrontPage: This is pretty much the industry standard software. This Web site creation and management tool gives you everything you need to create and manage exactly the site you want, using tools similar to you from Word and Publisher, such as background spelling checker, WYSIWYG Fonts, Format Painter etc. Choose from more than 60 pre-designed themes or customize your own. Add pizzazz to your site with improved graphics and formatting tools, create forms, discussion pages, auto emails etc, etc. This is a 45 day trial version. Cost (after 45 days): USD$60
• HomeSite: To give your Web pages a common look without having to define the properties of every individual word or element, the Cascading Style Sheets feature of this program is for you. Using the TopStyle LiteStyle Editor that comes bundled with this program, you can create a uniform look specifying, from pull-down menus, font type, style and colour either globally (site) or locally (this page). In addition, a colour-coding system makes identifying various style elements easier. DHTML, SMIL, Cascading Style Sheets, JavaScript, ASP, JSP, Perl, CFML, VBScript, and XML are all supported. This is a 30 day trial version. Cost (after 30 days): USD$93 at www.beyond.com
• Dreamweaver: This is one of the two main programmes used by designers (the other is FrontPage). The site management feature in this program simplifies site updating issues by synchronizing file transfers and keeping copies of files in both directories (the web server and your PC). On the remote server, this program mimics the changes you have made on your local machine, using the Site Synchronize command to transfer the latest versions of the files to the remote site. A dialogue box prompts verification of which files are to be transferred before initiating the command. It also had options for deleting files that have no corresponding origins. This is a 30 day trial version. Cost (after 30 days): USD$299
• Custo: Whether you're a master Web developer or a novice, this specialized tool for retrieving information about the structure of Web sites can be of use. Explore site resources, download selected files and Web folders, and verify the accessibility of links to other sites. Developers can use this tool to verify the integrity of a Web site under construction and get a tree structure of the overall site before making it live. Users just learning Web development and programming can use it to learn the structure of Web sites worth emulating. It works quickly and doesn't consume your Internet bandwidth or scads of space on your hard drive. 
• Media Inspiration: This site will tell you everything you need to know about setting up a website. It reviews sites and their designers and if you click on 'Links to Tutorials' on the left hand navigation bar you'll find loads of tutorials teaching you how to design your site and use the Web software tools to the best of their ability. 

Touching Wood

For all of you who have not yet joined any of Woody Leonard's ezines (emailed newsletters) yet, all you have to do is click on this link and enter your email address to join Woody's Office Watch.

This FREE ezine provides excellent information about all aspects of MS Office, including beta tester's results on the up and coming Office 10 (more commonly known as OX!). The reviews are useful, the information superb and the writing style cheerful. They are fanatical about people's privacy, and your name will never be given to anyone else - not even their other publications.

But wait, there's more!  There are also four other FREE ezines that Woody produces; one providing Access database news, a new one detailing Palm Pilot information, one on Windows operating software, and one solely looking at Microsoft Project. And here is what Woody has to say about them all....

• It's about time somebody told the truth about Microsoft Windows®, Access®, Project® and Palm® doncha think? If you want the latest up-to-the-nanosecond news -- or if you're going crazy trying to figure out how to use Office or Windows -- you're in the right place. Join our 500,000 subscribers for a FREE, unbiased, jolt of cold, hard reality, tailor-made to help you get the most out of Microsoft's products, delivered straight to your email inbox. If you want old, warmed-over tips, or the Microsoft Party Line, look somewhere else. My newsletters feature original articles from internationally known, award-winning experts who have descended into the belly of the beast, and survived to tell the tale. No Microsoft marketing drivel. No bull.

There are no ads or extra mailings from associated companies. There are sometimes VERY good offers on software, shareware and freeware available to Woody's readers only. There is no subscription. I have been a member for about three years, had good advice delivered to my inbox each fortnight or so, and never paid a cent.

I have no idea how they do it for the money!

What is more, by joining Woody's Office Watch via this link (click here) you will donate 25 cents NZ to the World Wildlife Fund (my nominated charity). And it will STILL cost you nothing!

Microsoft Windows 2000 Myths

Well, the following information comes straight from the horse's ... er.. mouth. Microsoft have posted the main myths surrounding Windows 2000 on their website, which I have shamelessly cribbed and am sending to all of you. I have provided the links so that if you want to read more about each item, you can. 

Myth: You need Windows 2000 Server before you can install Windows 2000 Professional. 

Fact: Windows 2000 Server is not required before installing Windows 2000 Professional. Windows 2000 Professional delivers superior value, such as mobile features and reliability, as a stand-alone desktop operating system. There is, however, incremental value to be gained via IntelliMirror and Group Policies when Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server are installed together as a platform. In addition to Windows 2000 Server environments, Windows 2000 Professional can be installed with Windows NT Server and Unix (learn more here: Top 10 Reasons to Move to Windows 2000 Professional). 

Myth: Windows 2000 Professional is the next version of Windows 98. 

Fact: Windows 2000 Professional is the next version of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and is the operating system for all business desktops and laptops. 

Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) is the operating system for home-users, and is the next version of Windows 98. 

HOWEVER. Windows 95 and Windows 98 can be upgraded to Windows 2000 Professional, so regardless of whether your business currently runs one of those operating systems or Windows NT Workstation, you should upgrade to Windows 2000 Professional to get rock-solid reliability and other business benefits—no matter what size your organisation (see my Newsletter #14 for details about that in case you have forgotten).

Myth: Windows 2000 Professional is no more reliable than any other desktop operating system. 

Fact: Windows 2000 Professional is the most reliable Windows desktop and laptop system ever. Windows 2000 Professional is 50 times more reliable than Windows 98 and 17 times more reliable than Windows NT Workstation 4.0 (learn more here: Windows 2000 Professional—the most reliable Windows ever) 

Myth: It makes economic sense to stay with my current version of Windows rather than move to Windows 2000 Professional. 

Fact: Windows 2000 Professional offers a significant increase in user productivity as well as reduced IT costs, which leads, of course, to increased profitability for businesses. This ROI (return on investment) will be realised in only a few months post- installation, and is not to be found in such quantities in any other desktop operating system (learn more here: Windows 2000 Professional Business Value)

TLAs for SMEs

Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;

• UUCP, UNIX-to-UNIX Copy. Originally, UUCP was a program that allowed UNIX systems to transfer files over phone lines. Currently, the term is used to describe the protocol that passes news and email across the Internet
• WAIS, Wide Area Information Service. A distributed information service and search engine that allows natural language input and indexed searching. Many Web search utilities use a WAIS engine
• DEK, Data Encryption Key. Much like an actual key used for locking and re-opening doors, DEKs are used for the encryption and decoding of message text, sometimes as a digital signature
• CGI, Common Gateway Interface. A set of rules that describe how a Web Server communicates with another piece of software on the same machine, and how the other piece of software (the “CGI program”) talks to the web server. Any piece of software can be a CGI program if it handles input and output according to the CGI standard. You can sometimes see that a CGI program is being used by seeing “cgi-bin” in a URL...
• PPP, Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol that provides a method for transmitting packets over serial point-to-point links. PPP is one of the most popular methods for dialup connections to the Internet, since it allows you to use other standard protocols (such as IPX, TCP/IP, and Netbeui) over a standard telephone connection, but it can also be used for LAN connections
• SLIP, Serial Line Internet Protocol. Similar to PPP, SLIP is another standard protocol used to run TCP/IP over serial lines, such as telephone circuits or RS-232 cables. Unlike PPP, however, SLIP does not work on a LAN connections. SLIP used to be the most popular way for dialup users to access the Internet, but PPP quickly overcame SLIP because of its ease of use and integration into many client operating systems

Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Short+Hot Keys... and now tips

This time we have some toolbar tips for working in Word.

Work a lot in Word with a variety of templates? Find that you hardly ever use the "Normal" template? Then replace the "New" icon on the toolbar with "New..." (Right click toolbar| Customise | Command | File - New...). Each time you click the icon it will bring up the template "New" window so you can choose whichever template suits you.

Never use the "New" template? Then replace it with your own. Create and save the document as a template that you want to open each time Word opens. The save location is automatically C:\Windows\Application Data\ Microsoft\Templates (Word 97 location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates). Name your document with whatever you like (you will be changing the name in a minute). Close Word. Open Windows Explorer (right click start button, select Explore). Go to the template location for your version of Word. There will be a document called "Normal.dot" Change this document's name to "Normal 1.dot". Rename your document template to "Normal.dot". Close Explorer. Restart your PC. Open Word, and there is your template, ready to use.

Have a label template that you use for printing address labels? Type your labels manually? Then add the "Address Book" icon to the toolbar (Right click toolbar| Customise | Command | Insert - Address Book...). Go to where you want the address to appear in your document, click on the icon, and the Outlook Address Book opens. Type in the first letters of the name you require, double click, and hey presto! name and address inserted for you.

Have trouble when copying images from other programmes? Are they pasted in the wrong format for your requirements? Then add the "Paste Special" button to the toolbar (Right click toolbar| Customise | Command | Edit - Paste Special). Then when you want to paste, for example, an image from Excel, click the button, and choose from seven options; Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object (which can also be linked) through to unformatted text and HTML Format.

Have trouble when sending Word 2000 docs to Word 97 users with your graphics floating all over the place, overlaying each other and generally not behaving as they should? All can be solved by right clicking on the graphic, selecting Format Object, and on the Position tab selecting the "In line with text" option. Your graphic is embedded and will no longer drift everywhere. 

Hot Linx

If you are an extra customer, you may be interested in a new offer from Xtra. Get your business online at: http://www.xtrabusiness.co.nz/websites/sitestarter/ 

Loads of trivia and memory "common or garden" computer games at: http://www.uproar.co.uk 

Want to learn some new office tips from users? Go to http://www.microsoft.com/nz/office/tipfile.asp 

Check out Organizing Solutions, a San Francisco business teaching us how to get organised at organizing-solutions.net

Macro Anywhere lets you create hot-keys that perform complex tasks with just a single keystroke. It works with most Windows applications and can hold up to 256 commands. It has a 30 day trial, but only costs $13 US to register (and you can pay by credit card). ZDLabs rated it "5 star". Find it at http://www.infinitefreedom.com/keygen/

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                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

read more "Newsletter Issue 17, January 2001"

Newsletter Issue 16, December 2000

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 16, December 2000

Hi guys,

Well, here's the second instalment of web building. This time we are continuing  with the design aspects of your site. We look at where you can learn about HTML code, some tips, and some pitfalls with design. Check out Weaving Your Web below.

TLAs for SMEs        Short & Hot Keys        Hot Linx

Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Weaving Your Web

Remember that putting together a Web site is not hard; you just need to do your homework first. 

You particularly need to pay attention to the look and feel of the pages that you develop. They should reflect your organisation's branding and tie in with your other published materials to ADD to your brand image, not erode it.

Use the same fonts, layouts and colours as you use on your invoices, business cards, signage and communications stationery. If it is time for a revamp of your whole image, plan and define ALL your new branding together to provide one consistent image and roll it out as you need new items. Look to Coca Cola and Shell for guidance. These brands are immensely strong because they have shown tremendous consistency in presentation. 

So, now that you have clarified your brand image, we will move on to the actual design process of your site. Decide if you're going to DIY, hire someone to do it for you, or DIY what you can and get an expert to look it over before publication. If you decide on the latter, contact your expert BEFORE you start work, so that you can get some pointers that may save you a lot of heartache and money later!

If you decide to DIY, I would recommend MS FrontPage as an HTML editor of choice - and you can get a free 45 day trial here. In the next issue (17) we will be looking at other freeware, shareware and trialware html building software.

Know nothing about HTML? If you would like to learn to code by hand in Notepad you'll find many excellent resources online that will teach you raw HTML code such as;

• The Mechanical Monkey
• The Pixel Pen

However, before you touch one key on your keyboard you need to do some research. 

Go to your favourite search engine and do a search for sites in your industry and go take a look at them. If you want to look internationally, try google if you don't have a favourite - it's great. For Enzed, go to SearchNZ.

Research is time well spent for several reasons;

• It gives you an idea what your competitors are doing
• You will determine what you like and don't like. Do you want buttons or just text links? Frames or no frames? What colour schemes do you like? What will best show off your branding? Do you like simple sites or overblown artsy sites? Ads or no? Does the download time annoy you? Do graphics annoy you?
• It gives you a feel for what other possibilities there are - either things that you had not thought of or repositioning your business to take advantage of a missed opportunity

Take a good look at the content they are including such as company profile, testimonials, mission statement, personnel pages, etc. Decide which of these (if any) you want to include. You can start getting together a list of the information that you will need to compile for your site. 

While surfing, make sure you write down any sites that would complement your own for a possible reciprocal link arrangement later. When your masterpiece is completed you can contact these sites by email and ask them if they'd be interested in swapping links with you. 

The big thing with webpages is links... and getting reciprocal links to your site from other sites. If you are a member of any professional organisation, notify them that you are on the net so that they can post links to your page. Hopefully there will be links to my site from the CPANZ webpage, Commerce Nelson and NZIM for starters (as I am a member of all these organisations). Reciprocal linking is a great way to build traffic to your site, but that's whole new topic for another article later on!

Think from the customer's POV: 

It is important to think about your site from the point of view of the customer - your target audience. Hopefully you have all considered these questions;

• What section of your client base will want to go online? Will your web be targeted at existing clients? Or new clients? 
• Where are your clients from? Offshore? North Island? Blenheim? Will client location make a difference to the information that you need to put on your pages? 
•  What age are your clients? How PC savvy are they?
• Why would your clients want to use your website? What will they want to do there?
• Will your online clients want to complete their sale then & there? Do you have Visa & Mastercard facilities? Do you need encryption?

It is VERY important to be clear about what you need to create before you get down to building. Don't get carried away with the techno-toys until you have organised the basics.

And here's some good advice on content: 

For a list of site no-nos check out The Web Developers Journal. And all of you should take in the bit about having email links and prices on your site. 

Unlike TV viewers, surfers are in "alert" mode. Most are actively looking for information, not entertainment, and their critical faculties are very much in play. Surfers are a pretty cynical lot, with a low tolerance for hype and "marketese". So you would not expect surfers en masse to believe a company that states baldly on the website "We are the leaders in our industry".

Standing apart from the crowd, being distinctive - yes. Being cute, obscure or mysterious for the sake of it - no. There are obviously places for novelty and surprise. But more often than not, the funky toys are simply pointless. Check out examples at www.websitesthatsuck.com 

"Forget about the pictures. Focus on the words." This is the advice of Jakob Nielsen, well-known web usability engineer, has to offer anyone designing a website. Mr Nielsen certainly practices what he preaches. His website is reminiscent of the early days of the web, when it was mainly the province of academics and researchers: plenty of text, but rather lack lustre graphics-wise. Check it out at www.useit.com. 

This is the website of a scientist, an intellectual, and its target audience likewise will be looking for substance, not glitz and entertainment value. This minimalist web design may be right for Mr Nielsen's target audience, but surely-not for a commercial website which wants to attract a less intellectual audience? 

Well, maybe it is. At least this is the suggestion of a recent study by Stanford University and the Poynter Institute in the US. See it at www.poynter.org/eyetrack2000/index.htm  

This study tracked online surfers' eye movements when viewing news websites to see where they looked first. The results of the study were surprising. When scanning a web page, surfers look first at text, and only then at graphics. In many cases, they would read a whole article before even looking at a graphic. 

This is in direct contrast to the way print publications are read, where the graphics are the first focus of attention. Whatever the reasons for these results, one conclusion clearly stands out: The quality of writing on a website is vitally important, and not just for sites which target an intellectual audience. 

The implications of this study will probably take a while to sink in, though. Witness the multitude of commercial webs with wonderful graphics and technical how'syourfathers - but lacking even the most basic elements of good communication. Like spelling.  And punctuation. And complete sentences (!).

Along with the fact that surfers ignored graphics and toys, another significant fact to emerge from the study was that surfers like their writing direct and straightforward; with correct spelling, and clearly worded links. 

So while we surfers may be looking for interesting and surprising information, we definitely want our web navigation to be straightforward. And clear.

Points to remember.

TLAs for SMEs

Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;

• DHTML, Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language. More or less the swanked up version of HTML...
• SGML, Standard Generalised Markup Language.  This is a document standard that concentrates on documents retaining their format no matter what computer they are used on, the operating system or the application program used to view them. HTML is based on SGML
• XML, Extensible Markup Language. A subset of SGML aimed at Web Site developers. Gives more flexibility than the original standards in HTML
• MIME Encoding, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions Encoding. MIME is a standard method for organising different file formats for internet (usually email) software retrieval. When your software picks up a file from the internet server, the server provides the MIME type of the file, so that the file is decoded correctly on your machine.
• PING, Packet Internet Gopher. This is the simplest way to test or time the response of an Internet connection. A PING sends a request to an Internet host and waits for a reply called (yep, you guessed it), a PONG. When you PING an address, you get a response telling you the number of seconds it took to make the connection. PING clients exist for a number of platforms, or you can use a UNIX or Windows 95 prompt to issue a PING command directly

Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Short+Hot Keys... and now tips

This is the how-to-guide to MS Word function keys shortcuts;

• Word "Help"  F1 
• Word "Move Text"  F2  
• Word "Auto Text"  F3  
• Word "Redo or Repeat"  F4 
• Word "Go To"  F5  
• Word "Other Pane"  F6  
• Word "Proofing"  F7 
• Word "Extend Selection"  F8  
• Word "Update Fields" F9 
• Word "Menu Mode" F10  
• Word "Next Field"  F11  
• Word "Save As"  F12 

Hot Linx

Pulitzer Prize awards stretch from journalists to novel, drama, history, biography and autobiography authors. Find out who won what and what they wrote at http://www.pulitzer.org/navigation/index.html 

It can be dark, bitter, white or milk. It comes in bars, mousses and cakes. It's chocolate and it's found at http://www.chocolate.com/ 

Want more information on who controls the internet? Check out Andy Starling's ideas at http://webdevelopersjournal.co.uk/columns/ajs_who_controls_internet.html 

If you want some information about shareware, freeware, trialware etc, you can subscribe to  http://www.lockergnome.com/ and get daily email notification of what is available

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                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

read more "Newsletter Issue 16, December 2000"

Newsletter Issue 15, November 2000

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 15, November 2000

Hi guys,

Something new this time - looking at setting up a website. This is pretty de rigeur for most businesses these days - even if you don't want to sell online, it may pay to have a presence on the net. This is part one of a two part article: in this one we are dealing with Domain name registration and Web Hosting. Check it out... Weaving Your Web and News Bytes  below.

TLAs for SMEs        Hot Linx

Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Weaving Your Web

Not yet online but thinking about it? Unfortunately, having a web presence is pretty much expected these days. The other day I was looking at "the Great Kiwi Loo Calendar" from a couple of years ago. There was only one email address on the whole thing, and no web addresses. I bet the new one will have about a 50% hit rate on internet addresses of one kind or the other.

Websites are great places to "park" things for people to pick up. A designer I deal with posts proofs on the net for viewing and approval. I can pay my insurance, check up on a claim, do my banking, order books, stationery or software, pay my Visa and send cellphone messages over the net.

And the net is going to become MORE pervasive. 

So why should I go on the net? Well, I have forms that clients need to fill out, and common information to send them. I have some services that can be wholly transacted via the internet (such as CVs, Career movement advice, application letters, application forms, job descriptions and newsletters). For those of you who don't know, most of my business is systems and procedures. About 1/5th is "personal services" which translates well to working on the net. I currently have clients in the UK, US and Australia as well as throughout NZ (but still mostly in Nelson).

I do not expect to get a lot of browsing traffic on my site, really. I think that most of my traffic will be from people that I have sent there.

The main reason for setup is that I will be like the only person in the village still without a phone who has to run down to the Post Office to make a call. You run the risk of not only looking a tad unprofessional, but worse - out of touch. And with the kind of work that I do, I can't afford to look out of touch!!

I am finally taking the plunge and working through setting up a site. I should be well on the way by early next year. so.....

The first thing to do then is to register your domain name. It needs to be simple and obvious for users to punch in.... if your name is Sam Young, perhaps you should register "samyoung"! Sealord Group Ltd is "sealord", Carter Holt Harvey is "cch" etc. Make it easy and logical.

To register? Couldn't be easier. Go to www.domainz.net.nz. Click the link to the Domain Name Search, and plug in the name that you would like. If it has already been registered to someone, it should supply the registration details. You can then check with that person to see if they are using the name and if they will allow you to take over the name registration... or you can choose another name until you get one that fits.

Don't forget to try other extensions like ".net.nz"  if you can't get what you want with ".co.nz". Registration of a Domain name in New Zealand costs about $80 per annum.

There are a lot of companies in the States offering incredibly cheap name registration. The trick is that often they require that you use their company as your Web Host. It can cost you a bit more than you would think, that way. You can check your desired name in the US at http://www.askreggie.com 

The next thing that you have to do is decide who will host your website. You must do this BEFORE you start building. Xtra for example will only post sites constructed using FrontPage; other ISPs will use their own developing tools to build the sites then take in your changes (usually once a month).

Xtra charges $25 set up and $25 per month for "LiteWeb" Web Hosting. You can apparently make as many changes to your site as you like (but I will find out and get back to you on this in fairly short order as I will be taking the plunge with Xtra early in the New Year). Your site has to fit certain criteria - size & complexity, volume of traffic etc. Most SMEs will be just fine on a LiteWeb. 

At Xtra you will pay annual costs of $300 with a $25 setup fee. I think that Clear is pretty similar. I was going to go with Xtra for convenience of having all my billing (and b*tching!) at one source. 

However. I have just heard that I can get hosting for $12.95 per month with a local firm, (payable in advance for 1 year) with the site mirrored in the US. So I am thinking ...why pay twice as much? Total cost is $160-ish per annum. I will let you know if there is a catch!

These providers are all New Zealand firms who build and host sites. The first four are Nelson-based for those of you who like to talk face to face with a flesh-person;

• Naked Shop
• Cyberlink Web Services  
• Masala Web Design (no website yet - case of the "Cobbler's children"!)
• Downing Design
• Web Builder
• Web Wizards
• Webenz New Zealand
• Web Design
• The Web Limited
• Web Management
• Innovator Web
• 4th Dimension

The hosting company you choose does not have to be in New Zealand. You can try some of the US searches at these links:

• Host Index
• Host Facts
• Host Investigator

Whoever you choose as your Web Hosting company, make sure they have a fast backbone and that they are not crowding too many sites on the same server. If they are, your site will load like a bus with flat tires in a ploughed paddock.

Next time we will be moving on to the actual design process of your site, giving you some of the goss on deciding if you're going to DIY or hire someone to do it for you. 

News Bytes

Addressing the issues

Some news on website addresses - top level domain names (TLDs) are under pressure. There is too much demand and not enough TLDs.  

In New Zealand, current general TLDs are .co.nz, .org.nz, .net.nz, with specialized TLDs as .ac.nz, .school.nz and .govt.nz. 

In the US, general TLDs are .com, .org and .net, with specialized TLDs .edu, .gov and .us (.us has been adopted by local governments - for example, Los Angeles County's web site is http://www.co.la.ca.us/). The US Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (aka ICANN), a private, non-profit organization set up by the US government to manage domain names, has announced its seven finalists for new TLDs in the States. 

The expected new TLDs are .aero (for airlines, airports, etc), .biz (covering the same area as .com), .coop  (for, er, cooperative businesses), .info (another catch all),  .museum (guess what!), .name (for consumers and other individuals) and .pro (for doctors, lawyers, etc.).  Even more interesting than those that made TLD status are some of those that were expected to make it but didn't including .kids, .xxx, .web, .health and .travel. This is likely to impact on us here in New Zealand, as we are likely to follow suit. So if you haven't got your web address yet, don't despair.

And perhaps the Ozzies might get .xxxx through....

Pentium IV? No, Pentium 4

Intel has just released the Pentium 4 chip (which I guess an old timer could call a 886).  In addition to upping the speed - the initial chips have claimed speeds of 1.4 GHz and 1.5 GHz with 2 GHz expected some time in 2001 - this chip has 144 new instruction intended to boost video, audio and 3-D imagining.  High-end systems using this chip are available immediately from the usual suspects (including Dell, IBM and HP).  

Intel says that it intends a relatively rapid shift to the Pentium 4 so that by the end of next year, there will be more new machines shipped with Pentium 4's than with Pentium III.  

It is interesting that Intel seems to think that peoples' knowledge of  Roman numerals stops at III. Perhaps their marketing people didn't like the "plumbed in" connotations of IV?!

Bluetooth Update

I have mentioned Bluetooth before in connection with MIT's Project Oxygen. Bluetooth is going to become the  wireless standard for short distance radio frequency networking.  

It is intended as a low bandwidth, inexpensive way for communication of relatively low amounts of data between different devices relatively close to each other.  There are Bluetooth network devices that will be available but they will be limited to 1 Mb rather than the 10 Mbs of Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is ideal though for portables talking to printers, cell phones connecting to handhelds and a plethora of other areas where Infrared was supposed to be the solution (but has not delivered the goods).  

At Comdex 1999 (HUGE Computer Expo in the US), Bluetooth was only theoretical.  At Comdex 2000 there were a lot of prototype devices and IBM is even shipping a $200 Bluetooth PCMIA card.  

It will be a year, or slightly more, before lots of devices are using the technology and all computers are "Bluetooth-enabled" (at an expected cost of less than $10 - rate that!).  But be sure, bluetooth will replace Infrared and be standard in all digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs and computers within two or three years.

TLAs for SMEs

Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;

• TLD, Top Level Domains. This is the "org", "co", "net" etc extension of your web address
• Wi-Fi, Wireless Fidelity. This is english for (beleive it or not!) IEEE 802.11, the internet protocol for long-range wireless transmission for wireless networking. Wi-Fi uses 2.4 GHz radio band as high end wireless phones. This will be the future of computing... 
• WECA, Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance. This is the company that is pushing Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), to make it the industry standard
  

Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Hot Linx

Netscape user? Then check out the latest version of the Netscape software at http://home.netscape.com/download/index.html?cp=n6i

Check out these ten tips for PCs at ZDNet. You may thank me one day soon! http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/stories/main/0,5594,2628307,00.html 

The Guinness Book of World Records is finally online at http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/home.asp 

Check out all of today's computer news... http://www.pcworld.com/news/index.asp 

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                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

read more "Newsletter Issue 15, November 2000"