Frequently Asked Questions

This page is dedicated to some frequently asked questions.

I admired Richard Feynman because he was capable of asking any question.

I don't like computers because they are only capable of answering questions. --- Pablo Picasso

Children and the Web

HTML

The Internet

The World Wide Web

Favorites of Ellen and Ray

• Children and the Web
  
  
  • How safe is the Web for children?
    
    
  • It depends on what you mean by safe . There are filters available that can be used to limit a child's access to the Web. In this way you can reduce the chance of a child coming across what you might consider objectionable material. Of course, filter software is not a replacement for (parental) supervision. The family computer should be located in an area where you can frequently look in and monitor what your child is viewing. It is probably a good idea to discuss chat rooms with your children and let them know that they should never give out personal information on-line. Perhaps describing a case to them such as that of the Internet Romeo, where a young girl ran away for a couple of weeks with someone she met in a chat room, would be one way to let them know what can go wrong.
    
    
  • My eleven year old daughter surfs the Web six hours a day. Should I be concerned?
    
    
  • Yes, this is excessive. You should find out what interests her about the Web. If what she is doing is acceptable to you, let her continue but limit her to at most a couple of hours per day. Try to get her out of the house and involved in a social activity.
    
    
  • My children know more about computers than me. I feel like I should catch up. What do you recommend?
    
    
  • Many parents are in the same situation as you. In most subjects such as English and Mathematics we remain more knowledgeable than our children for years. However, with computer technology changing so rapidly and kids getting involved with computers at school, it is harder for us to keep up. If you really want to become computer literate, you will have to spend more time on the computer. If you are just uneasy about your kids getting ahead of you, simply be happy they have the opportunity to use and learn about computers. Or let them teach you what they know; they might relish this opportunity and it might be a good way to see what they are up to on the Web.

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• HTML
  
  
• A new version of HTML seems to come out every six months. How do I keep up?
  
  
• You should learn the current version of HTML really well. When a new version comes out, there usually are not that many significant changes. A few tags may have been added and a few more may be in the process of being phased out but the majority of the language remains the same.
  
  
• Do I need to buy an HTML manual?
  
  
• If you plan to be a professional HTML designer, you should probably print out the latest standard. It is available from the W3C whose URL is posted in this book's accompanying Web presentation.
  
  
• There are some new features coming out such as Cascading Style Sheets. What is your recommendation about using these?
  
  
• If you can keep up with the latest developments that is great. Until a new feature is widely supported, we do not recommend relying on it heavily in your presentations. If you do, you will probably be excluding some users from viewing your pages.
  
  
• I developed some pages using IE and then when I went to view them using Netscape they didn't look as I had expected. What can I do?
  
  
• Since HTML is a markup language, it is best to test your pages on several platforms during the design and development phase in order to confirm that they are being rendered as you would like.

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• The Internet
  
  
• I'm concerned that the information I'm reading on the Internet is not accurate. Is it?
  
  
• You are correct to be concerned since anyone can publish information on the Web. In our book we describe a number of techniques you can use to critically evaluate information. Using these guidelines, you will be better able to judge if something is correct or not.
  
  
• How should I choose an Internet Service Provider?
  
  
• We have an appendix in the book that provides guidelines for doing this. One thing you should certainly do is talk to your friends who are using ISPs and see if they are satisfied with their service.
  
  
• What is Internet Version 6?
  
  
• This is the latest version of the IP routing protocol. The most recent information about IPv6 can be tracked down on the Web.

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• The World Wide Web
  
  
• What is a cookie?
  
  
• Sometimes information is collected about you when you visit a Web page. It is stored on your system in a cookie file.
  
  
• I'm interested in putting some images on the Web. Should I buy a scanner?
  
  
• If you sense that you will be continuously needing to scan in images, you may want to purchase a scanner. There are copy shops where you can have your images scanned in and put on a floppy disk. If you have a friend with a scanner, they would probably be happy to help you scan in a few images. In our book we discuss a number of issues about purchasing a scanner.
  
  
• I have some material that might be considered objectional that I'd really like to display on my Web page. What should I do?
  
  
• We recommend discussing the material with your University computing staff or your ISP before going ahead. If you display the material and it is against their rules, your account privileges may be taken away. We put the word rules in italics because many Universities do not yet have official policies about what can and what cannot be displayed. If your University won't allow the material on their server, you may have to find an ISP that will let you display it.
  
  
• I frequently cannot find what I am searching for on the Web. What am I doing wrong?
  
  
• If the information you are looking for is out there, it may be the case that you are not posing the types of queries to initiate an effective search using a search engine. In our book we provide query guidelines. If you follow these and use the appropriate search tool, you will probably have better luck.
  
  
• Where can I find a collection of useful hyperlinks to learn more about the Web?
  
  
• The on-line presentation accompanying this book provides a large number of hyperlinks that go along with the material covered in each chapter. Other collections may found by typing in queries such as WWW or Web tutorial to any search engine.

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• Favorites of Ellen and Ray
  
  
• Can I turn in my homework late? My computer crashed as I was reaching for the send key.
  
  
• We generally set a homework policy where the lowest score is dropped. This is the assignment you are dropping.
  
  
• How has Killface reacted to having her picture on the Web?
  
  
• Now that she is a celebrity, she refuses to eat anything but fresh salmon.
  
  
• Do you want me to think in my head?
  
  
• Baah-ram-ewe.

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