GIF has a palette of 256 colors and can compress images at a ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 (Lecture Notes, Session 4). When GIF images are compressed, no data is lost. However, because the compressed files are only 1/2 or 1/3 the size of the original, embedding this image format in a website may result in webpages that load slowly.
JPEG has a palette of more than 16 million colors. This format compresses images at a ratio of up to 20:1 (Lecture Notes, Session 4). While this compression rate offers benefits for website design (images load quickly), the disadvantage of this format is that image quality may suffer as some data is lost during compression.
PNG boasts the best of JPEG and GIF. This format has a palette of over 16 million colors. PNG images cannot be compressed as small as a JPEG file, but the added benefit of a lossless compression makes this a useful tool when storing master copies of important images and documents. At present, this format is not supported by all browsers, but the trend indicates that with time, PNG will be a more common graphic format on the WWW (Lecture Notes, Session 4).
During the lab I chose to incorporate JPEG graphics into my website because of the previously mentioned benefits of using the format on webpages. I placed a local JPEG image in my public unix folder and embedded this image on my webpage using the <img src="imageOrig.jpg"> tag. I also embedded two remote images I found on other websites using the <img src=”http://URL”> tag.
In order to determine how libraries are making use of graphics, I visited a number of library websites. I started by running a City University Catalogue Search. The results page incorporated textual data (name of book, author, etc) as well as graphics (image of book cover). This is one of the most basic ways libraries use graphics on their websites. Another use of graphics by a library website is as an embedded image that links to another service (ex. OWWL graphic on the Wood Library homepage). The Boston Public Library uses images on its homepage to highlight current exhibits and upcoming events, thereby creating an interesting and engaging site.
Wednesday 21 October 2009
3.3 Internet/WWW
I have been using the Internet for more than a decade, but I have never created a website. I thought that designing a website required vast technical knowledge - and the prospect overwhelmed me.
During the Session 3 briefing, Richard Butterworth emphasized that the following tags are all you need to create a website: “<HTML>, <Head>, <Title>, <Body>, <P>, <Span>, <A>, <Embed>, <Object>, <EM>, <HR>, and <BR>”. I began the lab session by consulting A Beginner's Guide To HTML to learn more about basic HTML. I created my first website using Notepad. It is very simple as it was my first-ever attempt at writing HTML code by hand. I then created a second website using EditPlus 2. This program provides a template for a website, so for my second and third website, I only wrote the code for the content of the pages. Now that I had made three websites, I created links between them and to external pages. I ran into very few problems using basic HTML during the process of making my simple websites.
The next step was to publish my websites to the City University Web Server. I transferred the three .html files to the W:Drive. This made them accessible on the University Unix machine, which has a WWW server. Public documents stored on a WWW server can be accessed from any computer with Internet. I entered the Unix system and issued a series of commands to place my three .html files in my public_html folder. I did not find the Unix interface to be user-friendly. Consequently, I struggled - initially - to comprehend the processes I was using to publish my website. However, I finished the session having successful published all three websites to my City homepage.
During the Session 3 briefing, Richard Butterworth emphasized that the following tags are all you need to create a website: “<HTML>, <Head>, <Title>, <Body>, <P>, <Span>, <A>, <Embed>, <Object>, <EM>, <HR>, and <BR>”. I began the lab session by consulting A Beginner's Guide To HTML to learn more about basic HTML. I created my first website using Notepad. It is very simple as it was my first-ever attempt at writing HTML code by hand. I then created a second website using EditPlus 2. This program provides a template for a website, so for my second and third website, I only wrote the code for the content of the pages. Now that I had made three websites, I created links between them and to external pages. I ran into very few problems using basic HTML during the process of making my simple websites.
The next step was to publish my websites to the City University Web Server. I transferred the three .html files to the W:Drive. This made them accessible on the University Unix machine, which has a WWW server. Public documents stored on a WWW server can be accessed from any computer with Internet. I entered the Unix system and issued a series of commands to place my three .html files in my public_html folder. I did not find the Unix interface to be user-friendly. Consequently, I struggled - initially - to comprehend the processes I was using to publish my website. However, I finished the session having successful published all three websites to my City homepage.
3.2 Text/HTML
A .txt file can store text and numbers; it cannot store any formatting information. The advantage of a .txt file is that it can be read by many different programs on different computers. 1
A .doc file can store text, numbers, and formatting information. For example, a .doc file will process changes in font-style, font-size, etc. A limitation of Word documents is that for a computer to read the formatting information, the document must be opened by the same program on another computer or by a program that can convert the .doc file to a readable format. If you try to open a .doc file with a program like Notepad, the formatting changes appear as gobbledygook. This inhibits the sharing of information between computers.
To add metadata to a document and allow other computers to read this information, you can save the document as an .html file. If you open an .html file in Notepad, you will see the markup that communicates the formatting information. Now your formatting changes can be read by numerous programs on many different computers.
Sometimes a file is intended for use by one user on a personal computer. Thus, it is appropriate to save the file as a Word document. More and more, we are interested in disseminating information via the internet and sharing the documents we create with others. This requires a document-centered view of computing. Our documents are no longer self-contained in a single program; elements of a single document can be stored in different programs and even on different computers. Consequently, it is important to save the document in a universal format to promote interoperability. This style of organizing information allows for changes to the source document to be simultaneously reflected in all of the documents in which it has been embedded.
A .doc file can store text, numbers, and formatting information. For example, a .doc file will process changes in font-style, font-size, etc. A limitation of Word documents is that for a computer to read the formatting information, the document must be opened by the same program on another computer or by a program that can convert the .doc file to a readable format. If you try to open a .doc file with a program like Notepad, the formatting changes appear as gobbledygook. This inhibits the sharing of information between computers.
To add metadata to a document and allow other computers to read this information, you can save the document as an .html file. If you open an .html file in Notepad, you will see the markup that communicates the formatting information. Now your formatting changes can be read by numerous programs on many different computers.
Sometimes a file is intended for use by one user on a personal computer. Thus, it is appropriate to save the file as a Word document. More and more, we are interested in disseminating information via the internet and sharing the documents we create with others. This requires a document-centered view of computing. Our documents are no longer self-contained in a single program; elements of a single document can be stored in different programs and even on different computers. Consequently, it is important to save the document in a universal format to promote interoperability. This style of organizing information allows for changes to the source document to be simultaneously reflected in all of the documents in which it has been embedded.
Tuesday 6 October 2009
3.1 Introduction
I must confess I have been reluctant to participate in Web 2.0. In the past, I have made attempts to follow blogs, but I simply could not keep up with the information deluge.
After our first DITA briefing, I realized I have been participating in Web 2.0 for at least four years - since a group of my friends created a LiveJournal account to keep in touch. This tool provides a centralized forum to facilitate communication and minimizes the effects of the physical distance between us.
After listening to Andy's lecture, I realized that our LiveJournal is an interactive blog. Previously, I thought that blogs were subject-specific and authored by an expert. While these criteria may hold true in some cases, the nature of blogs is much more diverse. As Andy pointed out, blogs, like the one my friends created, can serve to build and maintain social networks. Blogs are a vehicle for the dissemination of information; the form they take is molded by the goals and creativity of bloggers. Consequently, a reader must be aware of the need to scrutinize the quality and relevance of a blog's content.
I have opted to use Blogger.com to create my blog. I wanted to start from scratch to learn the ins and outs of blogging infrastructure. Blogger.com is a user-friendly site that provides a variety of templates to choose from and facilitates the process of posting entries. When I login, I arrive at my "Dashboard." From here, I can manage my blog: create or edit a post, adjust the settings and layout, create a profile, and monitor my "Reading List." For ease of reference, I have decided to label all my coursework-related posts "DITA," and title them according to the titles given to each task in the coursework specifications.
After our first DITA briefing, I realized I have been participating in Web 2.0 for at least four years - since a group of my friends created a LiveJournal account to keep in touch. This tool provides a centralized forum to facilitate communication and minimizes the effects of the physical distance between us.
After listening to Andy's lecture, I realized that our LiveJournal is an interactive blog. Previously, I thought that blogs were subject-specific and authored by an expert. While these criteria may hold true in some cases, the nature of blogs is much more diverse. As Andy pointed out, blogs, like the one my friends created, can serve to build and maintain social networks. Blogs are a vehicle for the dissemination of information; the form they take is molded by the goals and creativity of bloggers. Consequently, a reader must be aware of the need to scrutinize the quality and relevance of a blog's content.
I have opted to use Blogger.com to create my blog. I wanted to start from scratch to learn the ins and outs of blogging infrastructure. Blogger.com is a user-friendly site that provides a variety of templates to choose from and facilitates the process of posting entries. When I login, I arrive at my "Dashboard." From here, I can manage my blog: create or edit a post, adjust the settings and layout, create a profile, and monitor my "Reading List." For ease of reference, I have decided to label all my coursework-related posts "DITA," and title them according to the titles given to each task in the coursework specifications.
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