Bruce, I couldn't agree more - the road is littered with "web developers" who don't know how to write XHTML or CSS. We rescue their customers frequently.
I'd say that, in order to learn how the web really works, write HTML and CSS from scratch (yes, in a text editor). To get started, find a site on the web that you like and download its HTML and CSS and, for example, make it XHTML 1.0-strict and CSS 2.1 compliant. I recommend that you steer well clear of systems that offer to "simplify" the web development process by hiding it from you. Web developers using those learn how to use that particular tool, but not the web. There're way too many of the latter. Of course, there are some who say that hand coding websites is too inefficient... but the way to make hand coding more efficient *isn't* to use Dreamweaver or [insert your favourite WYSIWYG HTML editor here]. The way to make it work is to stop writing static HTML sites. Instead use one of the many freely available open source CMS frameworks and simply hand code the templates for them once (making hand coded changes for other customer sites as required). That's what we do with Drupal. The static web, other than as a teaching tool, is dead. Yep, poked it with a stick. Dead. :) Cheers, Dave Bruce wrote: > > Andrew November 24, 2008 10:59 AM > > >> On Nov 24, 2008, at 10:47 AM, Kate wrote: >> >>> Wow! You hand code >> For now, and I think, the foreseeable future, this is still the only >> way available if you want to get it right... >> >>> ...although its a long road >> Yes it is! But worth it, and if you start simply, and follow the >> excellent advice that others here have offered, I think you'll find >> it's quite easy to find your way, and to find others who will be >> happy to help when the going gets tough. >> >> Good luck! > *************************************** > > 12 years ago on asking advice in starting down this road, a very wise > engineer told me, > "Always code by hand". Use notepad or similar..." > > While that was a difficult undertaking, it is the best advice I have had. > I still use a basic editor on occasion, one such as cute html or similar > is actually fine. Everyone has their fav, and that's ok, as long as it > doesn't "do everything for you" and one learns nothing. > > But I have developed a system and basic web standards template system > that works, so I have many examples of what I use all the time for > clients set in new templates. > > Now I mostly work with a CMS such as ExpressionEngine and have developed > a Web Standards template system that I modify as needed for all my clients. > > I firmly believe that reinventing the wheel for every site is not the > best practice. And that browser hacks > "may be" sometimes required. A lot of the time not, and we may end up > using them to save time. > > When one gets a solid foundation and understanding that hand coding > offers, one is never stuck in understanding the underlining principles > and what is wrong when things just "don't work" as expected. > > "I don't know why it don't work, dreamweaver did it" isn't the way to > impress clients! lol > > "Best viewed in anything you want" is a good label to apply to your > sites, and perhaps what Web Standards is all about. > > Good luck, do it the hard way and you will know the road well. > > Bruce Prochnau > bkdesign solutions > > > > > > > > ******************************************************************* > List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm > Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm > Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ******************************************************************* > -- Dave Lane = Egressive Ltd = [EMAIL PROTECTED] = m: +64 21 229 8147 p: +64 3 9633733 = Linux: it just tastes better = nosoftwarepatents http://egressive.com ==== we only use open standards: http://w3.org Effusion Group Founding Member =========== http://effusiongroup.com ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *******************************************************************
