Posted by Andy Dingley on 07/13/06 11:10

lixiaoyao wrote:

> I am beginner for html, I want to make a website for myself, could
> anyone recommend a tool for it and also an introduction book? I

Tools:

VERY SIMPLE editors. Don't use a WYSIWYG tool like DreamWeaver,
because it's expensive and you don't need it.

If you begin with very simple sites and never code anything you don't
understand, then you'll build simple sites reasonably easily. You'll
also become far more expert at really understanding HTML (it's not
hard) and you'll make better sites. Now you won't make a complex site
overnight, but then you're a beginner and you have to start somewhere.

HTMLKit and NVU are worth looking at, but I just use very simple text
editors like jEdit, Eclipse and TextPad. (these tools are free too!)

Frontpage (anything web-related from M$oft) is just a badly-done tool
and should be avoided at all costs.


Books:

Elizabeth Castro's HTML book.

Lie & Bos' CSS book.

The newish "Head First" series of books are very good and there's a
HTML / XHTML / CSS book in the series. I'd take a good look at that.


Advice:

Code in HTML 4.01 Strict

Ignore XHTML and XML

Code well-formed and valid code, and use a validator.

Learn CSS from the very beginning and always write good 2006-style
code. Avoid 1997-style HTML 3.2 and <table> layout.

Don't code things you don't understand.

Don't code non-standard HTML with funny extensions for M$oft.

Don't confuse MySpace or geocities with web hosting.

Code for the standard, view and test in a standard compliant browser
(try FireFox) and worry about IE afterwards

Don't trust old books or websites. Almost all HTML tutorials are bad,
obsolete or both.

Keep reading this newsgroup and c.i.w.a.h because they're the best
resources around.

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