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Internet and Web Reference Documents

Key reference documents, information and resources about the Internet / Web and associated technology.
Includes topics on developing web pages, both static and dynamic.
Subsections:

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Key Reference Documents

See Also:
* Internet RFCs
Internet RFC (Request For Comments) documents. The standards of the Internet.
The Internet Request For Comments (or RFC) documents are the written definitions of the protocols and policies of the Internet. This page provides entry points to get at the RFCs.
* Index of all RFCs
The complete index of all Internet RFC (Request For Comments) documents.
* List of USENET FAQs
Directory of news group Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Web Page Production

See Also:
* Rules for Good Web pages
Some straight forward guidelines for producing good web pages that are "Bandwidth-Friendly"™
* The Golden Rectangle
One of the most important aspects to bear in mind when designing web pages.
* How to put information on the web
Some guidelines from W3C for budding web authors back in the "old days" - 1995 actually!
* www.WebTechniques.com
Web Techniques magazine, with selected articles reproduced from the printed version, and downloadable source code from all articles.
* webreference.com
Large library of WWW reference materials.
* Effective interactive Web design
Discusses the key concepts that are fundamental to the success of any interactive Web page or site. Some sound advice for good web design.
* IBM HCI Guidelines for Web Design
Guidelines and principles to follow when designing web sites or internet application user interfaces.
* ReallyBig.com
A large links site with resources for web builders including free clipart, counters, html, java, animation, backgrounds, icons, wysiwyg editors, buttons, photographs, site promotion, and more.
* tkHTML
tkHTML is a simple HTML editor based on the Tcl script language and the Tk toolkit for X11. It allows quick composition and editing of HTML-format documents, as well as a rapid way of converting existing text documents to the HTML format, and WYSIWYG Previewing.
* Webmaster Resources
Articles about website design and promotion, reviews of software and services for webmasters, a weekly newsletter, and organized links to over 1000 free resources to help webmasters build, promote an maintain a successful website.
* Netscape's Home Page - A Design Exercise
A look at how Netscape performed it's home page redesign, the requirements it had, and how it addressed them.
* Dynamic HTML and Older Browsers - What to do?
A look at how Netscape handled the use of Dynamic HTML on it's new home page, while making it compatible with older browser versions.
* Producing the User-Centric Web Site.
When designing your Web site and developing its content, remember that you need to keep in mind at least one of three important audiences: passing visitors, purchasers, and existing customers. Each of these groups has different interests in what your site has to offer, and you need to consider them in determining your site's objectives.
* Worth the Wait?
A very practical look at the inherent delays involved in accessing web pages, and what the page author can do to reduce these. Also describes some work undertaken that shows two key values web authors should consider - 200 milliseconds and 8.5 seconds. Read the article to understand why these numbers are so important for web designers!
* Netscape's Color Picker
The Color Picker allows you to easily convert back and forth between Hex values and RGB values, pick the color you want by dragging the colored bars to adjust the red, green, and blue values, and (possibly most importantly!) you can lock to Web-safe values, so that you know the colors you pick will show up identically on all browsers and all color monitors.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : HTML Frames

See Also:
* The Art of Frames
A good tutorial and introduction to the Frames facilities of HTML
* Frames - An Introduction
Netscape's tutorial and introduction to HTML Frames.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Cookies

See Also:
* Using cookies.
How to use cookies to analyze user activity and create custom pages.
* User-friendly cookies.
Five reasons people find cookies objectionable & how to address them. Thought provoking reading for webmasters and page creators alike.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Dynamic Web Page Generation

The next big step in the generation of Internet content - Just-In-Time generation of web page contents using the most up-to-the minute information.
A concept being heavily promoted by Microsoft through it's Active Server Pages (ASP) system, although it is equally possible using CGI and Perl.
See Also:
* Dynamic Page Languages
An article from ApacheWeek discussing the various options for generating dynamic pages - including SSI, CGI, FastCGI, Meta-HTML, NeoScript, etc.
* Active Server Pages Overview
Some details about Microsoft's Active Server Page (ASP) system - an application environment (similar to server-side includes) which you can combine HTML, scripts and ActiveX server components to create dynamic web-based solutions.
* What is Active Server Pages ?
A short description of Microsoft's Active Server Page (ASP) system.
* Active Server Pages FAQ
Some frequently asked questions about Active Server Pages (ASP).
* Getting started with dynamic HTML
Looks at the various methods of creating dynamic HTML pages, viewed from both the browser and server viewpoints.
* Adding dynamic content for multiple browsers & versions
Covers the tricky subject of how to exploit the new Dynamic HTML technology introduced in the latest versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers, yet still deliver pages that are viewable by older versions of the browsers. Includes 7 rules for browser-friendly scripts.
* W3-mSQL
w3-msql is an interface between a web server and mSQL which can be used to greatly simplify the use of a Mini SQL database to generate dynamic web pages.
* PHP/FI
PHP/FI is a server-side html-embedded scripting language. It lets you write simple scripts right in your .HTML files much like JavaScript does, except, unlike JavaScript PHP/FI is not browser-dependant because it is a server-side language. PHP/FI provides support for embedded SQL right from a .html file.

Client-side Scripting : PHP - Hypertext Preprocessor

PHP is a server-side scripting technology for building dynamic web pages.
See Also:
* PHP Home Page
Home page for the PHP scripting language available under the Open Source scheme.
* PHP Home Page
Home page for the PHP scripting language available under the Open Source scheme.
* PHP - Hypertext Preprocessor - Home Page
PHP 3.0 is a server-side HTML embedded scripting language released under the "Open Source" scheme.
* PHP 3 Example Page
PHP 3.0 code examples, sample code, and how-to's on PHP3 programming.
* PX : PHP Code Exchange
PX is a repository for pieces of code written in PHP. Like PHP, code in the PX is meant to be freely available and redistributable.
* Dynamic Web Pages with PHP3
An article from Web Techniques magazine showing some new features of PHP 3, and illustrates them by building a dynamic Web photo album.
* A Contact Database using MySQL and PHP
from Web Techniques magazine.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : HTML - Hypertext Markup Language

See Also:
* The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
The main Internet standards body.
* The W3C Reference Library
Major source of Web and Internet related documents and standards.
* A Beginner's Guide to HTML
The NCSA Beginner's Guide to HTML is a very good place to start to understand the hypertext markup language (HTML) used on the World Wide Web.
* Netscape HTML Reference Guide
A complete reference guide to Netscape HTML tags. Includes a glossary of tags and a visual list of supported colors.
* Basic Forms Tutorial
An introduction to creating and using forms in your web pages.
* Netscape Navigator 3.0 - Development Resources
Details of the JavaScript language, and new HTML tags supported by Navigator v3.0
* Netscape Developer's Edge
* Ed Kubaitis's WebLint Gateway
An on-line gateway for running the WebLint HTML validator.
Checks a web page for a multitude of problems, including cross-browser compatibility. Very thorough - you will be amazed at what it uncovers with your pages!
* Doctor HTML
A Web page analysis tool which retrieves an HTML page and reports on any problems that it finds. Even checks your spelling, and estimates the download time of the page and it's components (eg. images)!
* WebTechs HTML Validation Service
Another HTML page checker and validation service. Even has a textbox so you can enter a snippet of HTML text for checking online without having to publish a full-blown page to be checked.
* Internet Explorer 3 Comparison Guide
Microsoft's description of the HTML, Java and ActiveX features in Internet Explorer v3, and how they compare with Netscape Navigator 3.
* W3C Project Couger: HTML v4.0
Cougar is the code name for W3C work on the next version (4.0) of HTML (HyperText Markup Language). The Working Draft of the HTML 4.0 Specification is available as a separate document.
* Web Page Backward Compatibility Viewer
A really useful little tool when designing web pages - allows you to see what any web page will look like to visitors by stripping out certain of the newer HTML tags.
You may be surprised how badly your pages fare, and how well some of the big-name sites such as Microsoft survive the ordeal!
* Cascading Style Sheets Reference
An introduction, tutorial, and reference guide produced by the Web Design Group to the new CSS standard, which is understood by Internet Explorer 3.0 and Netscape Navigator 4.0.
* ISO 8859-1 character set overview
The character set overview lists all characters (together with entity names) in the ISO Latin 1 character set, which is used on the Web.
* Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 Author's Guide and HTML Reference
* DHTML Object Model
The all important HTML object model and event model for IE4 and Dynamic HTML scripting.
* Microsoft IE4 HTML and CSS Reference
Reference dcumentation from Microsoft on HTML and Cascade Style Sheets.
* Netscape HTML tags list by Release
Documents the HTML tags supported by Netscape Navigator, grouped by the Navigator release that made them available and/or changed them.
* Cascading Style Sheets, level 1
The official CSS1 specification from W3C.
* Netscape 4.0 HTML Tag Reference
A complete reference guide to Netscape HTML tags, and the attributes, properties, and event handler hooks that can be used from JavaScript.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : HTML Frames

See Also:
* The Art of Frames
A good tutorial and introduction to the Frames facilities of HTML
* Frames - An Introduction
Netscape's tutorial and introduction to HTML Frames.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Dynamic HTML

See Also:
* Microsoft's Dynamic HTML home page
* DHTML Object Model
The all important HTML object model and event model for IE4 and Dynamic HTML scripting.
* Dynamic HTML in Netscape Communicator
Describes the Dynamic HTML features in Netscape Navigator 4.0, including style sheets, positioned content, and downloadable fonts.
* onMouseOver guide
A simple tutorial on how to do "mouseOver" highlighting in plain old JavaScript.
* Dynamic HTML Sample Code for Netscape 4
* DHTML Tree Scriptlet Tutorial
A tutorial describing how to make an object-oriented reusable tree scriptlet using Dynamic Html and Javascript. (Requires IE4 to access / run)
* DHTML Scriptlet Samples
A collection of scriptlets for Microsoft's IE4 browser.
* DHTML Scriptlet FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Dynamic HTML Scriptlets.
* IE4 DHTML Samples
Some examples from Microsoft of the cool (and not-so-cool) things that can be done with Dynamic HTML in IE4.
* Handling Window Resize Problems in DHTML Pages
An article looking at how to handle a problem when a page using Netscape Dynamic HTML for "mouseOver" highlighting is resized.
* Dynamic Balloon Help
How to build balloon help for your web page users using Netscape 4 DHTML.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Images for the Internet

Subsections:
See Also:
* Selected Background Colour values
Colour chart showing RGB values for a selection of background colours that I find useful.
(Requires Netscape Navigator v3+ or Microsoft Internet Explorer v3+)
* RGB Colour values chart
Colour chart showing RGB values for a standard 256-colour palette.
* File Format Reference Library
Details of most file formats in wide use today.
* Optimising Web Graphics
Some great articles on techniques and tools for optimising graphics images for use on the Internet / Web.
* Colour Palettes for Optimising Web Graphics
Guidelines on the pallete to use for graphics images.
* Listing of some key RGB colour values and names
* Digital Watermarking and Copyright of Image Files
How digital watermark and embedded serial number techniques can be used to protect the copyright of image files on the Internet.
* Understanding Image Compression
An explanation of the techniques used to compress image files, and how they are used in the .jpg and .gif file formats.
* Encyclopedia of graphics file formats
* The Safety Palette
Describes the safety palette -- a color palette that represents the set of colors that should be safe to use to create images that don't dither on the Web.
* Safety Palette Color Picker
A page to help visualise and select the appropriate colour value from the Safety Palette.
* CoolText - Online, Automatic Logo Generation
Formally known as NET-FU. An interesting little Java applet that allows you to generate nice logo graphics fully customised to your individual requirements. The image file can then simple be saved and used in your own web pages.
* IBM/Lotus toolbar icons
Nice little icons for use in toolbars.
* IBM HCI Resources
A collection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) resources from IBM - including icons, textures, sounds, Java applets, HCI standards guidelines and demos.
* The GIMP
The GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software suitable for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Animated GIF images

See Also:
* Alchemy Mindworks Inc. - GifCon32 Animated GIF builder
One of the main tool for creating animated GIFs.
* Web Animation with GIF89a
A description of how Gif89a image files and animated GIFs can create moving images on the web.
* Creating Animation GIFs
A step-by-step guide to creating animated GIF images.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : FlashPix image format

See Also:
* FlashPix image format specification
* FlashPix image format whitepaper
* FlashPix image format primer
A good introduction to the emerging FlashPix image format designed especially for use on the Internet.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : PNG - Portable Network Graphics

See Also:
* PNG home page
Portable Network Graphics image format - PNG or "ping" to it's friends! An emerging Internet image format, likely to replace GIF and JPEG in the medium term future.
* PNG specification
Portable Network Graphics image format specification.
* PNG Source Code and Libraries
Tools and source code for handling PNG format image files in various languages, including C and Java.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : VRML - Virtual Reality Modelling Language

See Also:
* VRML.SGI.COM
Silicon Graphics' web site devoted to Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and related resources.
Includes basic introductory guides to VRML, a galley of demonstration worlds, and loads of information for VRML developers on tools, tips, tutorials, widgets, utilities, specifications and even integrating Java and VRML! Go try it!
* CyberTown
A whole virtual world create to experiment with advanced internet navigation techniques, and now providing a virtual community where people can have fun, be entertained, learn things and explore the best of the Internet.
* The VRML Repository at SDSC
The VRML Repository is an impartial, comprehensive, community resource for the dissemination of information relating to VRML, maintained by the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). Lots of authoring tools, object libraries, documentation and other resources.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : CGI - Common Gateway Interface (including Perl)

See below for Perl - the most frequently used language for CGI scripting.
See Also:
* Common Gateway Interface spec
Description of the CGI interface specification.
* CGI.pm - a Perl5 CGI Library
Online documentation for the Perl CGI.pm module from the Perl CPAN library - now virtually the standard way of writing CGI scripts in perl.
* CGI using Perl
An extensive list of resources and information about using Perl to write CGI scripts. Includes CGI Programming guides and references, the CGI library module, Fast-CGI, SSL, scripts to handle file uploads using Netscape browsers.
* CGI Tutorial: Start
* GD - A Graphics Library for fast GIF creation
Details of the GD (GIF drawing) package by Thomas Boutell that is very useful in CGI programs for generating images on-the-fly. Extensively used in nearly every web page counter program in the world!
* How to write Perl & CGI scripts you can reuse.
An article from NetscapeWorld on writing reusable, dynamically configurable CGI code.
* Perl Regexp for URLs
Regular expressions to match URL strings - frequently required in a Perl / CGI program.
* Security in CGI (Server) Scripts
The section of the World Wide Web Security FAQ dealing with general CGI script topics.
* Safe CGI Programming
The CGI security FAQ maintained by Paul Phillips.
* FastCGI Home
Open Market's home page for FastCGI, including download of free Development Kits for use on most of the popular web servers.
* FastCGI Specification
Defines the interface between a FastCGI application and a Web server that supports FastCGI. Not really necessary for just writing applications, but useful to have around occasionally.
* The FastCGI FAQ
Open Market's FAQ about FastCGI, including how to get started.
* Integrating FastCGI with Java
How to write FastCGI applications in Java using Open Market's free Development Kit.
* Matt's Script Archive
Some very good CGI scripts (mostly written in Perl) available for free download.
* The CGI Resource Index
Listing of lots of CGI resources, including programs & scripts, documentation, books, articles, programmers and jobs.
* FreeCode
The FreeCode software archive - lots of CGI and web program source code available free for personal and commercial use.
* CGI.h - CGI programming in C++
CGI.h is a C++ header file which facilitates the creation of CGI programs in C++. This file defines a CGI class and contains methods to access the resulting CGI object in a manner very similar to Perl 5's CGI.pm.
* More Examples of Scripts Created with CGI.pm
Code samples for doing some more advanced things with CGI scripts using the CGI.pm Perl module. Examples include:
  • Basic and Advanced Non Sequitur Questionnaires,
  • Save and restore the state of a form to a file,
  • Server Push,
  • Read the coordinates from a clickable image map,
  • Multiple independent forms on the same page,
  • How to maintain state on a page with internal links,
  • Echo fatal script errors to the browser,
  • Prompt for a file to upload and process it,
  • A Continuously-Updated Page using Server Push,
  • Compute the "diff" between two uploaded files,
  • Maintain state over a long period with a cookie,
  • Permanently customize the appearance of a page with a cookie,
  • Popup the response in a new window,
  • Side-by-side form and response using frames,
  • Verify the Contents of a fill-out form with JavaScript.
* Source code examples from "The Official Guide to CGI.pm" book
CGI code samples Lincoln Stein's book about using the CGI.pm Perl module.
Examples include:
  • plaintext.pl: A dynamic text-only page.
  • plaintext2.pl: Multiple formatted lines.
  • plaintext4.pl: Star out all 4-letter words from a file.
  • time1.pl: Print the current local time.
  • vegetables1.pl: Nested lists.
  • vegetables3.pl: An HTML 3 table.
  • htmlize.pl: Convert text into HTML.
  • time4.pl: An interactive clock.
  • advice.pl: Take action based on button presses.
  • loan.pl: Multi-page questionnaire.
  • guestbook.pl: A guestbook.
  • redirect.pl: Redirect browser elsewhere.
  • random_pict1.pl: Select a picture randomly
  • tm.pl: Add ® symbol to trademarks.
  • confidential.pl: Implement a new HTML tag.
  • carpout.pl: Echo runtime errors to the browser.
  • quadraphobia.pl: A clickable image map.
  • graffiti.pl: Saving session state to a file.
  • customizable.pl: A customizable page.
  • graffiti2.pl: A cleaner way of saving session state to a file.
  • cookie.pl: Save user preferences in a cookie.
  • upload.pl: Upload a file and calculate its length.
  • gate.pl: Refuse admission between 2-3 o'clock on Sundays.
  • frames.pl: Create a document that uses frames to pop up a new window.
  • side_by_side.pl: Create side-by-side frames.
  • javascript.pl: Validate a form with JavaScript.
  • nph-quote.pl: Simulate a stock ticker.
  • nph-push.pl: A dynamic page using server push.
* How to write WAI services
Web Application Interface (WAI) is Netscape's new technology for communicating and interfacing with web servers which is more-efficient than CGI. WAI is distributed and language-neutral due to it being based on CORBA. Code examples are in Java.
* WAI: A distributed CGI?
WAI (Web Application Interface) is Netscape's latest attempt at designing a more efficient alternative to CGI. This developer.com article provides a review of how they got on, and what it could mean for your development efforts.
* FAQ Manager
This Perl script takes makes it easy to prepare FAQ pages. It allows you to modify any existing FAQs by adding / deleting entries.
* The Apache/Perl Integration Project
Home page for The Apache/Perl integration project (aka mod_perl) This project brings together the full power of the Perl programming language and the Apache HTTP server. With mod_perl it is possible to write Apache modules entirely in Perl. In addition, the persistent interpreter embedded in the server avoids the overhead of starting an external interpreter and the penalty of Perl start-up time.
A must for high performance CGI's.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Perl Scripting Language

See Also:
* The Perl Language Home Page
* Tom Christiansen's Mox.Perl.COM Home Page
* The Perl Reference
A comprehensive listing of Perl links and reference materials.
* Perl Recipes
Examples of how to do several common programming tasks in Perl.
* Perl Module Mechanics
A nice little guide by Steven McDougall about how to create and use modules in Perl programs.
* Safe Scripting in Perl
The section of the World Wide Web Security FAQ about using Perl.
* CGI.pm - a Perl5 CGI Library
Online documentation for the Perl CGI.pm module from the Perl CPAN library - now virtually the standard way of writing CGI scripts in perl.
* Perl Libraries for MsqlPerl
Libraries to interface to an mSQL database from a Perl CGI script or program.
* DBI Home Page
DBperl is a database access Application Programming Interface (API) for the Perl Language. The DBperl API Specification defines a set of functions, variables and conventions that provide a consistent database interface independent of the actual database being used. Also lists the drivers available for various DBMS's.
* Book: Programming Perl (2nd Edition)
The legendary "Camel" book by Larry Wall - the authorative reference guide to the Perl language by the guy that actually invented the language!
There is also a full table of contents source code and errata available online.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* Book: Learning Perl (2nd Edition)
The other legendary Perl book - the "Llama" book by Randal L. Schwartz and Tom Christiansen
A hands-on tutorial designed to get you writing useful Perl scripts as quickly as possible. The second edition has been updated to cover version 5.004 of the Perl language.
There is also source code available online.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* Book: Perl in a Nutshell
A desktop reference book for Perl programmers. Due for release in December 1998, but can be ordered in advance.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* Book: Advanced Perl Programming
Covers both the advanced features of the Perl language and how to use Perl to achieve complex programming tasks. Subjects include object-oriented programming, complex data structures, GUI's, exceptions and extending Perl.
There is also a full table of contents source code and errata available online.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* CPAN - The Comprehensive Perl Archive Network
To let CPAN describe itself: "The CPAN contains the collected wisdom of the entire Perl community: hundreds of Perl utilities, several books' worth of documentation, and the entire Perl distribution. If it's written in Perl, and it's helpful and free, it's in the CPAN."
If you want to do something in Perl, someone has probably already written a module to help you - check CPAN first!
* Perl FAQ Index
The Perl Frequently Asked Questions list from the CPAN archive.
* perltoot - Tom's object-oriented tutorial for perl
A very good tutorial on Perl's OO facilities.
* A Quick Introduction to Perl
* Writing Object-Oriented CGIs with Perl
A basic summary of the object-oriented facilities in Perl, and introduction to some of Perl's object-oriented concepts and syntax.
* Perl Builder IDE
A report on a new commercial visual editor/debugger and IDE for developing Perl programs from SolutionSoft, including facilities to simulate a CGI script environment for testing.
* perl.miningco.com
The Mining Co. guide to Perl. Lots of interesting articles, features and links about the Perl language and practical Perl programming.
* More Examples of Scripts Created with CGI.pm
Code samples for doing some more advanced things with CGI scripts using the CGI.pm Perl module. Examples include:
  • Basic and Advanced Non Sequitur Questionnaires,
  • Save and restore the state of a form to a file,
  • Server Push,
  • Read the coordinates from a clickable image map,
  • Multiple independent forms on the same page,
  • How to maintain state on a page with internal links,
  • Echo fatal script errors to the browser,
  • Prompt for a file to upload and process it,
  • A Continuously-Updated Page using Server Push,
  • Compute the "diff" between two uploaded files,
  • Maintain state over a long period with a cookie,
  • Permanently customize the appearance of a page with a cookie,
  • Popup the response in a new window,
  • Side-by-side form and response using frames,
  • Verify the Contents of a fill-out form with JavaScript.
* Perl Regular Expression Tutorial
A tutorial article explaining the format of Perl regular expression search patterns in detail, and the subtle differences between Perl's regular expressions and Unix' regular expressions.
* DCE-Perl
Open Source library modules in the CPAN archive providing an object-oriented interface to DCE (the Distributed Computing Environment) and DFS (Distributed File System) for access control lists and internals.
* Perl extension module XML::Parser
The XML::Parser extension module is a perl interface to James Clark's XML parser, expat.
* Using The Perl XML::Parser Module
An article by Clark Cooper describing two Perl programs which demonstrate some of XML::Parser's capabilities.
* Book: Perl Cookbook
A VERY useful companion to the "Camel" book. The book contains hundreds of very useful, short programs, and excellent explanations for answering all those "How do I do that?" questions - from regular expressions and text handling to sophisticated security and web utilities.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* The Perl Data Structures Cookbook
This is a cookbook of recipes for building up complex data structures in perl. The goal is to provide cookbook-like, cut-and-paste examples of the most often used data structures in perl.
* The Apache/Perl Integration Project
Home page for The Apache/Perl integration project (aka mod_perl) This project brings together the full power of the Perl programming language and the Apache HTTP server. With mod_perl it is possible to write Apache modules entirely in Perl. In addition, the persistent interpreter embedded in the server avoids the overhead of starting an external interpreter and the penalty of Perl start-up time.
A must for high performance CGI's.
* Intro to Mod_Perl
A rundown on how to get started with mod_perl for running "embedded" Perl scripts with the Apache server.
* EvoScript Perl App Framework
EvoScript is a free, database-enabled web application framework written in Perl and released as Open Source. EvoScript was developed out of some in-house tools at Evolution Online Systems, to provide an open, scalable web application framework to built to make creating dynamic web sites easier.

XML - eXtensible Markup Language : XML - eXtensible Markup Language

The emerging standard way to store and structure application specific data in an easily machine-readable way, and which is frequently then rendered or formatted using XSL rules.
Subsections:
* W3C's Extensible Markup Language (XML) Reference Page
The "official" home page of the XML standard
* Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 Specification
The official W3C standards document and specification for XML.
* The XML FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about the Extensible Markup Language maintained on behalf of the World Wide Web Consortium's XML Special Interest Group.
* An XML Primer
What is XML, and how can it be used to deliver structured data over the web?
* Building XML Parsers for Microsoft's IE4
Describes why Microsoft implemented its first XML application and how it led to the development of two XML parsers shipping in Internet Explorer 4.0, one written in C++ and the other in Java.
* Microsoft XML Parser in Java
The Microsoft XML Parser is a validating XML parser written in Java. The parser checks for well-formed documents and optionally permits checking of the documents' validity, then the XML document is exposed as a tree through a simple set of Java methods. These methods support reading and/or writing XML structures, such as the Channel Definition Format (CDF) or other text formats based on XML, and thereby enable building applications using XML.
* JStud's XML Example and DTD Catalog
Links to XML examples and DTD. Sections for XML Standards, XML Formats, Proprietary XML Formats, and SGML Files.
* NXP - Norbert's XML Parser
A (validating) XML parser written in Java. Being used as the basis for DataChannel's DXME product (see below)
* DataChannel XML Development Environment (DXDE)
DXDE is a collection of XML tools including parsers, viewers, and APIs. Includes source code for Xapi-J - a standardized XML API in Java.
* ChannelWorld
ChannelWorld is DataChannel's research collection, covering core topics like XML, DSSSL, Java, IP multicasting and all the people and organizations that contribute to these subjects.
* What's the point of XML?
What is XML, and why is it so important? Also looks at some of the many current schemes already making use of XML - such as CDF (Channel Definition Format)
* Book: XML : Principles, Tools, and Techniques
Reports edited by Dan Connolly from a wide range of XML experts and W3C XML Working Group participants on the state of XML, developing XML dialects, implementing XML software, and more. A must-read for those truly interested in XML development.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* Book: Presenting XML
A slightly more general, and less technical, introduction to XML than Connolly's "XML : Principles, Tools, and Techniques" book.
Buy it TODAY from Amazon Worldwide/U.S.A. or U.K.
* Roll a New Data Format with XML
An article from JavaPro magazine giving an introduction to XML use in Java, including sample application using Microsoft's XML Parser.
* XML Software Tools
A list at W3C of some leading examples of XML tools and libraries available for free noncommercial use, written in various programming languages including Java and Tcl.
* Beyond HTML: XML and Automated Web Processing
* Coins: Tightly Coupled JavaBeans and XML Elements
A coin has two faces, an XML element and an instance of a JavaBean: the XML element is the persistent form, and the JavaBean instance is the runtime form. An interesting idea for the integration of two hot emerging technologies.
* Open Trading Protocol web site
The web site for the OTP Consortium developing the Open Trading Protocol for the exchange of trading information, including using an XML-based method of digital signatures and certificate passing.
* Cafe con Leche - XML News and Resources
A new site by Elliotte Rusty Harold providing news, commentary and resource listings for XML along the lines of his long standing Cafe au Lait site for Java.
* Microsoft's XML reference site
* Xparse
Xparse is great little XML parser written by Jeremie Miller in less than 5k of JavaScript! Try it on-line, or download the source for free.
* java-xml-interest mailing list
Home page for the java-xml-interest mailing list.
* AXTP: Application eXtensible Transactional Protocol
AXTP is a small and easy to use transaction processing systems using XML for its wire protocol. It is a Java Beans component-based system, and can be configured to a wide range of requirements.
* TML : Template Resolution in XML/HTML
This paper describes a framework for applying templates to applications and documents on the Web. The primary motivation is the need of Web application developers to separate program logic from presentation logic. The Template Markup Language (TML) is an application of XML which defines a generic and flexible set of template markup elements, while TRiX (Template Resolution in XML/HTML) is a extensible framework for processing TML.
* The Annotated XML Specification
An innovative example of the use of XML to provide annotation to the XML standards document itself. It's also a useful way to view the spec document itself!
* IBM's XML for Java toolkit
XML for Java is a validating XML parser written in 100% pure Java, and contains classes and methods for parsing, generating, manipulating, and validating XML documents.
* SAX : The Simple API for XML
SAX is a Java API package for event-based XML parsing (ie. "callback" based, rather than "parse tree" based), developed collaboratively by the members of the XML-DEV mailing list. SAX is free for both commercial and non-commercial use, and is already being used by a wide range of products and applications.
* DataChannel's RIO 3 product
DataChannel RIO is a commercial product providing an XML enabled intranet system for organizing and distributing corporate information. RIO creates virtual shared workspaces on the Web or an intranet, organised through a tabbed-folder system, which can contain any document format. Users are notified instantly when new information is posted.
* Introduction to XML and XSL - Part 2
Shows how to use JavaScript and the Web Browser's Document Object Model (DOM) to display XML data. Then looks at an equivalent Java applet to display the same data, but with extra functionality such as sorting, searching or collating.
* XML Agents
An article by JP Morgenthal at NC.Focus. Abstract: XML Agents is a way of allowing applications to receive XML instances without knowing their specific vocabulary. While this functionality can be performed with some specialized tools such as eXtensible Style Language (XSL) or the Document Object Model (DOM), XML Agent containers would provide a consistent method of performing this over a large number of environments.
* XML-RPC Specification
XML-RPC is a Remote Procedure Calling protocol that works over the Internet. An XML-RPC message is an HTTP-POST request. The body of the request is in XML. A procedure executes on the server and the value it returns is also formatted in XML. The XML-RPC protocol was initially implemented in the Frontier 5.1 site management system.
* Designing for the Future with XML
How to use XML and the concept of "evolvability" to plan ahead and attempt to "future-proof" your web site content and presentation schemes.
* Microsoft XML Notepad
A simple prototyping application for HTML authors and developers that enables the rapid building and editing of small sets of XML-based data.
* WIDL: Application Integration with XML
An article from "XML: Principles, Tools, and Techniques", the October 1998 issue of O'Reilly's World Wide Web Journal magazine, describing Web Interface Definition Language (WIDL), an application of XML which allows the resources of the World Wide Web to be described as functional interfaces that can be accessed by remote systems over standard Web protocols. WIDL provides a simple way of linking disparate business applications using XML.
* Archive of XML-DEV mailing list
The XML-DEV list provides a forum for developers of XML applications, resources and other materials.
* XML-DEV Jewels
The XML-DEV list provides a forum for developers of XML applications, resources and other materials. This page is an personal index by Peter Murray-Rust of some of the postings that may have some lasting usefulness.
* XML Java IO Writer
A Java class by Tyler Baker to assist with the output of XML data.
* XML resources
An extensive listing by Robin Cover of XML resources.
Warning : This page is very large - even bigger than some of ours!!
* LT XML Toolkit
LT XML is an integrated set of XML tools and a developers' tool-kit, including a C-based API running on UNIX and WIN32. The LT XML tool-kit includes stand-alone tools for a wide range of processing of well-formed XML documents, including searching and extracting, down-translation (e.g. report generation, formatting), tokenising and sorting.
Free for non-commercial use to individuals, researchers and development teams upon completing an on-line "research" licence form.
* XML Links
A collection of XML links by by Adam Rifkin and Rohit Khare.
Nice simple page design style, too!
* Perl extension module XML::Parser
The XML::Parser extension module is a perl interface to James Clark's XML parser, expat.
* Using The Perl XML::Parser Module
An article by Clark Cooper describing two Perl programs which demonstrate some of XML::Parser's capabilities.
* RDF-DEV Mailing List
Home page info and archive of the RDF-DEV mailing list devoted to the practical application of RDF (Resource Description Framework), particularly on the application of RDF to Internet resource discovery issues.
* Virtual Hyperglossary (VHG)
The VHG) enables knowledge enhancement through global terminology. Since the glossaries contain indexing terms, it is possible to run software which searches a document for such terms and adds a hyperlink to any it finds. If this software is on the server, all the user has to do is to post their document to the server and ask for it to be marked up.
This is one of the first serious uses of XML and XLink technologies.
* XML-QL: A Query Language for XML
A W3C proposal for a query language for XML (called XML-QL) for extracting data from large XML documents, for translating XML data between different ontologies (DTD's), for integrating XML data from multiple XML sources, and for transporting large amounts of XML data to clients or for sending queries to XML sources.
* Resource Description Framework (RDF)
Home page for the Resource Description Framework (RDF) at w3c. RDF is an XML-based scheme designed to provide an infrastructure to support metadata across many web-based activities. Example applications include sitemaps, content ratings, stream channel definitions, search engine data collection (web crawling), digital library collections, and distributed authoring.
* Deploying MetaData Representations of Web Content
A Netscape TechNote explaining metadata and how to use it to build a Web sitemap. It provides an introduction to metadata, and provides an overview of the syntax of various metadata approaches. It also looks at the process and mind-set needed to generate a useful sitemap, and why this requires some human intervention and thought processes beyond a simple "link-crawler" approach.
* Information and Content Exchange (ICE) Protocol
The Information and Content Exchange protocol is based on XML, and will be used by content syndicators and their subscribers to be useful in automating content exchange and reuse, both in traditional publishing contexts and in business-to-business exchanges. The ICE protocol defines the roles and responsibilities of syndicators and subscribers, defines the format and method of content exchange, and provides support for management and control of syndication relationships.
* Content-X.com - ICE information source
Content-X is a news and discussion site for web publishers interested in Vignette Corporation's Information & Content Exchange (ICE) protocol (now a W3C NOTE). ICE is an exciting new standard designed to automate the exchange of digital assets between businesses.
* XML and Java Tutorial, Part I *
A tutorial from the Bean Factory showing how Java can be used to display information in XML documents using a graphical Swing interface and an HTML based interface.

XML - eXtensible Markup Language : XSL - eXtensible Stylesheet Language

The emerging standard for the way to format and present XML data.
See Also:
* An introduction to XML and XSL
An article from developer.com about how the emerging XSL (eXtensible Style Language) standard facilities can be used to specify the appearance of XML documents.
* W3C XSL Home Page
The home page for XSL (eXtensible Style Language) technologies and standards at the W3C.
* Microsoft's XSL Tutorial
A tutorial will show you how XSL works, how to write XSL stylesheets, and what features are provided by the Microsoft XSL Processor.
* docproc
docproc is a software package that provides processing and layout of XML documents based on XSL scripts. docproc is written in Java, and can be used as a server-side preparser for serving XML documents on the web.
* The Microsoft XSL Processor
Download the Technology Preview of Microsoft's extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) tool for presenting XML data.
* TML : Template Resolution in XML/HTML
This paper describes a framework for applying templates to applications and documents on the Web. The primary motivation is the need of Web application developers to separate program logic from presentation logic. The Template Markup Language (TML) is an application of XML which defines a generic and flexible set of template markup elements, while TRiX (Template Resolution in XML/HTML) is a extensible framework for processing TML.
* Jade - James' DSSSL Engine
Jade is an implementation of the DSSSL style language (Document Style Semantics and Specification Language) - ie. a way of formatting XML data for presentation in the similar way that XSL does.
* LotusXSL *
LotusXSL is another of IBM's AlphaWorks development products that implements an XSL processor in Java for formatting and transforming XML data. It can also interface to APIs that conform to the Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Specification.

XML - eXtensible Markup Language : CDF - Channel Definition Format

See Also:
* Building a CDF Channel
* IE4 CDF Specifiation
The specification for Channel Definition Format in IE4.
* Extended Log File Format
The w3c specification (working draft) of Extended Log File Format, as used in Microsoft IE4 CDF logging.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : TCP/IP - Internet Communications

The communications protocol of the Internet.
Covers IP, TCP, UDP, ARP, and any other *P acronym we forgot to mention!
IP name services are covered in the DNS section.
Specific application protocols are covered in their own sections, such as HTTP and SMTP.
See Also:
* ARP Introduction
An overview of the ARP (address resolution protocol) used by TCP/IP networks.
* Subnet Addressing
An online tutorial from UnixWorld magazine on how to set up Subnet Addressing on TCP/IP networks.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol

See Also:
* HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol Overview
The W3C's introduction to HTTP.
* List of HTTP Specifications, Drafts and Reports
The W3C's list of HTTP specs.
* HTTP v1.1 (Proposed standard)
The proposed standard for Hypertext Transfer Protocol version 1.1
* Transparent Content Negotiation in HTTP
draft-04 version.
* Digest Authentication
Digest authentication to be included in the forthcoming HTTP v1.1 standard.
* W3C Jigsaw server - Overview
Description of Jigsaw - A public domain HTTP web server written in Java.
* Status Codes in HTTP
A list of the HTTP Status Code values.
* HTTP Keep Alive
Some notes on the Keep Alive features in the HTTP protocol, including a short description of how it works under both HTTP 1.0 and 1.1, with some added information about how Java handles it.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and sendmail

See Also:
* Sendmail Home Page
* sendmail source distributions (ftp)
The official home of the sendmail source code distributions.
* comp.mail.sendmail FAQ
* Overview of Internet Mail
An overview from SunWorld Online of how Internet e-mail works, and future developments that may change the process. Includes a survey of current terms, standards, and technologies.
* RFC-974 - Mail Routing and the Domain System
Explains how mailers are to decide how to route a message addressed to a given Internet domain name. Describes MX record processing.
* MIME Overview
A good overview by Mark Grand of MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) used for e-mail on the Internet.
* Anti-Spam Provisions in Sendmail 8.8
Details of how to use the experimental anti-spam measures for sendmail 8.8, including how to: Prevent Relaying Through Your SMTP Port, Refuse Mail from Selected Relays, Insist On Valid Host Name In MAIL FROM: Command, and Restrict Mail Acceptance.
* Using check_* in sendmail 8.8
* Internet Mail Consortium
Home Page of the Internet Mail Consortium (IMC), an industry body working for the promotion and enhancement of electronic mail and messaging on the Internet.
* Virtual Hosting with Sendmail
How to use sendmail to accomplish virtual e-mail hosting. Covers both the DNS and sendmail configuration required.
* Sendmail Masquerading and Relaying
All about masquerading and relaying with sendmail, including the answer to the question "How do I make all my addresses appear to be from a single host?"
* Sendmail online tutorial
An introduction to sendmail, and tutorial on it's configuration.
* Sendmail v8
A tutorial from UNIX World magazine on Sendmail how to use macro-based configuration and spelled-out options with Sendmail v8. Also discusses in detail how to set up a mail hub with a macro-based Sendmail configuration.
* Untying the Sendmail Gordian Knot
Describes a Perl script from UNIX World magazine that reveals how your Sendmail configuration rewrites addresses.
* The Spam Bouncer
The Spam Bouncer is a set of procmail recipes, or email filters, which search for and seperates out suspected spam e-mail from your mail feed.
* Getting Started With Procmail
A quick tutorial by Catherine Hampton intended to get a Procmail beginner started using Procmail with as little trouble and fuss as possible.
* MailMan - The GNU Mailing List Manager
Mailman is software to help manage email discussion lists, similar to Majordomo and Smartmail, but which also gives each mailing list a web page, and allows users to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc. over the web.
* MajorCool: A Web Interface To Majordomo
MajorCool is a CGI script written in Perl that provides a Web interface to Majordomo. Employing a variety of Web/GUI techniques such as Balloon Help, Per-User Preferences, and MouseOver cues, MajorCool puts a friendly face on top of the Majordomo list management processes.
* majorhelp.pl Script
majorhelp.pl is a simple Perl script that takes an email address in a form on your web page, along with some hidden inputs, and mails out a command to Majordomo.
* MajorDomo *
Home Page for the MajorDomo mailing list manager.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : DNS - Domain Name Server

See Also:
* Guide to the DNS System
General overview of the DNS system, what it is, and how it does what it does.
* RFC-1035 - Domain Names - Implementation and Specification
A version of RFC-1035 (the guiding spec for DNS's) converted by HTML by Russell Nelson.
Please note the caveat that "however much easier it is to read on the web than the plain-ASCII RFC1035.TXT, this document should not be regarded as authoritative", although it is believed to be an error-free conversion.
* DNS FAQ - Setting up a basic DNS server for a domain
* DNS resources directory
List of DNS information and tools.
* DNS Tools
Links to a collection of tools for querying and checking DNS settings, including DLint.
* comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains Frequently Asked Questions
The (unofficial) FAQ for the comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains news group.
* The Bind Home Page
Home page for the Bind (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) reference implementation at the Internet Software Consortium.
* Source code releases of BIND
The official reference implementations of BIND available in source code format from ISC.
* BOG - Bind Operations Guide
Name Server Operations Guide for BIND release 4.9.4.
* Internet Query Tools
Tool to perform lookup of DNS information.
* RFC-1536 - Common DNS Implementation Errors and Suggested Fixes
* NameSurfer
NameSurfer is a commercial product for Internet and Intranet DNS administration, providing a web browser user interface to perform the different tasks of DNS administration.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : InterNic domain registration

See Also:
* InterNIC Home Page
* InterNIC Registration Services
* InterNIC domain template
Template for changes to .COM .ORG or .NET domain details.
* InterNIC contact template
Template for changes to IntenNIC contacts.
* InterNIC: Web-Based Registration Tracking
Interface to track the current status of a DNS change submitted to InterNIC (for .COM .ORG or .NET domains)
* UK-NIC
The UK Network Information Centre for registering domain name in the .uk TLD .
* Internet Query Tools
Tool to perform lookup of DNS information.

Internet and Web Reference Documents : Network and Server Security

See Also:
* Consensus' Security Info Page
Contains links to several sources of information on SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and encrypted communications.
* The World Wide Web Security FAQ
Maintained by Lincoln D. Stein. Attempts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions relating to the security implications of running a Web server. There is also a short section on Web security from the browser's perspective.
* Netsurfer Focus - Digest on Computer and Network Security - vol 1
The first (1995) volume of Netsurfer Focus' Digest on Computer and Network Security.
Provides a very detailed coverage of the areas of network security, and what can be done to improve it.
* Improving the Security of Your Site by Breaking Into it
A paper giving the rationale for the SATAN network security testing tool.
* Pointers to Authentication Info
* Electronic Commerce and Security
A detailed discussion of the security aspects to be considered when developing electronic commerce system.
* The DoD Orange Book
An on-line text version of the "Orange Book" - the U.S. DOD Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria. This is THE bible when it comes to the definition of secure operating systems, and is where the term "B1 security" originates.
Warning: Very big file (271KB!)