Web Typesetting, Part 10: Today and Tomorrow

by Randy Finch

This is the tenth and last column in this series about Web Typesetting. Where have we been? Well, we discussed what the Web is, how to connect to it, and how to prepare for creating your own Web pages. We covered most of the basics of HTML, including both standard HTML and Netscape extensions. We went over how to create tables. We looked at how to produce forms, read data entered on a form, manipulate the data with a CGI program, and Email the data back to ourselves. We talked about image maps and how to handle them from both the client and the server side. Finally, last time, we got framed. Basically, we have covered just about everything that can be done with current Amiga browsers and more (frames). In this final episode, I will be discussing the current state of HTML standards and the future of the World Wide Web.

HTML 3.2

The current standard for HTML is the HTML 3.2 draft released on May 7, 1996 (most recent draft published on September 9, 1996, see http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/ for list of documents by the World Wide Web Conference). HTML 3.2 brings together features of HTML 2.0, HTML 3.0, and custom extensions created by vendors (especially Netscape). This is the new standard for Web designers to use for Web page production and for Web browser software producers to strive toward. Although several browsers in the PC and Mac world have had many of these features for some time, Amiga browsers are just beginning to add them.

Some of the Netscape extensions and other features that were included in HTML 3.2 are:

1. Align text around images.

2. Specify the size of an image for scaling purposes.

3. Define free space around images.

4. Change the border size around images.

5. Change the width and size of horizontal lines.

6. New numbering styles for ordered lists.

7. New bullet styles for unordered lists.

8. Tables.

9. Text alignment features.

10. Font sizing and coloring.

11. Page background color.

12. Client side image maps.

13. Java applets.

With HTML 3.2 in draft form waiting to be finalized, HTML 3.3 is already in the planning stages. Some of the new features slated for the future are frames, style sheets, math, banners, figures, and notes. In addition, Netscape, Microsoft, and others are still about the business of adding non-standard extensions to their browsers. Let's take a look at where the Web is headed currently.

The Future of the Web

Some of the current trends for the Web include Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic Script, ActiveX, and add-ins. Java is Sun Microsystems' creation. It is a programming language based on C++ that has features designed specifically for creating applications that can be run over a network securely. Java has been catching on quickly and there are already a ton of books on the market about it. Basically, an APPLET tag is added to a page of HTML code. An attribute of this tag points to an application file that is executed by any browser supporting Java. Java has certain limitations that prevent criminal Web sites from mucking up your computer system. Also, Java is not a compiled language in the same sense as C++. Java is compiled to a byte-code format that is then read by a byte-code interpreter built into or added to a browser. The interpreter is responsible for executing the program on whatever computer platform it is running on. This allows Java to be very portable, which is necessary when executing programs on a network where many different computers are being used. There are at least a couple of Java interpreters in the works for the Amiga. Keep an eye out for them.

JavaScript is a scaled down version of Java. The code for JavaScript can be included directly in the HTML code after a SCRIPT tag. This alleviates having to have a byte-code compiler to create an applet and then referencing this separate file within the HTML code. Rather, the code comes right along with the HTML code. Remember that JavaScript cannot do everything that Java can. However, if it can be done, it is much more convenient.

Visual Basic Script is Microsoft's answer to JavaScript. It is better at some tasks but not at others. The main concern with VBScript is that it may not be as widely supported as JavaScript. This is because Java and JavaScript have a reputation of being platform independent, whereas Visual Basic has a reputation of being PC based. However, Microsoft has a lot of clout. They may be able to change this in the future. Just to hedge their bets, Microsoft's browser supports both JavaScript and VBScript.

ActiveX is another Microsoft invention. It is basically the next generation of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) objects. ActiveX has the potential to add much new functionality to the Web, but again it is currently PC based. To become widely accepted, it must become multi-platform.

Add-ins hold a lot of potential for adding new capabilities to browsers without having to upgrade the browser itself. Netscape and Microsoft support add-ins with their browsers. If Amiga browsers started supporting add-ins, then software vendors could write their own add-in (to be distributed free) that would allow users to view custom files created by their software directly in the browser. Think about being able to view graphics, animations, CAD drawings, videos, and desktop publishing output with one program. Or listen to music and sound files. Many of you have probably heard of Intranets, where companies add an internal Web site that can only be viewed by employees. Add-ins are great for Intranets. Since the company can install whatever software they want on their employees' computers, they can standardize their documents in some format other than HTML. With every employee having the appropriate add-in, they can view these custom documents with their browser and never realize the difference.

With video, sound, and other bandwidth intensive media beginning to appear on the Internet, what is desperately needed now is faster connections for the average user. The current standard is now 28.8 Kbaud modems. However, even with a modem of this speed, it is rare that you actually communicate at that speed. Bad connections from your house to the local phone company, traffic by other users, and broken connections requiring rerouting can cause the actual speed of communications to be very slow. Telecommunication companies are adding bandwidth like crazy but are having a hard time keeping up with the increased demand. New technologies are coming along such as ISDN, ADSL, and cable modems. These promise to provide Web surfers with much bigger and faster waves to ride. However, most of these are slow in coming and can be quite expensive.

More Reader Sites

I have only received two Emails about reader Web sites since last month. Also, Terry Cooksey (featured in part 8 of this series) wants you to know that his new site is now at http://ns.insolwwb.net/~terry/. Here are the latest sites.

Dave's Home Page

This site (Figure 1) was created by Dave (better known as Walt) Caron. It is a nice site containing information about creating Web pages (you trying to steal my thunder, Walt?), links to Amiga thingies and other thingies, some pictures, and information about Dave-Walt himself. You can find this site at http://www.dimensional.com/~dcaron/.

Tom Law - Computer Arts

This site (Figure 2) was created by, you guessed it, Tom Law. This is a cool site containing information about CDs and cassettes that Tom has produced along with 15 second WAV files for you to sample his music. He also has information about a 15 Amiga computer video wall that he has created. You can find all this and more at http://www.cris.com/~Tomlaw/.

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I hope you have enjoyed this series of articles on Web typesetting. Based on the voluminous comments I have received via Email, I believe that you did. As I said in the last installment, I still plan to write an occasional standalone article, so you can't get rid of me forever. Let's just hope that the Amiga can keep up given that Microsoft, Netscape, and Sun Microsystems, none of which support the Amiga, will be driving the future of the World Wide Web.