Re: document type?

Monique,

Since this isn't really on topic for "critique" ;-), I'll take this
opportunity to thank everyone who's been offering suggestions to help me
with my very first site.

>I have read a number of post in this group noting how important it is to
>put document type on your web pages.  Can someone explain why and where I
>might read more information about this?

As one newbie to another - this is a great chance to see whether I've
learned anything & have the pros correct me<s>

>From this link, you can learn much by using the references link:

W3C HTML Validation Service:
http://www.tsworldofdesign.com/search_engine/meta_tags.htm

The HTML Writer's Guild: http://www.hwg.org/ -- look for the Resources link,
and you can also check out the Archives of the Mailing lists.

My experience has been that validation helped me to learn exactly what
different tags are acceptable and how the various parts of HTML work
together. Generally - the exercise should insure that the widest number of
browsers will be able to access your site and get the information you're
offering.

In a nutshell - There are "Standards" for web pages and the elements that
are used in creating, publishing, viewing... them. "HTML Recommendation
4.0" and all the others are available at http://www.w3.org/.

The remarks and kidding come because the web took off like crazy and web
designers developed all these wonderful hacks to create layout and design
never envisioned by the creators of HTML. The browser builders (Netscape,
Microsoft, et al) have plowed ahead to play catch-up and created their own
methods of providing layout and design in web pages hoping to get the most
business.

It's a long standing debate and there must be hundreds of messages on
following the standards versus nifty effects in the HWG Archives!

On the one side: everyone to appreciate web pages - we need to follow
standards, which come from W3, that way, the builders of browsers conform
to the standards because otherwise, their customers will get someone else's
browser that does follow the standards.

On the other side - the standards are so doggone slow in catching up to the
developers of the browsers and my client wants bells and whistles in hopes
of generating the most benefit from his/her site....

Hope this helps and gives you some good starting points.
Joan Gillen
<mailto:jgillen(at)earthlink.net>

HTML: hwg-critique mailing list archives, maintained by Webmaster @ IWA