You can view a website in one of two ways:
• using a browser
• using authoring software.
Browser
In order to browse the Internet, you need a piece of software called a web browser, like Internet Explorer.
When you view, or more correctly, browse a website, you can interact with the website and read the information it contains. You cannot change the information that you view.
Authoring software
To author or edit a website, you need authoring software.
You are only allowed to edit your own site; you will not be allowed to change other people’s websites.
There are three types of authoring software:
• text editors (e.g. Notepad), where you have to write all the code
• document creation software with web authoring plug-ins (e.g. Microsoft Word;
PowerPoint)
• specialised web authoring software (e.g. Macromedia Dreamweaver).
Using a text editor to write HTML gives an author a lot of control but it is much harder than using more specialised software. One also requires full knowledge of HTML.
The introductory exercises that follow use Microsoft Word, which has a web design facility. In order to complete the tasks, you may use your own choice of web authoring software.
Most web authoring software is icon-based, and includes the following facilities:
• web tools
• hyperlink tools
• scripting tools
• save as web page.
The author selects from the various icons to create a web page. No need to learn HTML!