About HTML with Style

About

What is this place? Who's behind all of it? Is it aliens from another planet come to take over the world via the Web? Or is it just a guy who thinks he knows everything? Read on, dear reader, and find out. The truth is in here.

Questions answered and topics covered in this page:

Who's responsible for HTML with Style?

My name is Stephanos Piperoglou (you can even learn to pronounce that if you read this page through) and I'm in charge of this place. I write everything you read here and am solely responsible for all of it. I claim to be an expert on HTML and CSS.

This is not a way to boost my overinflated ego. I've been invlolved in HTML and CSS for quite a long time, both in a professional and an amateur fashion. So I think I know my way around the topic pretty well. I am also, to the best of my knowledge, relatively close to being human (no, conspiracy theorists, unfortunately this page is not written by aliens. But I might be under their influence without knowing it, if that makes you any happier). So I might get things wrong from time to time. If I do, get in touch with me. I might have a reason for putting something here, or it might be an oversight or just a simple mistake. In the first case, I'll make sure I clarify why I wrote what caused your complaint. In the latter cases, I'll correct the error.

What can I find here?

HTML with Style is an area of WebReference.com dedicated to HTML and CSS. It is updated with a new feature every other Wednesday.

The most important section in HTML with Style is the Tutorials. Our tutorials follow the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid. They contain examples you can use when creating your own Web pages. The aim is to teach everyone, from beginners to experienced Web developers, how to create Web pages using HTML and CSS. The point is to destroy any misconceptions you might have about Web development and start anew, doing it the Right Way. You can read our manifesto to find out the philosophy behind the tutorials.

Our tutorials start from the basics of HTML and expand to cover as many features of HTML and CSS as possible. So, if you're new to this thing and want to get a head start, you can start from the beginning and read through them. If, on the other hand, you think you know it all and just need to look up something specific, you can go to the relevant tutorial and look at whatever interests you. The aim is to make a complete guide to authoring Web pages using HTML and CSS.

The tutorials are written with the current technologies in mind (currently, HTML 4.0 and CSS2). But since the Web is a fast-moving area of technology, these technologies might soon be as useful as a 1981 IBM PC running DOS. But have no fear; all our tutorials will be updated when the need arises, so that you can keep up to date with the latest and greatest features the Web has to offer.

The tutorials are not all you're going to find in HTML with Style. Style Watch is our area devoted to industry news, product reviews and opinions (those are my opinions, by the way). Whenever something momentous happens in the HTML/CSS arena, or when I just feel like being vocal, you'll probably find an article about it in Style Watch.

The tools section is where you'll find Web-based tools that will help you author Web pages using HTML and CSS. Utilizing Java, JavaScript and other technologies, these tools will do all the hard work for you - and you don't have to download or install anything. And yes, they're free to use by anyone.

So how do you keep track of all these wonderful things appearing on HTML with Style? The easiest way is to subscribe to The WebReference Update, WebReference.com's weekly e-mail newsletter, that arrives in your mailbox every Monday with everything new on WebReference.com as well as news from other Internet.com sites and the Web in general. It's free, it's hassle-free, it'll make you go "WHOOPEE!" (sorry, I couldn't think of a better rhyme).

If you want to get in touch with me, the easiest way is to fill out the Suggestions Form, address it to Stephanos Piperoglou, and press the submit button. I reply to all messages sent through the submissions box, although I might take a while to get round to your message because of the huge amount of e-mail I have to sort through every day.

Alternatively, you can post a message on Internet.com's HTML forum. You can also find a lot of other Web authors and Internet.com writers in the forum that will be happy to help you with your authoring woes.

What else can I look forward to?

"Is that all?", you ask. For those of you not satisfied with what we offer already, the answer is no. We plan to expand this place with more stuff. I have a lot of stuff still up my sleeve (and it's a huge sleeve) but you'll just have to wait and see.

How do you pronounce your name?

That's STE-fah-noss Pee-PEH-rho-glu. I'm sure it's all Greek to you.

What's your philosophy?

As with all things, the use of HTML and CSS can be seen from many angles (read: it's slightly political). In fact, the way with which you should use these technologies is something that has created a lot of discussion (read: hate-infested flames) and speculation (read: air-filled futurology). So it might be useful to outline our principles before we go any further.

1. Use the right tool for the right job

The need for hackish methods is long gone from the Web. There is no need to abuse the technology to achieve a desired effect. All our methods will focus around proper use of HTML and CSS. We will also give proper alternatives to many of the hacks that are used on the Web today.

2. You can do everything the right way

Stephanos' 1st rule of the Web: If it can be done, someone's going to do it. Our first rule does not mean that we will simply tell you not to do something just because it's not in the specification. We're not in the habit of compromising your ability to create powerful, complete, well-featured Web pages simply because we adhere to a philosophy. But we'll make sure that what we do is done in a consistent way, that is both accessible to people with limited technology and will not break when the next version of Browser X comes out.

3. Not everyone has the latest and greatest

Many of the techniques that will be presented in HTML with Style are only supported by some of the newest browsers. However, it is well known that a lot of people don't have access to the latest technology, and simply insisting on an upgrade isn't enough. There are lots of users with older hardware, insufficient technical knowledge to upgrade and even people who browse the Web at school or at work and cannot install new software on their computers without the intervention of an administrator. Although we will showcase features of the latest browsers, we will be sure to show you how the pages you create can be viewed by any browser on any platform.

4. We have to live with browser "features"

Although browser manufacturers will let you believe otherwise, most browsers today have a horrible record of supporting HTML and CSS. While overloading their browsers with other features, programmers often neglect to make sure their implementations are consistent. We will make every effort to trace these bugs in browsers and find ways to work around them while making sure we don't write broken Web pages in the process. In most cases, it is possible to do both. When it isn't, we'll make sure we tell you about both the Right Way To Do It and The Way That Works.

5. We lead by example

When you view the pages of HTML with Style, you'll see our methods and philosophy in action. Have you seen our front page with a new browser? Do you like the layout? Think that's a table? Nope. It's layout, alright, but it's done with CSS. The Right Way. Have you seen the same page with a browser that doesn't support Tables? Try it, you'll be pleasantly surprised. All our pages will work, and work right, and act as an example of our techniques. From time to time, we'll point you to other sites that showcase our philosophy, so you can get a feel of what it's like to do things right.

6. What we do, we do with Style

The Web is about information. It's about expression, it's about reaching out and touching someone (metaphorically speaking, though there are some kinds of Web sites that take this to the extreme...). What we're here to teach you is how to put what's in your head into a Web page and tell it to the world. That's a fun thing to do. Web development is fun, and we won't let anyone tell us otherwise. It's a business, an industry, but it's fun. It's more fun than show business. It's more fun than anything. So relax, sit back, and enjoy. We don't just have a way of doing things. We have an attitude. We've got Style.

https://www.internet.com/

URL: https://www.webreference.com/html/about.html

Produced by Stephanos Piperoglou
Created: May 28, 1998
Revised: February 25, 1999