sum.na

Web 1.0 by merlin (do you miss web 1.0? It’s still alive here)

[This article is not aimed at techies, rather, its for ordinary people.. I’m trying to discuss how modern web sites work, from my twisted unique point of view.]

1998: Simple HTML
I first started making web sites in 1998. Back then, it was really basic. I used HTML (a language to make sites which your web browser can read).

HTML is simple. Most of it is pretty basic. It usually consists of simple tags wrapped around the content you want, all in a single static file, with the extension htm (or html).

2006: Machines making web sites..

These days, web design is quite different. For a start, people don’t really design web sites. Thanks to the joy of CMS (content management system), a modern web site works something like this (From my POV at least)

Main components of a modern web site:

1. A CMS / engine: (Wordpress for example) which is a collection of scripts written in a language the web server (hopefully) understands (php in this case) - these scripts include some sort of back end (like an admin section), and a front end, which parses content (pulls it out of the database, wraps a template around it and spits it out in a way your browser likes.)
2. The database: this contains the stuff, e.g. the text and all that you type… The database is master. If it has a hiccup, even temporary, you end up with something like this:
   
   Wordpress screen of death - this is what sumna looks like when my database has an NDE ps: to Prose, this is probably what happened to you that day your site vanished for a few seconds
3. A template - the engine uses this to make the pretty layout, so your content looks interesting.. 

Interesting observations on dynamic web sites:

A modern web site is a dynamic thing. i.e. it is generated on the fly (as in, each time you request a page, that page is made up for you then and there - rather like ordering a pizza from domino’s, but a lot faster)

Advantages of dynamic web sites:

1. Pages are real time, so more up to date.
2. You can make a change in the layout/choose a new template and results are immediate - this makes things really easy for everyone!
3. People (e.g. visitors) can add real time content.. as can you!
4. Simple to back up (in theory) all you need to do is back up the database. In practice, if you have made lots of modifications, e.g. to the template, and have various uploads, this can become a bit complex..

Disadvantages of dynamic web sites:

1. Load on server - dynamically generated pages constitute a load on your web server - as in, instead of just spitting out HTML, the server has to pull data out of the database, ‘execute’ or run the php script to nicely format it using a template, and spit out xhtml for your browser.
2. Setting up the initial CMS and database is a bit complex, thankfully wordpress is remarkably easy to set up..

Personal updates:

So, I’m finally sort of xhtml compliant. At least, i was, at last check. Problem is my site is still messed in Firefox. Bleah! Oh, and thanks to vesses. or vesess.. for prompting me (through sheer guilt) to fix the bugs.

Note: in my defense - most of the problems were from a bug in my version of wordpress which doesnt properly set up nested lists. Well the nested lists work but the validator goes all tits up. Thankfully, a little manual editing solves the problem.

Random unrelated flickr fun 

Ohh.. the ecstasy. Read more here