Website Development Spring 1997, Sarah Lawrence College Instructor: Andy C. Deck Text: Jamsa Press, Java Programmer's Library, SLC bookstore Optional: O'Reilly, Linux in a Nutshell (http://www.ora.com/catalog/linuxnut/desc.html) In class: Learn what's going on in web site development, learn how to solve problems pertaining to web site development, learn how to advance from goals and ideas to results that are not drastically curtailed by the limitations of your comprehension, learn how to formulate realistic goals. Conference: Make unique and compelling web sites that extend and represent your skills and predilections. Seek out applications for the web that are valuable to you. Challenge: Undoubtedly the skills you learn can help you find employment, but can you locate uses for web techniques that are fulfilling in other ways? If so, the popular hysteria may serve you "spiritually" (intellectually, artistically, politically,...) and materially. Evaluation: You will be judged both by what you produce (web site), and according to the degree that you master the concepts presented in class. The latter will be judged mostly by the assignments you hand in. One exam, immediately prior to spring break. Prior experience will be considered. Creed: Competition, contrary to market ideology, is not always productive: work together and help each other. Communicate with e-mail, and help me maintain links and supplementary documentation that will benefit the class. Week of Jan. 20 Mon. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Wed. Introduction, threats, overview Assignments: 1) have an e-mail account (see Comp. Lab staff) 2) send your (preferred) e-mail address info to me via email 3) use telnet (telnet help) to investigate your user account on mail.slc.edu 4) prepare oral report on your given (assigned in class) Unix command and write 1 page summary of that command 6) familiarize yourself with a search engine such as www.altavista.digital.com (read the Help documentation provided at the site to learn about syntax) Week of Jan. 27 Mon. Unix and HTTPD Assignment: Log into server and practice using all the commands reviewed Wed. HTML and Browsers Assignments: 1) surf the web, of course, and use the "View source" menu item 2) Learn html basics and put up a web page in the /home/yourusername/web folder using Fetch (FTP help) Week of Feb. 3 Mon. Intro to CGI (common gateway interface) and client-server methodology Assignment: read the scripts handed out, execute them on the server, see what they do, write 1/2 page description of each Wed. Variables in scripts Assignment: Make a CGI script that generates the current date and time as A) text and B) HTML Advanced: Make a CGI script that generates an HTML page with GIF images indicating the status of the sun/moon at that given hour Week of Feb. 10 Mon. CGI and file creation/modification, forms Assignment: write a CGI script that adds form data to a file on the server Wed. Advanced uses for CGI Assignment: write a web based spell checker using CGI and forms Week of Feb. 17 Mon. 2-D graphics applications, Photoshop Assignment: compare GIF and JPEG for various image types Wed. Animation strategies Assignment: use GIF Builder to make an animation Week of Feb. 24 Mon. Intro to Java Assignment: read handouts Wed. Java syntax, variables Assignment: write a program that uses the String class Week of Mar. 3 Mon. Loops and conditions Assignment: to be announced Wed. Random numbers, arrays Assignment: to be announced Week of Mar. 10 Mon. Review Wed. Mid-term exam Week of Mar. 17 Week of Mar. 24 Spring Break - be good Week of Mar. 31 Mon. AWT (Abstract windowing toolkit), user input Wed. Loading images April-May Selected book examples, requests accommodated Week of May 12 Last week of class