SITE INFORMATION - Last changed: April 22, 2008 - 03:51 PM
QUICK LINKS:
DISPLAY REQUIREMENTS
The site should display acceptably on a screen resolution as low as 800 x 600 pixels. However, I strongly recommend 1024 x 768 resolution as the minimum for modern systems. If necessary, you can adjust your default font size in your browser (and in Windows) to achieve a comfortable viewing setup.
At the same time I realize that there are those of you still working with 15" displays and can't (or don't want) to use finer than 800 x 600. Not just for this site, but also for the vast majority of sites now in existence, you should consider an upgrade.
Color depth lower than 32-bit will show some images in less than their original quality.
The site navigation uses javascript. No cookies are used on the site. With the exception of the Java pocket watch and crossword puzzle pages, no Java is used here.
BACKGROUND
I built my first Web site in 1997. It went through many permutations as I learned HTML and my interests evolved. My ISP changed many times (Compuserve, Prodigy, Mindspring, Earthlink, MediaOne, AT&T, and finally Comcast). Along the way I realized my site (and my email address) kept getting lost and the updating was driving me nuts. So I "bought" (I suppose that "leased" is a more accurate description) three domain names: "edmullen" dot "net," "biz," and "info." And in 2007 I started paying for hosting on 1 and 1 dot com.
I am currently using the latest version of SeaMonkey. I also have, for testing, current release versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, Opera, and Internet Explorer.
I run a wired Fast Ethernet LAN (100 Mbps) in my home using basic Windows Networking which was installed sometime around June 2000. (Yes, I even installed the wiring myself. I do not, however, recommend doing this in Atlanta in June. The attic gets VERY hot.) Sometime around June 2004 I added a Netgear 802.11b wireless access point (20 Mbps). That was upgraded in April 2007 to a DLINK DI-524 wireless router (up to 54 Mbps). All three of my Tivo digital video recorders are on the network as well.
As of October 2005, my main system (the "Server") is now a customized Vision Computers 3 GHz Pentium Dual-Core processor with 2 Gb of RAM. It has:
The "old" server system is still on the LAN. It's a 933 MHz P-III, 512 Mb RAM, 80 Gb main drive, running Windows XP Home fully patched. It was originally a Gateway system but it's been upgraded "a lot" including an LG GSA-4082B Multidrive for burning DVDs, and a fast Verbatim CDR-W drive. It's been reformatted with a clean install of XP and basic applications so I can use it for burning discs, Web page testing in IE6, etc. without occupying my main system that I use all day/every day.
My IBM Thinkpad R40, 1.33 GHz Pentium, 2 Gb RAM, 7200 RPM 160 Gb hard drive, running Windows XP Pro SP2, mostly sits in the family room connected to the stereo system via a Soundblaster USB audio I/O. It pulls music through the LAN from the server in my office which currently contains about 7,000 mp3 and other audio files, almost all at 224 kbps encoding. When I do take a trip, the R40 tags along and I have wireless broadband built in to keep me in touch. And with a USB Soundblaster kit I even use it do live recording when my buddies and I get together to jam.
My wife's computer is a new (April 2007) Vision desktop with 2.8 GHz Intel processor, 1 Gb of RAM, and a Dell E173 EFP 17" LCD panel.
The network is online via Comcast high-speed cable Internet access (6 Mbps nominal, up to 12 Mbps burst) using a Linksys Router and Linksys Cable Modem (and Dlink wireless access router as mentioned above). Every system runs a software firewall (ZoneAlarm Pro) and Grisoft AVG Antivirus.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
This site is intended to be "browser independent" and should display equally well using any browser. Uh huh. So why should you care? Because you should be able to view any Web site without needing to use a specific product, technology, or browser. One of the basic design principles of the Mozilla Open Source effort is that all the Mozilla-based products (Mozilla, Firefox, Thunderbird, Netscape, etc.) will conform to the industry standards as closely as possible. The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is the body that establishes and promotes those standards.
I support Mozilla and the concept of interoperability through standards. A large portion of this Web site is devoted to Mozilla information.
The inherent conflict in this quest for interoperability and compatibility has always been between the ability to use the latest standards and techniques and offering every user essentially the same browsing experience regardless of their software. In addition to all browsers not being equal, some users turn off and certain features and others have them on. One can go slightly crazy trying to account for all the possibilities. Consider that different browsers may or may not successfully implement the following:
Also, the user can set default and minimum font sizes that override a Web page's settings. Hence, the designer needs to make a page "fluid," that is, it gracefully degrades with (sometimes extreme) changes in the user's environment.
Too, consideration for those who browse using speech readers or very large fonts due to sight impairment must be taken into account. And that can range from my normally correctable 57-year-old eyesight to persons struggling with much more severe impairment.
The Web designer is thus faced with a host of choices to make which either limit what can be included in a page design or exclude some users.
One obvious answer is to simply have Web pages that consist only of text and with no interactivity. Gee, that'd be pretty darned exciting now wouldn't it! The real answer is to effect the best compromise one is able to within reason. Hence, you'll need to enable Flash and javascript to use certain features (menus) and pages. And, for the full stationary menu effect, use a modern browser such as a Mozilla-based product (SeaMonkey, Firefox, etc.), Netscape 7+, Opera 8.5+, or IE7+. IE 6- users must have javascript enabled to use the menus.
I test the site's pages using the following browsers:
Mozilla SeaMonkey (latest stable release)
Mozilla Firefox (latest stable release)
I no longer test Netscape 4.x (it is out of date and not standards compliant) nor Netscape 7.x (though it's still installed on my test system) since it is built on Mozilla 1.x and is no longer in development.
The site contains approximately:
There are a few CSS style sheets in use to account for some slight differences in various browsers' ability to handle CSS. Essentially, the only browsers that receive different style sheets are any IE versions less than 7.
The site also employs a special style sheet (print.css) to automatically present a clean format for printing.
Other notes:
OTHER PROGRAMS
If you have trouble viewing any of my pages, (especially Mac users since I don't have one!), or have questions or comments, please email me.
Internet Explorer 6 and 7
Opera (latest stable release)