blake's world Colophon

This page includes information about how all these pages were constructed. Specifically, it refers to the tools that I used, the HTML markup codes I "borrowed" from other people's Web pages. I went through a certain amount of angst in generating this information (don't get me wrong, it is fun) and hopefully you won't have to waste as much time.

In case you're wondering, a "colophon" is a description of how a document or publication was made, specifically, what hardware and software was used. This is handy for the author in the event they need to exactly recreate something; it tells others what they need if they want to produce a similar thing.

[*] Version

I am using HyperText Markup Language (HTML) version 2.0 codes ("tags") for these World Wide Web (WWW) pages. Since some browsers do not understand HTML extensions or 3.0 proposed codes, I have attempted to limit their use. This should make this site readable with most browsers.

[*] Tested Browsers

I have tested the following browsers on this web site with satisfactory to excellent results.
  • Netscape Navigator for Windows 3.1, version 2.0 beta
  • Netscape Navigator for Windows 95, version 1.22
  • Netscape Navigator for Windows 3.1, version 1.2b5
  • Netscape Navigator for the Macintosh (System 7.5), version 1.1N
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows 95, version 2.0 (4.40.516)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows 95, version 1.0
  • IBM Net Explorer for OS/2, version 1.03
  • CompuServe SPRY Mosaic for Windows 3.1, version 03.0A.08.19

    • Contributions & Resources

    Thanks are due to many people, directly and indirectly.

    A big thanks to -the-Wire-, for setting up my internet web site. In particular, Dr. Allan Parks has been very helpful.

    Thanks to Beatrice Upenieks, Alan Hahn, and James Thomas for their comments and editing assistance. Thanks to Krazy Kay Lady Kate for pointing out my obvious audacity in using capital letters in blake's world. I thank Pierre Bouchard for suggesting I tell people to choose Add Bookmark.

    JPEG backgrounds I bagged from an MIT archive.

    My Globe and Mail Style Book (1990) sure came in handy.

    I tried to avoid using written materials but I broke down and bought a book: the HTML Sourcebook by Ian S. Graham published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (c) 1995. I learned a great deal.

    Tom Sommerville furthered my understanding of graphic files and colour depth.

    Colophon

    I tried Microsoft's Internet Assistant for Word for Windows 6.0. The first version I downloaded didn't work at all. The second version, which is still on my system, seems incredibly slow and only generates HTML 2.0 code. I really cannot fairly comment on the product because, frankly, I gave up. What I do know is since installing it, it has messed up the normal operation of Word!

    I am NOT AFRAID OF ASCII! I used Notepad (of Windows 3.1x) and IBM Personal Editor 2 (for DOS) for the bulk of the designing.

    I hand-drew each one of the buttons, except for the Star Trek uniform one, in Windows Paintbrush. This I borrow from a game icon and modified. Similarly, I borrowed heavily from a wallpaper file to produce the blake's world outer space scene. I used Paint Shop 1.50 by Robert Voit to convert my bitmaps into .GIFs.

    To make the background of some GIFs transparent, I used LView Pro 1.C5/32-bit for Windows 95 by Leonardo Loureiro.

    Initial development performed on my trusty, lowly Dell 325p with a standard VGA monitor under Windows 3.10. Now using Windows 95 on a Dell XPS-100c with super VGA monitor and #9 video board. Black and white graphic images captured with a Connectix QuickCam CCD camera and QuickPict 1.00a for Windows software.

    Inspiring Sites

    A number of sites I have found very interesting and inspiring.
  • Tabatha Holtz ~ Hutchison Avenue Software
  • Joseph Woo
  • Internet Weenie Site
  • Misc Prize Winning Web Sites
  • Land O' Textures

    • HTML Help

    I'm lucky in that I worked in tagged languages when on a contract at Digital Equipment of Canada (DEC). Also, having worked with Hypercard of the Macintosh and Windows Help, I am familiar with hypertextual linking. Still, it has taken me a while to figure out some of this HTML code. Check out the links below for additional information.
  • My Sample HTML Page (Copy It!)
  • An HTML Reference
  • Some Background on HTML
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