h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

ha ha help.
Actually I don't understand anyone here. I'm an absolute beginner who just wanted to find out why my forum entries come out in triplicate, then I saw the pretty smiley faces, thought I'd read some of the attached comments and hey...You guys seem to know the difference between the power button and this other thing they call a mouse!
Can anyone answer my (possibly pathetic) question?
By the way, 'Farmbake, double chocolate chip cookies' really deserve a taste test - they're yummy!

Netscape *is* a bad browser because it copes with malformed data *much* worse than IE. IE has plenty of bugs, but at least they know that most of the web pages in the world are broken, and they do the best possible job of displaying them.

Sure, it'd be great if everyone wrote fully compliant HTML all the time, but I'm not prepared to use a browser that goes into a strop over each misplaced tag.

Your posting appeared three times because you posted it three times. Pressing the 'Back' button on your browser does not undo things if you've pressed the 'Post Message' button.

Use the 'Preview Message' button to check what you've written before you post it.

And I've removed two of your three posts for you.

Dear Mr Jim Lynn,
I don't know what to say, may your world be filled with all your favourite cookies! (See last posting for my personal recommendation for the day!)
LUV & CRUMS

Saying a browser is bad because it doesn't anticipate bad code is like saying a program should do what you expect even if you type in the wrong code. (Would you expect expect a program to goto your subroutine on line 235 when you typed in 'goto 200' ?)

I hate IE for many of the same reason I hate Windows (even though I'm still a slave in BG's army -- still can't make me like it ) ... I don't -like- things that do what -they- want instead of what I want. It also infiltrates and propagates itself in places I don't want it to. IE is a virus!

I'm not saying NS is all good. NetScape Gold is what I still use -- I hate communicator... (*sigh* And I fear I'm going to be forced to upgrade soon anyway. *sigh*) ... But I will not let IE -near- my machine. NS -writes- bad code, which is why I use PFE. When I was switching myself over, I -used- to use NSG to do the page, then run it through PFE to clean it up. Even though I detest IE, often if I -know- something to be NS-exclusive, I'll put in both IE and NS code. Sadly, I'm not as hip on those as I used to be, since I've went to mostly just plain simple HTML when writing (other ) pages.

Opera is supposed to be so much better. I've used it on occasion... it occupies a small corner of my 'desktop' ... but I can't see where it's so much better than the 'big guys'. It does have its advantages, as do the rest.

I still think it's all in what you're used to, to be honest... I started with NS, and I still prefer it to the rest. Most probably because it's what I'm comfortable with.

Of course, we could all go back to Lynx.

Well, maybe we should all sorta do what Cookie Monster suggests and just go have some nice tea and cookies.

Browsers will browse and html editors will html, some will do certain things well [or badly], and others will do other things well [or badly], and everyone will have their own reasons to prefer one or another way of doing things.

Meanwhile, milk or lemon?
please pass the chocolate chip cookies,
and dont sit on that mouse, he's a friend of mine

tbd
}:=8

[dragon smilies dont 'code' in h2g2]
-the bludragon

Boy, what a controversy my remark uncovered; I use BBEdit because that's what the course I was in was using. We were encouraged to know how to code by hand because some employers expect that ability. I have no experience with any of the other coders, whether they're WYISWIG or blank code.

Whichever system is used, the results should be the same: a user-friendly, interactive web-site that's fun, intelligent and useful. I'm usually far more interested in making the content work than I am in getting the coding done, but one follows the other.

After looking at all the postings since my early one there's clearly as much contention on this topic as there is in the OS squabbles over MS or Apple.

My preference is to do everything the hard way: I rarely use spell-checkers beccause their vocabulary is limited. I code by hand because I was taught to and doing so makes sense to me (aside from not having the other software). I make photographs with a fully-manual camera. My car has hand-cranks on the windows, and I would throw away the remote control if I could work the vcr without it. I also use Netscape out of an infantile retaliation against anything Microsoft-related.

In my quest to be a really useful web-designer, next on my list is learning JavaScript and XML.

While I've been amused and intrigued by the responses in this forum, it's definitely tea-time.

Fruitbat

Amazing how a simple flippant remark about FrontPage being a pile of dung could bring out so many heated opinons!! For the record I have experience in FrontPage, PageMill, GoLive (Cyberstudio), DreamWeaver, PageSpinner, BBEdit, WebPadPro ...

... and the really sad thing is that even if you code raw the results are never what they should be as NN and IE have very different ideas about what should do what. In my experience IE behaves very well indeed from v4 on PC and Mac (although very slightly better on PC) NN does seom very odd things and more or less ignores CSS stuff which is really annoying. Personally I think they're all pretty bad and that we should replace all the PCs (and Macs, Un*x, Amiga ...) with Etch-a-Sketch. The campaign starts here.

I guess some of the above was what Slacker was probably on about in some ways. Except the bit about Etch-a-Sketch.

hmmmm....my powerbook is about the same size as an Etch-a-sketch

shouldn't take too long to get used to a switch

I bet the Etch-a-sketch responds much better to being held upside down and shaken, too.

and its already wireless and portable!


}:=8

Reminds me of the old joke:

Etch-a-Sketch FAQ

Q: How do you create a new document?
A: Pick it up and shake it!

Q: How do you reboot?
A: Pick it up and shake it!

Q: How do you create a new window?
A: Pick it up and shake it!

Q: How do you save your work?
A: Don't shake it!

That's okay... We mousies (well... some of us ) recognize them anyway.

I don't wanna argue 'bout which sort of 'puter is best, I just wanna join the Etch-a-sketch for all (esp. sales-persons) campagin.

Of course, all those of us involved with puters would have to re-train to spiro-graph, just so we could keep being obscure...


/=====\ |
| * *| -O-
| | |
| || | |
/_______\___|

(Etchasketch house & sun. Took hours with 1 hand.)

H&K Z

I will learn to preview before posting I will learn to preview before posting
I will learn to preview before posting I will learn to preview before posting
I will learn to preview before posting I will learn to preview before posting

etc etc.

Z

Spir-o-graph?????

I haven't used one in years!

Bring back all the good ole toys!!!!

TinkerToys, Erector Sets, Lincoln Logs, paper dolls...Maybe there is a guide entry in here someplace.

...hmmmmmmm

Oooo! Erector sets! I used to play with one at my grampa's but I think my ex-uncle stole it when he died (my grampa, not my uncle, who didn't die until a year or two later).

I had Lincoln Logs... Wanted leggos, but Mommy Dearest put her foot down to those...

Oh.. Light Brite wasn't too bad, for a new-fangled gadget that is.

OK. I did it.

In a burst of wild creative enthusiasm, I have created an entry for Classic Children's toys. I have left Etch-a-sketch and Spir-0-graph for others to describe. My energy gave out after blocks, jacks, and bubblestuff.

You are all cordially invited to visit and contribute to http://www.h2g2.com/A163964

Looking at it now... But I might advise? that the 'community effort things' are thusfar the brain(and muscle)child of vegiman, not a PTB nor even a PTWVH, but a P nonetheless.

Nope. /Some/ of the combined pages are due to Vegiman's input, but many are due to various ed's (mostly Mark) scouring H2G2 and then bunging the link on the front page. Also, articles sometimes come to sub-eds who then suggest that they be expanded into these kind of articles (see Games Down by the River). This looks like quite a nice idea, although some of the toys could really do with their own page. I'll make a suggestion to Mark about it ...

Anonymouse (40077) is absolutley correct - HTML is not code, neither are any of those other high level languages like C++, COBOL, FORTRAN, PASCAL etc*.
Of course, the most evil of all was the one that started all this user friendly nonsense off - Assembler HAH!

The only real code is Machine Code entered through front panel switches, & the only REAL system optimisation is trimming the wires in a Control Data mainframe backplane for signal speed & synch! All the rest are for wimps.


;^)#
('s funny how the arguments about what is real programming havent changed over the years - only the names of the languages have)

* an exception to this rule is LISP - anything with that many parenthesies is for real programmers

Dear Dancing, [or is it mr/ms Tree?]

Saw you comment to me about XML before getting back here. Am going now to look at the 'Games down by the River' page. Dunno xml, only html4, but I used it 'cause I wanted those lovely blue headers. Will work on your suggestion.

It would be nice if others could add their reminiscences about Toys. Anonymouse has already contributed quite authoritatively on Marbles.
Maybe there could be a general page with links to individual articles?

Dunno how to manage all that outside of m'own little corner of the world, but it would be a fun thing if lotsa folks could contribute.

As I posted in the article Forum; HALP! am in need of editorial support and counsel...