Web Browsers
Mozilla
Mozilla provides a free standards compliant browser. It is comprehensive and reliable. It is a must for all serious web developers. In addition, there are numerous extensions, some of which are listed below.
Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer is more-or-less integrated into the Windows operating system, and you probably already have the latest version. However, to may need to install older versions to test your pages for compatibility. However, Windows does not make it easy to have the many versions of IE needed to test your page.
- IETester from DebugBar is a simple tool offering multiple versions of IE in multiple Tabs.
- evolt.org has standalone versions here.
- A simple installer for multiple IE versions can be downloaded from this site: tredosoft.com
- IE7 can also be run without installing using this link here.
Opera
Though Opera does not have the same presence as the others, it is a good, cross-platform browser.
- Opera can be downloaded from here.
Apple Safari
If you are developing on or for the Macintosh, you will also need to test it on Safari. Though originally devoped for the Macintosh, Safari Version 3 is also available for Windows. Safari is now in Version 4 Beta
- Safari can be downloaded from Apple.
Google Chrome
Google's Chrome offers a number of new features, as well as very good CSS. It promisies to be cross platform, though is currently only available for Windows.
- Chrome can be downloaded from Google.
Browser Statistics
You will need to be aware of the size of the market for particular browswers and versions
Useful extensions for Firefox
- ie tab
- Web Developer
- Pearl Crescent Page Saver
- ColorZilla
- HTML Validator
- Firebug
- View Cookies
- Page Info Button
- Lorem Impsum Generator
Text Editors
You will need a good text editor to develop your code. Features of a useful text editor include:
- Syntax Highlighting
- This will highlight the HTML or JavaScript notation you are using, so you can pick up the incomplete or incorrect structures.
- Line Numbering
- Since some of the error messages will refer to line numbers, it would help to be able to identify these line numbers quickly.
- Adjustable Tab Stops
- For coding, the default tab distance of 8 characters is too much. You should be able to adjust this to around 4.
- Tabbed Interface
- Since you will be working with multiple documents, it will be much easier if you can see these via a tabbed interface, rather than in multiple windows.
- Automatic Indenting
- Since you will be indenting your code quite a lot, a text editor which automatically indents the next line to match the previous line will be quite helpful.
- Adjustable Fonts & Sizes
- The default text fonts of Courier 10pt may not suit you, so you should be able to adjust this.
Some suitable text editors include:
- Programmers Notepad: http://www.pnotepad.org
- SuperEdi: http://www.wolosoft.com/en/superedi/
- NoteTab: http://www.notetab.com
- ConText: http://www.context.cx
- HTMLKit: http://www.chami.com/html-kit
- Notepad++: http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm/
- TopStyle Lite (a free CSS Editor) http://www.newsgator.com/NGOLProduct.aspx?ProdId=TopStyle&ProdView=lite
References
The following references are invaluable in developing your site:
- W3C HTML Validator
- W3C List of HTML Entities
- W3C Valid DTDs
- W3Schools: Web Tutorials
- W3Schools List of Colour Names
Notes
The following sites will further your knowledge:
- Quirks mode and strict mode
- Five XHTML Elements You Didn't Know But Were Afraid to Ask
- A List Apart
- Listamatic
- Open Laszlo
- TinyMCE
- TinyMCE Instructions
Resources
The following resources are availabe from this site:
Useful Links:
The following sites will further your knowledge:
Some Books on JavaScript:
The following books may be helpful: