Date: Fri 27-Mar-1998

By CURT CLARK

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-Websitegarage

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: Websitegarage

By Bob Brand

Creating home pages on the World Wide Web (WWW) gets easier every day. If you

have taken the plunge, be sure to visit Websitegarage.com. This free service

allows webmasters to obtain a quality rating on their creations.

The two essential parts of any website are: 1) esthetics and 2) technical

viability. Websitegarage helps the web-creator improve the overall quality of

the website. The amount of free help available at the site cannot be covered

fully in this short column. Here are some highlights of features I found

helpful.

In The Beginning

After completing the construction of a website, the file(s) are posted to the

webserver. It is at this point that Websitegarage can provide assistance. The

webmaster enters the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the home page. Caution:

the site is very busy. Patience is required on each visit caused by the

traffic jam of sites waiting for analysis.

Once Websitegarage performs its analysis of the site, it comes back with a

Combined Rating that varies from Excellent to Poor based on five tests.

Naturally, everyone would like to get an Excellent report, but keep in mind

that the ulterior motive of the site is to sell the website creator tools or

services that will improve the quality according to standards set by the

people who run the site.

The first test performed by Websitegarage checks up to 25 links from a site to

other places on the Web. No broken links results in an Excellent rating. There

is no excuse for broken links on a site. This feature is great, especially for

sites that contain many hotlinks. With the Web changing so fast, this feature

is superb.

Speed is also important. The next test indicates Load Time as seen by a

visitor to the site based on the speed of their modem and the size of the

website. In general, if the total size of the site is under 40,000 bytes

(including graphics files), the site will receive an excellent rating. Since

large graphics files (JPGs and GIFs) load slowly, Websitegarage suggests

reducing the number of colors in the image. This has the effect of reducing

the size of the graphics. Websitegarage shows the image with various colors

and the resulting size of the image. Naturally, smaller images travel over the

Web faster. This can be helpful in deciding tradeoffs between image quality

and load time.

Site Popularity

This feature checks to see how many other websites are linked to a home page.

I do not find this feature of significant importance. While Websitegarage

would like to help you register your site with numerous search engines, folks

with personal websites may not want to pay for this service. A webmaster can

Next, Websitegarage checks for spelling errors. This feature was somewhat of a

disappointment. Many common words and abbreviations (website, URL, ISDN, urls,

gif) get reported as possible errors. Since I spell check the manuscript

before creating the HTML (HyperText Markup Language), I catch misspelled words

at a early stage. However, every once in long while an error slips through.

Spelling errors will detract from the quality of a site. All websites should

be checked for spelling errors.

As websites become more complex, this feature becomes especially helpful.

Errors can creep in even when HTML editors (Front Page, Navigator Gold, Hot

Dog and others) are used to generate a home page. Keep in mind that various

browsers may handle HTML errors in subtle, unpredictable ways. All websites

should be checked for these errors.

Summary

Websitegarage helps make the Web a better place. However, its over-popularity

leads to frustration when the analysis gets caught in a cyber-black hole when

time stops. Hopefully, the developers of the website will address this issue

soon. Patience pays off. Once Websitegarage analyzes the website, the results

are often rewarding. It remains a "must visit" for serious web-developers,

both amateurs and professionals.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.websitegarage.com/

http://members.aol.com/musicdave/Dave_King.html

http://www.chicago.tribune.com/

(This is the 96th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, "E-mail Security" is the subject on tap. Stay tuned. Until

next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info

for Real People (including links to sites mentioned in this article) can be

found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions to:

rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)

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Nighthawk Baseball Team Beats Conference Opponents

Late Goal By Ruddy Lifts Nighthawk Lacrosse Team To Victory, Showcases Chemistry In Midfield

Reed Intermediate Presents Sold-Out Performances Of 'Willy Wonka Jr'

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 27-Mar-1998

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