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World Wide Web FAQ

Copyright 1994, 1995, 1996, Thomas Boutell and Boutell.Com, Inc.

This document is available from many sites, and in several languages. Please use the site closest to you in the language of your choice.

This FAQ consists of many files. By popular request, it is now available as an MSDOS .ZIP file, as a Unix compressed .tar file, and as a single, large text file. If you have trouble browsing HTML files offline under Windows, please see the relevant FAQ entry.

Of course, to get the latest and greatest information, it is best to browse it right here on the web!

Contents

• About this document
• Recent changes to the FAQ
• Introduction to the World Wide Web
• Obtaining and using web browsers
• Establishing and using web servers
• Authoring web pages, images and scripts
• Other resources about the Web
• Credits

Overview of the World Wide Web

• What is the Web?
• What is a URL?
• What are SGML and HTML?
• How does the Web compare to Gopher and WAIS?
• What is the W3 consortium?
• How can I access the Web?
• What is available through the web?
• How do I find out what's new on the Web?
• Where is the subject catalog of the Web?
• How can I search through ALL web sites?
• Can I catch a virus from a web page?
• How can I find out when a web page has changed?
• How do I publish on the Web?
• Who uses the Web?
• What is VRML?
• What is Java?
• What can I do to protect my legal rights on the web?

Obtaining and using web browsers

• Browsers accessible by telnet
• Obtaining Amiga browsers
• Obtaining Macintosh browsers
• Obtaining MS-DOS (non-Windows) browsers
• Obtaining NeXT browsers
• Obtaining Unix and VMS browsers
• Obtaining VM/CMS browsers
• Obtaining Microsoft Windows and OS/2 browsers
• Obtaining X Window System / DecWindows browsers
• Obtaining Acorn RISCOS browsers
• Obtaining batch-mode "browsers"
• I can't get SLIP or PPP. I want web access. Is there a way?
• Can I browse HTML files locally when I'm offline?
• How can I access the Web through a firewall?
• I'm running XMosaic. Why don't my external viewers work?
• I have a Windows PC or a Mac. Why can't I access WAIS URLs?
• How do I convert HTML to (plain ASCII, PostScript, other printable formats)?
• How can I save an inline image to disk?
• How can I send newsgroup posts in HTML to my web browser?
• How can I get sound from the PC speaker with WinMosaic?

Establishing and using web servers

• Amiga servers
• Macintosh servers
• MS-DOS and Novell Netware servers
• Unix servers
• VM/CMS servers
• VMS servers
• IBM OS/2 Servers
• Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 95 Servers
• Microsoft Windows 3.1 Servers
• Servers for Embedded Applications
• Can I serve two domains from one server?
• Comparison: which server is best?
• How fast does my connection have to be?
• How can I make my web site searchable?
• How can I get my server to recognize both .htm and .html?
• Do I have to approve every imagemap my users create?
• Can I safely allow my users to run their own CGI scripts?
• Can I lease space on an existing server?
• How can I keep robots off my server?
• How do I publicize my server?
• How can I secure access to my server?
• Can I prevent others from studying my HTML?
• How can I keep statistics on my server?
• How can I serve [Word documents, Excel spreadsheets...] through my server?

Authoring web pages, images and scripts

• Overview: how to create web documents
• Writing HTML documents yourself
• HTML editors
• Converting other formats to HTML
• Checking web pages for errors
• How can I "include" one HTML document in another?
• How can I include a "back" button in my web page?
• How can I create a background and choose my own text colors?
• Generating web pages from a program (CGI)
• How can I keep "state" information between CGI calls?
• How can I identify the user accessing my CGI script?
• My CGI script doesn't work! What's wrong?
• How can I keep my document from being cached?
• How can users send me comments and/or email?
• How can I create fill-out forms?
• Are HTML 3.0 tables ready? Are there other options?
• How can I use inline images without alienating my users?
• Can I create animations in my web page?
• How can I distribute audio through the web?
• How can I generate inline images on the fly?
• What is HTML 3.0?
• How do I comment an HTML document?
• How do I create clickable image maps?
• How can I create transparent and interlaced GIFs? What are they?
• Why do my transparent GIFs look (grainy, chunky, not so transparent)...
• Which is better for the web, JPEG or GIF?
• What is a progressive JPEG? How can I produce progressive JPEGs?
• Can I lease space on an existing server?
• Can I make a link that doesn't load a new page?
• How can I redirect the browser to a new URL?
• How can the user download binaries from my server?
• How can I mirror part of another server?
• Does mailto: work in all browsers?
• How can I serve [Word documents, Excel spreadsheets...] through my server?
• How do I publicize my work?
• Hey, why can't I write a web-exploring robot?
• Where can I get an access counter for my page?

Other resources about the Web

• Books about the Web
• Mailing lists about the Web
• Newsgroups about the Web
• IRC channels about the Web (real-time chat)

Credits