[Opera-users] OT: Initiate Seeks Guidance (was Java Script)

[CallingCrow]

On 26 Jun 2001, at 15:25, Dave Anderson wrote:

> If this were only true life on the web would be *much* simpler.  Far too 
> many website authors apparently throw together a mess of stuff culled from 
> God-knows-where, tinker with it until it "works" using their favorite 
> browser (with their choice of configuration options, on their particular 
> hardware and operating system, etc.), and then declare it "perfect".

Am working on setting up a website & discussion group for a local 
event that I'm the "official" coordinator of.  This stuff's still quite new 
to me and I'm finding it challenging (and frustrating).

I'm wondering if it's possible for a beginner to skip html and start the 
learning process with xhtml AND where the definitive (OK, at least 
reasonably authoritative, reliable & useful) online guide to coding in 
xhtml (and/or html) is.  If it's not possible to start w/ xhtml, what's the 
recommended path to get, as quickly as possible, from beginning 
html to xhtml?  (Granted, I've not spent time yet in W3C's tutorials, 
just quickly reviewed & bookmarked them.)  Further note:  After two 
years unsuccessful job seeking, I'm now doing a great deal of 
community volunteer work.  This means I am both busy and broke.  
Buying books and shareware is beyond my means (unless I close 
my ISP account ;^).

Have been wrestling w/ a site developed in Freeservers.com with the 
"site builder" and then mucking through the code thus generated in 
notepad.  Have Amaya but, somehow, working on a page in Amaya 
voided Freeservers' ISML tags (their counter, specifically).  
Fortunately, I'd safely tucked away copies of the original source 
before opening the pages in Amaya.  Working on the source in 
notepad & viewing in Opera leaves the ISML working when I upload -
so that's how I'm doing it now.

I believe that what I need to do is start fresh & develop a site from 
scratch as I learn the code - once I've got the current site 
reasonably updated and running.  I *want* to learn good habits, so 
to speak, from the start so that I won't have to unlearn bad habits 
(life is short, time precious).  How can I be sure what I've created 
works everywhere without having a copy of every browser available 
on the market?

And More:  I would like to use http://www.communityzero.com for 
discussion/networking.  Their pages work fine for me, (I was able to 
set up a group) UNTIL I actually try to go to my group (or any 'open' 
group) page.  1.5k get's downloaded, then the page starts to 
download again & walla! continuous loop.  Opera 5.11, identifying as 
anything, allowing pages to redirect and spawn others (allowing 
everything just to try to get a group page to load....).

Axel, if you've the mind to tackle this one, I'm sure I won't be able to 
follow your high level of technical expertise.  Please don't waste your 
time with me, let this go by and maybe someone else will be able to 
point me in a good direction....

Thanks......
Ciao!
C Crow