P.L. RUTH WEB DESIGN 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For some reason, the FAQ's page is always the last place people look for help.

Table of Contents

1. Where did the Internet come from?
2. Why can't I get my web site to look like my printed catalog?
3. Why don't the colors look right when I publish my web site?
4. My screen flickers and images look poor. My computer at work looks fine. What is going on?
5. Why is it when I publish changes to my web site, the changes don't take place?
6. My site looks fine in Microsoft Internet Explorer, but not in Netscape, why?
7. Are Internet Explorer and Outlook the same?

Where did the Internet come from?

The Internet began as the Aarpanet, a network of computers used primarily to share military and scientific information. University researchers soon found that this emerging network was a great way to exchange data and ideas. But then, particularly with the advent of commercial services such as America Online, Prodigy, and CompuServe, the Internet and its World Wide Web became what it is today.

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Why can't I get my web site to look like my printed catalog?

Print and Web are 2 different medias. A common misunderstanding is that print like books, magazines, catalogs or even stationary are just the same to publish as a web site. When in fact, they are different.

Let's say you have a business with a printed catalog of interior blinds that you want to put on your web site. Some think you can simply scan the entire page and publish it to your web site. Or even if they have the original Quark Express or PageMaker files you had the printer use for your printed catalog, even those files will interpret differently when published to the web.

If you were to hold a printed document and a published html document side by side, you would see that they are formatted differently. This is because HTML was never meant for graphics or sound. As read above, HTML was only meant for the transferring of text in Arpanet.

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Why don't the colors look right when I publish my web site?

Computers are limited to only 256 Colors. The reason is because these are the 216 colors chosen by Windows and MAC operating platforms to make up their palettes of colors. The 40 other colors that aren't part of the 216 web safe are the colors that these try to make up by dithering. There are only 216 web safe colors that won't dither.

Your web sites colors will be different on everyone else's monitor. Your yellows may be faded or have a tinge of red, blue, or green. This is not due to your fault or your web designer. It is an inherent issue since everyone's monitor is different. That is why it is important to stick to a web safe palette so these colors will remain more accurate and consistent.

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My screen flickers and images look poor. My computer at work looks fine. What is going on?

Screen Resolution. A term you need to be familiar with is Screen Resolution. The size and color depth of your screen resolution on your computer monitor can be adjusted to make more screen space. Depending on the amount of RAM or memory you have on your video card and the monitors refresh rate, you can adjust your computer to view more colors clearly.

The refresh rate is a measure of how many times your computer monitor draws the screen. If the refresh rate is too low, you will notice flicker and will suffer from head aches and eyestrain. Adjust your refresh rate to the ergonomic standard no lower than 72 Hertz.

Most computers have the default amount of colors set to 256 colors. Review your computers display manual and set the colors to 16 or 24 bit. This will allow your computer to more colors.

This will help you achieve the best viewing results for your computer. Increasing your computers colors, screen size and refresh rate will also speed your computers performance.

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Why is it when I publish changes to my web site, the changes don't take place?

There are a few things you need to check. Either your html code is pointing to a file on your computer, rather than a folder on the web server, or you need to clear your computers cache. We'll cover both. First, how To Clear Your Browser's Cache.

The "cache" is a directory on your hard drive that your browser uses to store pages you have visited so that next time you visit, those pages will load faster. When the cache fills up, performance can slow down. It's a good habit to clear your cache from time to time.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer:
  On the Menu Bar, choose View. Select the choice called Internet Options. Under the General Tab is a section called Temporary Internet Files. Push the button that says Delete Files. You're finished. It's also a good idea to Clear History from time to time as well. To do that, click on the Clear History button. Follow these simple steps as outlined below will help you maintain optimum browsing performance.
• Netscape:
  Go to Edit, then Preferences. Select advanced on the left-hand outline, then choose Cache. On the right-hand side of the window, click the buttons that say Clear Disk Cache and Clear Memory Cache.
• For AOL 4.0 Users:
  For Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0:
  1. From the My AOL menu on the toolbar, select Preferences.
  2. Select the WWW icon.
  3. Under the Temporary Internet Files area, click on the Delete Files tab. You can also click on Delete All Subscription Content if you would like to delete the information about the places you have visited on the Internet.
  4. Click OK.

Second, your html file may be pointing to a file on your computer, rather than a folder on the web server hosting your site. HTML Editors like FrontPage can sometimes tell your web page to use a "local" file to show a graphic or file like this:

"file:///Z:/My_Website/image_folder/my_picture.jpg"

You can see the "file:" at the beginning? This means the html page is looking for this file on your computer, not your web server that has your image folder. To correct this, you need to make your code look like this:

"../image_folder/my_picture.jpg"

*NOTE: Do NOT include the quotes in your code.
If you notice the two dots and slash, that means to tell the html page to look in the web servers root directory (where your site is) and find the image in your image folder. Remember to make sure that "file:" is NOT in your html code, or you will not see your changes. Also, make sure you are "FTPing" your files to the correct folders on the web server.

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My site looks fine on Internet Explorer, but not in Netscape, why?

Browser Compatibility. Not too long ago when the Internet was becoming more popular, the was a fight called the "browser wars."  The web browser is what a user could view the internet through with different features like email and search features.

It all came down to the 2 most popular browsers, Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Eventually Internet Explorer gained the lead because is came free and was part of every Windows Operating System.

When designing your site, you must keep in mind how it will look on all browsers. Not all browsers display your pages the same way, this includes Netscape and Internet Explorer.

Look at a web site made for Netscape Navigator and view it on Internet Explorer. You will notice that maybe some of the mouse-overs don't work or that some of the animations or menus don't work. Maybe some of the tables that hold your catalog text together are not in line anymore.

These are some of the things you must consider when building your site. Right now, Microsoft Internet Explorer has the lead in the web browser market. So most individuals and businesses are designing their sites to work with Internet Explorer.

P.L. Ruth Web Design can make your site cross-browser compatible, meaning it will work and function whether it's in Netscape or Internet Explorer.

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Are Internet Explorer and Outlook the same programs?

No they are not. Though they are both made by Microsoft, they each have specific purposes.

Email Client
Outlook and Outlook Express is an Email client and designed specifically to send text and data as attachments for opening up on the receiving end (a.k.a. emails.) This allows you to send important images or document attached for the other person to open later. 

Web Browser
Web Browsers like Netscape and Internet Explorer (which you are using to look at this page right now) are designed specifically to display text, images, and even let you watch video or animations. Web Browsers display pages that are requested by you through hyperlinks.

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