And so it begins...

With programs like Dreamweaver, coding HTML by hand can become a lost art. And that is exactly the task we are undertaking at this very moment. Something very simple can quickly become something very complex. The layout, colors, borders, links, and media can all work in unison towards a user friendly design theme or concept, or they can all wreak havoc by creating a visual mess and ultimately frustrate the web user. A good user experience will always bring them back. First impressions are everything; would you ever want to come back to a really crappy site? Chances are slim.

Creating a uniform experience is also important. Not all web browsers support all types of elements. What may work in Internet Explorer may not work or show up in Firefox, Safari, or Chrome. Does the browser support images? Now a days yes, but it’s not guaranteed and a good site should be prepared for such cases. Planning for the worst case scenario is a good way at looking at it. We want the best possible site using the latest and most innovative technologies, but we have to be careful to make sure those practices and technologies are supported by the browsers. So we step into a brave new world…

Hello World (the famous first words of any programmer)

The web has expanded exponentially over the years and has become an integral part of our daily lives. It has allowed us to stay in contact with one another in real time. Think about video conferencing. It has taken down walls and closed the distance between our foreign neighbors. There are so many facets of the internet that we do not give it much thought on how we utilize it in many of our daily routines; from email, to social networking, and even e-commerce. But how does it all work together? What is it that makes the foundation of the internet function?

I have just entered UGA's Masters of Internet Technology program. For the next couple of months I will be studying various internet technologies, protocols, and standards along with their implications on current web development. As such, I will be updating my blog to mirror the topics we discuss each week. I’ll try and highlight the main points of each technology and summarize what I’ve learned about each of them. An exciting aspect of this program is the focus on mobile internet and iPhone application development. So welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoyed your stay, please come back and see me soon.