BKDSG4W3.RVW   960601
 
"Designing for the Web", Jennifer Niederst, 1996, 1-56592-165-8,
U$24.95/C$35.95
%A   Jennifer Niederst
%C   103 Morris Street, Suite A, Sebastopol, CA   95472
%D   1996
%G   1-56592-165-8
%I   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
%O   U$24.95/C$35.95 800-998-9938 707-829-0515 fax: 707-829-0104 nuts@ora.com
%P   180
%T   "Designing for the Web"
 
This book very definitely is for the graphic designer and is not for the
techie.  It is not intended, despite some of the implication of the title, to
teach designing, but rather to give experienced designers some background on
the vagaries of the Web.
 
Chapters three, four and eleven provide the basics of HTML (HyperText Markup
Language) for page creation.  Chapter twelve mentions the more advanced
functions such as forms, tables and frames.  The introduction is very simple,
and provides only the most fundamental tags.  Chapter three is quite casual,
and at times difficult to follow, flipping between HTML source, the browser
(Netscape for the Mac) image, and other programs.  Fortunately, chapter eleven
makes up for any confusion with a more structured presentation of the
foundational material again.
 
Of design advice there is little, mostly in chapters two and five.  Niederst
does repeat the vitally important point that not all browsers are the same. 
There is the advice to note the standard functions and to keep download times
in mind at all times, but there is still a feeling of frustration with the
limitations of the Web, as if it is a failure on the part of the users that all
do not have Netscape 3.0 and ISDN connections.
 
The content in chapters six to nine, on graphics files, is really the high
point of the book.  This is very valuable material, with an excellent four page
spread in chapter eight illustrating (literally) the effect of bit depth on
file size and image quality with differing types of graphics.
 
An effective designer must keep the limitations of the medium in mind, as well
as being familiar with the technology.  While Niederst's book is a basic
introduction, ultimately an impressive page producer will need the kind, and
level, of information provided in Musciano and Kennedy's "HTML: The Definitive
Guide" (cf. BKHTMLDG.RVW).
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKDSG4W3.RVW   960601

======================
roberts@decus.ca           rslade@vcn.bc.ca           rslade@vanisl.decus.ca
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong - J. Diefenbaker
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94663-2 (800-SPRINGER)