Sean Murphy - Week 3 Homework

What is the difference between a relative and absolute URL? Please give an example of each.

An absolute URL refers to a file/page which resides on a different server than your own, thus you need to be very specific in order to link to it successfully. Meaning, when creating the link you must include protocol (usually http://, but can also be ftp://, gopher://, or file://), the hostname and the specific file/page name to be reached. For example:

http://example.com/images/example.jpg

A relative URL refers to a file/page residing on your own server and thus may be referred to by it's simple name or path. For example:

images/example.jpg

What is the advantage of managing files, i.e. renaming, moving, and deleting files, through Dreamweaver's Files Panel?

The advantage of managing files through Dreamweaver's Files Panel is that the software automatically maintains all of your document/folder/image links for you and maintains a working relationship between them.

What is the significance of a page named index.html?

The significance of a page naming index.html is that it guarantees a particular page will be the first page a browser visits when connecting to your site.

What DOCTYPE should you be using for your pages?

We should be using "XHTML 1.0 Transitional" doctype.

Why is and preferred over and ?

It is a triumph of function over form. The change to and tags represents an understanding that we are working with an elementally functional property of type rather than referring to it's aesthetic qualities in relation to the rest of a piece. It's the same reason we refer to iron oxide as such, because it is a more accurate and precise description of it's matter. As opposed to merely calling it "red".

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Dragos, I built the following section before realizing that the content of the index.html page was to be the homework questions. It contains the images required.

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THE SCHWA CORPORATION

Schwa is the underground conceptual artwork of Bill Barker (born 1957). Barker draws deceptively simple black and white stick figures and oblong alien ships. However the artwork is not about the aliens: it is about how people react to the presence of the aliens and Barker uses them as a metaphor for foreign and unknown ideas. Schwa became an underground hit in the 1990s.

Schwa began in 1992 when Barker, a former advertising art director, was looking for a way to express himself with a single art style when he was given a copy of "The Secret Government", a conspiracy book that tells of aliens controlling the government. Barker didn't like the idea of art exhibitions, which he saw as just a pretentious form of merchandising, so he decided to cut out the middle-man and sell merchandise directly to consumers by mail-order. Barker started selling trinkets like necklaces and stickers, and his first book, ə, exclusively through this home-grown business. Schwa cartoons also appeared in The Sagebrush, the University of Nevada, Reno student newspaper.

You can learn more about the Schwa Corporation and Bill Barker at their Wikipedia page.