Reading thoughts, 11/5

* XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language
* subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) defined in ISO standard 8879:1986
* makes documents interchangeable across the web - it's a language that every browser can decipher
* however, it is not HTML or CSS language, nor is it a template for web design
* XML is a formal language that computers use to talk to each other about the components of documents (all kinds: books, memos, etc.)
* though it is NOT HTML, it surprisingly looks a lot like it. :-)
* based on the concept of "documents" composed of a series of "entities"
* users create their own definitions of what tags mean, and then code that into the document schema
* the original XML schema language is the Document Type Definition (DTD); however, this is kind of bulky and awkward and many web designers are not fond of it. Many other new schema languages have emerged that are more favorable, such as RELAX NG.
* there are many different types of elements that are used in XML schema. Some are simple, and contain only text. Others are more complex, wherein elements can be combined together into a single element, or can even be empty.
* an example of a complex element that contains other elements:
                   <employee>
                          <firstname>John</firstname>
                          <lastname>Smith</lastname>
                   </employee>
* string data types are used for values that contains character strings. The string data type can contain characters, line feeds, carriage returns, and tab characters.
* even though you CAN code your own XML, it's much to your benefit to use an editing software. It can help catch your errors (like forgetting to close elements) and can also help guide your work.

Muddy points, 10/22

No muddy points this week.

Reading Thoughts for 10/29

* CSS stands for "Cascading Style Sheets" and is a way to express programming language for HTML, XHTML, and XML.
* HTML was not originally designed to show stylistic choices. Although those kinds of things were added to HTML, it's clunky. CSS solves this problem.
* CSS rules have two parts: the selector (the element you want to style, like fonts or tables) and the declaration(s) (colors, sizes, etc.).
* You can add comments into your CSS code by delimiting them with /*COMMENT*/ - these are only visible in the code and won't show up on the published webpage.
* There are three different ways to insert CSS: external style sheet, internal style sheet, and inline style.
* You can also have background properties in CSS - images, colors, etc. You can format your links, and you can change the font styles and colors as well.
* CSS is particularly awesome for tables - they have a much more polished appearance than regular HTML tables.
* "The CSS box model is essentially a box that wraps around HTML elements, and it consists of: margins, borders, padding, and the actual content."
* You can group or nest selectors.
* Writing CSS code seems pretty simple if you already know how to code HTML.
* You can write code by hand using a text editor, or you can use a web design tool (like DreamWeaver) to write the code for you.
* Styles can be carried from page to page, or you can attach parts of that style to different pages in your site.

Muddy points, 10/15

No muddy points this week!

Muddy ideas, 10/9

No muddy ideas this week!

Reading thoughts, 10/9

*LANs: local area networks
*computer network that connects computers in a limited area (school, home, office, etc.)
*fast data transfer rate
*ethernet and wi-fi are the most common ways to build LANs
*proliferation of personal computers in the late 70s/early 80s required linking computers together in the workplace
*Novell Netware, big name in the business, 1983-mid 90s

Computer Networks:
*collection of computers and other hardware components interconnected by communications channels that allow sharing of resources and information
*classified by several different characteristics : transport medium, communications protocols, scale, etc.
*early networks: military radar system (SAGE), airline reservations systems (SABRE), Dartmouth, MIT, General Electric, Bell Labs
*modern communications would not be possible with computer networking
*you can communicate with others, share data, etc. Possibly insecure (can be hacked fairly easily), tricky to set up
*wired technologies: twisted pair wire (slow), coaxial cable (medium), optical fibers (fast)
*wireless technologies: microwaves, satellites, cellular systems, spread spectrum, infrared, global area network
*internet protocol suite (TCP/IP), the foundation of all modern networking
*network topology types: bus network, star network, ring network, mesh network, fully connected network
*resilience : the ability to provide and maintain an acceptable level of service in the face of faults and challenges to normal operation

RFID:
*stands for "radio frequency identification"
*like a barcode in that it can identify an item uniquely, but is read by an electromagnetic field
*can be read through multiple layers of stuff (like book covers)
*hundreds of different kinds on the market, customizable for many needs
*libraries are good users of RFID because they get multiple uses of a tag, unlike merchants who use them only once
*RFID could have a positive impact on a libraries return on investment, do they make patrons happier?
*tags need to be durable for use in libraries, they get used repeatedly

Muddiest points, 10/1

No muddy ideas this week. I'm finally understanding metadata! So, thanks. :-)