The Essentials
Bookmark these websites; you’ll need them:
- HTML Dog HTML Tag Reference
- SitePoint HTML Reference
- HTML Dog CSS Properties
- SitePoint CSS Reference
- W3C Markup Validation Service: XHTML/HTML validator
- W3C CSS Validation Service: CSS validator
Do not use materials found at W3Schools. See the standards-based design community’s response to W3Schools at w3fools.com, which notes some examples of inaccuracies in W3School’s materials.
Mac OS X users should download and install these:
- TextWrangler: Text editor; also available via the Mac App Store
- Mozilla Firefox: Open-source Web browser
- Chris Pederick’s Web Developer Add-on for Firefox: Firefox add-on; install from within Firefox
- XAMPP for Mac OS X: Development Web server
Windows users should download and install these:
- Notepad++ (“Notepad plus”): Text editor; download the zip package; run the version in the
unicodefolder - Mozilla Firefox: Open-source Web browser
- Chris Pederick’s Web Developer Add-on for Firefox: Firefox add-on; install from within Firefox
- XAMPP for Windows: Development Web server
Windows users running USB drives should download and install these:
- Notepad++ (“Notepad plus”): Text editor; download the zip package; run the version in the
unicodefolder - Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition: Open-source Web browser
- Chris Pederick’s Web Developer Add-on for Firefox: Firefox add-on; install from within Firefox
- XAMPP for Windows: Development Web server
Browsers and Browser-based Development Tools
- Google Chrome: Webkit-based browser
- Chris Pederick’s Web Developer Add-on for Google Chrome: Chrome extension
- Opera: Web browser
- Safari for Windows: Webkit-based browser
- Microsoft Expression Web SuperPreview: Internet Explorer testing; requires Windows/IE8
- Lynx for Windows: Text-only Web browser
- Lynx for Mac OS X: Text-only Web browser
Free and Open Source Software
- 7-Zip: File archive program for Windows and other operating systems
- PortableApps.com: Free and open-source Windows applications that can be run on a USB drive
- FreeSMUG.org: Free and open-source Mac OS X applications that can be run on a USB drive
- Notepad++ (“Notepad plus”): Recommended free text editor for Windows; can be run from USB drive
- TextWrangler: Recommended free text editor for Mac OS X; also available via the Mac App Store
- WinSCP: FTP/SFTP client for Windows
- Cyberduck: FTP/SFTP client for Mac OS X
- FileZilla: FTP/SFTP client for all operating systems
- Mozilla Firefox: Recommended baseline development browser
- Chris Pederick’s Web Developer Add-on for Firefox: Recommended Firefox add-on for Web design and development
- GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program: Cross-platform free and open-source graphics software
- Audacity: Cross-platform free and open-source audio software
- Avidemux: Cross-platform free and open-source video software
- XAMPP for Windows: Development Web server
- XAMPP for Mac OS X: Development Web server
- XAMPP Documentation: Development Web server documentation
Web Standards Information and Education
- Section 508: United States government IT accessibility
- Section 508 guidelines and standards: United States Access Board
- W3C Markup Validation Service: XHTML/HTML validator
- W3C CSS Validation Service: CSS validator
- Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI): W3C organization
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): W3C recommendation
- Web Standards Project (WaSP): Standards advocacy and education group
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): Group behind the recommendations that make up many Web standards
Web Design Galleries and Inspiration
- CSS Zen Garden: Site of CSS designs using the exact same XHTML
Language References and Documentation
- HTML Dog HTML Tag Reference: Language reference
- HTML Dog CSS Properties: Language reference
- Microformats.org: Language reference
- MIME Types List: Webmaster Toolkit reference
- PHP documentation: Language reference
- SitePoint HTML Reference: Language Reference
- SitePoint CSS Reference: Language reference
Web Design and Development Libraries
- Yahoo! YUI Reset CSS: CSS reset file
- jQuery: JavaScript library
- jQuery Docs: JavaScript library documentation
- jQuery API: JavaScript library API documentation
- jQuery Plugins: JavaScript library plugins
- MooTools: JavaScript library
- Prototype: JavaScript library
- Google Libraries API: Google-hosted libraries
- Yahoo! Media Player: Audio player
- WordPress Audio Player: Audio player
- 1 Bit Audio Player: Audio player
- SWFObject: Standards-compliant Flash media loader
Design Approaches and Techniques
- Revised Image Replacement: Dave Shea’s gallery of CSS image-replacement techniques
- 960 Grid System: Layout approaches
- 978 Grid System: Layout approaches
- Quirksmode.org Conditional Comments: Internet Explorer work-arounds
- CSS Compatibility and Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer work-arounds
- no-www.org: Site arguing against www. in Web URLs
- www.yes-www.org: Site arguing for www. in Web URLs
WordPress
- WordPress.org: Project home page
- WordPress.org: Blogging software
- Wordpress Codex: WordPress documentation
