The Web Developer's Virtual Library (WDVL) <URL:http://WWW.Stars.com/> is one of the most popular and respected resources for Internet developers and publishers. A goldmine of information, with over 500 pages and thousands of references, it's the only on-line webmasters' encyclopedia. It's organised with several navigational aids to enable users to quickly and easily find what they are looking for. The WDVL is for webmasters, Internet developers, and online publishers, and is about web technologies, browsers, servers and software, HTML, Java, hypertext and multimedia, CGI, plugins, frames, Perl, Shockwave, search engines, website architecture and promotion, database interfacing, etc. The WDVL is a free public service provided by CyberWeb SoftWare and funded solely by advertising sponsorship.
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The site has won several awards, including PC Magazine's Top 100, Point's Top 5%, and Starting Point Choice, and feedback from our users has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
We are among the most referenced sites on the web. There are more than 30,000 links to us, including several from the W3C; Netscape; IBM; Sun; Microsoft; and Apple.
The project started as a hotlist on a NASA computer in late 1993 and was moved to Charm Net in 1994. The CyberWeb was announced in What's New, October 1994. The Stars.com domain name was granted on December 22nd 1994.
The site includes sections on
The WDVL (as we affectionately call it around here) is a formidable resource for web developers. It started some years ago (yes, we mean years) as a hotlist; grew into an obsession; and has now become our livelihood. We nurture it fulltime. There are two distinct aspects to The WDVL: thousands (literally) of links to other web developer resources, and local content - articles, demos, graphics.
- A Glossary and Index of terms
- Local and Global Search engines
- The Library of Web Development
- Examples and Tutorials on Graphics
- Tutorials on HTML, Tables, Forms, CGI, ...
- Software: CGI, Perl, Databases, Plugins, ...
- A Gallery of Exhibits from leading Webmasters
- .. and much more!
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Getting Around
We have some navigation aids to help you find your way around this lot (over 500 pages). First, most pages have a menu bar of some kind, usually near the bottom of the page. Second, we have the Top Thirty which will show you the most often accessed pages here. We watch it closely! You'll also see approximately how many hits each of those pages gets, per month (i.e. accesses). Then, there is the Table of Contents where most of this site's pages are laid out in a table, that should help you get a larger overview. Finally, we have the Search Engines page, which starts with our own local search engine.Getting Out
Probably the best-known resource here is the Library of Web Development with well over 2,000 annotated links to web developer resources. Then, there's nearly 1,000 more links in the Bookmarks section. These are links I personally have found useful, so obviously there's going to be some bias in what's represented..Local Content
Turning now to local content, we offer Web Technology Demonstrations, where you can see some Java, animated gifs, shockwave, CGI, ... If you would like to showcase your skills as a web programmer please contact me.The Frequently Asked Questions originated due to the large amount of email I got asking technical questions. I do like to get comments about this site, but answering technical questions is regrettably too much burden, sorry. However, if you find an answer that you think should be made easily available to others then please do send it along for inclusion in the FAQ or other relevant place, and you'll get full credit and a backlink.
The
sletter, is where we will keep you updated on our latest additions, and any gossip we hear from the web world.
I've delivered HTML and CGI Tutorials at several national and international conferences, and you can find the material online here. Not just slides, most pages are well-annotated (and if you need a speaker, esp. in the Washington DC/Baltimore area - call me!).
What Can We Do For Each Other ?
The World Wide Web is exploding as a communications medium. Not only is the technology growing and changing, but the number of people involved in using and publishing on the web is expanding. There is a need for a single reference location in the web that developers of all skill levels can turn to for the latest, accurate information.
Our vision for The WDVL is to be the #1 resource for web developers. The current features will be expanded and tools added to make it easy for a web developer to find the answer to his question. The site will also contain all the latest developments, tricks, and features to show what can be done and how to do it. The latest developments and trends will be discussed. Without the time delay constraints of a print magazine, The WDVL will have the news first and be able to link to examples.
This site is a renowned and respected source for web developer information. We are currently seeking sponsorship, advertising, and contributions of articles, graphics, demonstrations, or hardware. You will be seen and appreciated by the many thousands of web developers world-wide, who come to The WDVL first for their information needs.
Thanks to..
Dan Austin of Invented Worlds for his exceptional support of The WDVL. Dan has donated several excellent articles and graphics, and has given us invaluable advice and encouragement. We cannot thank him enough but.. Thankyou Dan! Sarah Yoffa has enthusiastically promulgated our cause, especially on the SpiderWoman list, and also offered advice and encouragement. Thanks Sarah! Jon Backy of Premier GFX brought Spectrum to life.. Thanks Jon! Charlie Morey helped with Spectrum graphics, and donated our article on 3d graphics. Thanks Charlie!
Alan Richmond built NASA's first web/relational database interface to astrophysics satellite data on the Web. He has presented tutorials at many conferences, and is known for his thorough coverage of complicated specifications. He has presented two tutorials for the W3C in their International World Wide Web Conferences series ( Boston & Darmstadt). He has also presented tutorials at DCI's WebWorlds. He was the technical editor for HTML & CGI Unleashed by John December et al, (Sams.Net), & is now tech editing a book on databases & the web. He contributed the chapter on HTTP to Developing CGI Applications with Perl.
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