Webtech Sites

2323 Silicon Valley Park
A high school student in New Jersey is the guiding force behind this attractive and friendly site for QBASIC programmers. He's sort of a BASIC groupie and the site includes his fanzine for the language. Also included is an HTML version of the FAQ for the comp.lang.basic.misc newsgroup. The text on a few pages is difficult to read (dang those backgrounds, anyhow), but every page is at least interesting to look at. Due to his sophisticated graphics and obvious hard work on this site, we'll forgive his hyperlink to those insidious evil-doers Hootie and the Blowfish.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Gary Barker

3D Site
Where do you go when you need that model of a wooden swan? Who do you turn to for a rendering of a 1950's blender? Have no fear, 3D Site is here, jam-packed to with all your 3d needs. A robust resource for 3D computer graphics, up-to-date job information, and gallery listings galore. Created and maintained by a 3D animator for 3D animators, If 3D graphics are your cup of tea, real or digital, route that browser in this direction.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Heidi Swanson

Adrenalin
Java, I tell you, Java! The guy is nutty about Java. Sure, there's some other stuff here, but don't forget his work in... JAAAAAAAAAAVAAH! I'll bet he says it over and over again, just to let the word roll around on his tongue. Mmmmmmmm, how wonderful it feels just to say it. He dabbles in Visual BASIC, does some screwy things with Netscape-style frames and has a spiffy Web tour thingamabob you can take for a spin, but Java is where his heart is. Lucky thing for us he's willing to share tips and examples (source code for Applets and such) particularly for incorporating Javascript into websites.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Gary Barker

Anicom
Here we have a sugar-coated press release functioning as the Web presence for AniCom, a developer of 3D animation software for Windows. The site works like this; a barrage of press-related quotes and product information greets you along with a spicy dash of peppy superlatives. But beware! if you stumble off the splash page you are immediately transported into the aesthetically challenged zone. This site is lackluster and shoddily constructed. If you're looking for anything more than a price list , you'll be disappointed.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Heidi Swanson

Bodies, INC
The Bodies INC project is part of a larger artistic endeavor that ponders the blurry lines between the physical world and the silicon-based pseudo-real dimension created by computers. Most of the 25,000-plus people who've hit this site, however, are probably just interested in the chance to create a customized, stylized cyber-body that they can receive electronically within a couple of weeks. The body construction variables are impressive (age, weight, sex, sexual preference, shape, texture, extremity manipulation, and much more) but as of print time the site was too new to have any of the finished products on display. We'll be back soon.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Miles Orkin

BrowserWatch
For all your browser needs, go here. This is an outstanding resource for up to date info on tools to help you maximize browsing the Web. Learn about the latest VRML viewers, get reviews comparing and contrasting Netscape Vs. Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and what ever you do, visit the Plug-In corner. BrowserWatch will point you to the best plug-in's available for your Mac or PC. This site kicks ass. My only complaint is that sometimes the server is a little slow; but if you are patient, you will reap great rewards.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Blue Grrrl

CAM CORNER
Not much more than a glorified pointer page, Cam Corner links to CU-See Me sites and a lot of cameras on the Web. There's a strange pseudo-depth to this site: Click on an apparently external link and go to another internal page with a link to the same external site. What possible function could this serve? "This Month's Featured Cams" and "Recent Featured Cams" link to sites with updated still images. "The Classics" links to 38 other such sites, but the aforementioned pseudo-depth extendss those 38 links over six pages. Why?
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Gary Barker

CROSS-PLATFORM PAGE
This page provides information on converting image, video, audio, data compression, and data encoding formats across common computer platforms. It's not much to look at, but jeez! There's an incredible amount of information here, available in English or Japanese with other translations a possibility in the future. Includes pointers to FAQ files and to a seemingly infinite number of useful toys for geeks. Even someone on a text-only browser like Lynx could make great use of this page, which is a little strange for a Mac-generated site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Gary Barker

Clever dot Net
Clever.net is an Atlanta-based Web space merchant. Their home page features a striking green icon and links to a FAQ, a server demo, and a cgi that lets you check the availability of domain names. This last feature had me psyched, so much so that I tried it about ten times - to no avail. It doesn't work! When I linked to "the new FAQ", I found it inaccessible. Furthermore, browsing "the old FAQ" was disorienting as its navigation buttons seemed to load pages at random. What I did read was informative, but this site requires considerable work before it sells any space.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Ananda Nada

Cornell University's CU-See-Me
In case you haven't heard, Cornell University's CU-See-Me is popular server-client architecture that lets you use your computer for videoconferencing. Its home page underlines the software's potential by showing screenshots of schoolkids and scientists getting busy with the bandwidth. Here, you'll find all the information you need to join in the fun. Read the white papers, download the software (yes, it's FREE) and check out the calender of online events. You can also subscribe to a discussion list. In short, a futurist's dream come true.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Ananda Nada

Developer's Resource
Another list of resources linked by a Web developer for others of his ilk. There's an affability about this site which raises it above the morass of bone-dry developers' nodes. Of course, there's a good variety of links to resources covering everything from programming languages to graphic formats and other developers' pages. But what stands out are Devres' unique features like the developer's survey form and the hilarious top ten programmer's quotes ("It should all work."), which alone make it worth a visit.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Ananda Nada

Digital Multimedia Research Lab
Get out the squeegee. Call the window washers. Amidst the hustle and bustle of NYC emerges the C4DM, on a mission to promote multimedia in New York State through research, development, and educational programs. This is a no-nonsense effort to inject new information technologies into the industries and endeavors that have made New York the economic and cultural epicenter it is. Their slick site provides us with a window into the workings of C4DM. You get just a tease, a tickle, a whisper of what's going on behind those doors, and believe me, my face was pressed up against that window till it got all fogged up.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Heidi Swanson

Don't Spread that Hoax
Don't send me anymore "Good Times Virus" e-mails or messages about some pitiful terminally ill kid trying to break the Guinness Book Record for receiving the most get-well cards! These net.memes, and others explained on this site, are not worth your time! They are hoaxes! Get it? Pranks! Thanks to Charles Hymes for devoting a page documenting this garbage and advising us to check our info before wasting bandwidth. This site is a must read for newbies susceptible to age old cons and Word viruses. Now remember, the Federal Government is not going to start charging for e-mail anytime soon! OK?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: David Pescovitz

Experience Power Design
Experience eye-popping graphics - literally - on the Power Design Web site. This design company creates Web sites for TV stations, national magazines, and even a football club. Learn how to redesign a national magazine in two weeks. Read notes from a seminar on the importance of unique Web site design. Buy a shirt that says, "Power means never having to kiss ass." Power Design is one interesting company striving to make the Web more wacky and witty. Any company that uses tweaked pictures of dentures on a cereal box can't be boring.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

Gary's Guide to Graphics
This site features an introduction to color theory and explains how to add a clunky shadow effect to graphics. Also, it contains a short rant against using the standard 16-color computer palette. Gary's guide is simplistic and shallow even if it is attractive. The approach is sort of like telling a kid who asks where rain comes from that the big fluffy things in the sky are called clouds; it isn't wrong, exactly, but neither is it very helpful. I can't see any reason to stay here longer than five minutes nor any to return.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Gary Barker

Gordon Hake's Basic HTML Tutorial
If you don't like what you see online, you better be prepared to top it. And Gordon's put together a nice home for autodidactics itching to weave their own part of this Web. This site is a clear introduction to Web publishing, complete with links to other Web development resources online. Most of this tutorial is appropriated from other places, but the info is still all good. You won't find tips on how to include all the latest bells and whistles here, but that's of no matter for newbies. In the end, it's not glam and glitz but clear design and clean content that's the message of this new media. Start here.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: David Pescovitz

GraphComp's VRML Tools Review
As we wait for VRML to catch on, new browsers are popping up that claim to be the best for exploring 3D worlds on the Web. The VRML Tools Review from Graphcomp, a graphical software development company, is a clean and well-organized comparison chart of the latest VRML apps to hit the net. Snapshots of a site seen through each browser are a striking complement to the chart - and there *is* a big difference between the presentations of VR Scout and the oft-hyped WebSpace. Look here first so you don't waste your downloading dollar on below-par VRML applications.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: David Pescovitz

HOTLIST ANYWHERE
If these folks aren't in it for the money, they're missing a sure thing. Promoted and financed properly, this site could be right up there with Yahoo! or Infoseek. Hotlist Anywhere allows its users to access their bookmark/hotlist files from any computer on the Internet, for free. Surprisingly, only 610 people are using the service so far, even though it appears to be pretty much bug-free. This site would be particularly useful for those with multiple Internet accounts. Be the first on your block.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Gary Barker

HTML BAD STYLE PAGE
Every obnoxious, ugly, amateurish thing on the web, all in one place? What a great idea! Seriously, this page by Tony Sanders will be useful to HTML beginners or to the unfortunate schmucks using PageMill 1.0 who think they're cutting-edge. Bad Style specifies the correct placement and order of tags, even linking to the heathens whose honest mistakes first caught Sanders' attention. Apparently nobody has made any mistakes on the Web since October 3, 1995, since that's the last time this page was updated.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Gary Barker

HTML Converters
There are a lot of file formats in the big old world. If you want to convert them to-or-from HTML, then this is the place to go. A bare-bones list with short descriptions points you to myriad programs, addressing all platforms and conversion scenarios, from MS Word to Postscript and C++. Our webmaster keeps his page updated and provides links to other lists of converters, one of which he claims is even longer than his! If you have an html problem add it to his message list, and some one will respond.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Ananda Nada

HTML Design Notebook
These pages come from the Web Consortium (W3C) - the industry thinktank devoted to maximizing the Web's potential. W3C's major players include CERN, the European Lab for Particle Physics (where the Web was conceived), and MIT's Lab for Computer Science. Consequently, these pages are visually bare but extensively cross-linked and dense with fascinating papers on the latest r & d. From the prehistory of system chaos to the future of HTML, you'll find it all here. Ironically enough, many of the links are outdated and need to be readdressed! Still, it's an inspiring site.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Ananda Nada

HTML Help
Aside from the nifty graphic of an industrial worker, the HTML Help site is a bland list of HTML design tutorials available online. With information on HTML writing, converters, browsers, graphic viewers, and news groups, HTML Help offers a push in the right direction. Yet with all the HTML bookmark lists already on the Web, this site should try to offer something more than just a push.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

Heidsite
BAM! Instant *bookmark* material. Heidsite is a pure Macintosh geek energy filtered down to this powerhouse of a site. MacWorld's Jim Heid frontlines this atomically correct site with Mac gems and jewels, tips and trinkets, which specifically target the media production arena. A Fifties-inspired design allows you to dish up your TV dinner and hula-hoop your way into the future. Quite a nice touch. Clean, concise, and crammed with content. What more can you ask for?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Heidi Swanson

Home Page Generator
Instead of going through all the anguish of mastering HTML, visit the Home Page Generator and make a minimal home page in minutes. This form-driven site asks for basic information to include on the page such as the title, contact information, and a bit of text. You can preview your newly created page or copy the code to add your own graphics and backgrounds. The Home Page Generator has yet to offer the razzle-dazzle options of forms, tables, or animation, but gives HTML-phobes a chance to create Web sites of their own without much hassle.
Content: 4
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

Hot 100 Web sites Updated Weekly
Itchin to know what's hot on the Web? This is an interesting little resource that may not sport the fancy graphics of Lycos, but who cares, so long as it's useful! And that it is. Every week the site updates surfers on the top 100 Web sites - the sites with the most hits. While there are no descriptions, and minimal editorial content here, it's a good place to get a feel for what has been successful in Web space.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Blue Grrrl

How to Become a Server Daemon
This rather stale offering opens with a sketchy schematic tutorial on how the Web is structured. Its very basic layout suggests that the writer could have spent more time reading the content of his own site. Mainly useful as a link-up to other places where Web development really happens (CERN, e.g.). Many of the links yield dreaded 404 errors, but there were some nuggets in the section marked Tools for Server Keepers: icon libraries, gateways between the Web and various databases, HTML translators, and the like. Afraid this daemon is actually a gremlin.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Steve LeVine

Hyperstand
Hyperstand is the black hole of multimedia development; a site that will entrap developers who just happen by, unaware of the goodies they'll find within. There are daily updates, articles, reviews, and columns, which cover the latest issues, trends, and tools. Search back issues of the print magazine or download the best and latest in development shareware and demos, like audio editors and Netscape plug-ins. The oodles of articles on everything from Hyper-G's server technology to Dimension X are enough to send you into a printing frenzy. And although Hyperstand is the online version of NewMedia magazine, it definitely stands on its own two feet.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Lauren Guzak

Inquiry.com
Accurate, interesting, straightforward information is available here for programmers and Web weenies. Whether your interests lie in HTML, CGI and PERL, or in Delphi, C++, Visual BASIC and Power Objects, you'll learn something during your visit. Industry exterts answer user questions in English instead of hexidecimal code (their native tongue), which is A Good Thing. Their answers are credible and easy to understand. Webmasters will want to visit the TechTalk forum here and visit the searchable database of more than 20 technical computer magazines. And the site looks pretty good, too. What else do you want for free?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Gary Barker

Java Applet Rating
With the Web's high noise factor, good rating systems are a god-send. And now with new Web technologies surfacing, the technique has been applied to Java applets. This site rates applets in categories based on Top 1%, 5%, etc., including a list of the Top 100 Java applets floating about online. The expert judges are Java developers, writers on the subject, and leaders of Web users groups. Many genres of Java apps are covered here, from an Atlas, to technical programs, to games, and I'm in agreement with most of the reviews so far. For example, the Java Pac Man applet does, in fact, rule.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: David Pescovitz

Jim Massey's HTML Workbook
Jim Massey wants to "enhance human potential by expanding the HTML technical envelope" with his HTML Workbook. This online workbook includes Massey's "1,001 Web Site Tour List," his "10 Standard-Setting Web Technology Page," the "Emerging Edge Tutorials" section, and links to Dr. Cye's "HTML Reviews of 130 Books," the "Timothy Leary Page," and more. There's also Web Server news, articles, and tools. Instead of pushing the technical envelope to other sites, Massey takes the time to explain where he thinks Web technology will go, and how we can use it to enhance our lives.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

Life on the Internet
The best thing about this TV show-related site is its external links. That's not meant as a slam, but rather as a tribute. There are roughly 400 external links here, pointing to all sorts of Internet and Web information. Each of the 13 TV episodes is supplemented by a written summary page with 10 or so outside links. The topics are encryption, making money, e-mail, medicine, Hollywood, publishing, electronic cash, Usenet, music and audio, religion, education, demographics, and the future. The threaded conversations are mostly stupid. The "Beginner's Guide" section features 300 of the site's external links.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Gary Barker

MESH MART
Mesh Mart provides 3-D mesh object files for 3-D modeling artists and developers and for VR environment creation. It also provides a textures pointer page with some good, and some broken, links. The "Object Catalog" organizes the 3-D objects into both a topical index, sorted by 33 subcategories, and a listing by file source (either Mesh Mart, itself, or Avalon). Mesh Mart also includes a listing of tools, utilities and FAQs of interest to 3-D and VR megawhiz-wannabees. The mesh files appear to be of high quality.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Gary Barker

Macintosh WWW Resources
Look here for some good, and free, info from Com Vista, a net and Web consultant company. Their WWW Resource Directory is a one-stop shop for almost everything Mac-based surfers and designers need to explore to set up shop in Cyberspace. You'll get it all, from client-side audio apps and browsers to server software and CGI tools. Some of the tools are even reviewed to help you choose your apps wisely. A good bookmark to keep handy when lurking, or decorating.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: David Pescovitz

Multimedia File Formats
Do you sometimes wonder, "what is a PDF all about?" Or, "how can I watch that damn movie I downloaded?" Maybe you want to know how to e-mail a Mac document to a PC? If so, this is the web-guide for you. File formats are clearly explained in terms of usage, mode of compression and transmission, and parsability across platforms. Each chapter provides links to select sources. Coverage extends to foreign language viewers and editors, including Chinese and Russian. Webmaster Allison Zhang writes clearly and her website delights with its expert use of Frames and dashes of pastel.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Ananda Nada

NINA
NINA has a very slow server and slow-loading graphics, even on a T-1, but those who wait will be duly rewarded. Anyone who played with a Spirograph as a kid will feel right at home here. Using Java, the user controls the number of lines and colors used, some technical settings, and even the speed at which NINA draws each new design. NINA is an early masterpiece of Java implementation, and so requires a Java-compliant browser. For those lacking Java, a gallery is included to illustrate what NINA can do once she's up and running.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Gary Barker

Nerd's Heaven
A directory of directories, this attempt at online Valhalla is appealing mostly due to its snazzy graphics. Ooh baby, just look at those graphics! But, um, that's not what the site is there for. It's supposed to link eventually to every online source for free and/or inexpensive software, regardless of platform or purpose. There are a lot of links here and some of them are really obscure. So, even though more than half the personal pages on the Web point to one or more of the sites on this list (ever hear of Yahoo?), it's probably worth a bookmark.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Gary Barker

Netscape Defrost
Who needs a freeze-up halfway through a long download? Netscape 2.0 for Macintosh owners will appreciate this bug fix (an extension file for System 7.x) provided generously by Scott Sykes who caught a glitch in the code which led to freezes on 68K and Power Mac models. The writer claims to have solved similar crashes that plague other internet utilities on the Mac as well. As a bonus you can visit some (very) loosely related sites of which the most universally worthy are devoted to Netscape, Macintosh and Internet technology.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Steve LeVine

Pepsi World Introduction
Wow! This is sort of a Pepsi "Challenge" for the digital generation -an example of Web technology at it's finest. See if you can cut through all the bells, whistles, Shockwave, Java, VRML, Real Audio, Frames, etc. to make it to the content. And that's no easy task. While this site is technically and graphically superb, navigation is not intuitive. It's way too easy to lose yourself in the chat rooms, message board, pop culture snippets, music reviews, games, contests, and Doom-esque graphical interface. Very elaborate, but then again, too much is sometimes just that. Sensory overload! Ahhhhhh! You're losing me! Give me Lynx quick! Text only!!!! Text only!!!!
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: David Pescovitz

Pixelfreak
Pixelfreak might not be the freakiest, but it is a solid computer graphics site for the professional right-lober. There's plenty here that you'd expect from any self-respecting graphics site (like, umm, intriguing, well-executed graphics), as well as some of the annoying stuff that you'll find at too many sites nowadays (like, errr, a not-so-interesting use of frames). Still, there's lots 'n' lots of the latest on graphics and animation in five departments--information, reviews, a message board, links, and an interactive job board--that are chock-full of the software, hardware, and resources that matter.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Lauren Guzak

Surf Communications, Inc.
What? You're not getting lightning fast Internet access from that 14.4 modem. Are you ready to trade sloth for stealth? Well the Surf communication site can help you do just that. According the the site, Surf is able to deliver the complete ISDN solution. This straightforward site walks you through Surf's services, Internet kits, FAQs, and features. The page is easy to read and navigate, void of any flash or sizzle. But then again, when you are thinking ISDN, you are thinking reliability, not sass. So when the time comes for you to make bookends out of those 14.4 and 28.8 modems, Surf Communications is worth a peek.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Heidi Swanson

The Almost Complete HTML Reference
No site offering advice on HTML design compares to the extensive resource directory from "The Almost Complete HTML Reference Guide." Find books on HTML design, information on more than 22 Web browsers, links for more than 30 HTML converter sites, tips on color backgrounds and transparent GIFs, and even step-by-step guides for creating forms and tables. Anyone just beginning to create a pit stop on the Web should check out this guide before construction.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

The Art of HTML
Here you'll find an introduction that invites you to learn just how "fun, easy and generally intuitive" HTML is. Scroll down across a long table of HTML resources to find pointers to everything from beginner's essentials to CGI form techniques. Maybe you just want to find a designer to do the work for you? No problem: they're listed. If, on the other hand, you maintain an HTML site yourself, you can submit the url and it'll be reviewed for inclusion within 24 hours. Simple and effective.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Ananda Nada

The Common Gateway Interface
Enter The Common Gateway Interface site for useful information on CGI. Common Gateway Interface, or CGI, is a standard for external gateway programs to interface with HTTP servers. Where a plain HTML document that the Web daemon retrieves is static (which means it is a text file that doesn't change), a CGI program, however, is executed in real-time, out-putting dynamic information. The site explains this concept further with examples of CGI forms and other functions. Learn various simple CGI commands in the archive or the online tutorial. The Common Gateway Interface site is a crucial bookmark for both beginning and advanced HTML programmers.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

The El-Cheapo Web Page
Thrifty would-be Web site designers have an online muse called The El-Cheapo Web Page. Here you can learn where to go for free Web page space, cheap HTML software, and copyright-free graphics. El-Cheapo has links galore to other pages that offer help in building a Web site from scratch or to add more snazzy features to one already established. The site itself could prosper from its own advice by showing off more graphics and CGI scripts, but it seems the Web master wants visitors to learn, not necessarily to be entertained.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 2
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

The Imagination Club
With a site design instantly reminiscent of the choose-your-own-adventure-genre of paperbacks, the Imagination Club provides a unique and refreshing interface enabling visitors to sneak and slither, poke and prod their way through the services. So, bundle yourself in patience, and throw a little tenacity in the backpack, because this site is definitely worth more than the casual courtesy glance. From design and programming for interactive projects, to Lingo, Shockwave development, animation, and graphics, Imagination charms and seduces visitors into the often hostile and alienating realm of project development.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 6
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Heidi Swanson

The Page Generator v2.0
Instant gratification! The Page Generator gives us what we want - a home page of our own - when we want it, which of course is right now! Enter in some basic design guidelines - color of background, size of print, title of page, etc. The machine than cranks out a cookie-cutter page that can be mailed to you for placement on your server. I love it! Web pages on demand! Forget learning HTML in a week. That's for people with too much time on their hands, nerds, and those lucky enough to get paid for programming. Perhaps *now* I'll get around to creating home pages for my favorite candy bars.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: David Pescovitz

The Web Developer's Virtual Library
Start here. This is the most comprehensive site in its category, and easy to cruise. Comprising some 750 pages, it supplies its own search engine, and offers Frames or the traditional ToC interface. The Webmasters Encyclopedia is only one subsection of the Web Developers Virtual Library; a very handy one, at that. The definitions are technical enough to be useful for the serious Webtech, but not as cumbersome as most technical writing tends to be. If you're already comfortable with the basics, help yourself to libraries of graphical elements, CGI scripts, plug-ins, and a nice suite of tutorials.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Steve LeVine

The World Wide Web Consortium W3C
Producing specifications and referencing software, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) works within the Internet community to help promote standards on the Web. Read about W3C's philosophical views of the Web, or see for yourself what W3C plans to focus on - whether it be security concepts or HTML scripting. W3C lacks to graphics to keep most visitors' attention spans, but those interested in standardizing the Web will find a wealth of information and opportunity to get involved.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

Unit Conversion Calculators in JavaScript
While not a groundbreaking achievement in the world of Java, this page of unit conversion calculators is a nifty bookmark if you need to convert quarts to gallons, kilograms to troy pounds (don't ask), or inches to nautical miles, for example. Enter the number you have and the Java script quickly converts for you. Very useful if you never could remember how many centimeters are in an inch. (I was absent that day.) But why do the calculators have a calibration feature? As if atmospheric pressure will alter the conversions?
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: David Pescovitz

VRML
Virtually everyone wants to learn more about the Virtual Reality Modeling Language, or VRML. Thanks to this graphically savvy Web site, VRML promises to be the next cool thing on the Net. Read about VRML browsers, industry news, projects, outside sites, specific hardware, and software. Build a VRML world of your very own with help from downloadable software and various Internet tools. The VRML Web site design is classy, polished, and eager to amaze visitors. Even short attention span surfers will appreciate the sections on VRML art and arcade games.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 3
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

W3 Kiosk
Hot summer night.....I'm all alone in my bedroom, the lights are dim, the music soft, and the fantasies begin......the allure of a WWW based system for creating remotely modifiable hypermedia applications beckons me once again. If you're distracted by similar longings, just bounce on over to W3 Kiosk. The free W3 Kiosk software allows commands from a server to be sent to a multimedia program through your browser. Translation: when you link from a kiosk friendly web page it sends information that can control all the bells and whistles in a local application. Instant gratification.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 3
Author: Heidi Swanson

WEB COMPARE
This site compares competing webserver software and various Web browser features. The site hasn't been updated in a long time -- in mid-June, they were referring to April in the future tense and describing upcoming changes that still haven't occurred. What this site does have, however, is a broad array of information about the specific strengths and weaknesses of 52 web servers and 11 web browsers. Many browsers are not listed, but the folks at webcompare.com know this and are a little sheepish about the shortfall. They promise more listings soon.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 4
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: Gary Barker

Web Communications Publishing
The Web is the great equalizer, enabling the teenager in her bedroom to have as elaborate and exciting a page as MTV. For those getting started in Web publishing, this site is a good place to start. Primarily just a list of links, the pages Web Technology points to guides on Web access, basic HTML, forms, site promotion, and, of course, how to publish your page on their server. While there are many similar sites out there, I say the more the merrier. Let's spread our own memes to the masses while we still can.
Content: 5
Aesthetic: 5
TechnoSmart: 2
Author: David Pescovitz

Web Weavers Warren
Web Weavers Warren warrants a big wet kiss for supplying creative professionals with wall-to-wall links on Web design. Follow links to sites specializing in Web backgrounds, browsers, CGI, counters, editors, HTML, icons, image maps, newsgroups, Perl programming, SGML, style, utilities, VRML, and more. Web Weavers Warren could use more graphics other than a yellow wizard to get you to stay and look around, but with myriad links, most visitors would bookmark this site as a useful reference link anyway.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: 1
TechnoSmart: 1
Author: Bonnie J. Burton

WebSmith
This is the online version of a bimonthly bound magazine called WebSmith, which is touted as a handy guide for technicians of the Web. More than just a teaser for subscriptions (sign up for your free first copy), it archives about half of its articles. CGI programming, VRML basics, security, robots, and Java receive competent treatment. There's plenty of content upon which to base a decision to subscribe. The philosophical editorial style reminds us that there are thoughtful souls behind the wonkiness of on-linearity.
Content: 6
Aesthetic: NULL
TechnoSmart: NULL
Author: Steve LeVine