Here are some questions and answers we have collected so far. If you have something good for posting here, please let us know.

Q: What are some common Web design mistakes?

A: According to Infowrold the top 10 mistakes in Web design are:

1. Using frames
2. Gratuitous use of bleeding-edge technology
3. Scrolling text, marquees, and constantly running animations
4. Complex URLS
5. Orphan pages
6. Long, scrolling pages
7. Lack of navigation support
8. Non-standard link colors
9. outdated information
10. Overly long download times

Q: What are some networking speeds?

A: Networking speeds are measured in bps (bits per second).

• Local Area Network speeds: 10--100 Mbps, newer LAN (1000 Mbps)
• Wide Area Network speeds: T1 (1.5 Mbs), T3 (45 Mbs), OC-3 (155 Mbps), OC-12 (644 Mbps), OC-48
• Modem speeds: K56 and x2 modems upload at 28.8kbps and download at an average of 53kbps.
• Cable modem speeds: Cable modem speeds vary, depending on the cable modem system, cable network architecture, and traffic load. In the downstream direction (from the network to the computer), network speeds can reach 27 Mbps, an aggregate amount of bandwidth that is shared by users. In the upstream direction (from computer to network), speeds can be up to 10 Mbps. However, most modem producers have selected a more optimum speed between 500 Kbps and 2.5 Mbps. Some service providers limit upstream access speeds to 256 Kbps or less.

Q: What are some typical monitor screen resolutions?

A: Screen resolution are measured in horizontal X vertical pixels (picture elements). It can vary from 640x480, 800x600, to 1600x1200 or higher. A popular setting is 800x600. Most PC's allow you to set the resolution from the "control panel". Just remember the aspect ration is 4:3.

Q: How do I use JavaScript in URLs?

A: The URL begins with the pseudo-protocol specifier javascript: followed by one or more JavaScript expressions, separated by semicolons. The value of the last expression is displayed in a new page.

If no value is produced, then the URL does not lead anywhere and the current page stays. The technique can be used to popup a window:

<a href="javascript: void window.open('target-url')">anchor text</a>

Note the use of the void operator to force a nothing value. The technique is also useful in form checking through the action URL.

Q: How do I use JavaScript to check which browser is being used?

A:If you simply want to see if the browser is NN or IE you can use

if (navigator.appName.indexOf('Microsoft') != -1)
if (navigator.appName.indexOf('Netscape') != -1)

If version information is also needed you can check the navigator.appVersion property.