This appendix lists some useful resources for learning more about JavaScript-Web sites, newsgroups, and mailing lists. I have also included pointers to learn more about the other languages you encountered in this book-HTML, Java, Plug-ins, CGI, ActiveX, and VBScript.
A complete index of related Web sites could fill a book this size-in a recent Web search, I found nearly 75,000 Web pages containing the word "JavaScript." Rather than try to list everything, I've listed a few of the most useful sites for each topic-those I enjoy using myself. You can find additional sites by following links from the ones I've provided or by using your favorite search engine. If you don't have a favorite, I recommend Digital's Alta Vista:
http://altavista.digital.com/
Due to the constantly changing nature of the Web, a few of the sites on this list may have changed by the time you read this, and better ones may have sprung up. For an updated list of links, consult this book's Web site:
http://www.starlingtech.com/books/javascript/
This section presents some useful resources for JavaScript-newsgroups, mailing lists, and Web sites. You can use these to learn more about JavaScript, see many working examples, and help others with problems.
The following Usenet newsgroups are available for discussion of JavaScript topics:
There are also a few mailing lists for JavaScript:
Hundreds of Web sites about JavaScript have sprung up since JavaScript became a popular Web language. I've listed some of the best ones (in my opinion) in the next sections. You'll also find links to many more sites.
The "user's manual" for JavaScript, this site explains everything in technical detail. You'll find information about the latest changes and updates to JavaScript here, along with a handy reference.
http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/3.0/handbook/javascript/
Another useful page from Netscape is the list of features for Netscape 3.0. It includes links to information about each of the features, and it is also updated as new features are added:
http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/version_3.0/index.html
This was one of the first sites about JavaScript. Its maintainer, Andrew Wooldridge, has assembled a comprehensive directory of JavaScript-related sites and other resources, and he includes some useful examples of his own. Here's the address:
http://www.c2.org/~andreww/javascript/
This site is home to the original JavaScript FAQ (frequently asked questions) file. You'll also find some examples of JavaScript in use, and links to other sites here:
http://www.freqgrafx.com/411/
This site is maintained by Paul Colton of Live Software, author of Java Unleashed, also from Sams.net. It includes the JavaScript examples from that book, other examples, links to other sites, and newsgroups and chat areas:
http://jrc.livesoftware.com/
Yahoo! is, of course, one of the most popular Web directories. You can use this URL to go directly to its listing of JavaScript resources:
http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Languages/JavaScript/
Last but not least, don't forget this book's own Web site. Here, you'll find updated versions of the examples in the book, other new examples, news about JavaScript and browsers, and updates to this book's text. You can also submit comments and questions about the book:
http://www.starlingtech.com/books/javascript/
Here are a few pointers to information about HTML, browsers, and the Web in general.
HTML is constantly being updated. To find the latest information about the HTML standard, see the W3C's pages at this address:
http://www.w3.org/
Currently the latest version is HTML 3.2. You can see a summary of the changes in HTML 3.2 at this page:
http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/MarkUp/Wilbur/
Of course, not all tags you use in JavaScript pages are standard HTML. Consult Netscape's pages (listed below) for information about the extensions Netscape has made to HTML.
This is a useful reference for everything to do with the Web and HTML. One particularly useful feature is a comparison between Netscape's extensions and the HTML standard, which can be helpful when deciding which features to implement in your pages:
http://webreference.com/index.html
Of course, if you're interested in HTML standards, you'll want to make sure your pages follow them. Several validation services on the Web enable you to enter your URL and check it based on the HTML standard of your choice-or even Netscape's extended HTML. One of the most popular is the WebTechs Validation Service:
http://www.webtechs.com/html-val-svc/
You might find the results from most HTML validation services a bit confusing. If so, you should definitely check out an alternative, the "kinder, gentler validator" maintained by Gerald Oskoboiny. It's the one I use on my pages:
http://ugweb.cs.ualberta.ca/~gerald/validate/
To keep up with JavaScript, you'll want to stay informed about the latest new browser versions. Here are the addresses for the two browsers that currently support JavaScript:
Here are some other sites you should visit to stay tuned to the latest about HTML, browsers, and the Web:
We covered a bit of Java in Chapter 16, "Integrating JavaScript with Java." If you want to learn more, you can start with the online resources listed in the next sections.
This is the original site for information about Java. You can find documentation and information about Java here, as well as example applets and the Java Developers Kit:
http://java.sun.com/
Gamelan is a huge directory of Java-related Web pages and publicly available applets. Currently, it includes links to over 3,000 resources. It also includes a section with links to JavaScript resources:
http://www.gamelan.com/
This site includes listings of Java job openings, a reference for the language, and a list of books and other references for Java:
http://www.javaman.com/
JavaWorld is a monthly Web-based magazine about Java development. It also includes a monthly column on JavaScript:
http://www.javaworld.com/
Here are some useful resources for learning about plug-ins, which are introduced in Chapter 13, "Working with Multimedia and Plug-Ins."
This is Netscape's official site for information about plug-ins. You'll find information about the plug-in specification here, as well as information about using plug-ins with JavaScript and links to plug-in manufacturers:
http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/3.0/handbook/plugins/pguide.htm
Part of BrowserWatch, mentioned above, this is a huge listing of available plug-ins with descriptions. It includes charts detailing which platforms each plug-in is available for:
http://browserwatch.iworld.com/plug-in.shtml
One of the most popular plug-ins is Macromedia's Shockwave, which enables users to view presentations, animations, and movies created with Macromedia Director on the Web. In addition, the latest version supports real-time CD-quality audio. See Macromedia's site for information and to download the plug-in:
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/
One of the first available plug-ins was Adobe's Acrobat, which enables you to display PDF (Portable Document Format) documents on the Web. These documents can include graphics, fonts, and other features for great-looking presentation. See Adobe's site for information and to download the plug-in:
http://www.adobe.com/Amber/
QuickTime, developed by Apple, was one of the first standards for full-motion video on computers. The QuickTime plug-in enables you to view movies inline in Web pages. See Apple's site for information and downloads:
http://quicktime.apple.com/
Live3d is one of the more popular VRML plug-ins for Netscape. It was developed by Netscape corporation, and it is bundled with the latest version (3.0). See its site for information:
http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/live3d/download_live3d.html
The ncompass plug-in by Excite has received a lot of attention lately, because it enables Netscape to support ActiveX-something Netscape doesn't plan to do anytime soon. See its site for information and downloads:
http://www.ncompasslabs.com/
You looked at CGI and SSI in Chapter 17, "Combining JavaScript, CGI, and SSI." Here are a few pointers to additional information.
This is the official CGI documentation from the source-the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, where the Mosaic Web browser originated. The exact specifications are given, along with a tutorial:
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/
This is a useful site with answers to frequently asked questions about CGI. It also includes links to other sites with further information:
http://www.best.com/~hedlund/cgi-faq/
This site includes a large collection of useful information about the WWW and HTML and many links to related sites. In addition, it includes a comprehensive section on CGI programming:
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/NAS/WebWeavers/weavers.html
Perl is the most popular language for CGI and SSI programming. You can learn more about it from Tom Christiansen's Perl page, which includes information about Perl, links to other sites, and an online version of the Perl manual:
http://www.perl.com/
Another useful site is the Perl 5 WWW Page, which includes information about the latest features of the Perl language, along with an archive of scripts and libraries:
http://www.metronet.com/perlinfo/perl5.html
Here are a few Usenet newsgroups for discussions of CGI, SSI, and Perl:
Chapter 18, "Using ActiveX and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0," talks about ActiveX and VBScript, the new Web developments from Microsoft. You can find out more about both of these at the sites listed in the next sections.
You can find information direct from Microsoft at the Microsoft Developers' Workshop Web page, which includes specifications and tutorials for ActiveX, VBScript, and HTML. Here's the URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/default.htm
You can also learn about Microsoft Internet Explorer and its capabilities at this page:
http://www.microsoft.com/ie/
Microsoft recently announced JScript. Now, before you worry about learning another scripting language, don't panic-JScript is actually an implementation of JavaScript. Using the JScript implementation, you can use JavaScript to script just about any application; Microsoft will even license the source code, so you can expect it to be ported to other platforms. See this URL for information:
http://www.microsoft.com/jscript/
Yet another part of BrowserWatch, mentioned previously, is devoted to ActiveX controls. You'll find a comprehensive list of controls there, as well as news about the latest in ActiveX:
http://www.browserwatch.com/activex/
In this section, you'll find pointers to Web sites with further information about some of the topics that were mentioned but not covered in this book.
VRML-the Virtual Reality Modeling Language-has been a buzzword for the past year as 3D environments have started to appear on the Web. Although VRML hasn't quite taken over the Web yet, it's worth learning about. Here's the URL for the VRML specification:
http://webspace.sgi.com/moving-worlds/spec/
Another reason to learn about VRML is that JavaScript is now its official scripting language. Using a different set of browser objects, you can use JavaScript in a 3D environment on VRML browsers. See this URL for information:
http://webspace.sgi.com/moving-worlds/spec/part1/javascript.html
GIF animations are a good alternative to JavaScript animation, and they are fully supported by Netscape and MSIE. You can find out more about GIF animations at this site:
http://members.aol.com/royalef/gifanim.htm
Because security has been an important issue on the Web recently, I conclude with some pointers to security information related to JavaScript, Java, and the Web in general: