Learning Hypertext Markup Language—most commonly known by its acronym, HTML—is like learning any new language, computer or human. Most students first immerse themselves in examples. Think how adept you’d become if Mom, Dad, your brothers and sisters all spoke fluent HTML. Studying others is a natural way to learn, making learning easy and fun. Our advice to anyone wanting to learn HTML is to get out there on the World Wide Web with a suitable browser and see for yourself what looks good, what’s effective, what works for you. Examine others’ HTML source files and ponder the possibilities. Mimicry is how many of the current webmasters have learned | HTML The Definitive Guide HTML The Definitive Guide Third Edition Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Paris • Sebastopol • Taipei • Tokyo HTML: The Definitive Guide, Third Edition by Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy Copyright © 1998, 1997, 1996 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by O’Reilly & Associates, Inc., 101 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472. Editor: Mike Loukides Production Editor: Nancy Wolfe Kotary Printing History: April 1996: First Edition. July 1996: Minor corrections. Updated for HTML . May 1997: Second Edition. March 1998: Minor corrections. August 1998: Third Edition. Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O’Reilly logo are registered trademarks of O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. The association between the image of a koala bear and the topic of HTML is a trademark of O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. ISBN: 1-56592-492-4 [12/99] [M] This book is dedicated to our wives and children, Cindy, Courtney, and Cole, and Jeanne, Eva, and Ethan. Without their love and patience we never would have had the time or strength to write. Table of Contents Preface . xi 1. HTML and the World Wide Web . 1 The Internet, Intranets, and Extranets . 1
