Webmaking 101 Progress Report

I have worked through the tasks at the Peer to Peer University course Webmaking 101. The challenges are interesting and relatively easy to comprehend/complete (I have worked with server side technology for about five years). The course dives right in to some advanced concepts such as DNS and web hosting.

I enjoyed the task “Writing HTML by HAND” as it really reinforced my understanding by encouraging an alternative learning modality.

Additionally, the task “Choose Your Weapon“encouraged class members to share their suggestions and perspectives about HTML tools/text editors.

Your Domain and Your Hosting are also very important lessons and somewhat hard concepts to convey to people (how hosting complements a domain registration).

I received feedback from a fellow student regarding the sequence of learning resources. Ze was concerned that the course was introducing complex concepts too quickly. It might be beneficial to focus the course content on entry-level concepts, including FTP and web standards, and save the back-back end configuration for the web hosting companies (initially).

The HTML5 introduction course is another course at the P2PU that is relevant for anyone interested in web development. HTML5 Introduction is a beginning course focused specifically on web standards and core aspects of, the Internet lingua franca, HTML.

Hosting & DNS

My current web host is WebFaction. I chose WebFaction because they support Python web development tools such as Django and Plone. WebFaction also supports PostgreSQL databases and even has PostGIS installed!

One drawback with WebFaction is that I have to host domain names elsewhere as they do not offer domain registration. I use DreamHost as my domain name registrar, as they are my previous web host. In order to point my DreamHost registered domains to WebFaction, I had to:

1. 

   WebFaction Nameservers (DreamHost configuration page)

   Access the DreamHost web panel

2. Go to the ‘domains’ section
3. Click the DNS link next to a domain name
4. Set nameserver fields to the WebFaction NS addresses
5. Repeat the process for each of my other domains

The DNS propagation took around 12 hours. I had a fresh Plone installation waiting at GNUmedia.org.

Web Hosting Guide

A lot of web hosting companies are offering unlimited storage space, databases, email addresses, domains, and bandwidth for <=  $10 per month.WebHostingGeeks has comparisons and awards for many hosting companies.

Choosing a host is a difficult and confusing process. This article outlines some key questions and concepts involved in choosing the right host.

Carbon Offset

Do they offset 100% of their carbon footprint? 150% of their carbon footprint? 300%?

Support

Do they have 24/7/365 support? Do they have phone support? Can you, as a non-customer, call their support and get a person on the phone within 5 minutes? Do they have a comprehensive online documentation system (wiki is usually effective here)?

Domain Registration

Do they offer a free domain registration (this is usually ~ $10/year added to the cost of hosting)?  Can you have multiple domains registered simultaneously? How many sub-domains can you create?

Cost

How much is the hosting per month when paying monthly, yearly, etc? Does the price change after an introductory period?

If you need a public encryption key (e.g. for an online store), how much is an annual SSL certificate?

Administrative Features

Do they offer SecureShell access (SSH)? What about Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)? Both of these tools make site administration efficient and secure. I use SSH on a daily basis and find it indispensible.

Can you configure Cronjobs? This is usually possible using SSH or from your hosting configuration page.

Do they offer free backup services for your files and/or databases?

Server Side Software

Do they offer easy installation/upgrade tools for common website software such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, ZenPhoto, MediaWiki, etc?

What version of PHP do they currently maintain? What version of MySQL do they currently maintain? Do they support Python, Perl, Ruby on Rails, etc (depending on your interests)?

Do they support alternative databases such as PostgreSQL, PostGIS, etc?

Can you have long-running processes (this is important for software such as Django, Rails, etc)?

Basically, make sure that the hosting company supports up-to-date versions of common server-side technologies. Check the respective websites for each server-side technology for up-to-date version numbers. If this is confusing, ask the sales or support representative how up-to-date the servers are.

My Personal Recommendations

I am currently hosted with a company called WebFaction. They have great documentation and technical support. WebFaction also supports Django, Plone, and Ruby on Rails, as well as offering the choice to use PostgreSQL for your database.

On the unlimited end, GreenGeeks invests in renewable energy sources for 300% of their energy consumption. GreenGeeks also provides solid features outlined above and a great price.

Happy hosting!

Foggy Obelisk

Woolman Obelisk in a haze

Updown Woolman Lane

Moon Shine

Obelisk

Pine Clouds

Flowing Water (NID)

Porcupinecone

Which way DNS?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is set up to help us navigate the Internet. When we visit a website, we usually identify the site by a domain name (such as gnumedia.org). The DNS takes that domain name and converts it into a numeric address, called an IP address. This act is beneficial as our minds more readily remember words than strings of digits (e.g. gnumedia.org <-> 62.212.65.160).

DNS was created in the early 80s and has been revised several times since. The DNS replaces a cumbersome and relatively ineffective system whereby text files lived on each computer on the network with addresses of every known networked computer. This works for small networks but fails to scale. You can still find the hosts file on many operating systems such as GNU/Linux, BSD, Mac, and Windows.

CC-by-SA 3.0 vectorarts.net

DNS is distributed around the world. Computers in many, if not all, countries provide DNS translation for regional browsers. This is similar to those pointed sign posts that say 1,000 miles to Timbuktu. The nearest signpost will get you started on your journey, with the exact numeric address of your destination.

WhatIsMyDNS will show you the values for any website as distributed around the Internet on a sampling of DNS servers To use WhatIsMyDNS, put any domain name in the ‘DNS Propagation Check’ field and make sure the ‘A’ is selected in the drop down if you would like to see the IP Address for the values given domain as they are distributed on DNS servers around the globe.

Happy propagating!

Neigborhood HTML

Smiley face blockquote, flowerbox div, hay bale ul.

Text editor

I use a couple of text editors when I am editing HTML and other code based projects. My primary GUI based text editor is Geany. Gedit is a close second and great to have around.

When I am working via command line I use Vim. I also appreciate the sheer simplicity of the Nano editor.

For Python code, IDLE is a really nice editor. I appreciate being able to use the interactive shell that IDLE offers. Also, IPython is a powerful interactive Python environment.

I have recently been introduced to Qt GUI development and am very impressed by the elegance and power of the Qt Creator IDE. I would like to learn to develop applications combining Python and Qt.

Hand crafted HTML

For our second challenge, we were assigned to write some HTML code by hand. This is a great excercise as it helps to embed the boilerplate HTML 5 elements in memory. The is new to me and I will make sure to declare the character set in future HTML documents.

Webmaking 101

I am currently an apprentice at the Woolman Semester School, in northern California. As part of my job, I work with web standards and server side technologies on a daily basis. In order to build my skill and confidence in HTML, I am taking a course called Webmaking 101 at the Peer-to-Peer University.

Webmaking 101 is challenge based, which means that participants are rewarded for completing a series of challenges. The outcome of the course is a stronger understanding of HTML and web development. Participants receive badges as a symbol of the effort they gave to complete the class.

Badges are a new spin on an old concept. They offer credence to independent learning and can allow one to verify their knowledge and competencies.

Overall, my experience at the P2PU has been very positive and there are literally hundreds of students and community members cooperatively learning on a daily basis.