no specific question, please respond to the 4 discussion posts as directed (minimum 75 words each)

Help me study for my Computer Science class. I’m stuck and don’t understand.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Be clear about which message you are responding to. Refer to specific passages or ideas in the course or text that have sparked your interest. Make sure your contribution adds something new to the discussion. A simple “I agree” may be your initial response, but think about how you can take the conversation to the next level. Use a minimum of 75 words each in response to the 4 classmate post.

IT117: Website Development

CLASSMATE POST #1

If Jim were to use a table for the hours and fees for the client, it would keep the information organized. The table could also easily use any colors the client prefers. However, using a table could hinder users with disabilities. Often, those who cannot see well may have a hard time understanding information read to the from a table. Tables are also harder to maintain down the road. Tables can also slow down loading speed of web pages. Also, if a user wanted to print out the information, part of the information could be cut off as the browser is wider than the printer. I would recommend using CSS to format the information so a screen reader could easily parse the information, and if a user wanted to print it out, it would stay on one page.

After reading the article, I think one thing that really stood out to me, is that a website isn’t about the developer, or what the owner of the website wants. It is about what problem is the site solving for the user. This is something every developer must keep in mind. The next thing that stood out to me in the article was “Mystery meat navigation.” It was a good reminder to not make things over complicated. A developer should not make the user try to figure out what buttons take them where. Navigation should be clearly labeled and in a logical order. Another thing that stood out to me was the idea of having too much content on one page. With lots of content it is easy for a user to get confused and leave. A good site will be well organized into several pages, and information will be frequently updated and concise. In this class, so far we are keeping our navigation simple and we don’t have too many buttons.

When creating navigation, I think it is important to make the navigation clear and descriptive. Sometimes using descriptive phrases is a better choice and aids the user to quickly find what they need. Words such as “products” or “services” don’t really tell the user what they will be navigating too exactly. However, if your navigation bar uses phrases like “Charts & Maps” and “Navigation equipment” can help the user get to the information the need faster. I chose this because if I keep in mind the user is trying to solve a problem, I do not want my website to add to the problem, but rather help solve it in a timely manner. I think another thing to keep in mind when creating navigation is not to have too many links in it. First off, fewer items in the navigation bar is better for search engines. It will actually help your site get more hits if the search engine has to go through the home page to get to everything else. Fewer items in the navigation is also good for the user. The more items there are the more change you give the user to struggle to understand and remember the information. It can also cause them to scan past items. A limit of five to seven items is what one site I found recommended. It also reminded me that the fewer items you have, the more prominent they become. A third thing to keep in mind is order. The order of your navigation matters because the items at the beginning and end are typically more easily remembered. You should try to put the things most important to your site or business at the beginning and end of the navigation. Also, if you put what the user wants most in a prominent spot, they will be more likely to give you want you want, their business.

Absolute URLs contain more information and include the protocol and domain name. You use absolute URLs when linking to a website that is not part of your domain or is in another folder. An example is if you wanted to provide directions to your business you may put a link to google maps on your web page. A relative URL is usually shorter and easier to work with and only link to pages on the same domain or in the same folder. It is easier and faster to code using relative URLs. Using a relative URL would include if you mention a product that you sell when talking about your business and then providing a link to the page where the user can go buy that product off of your website.

PAIGE

CLASSMATE POST #2

Different web browsers render the HTML code different and when using tables with fixed H/W values will slow the page loading speed with CSS. Also, anyone using on-screen accessibility readers can cause a row or column to be misinterpreted or skipped all together. CSS allows a more natural organization for the on-screen reader to process the page content logically.

1. Three principles of “Biggest Mistakes in Web Design, 1995-2015”

• ‘Most people visit a website to solve one or more of these four problems:

1. They want/need information.
2. They want/need to make a purchase / donation.
3. They want/need to be entertained.
4. They want/need to be a part of a community.’

This will be helpful during the construction and revision of my individual webpage. Thinking back to this, I will consciously stay on track and limit unneeded content.

• Contrast is very important. Using contrast effectively will allow content to be perceived correctly by every viewer.
• ‘Navigation must be simple and consistent.’ If a viewer can’t easily navigate through a website, the website is useless plain and simple. This is very important no matter what the website is.

1. Navigation, three things you should be careful of and/or need to include

• Linking the Logo to the Homepage is something I make sure I do on every page. For example, most times I get on Reddit I get lost with post linking and end up 25 pages deep but all I must do is hit the Reddit Logo at the top corner and I start back at the homepage.
• Easy to follow prompts when online shopping will make sure online sales are completed properly. Webpages need a clear route for customers to purchase products. If a customer enters all of their shipping and payment information and clicks the submit button but does not receive a confirmation page or completed process would cause problems.
• Navigation placement needs to be consistent throughout each page, horizontally at the top or vertically to the left. Navigation placed in the middle of the page isn’t standard.

1. What is the difference between an absolute URL and a relative URL?

• Absolute URL – Contains all the information necessary to locate a resource. (Protocol, Domain, and Path)
• Relative URL – Locates a resource using an absolute URL as a starting point. Relative URL consists of only the path and optionally the resource, but no scheme or server.

AMANDA

IT261: Desktop Administration

CLASSMATE #3

Hello Everyone,

To begin I would make sure that all the computers have a stable enough connection to be inter-networking in the first place. From there I would make sure that all the computers had the same media, as well as being configured the same as to avoid hiccups as we move along. I would have to troubleshoot as the process moved along as needed.

Some noteworthy features of Windows 10 that I would recommend are the new and improved search mode, which allows you to quickly find what your looking for as well as allowing you to exclude it searching for certain items to allow a quicker search. The new Reserved Storage feature with Windows 10 will allow your system to have a much smoother process for updating. You also have access to a brand new brightness feature located in the action center.

JOSHUA

CLASSMATE POST #4

Hello Class,

The steps I would take to inter network the computers is first meet with the sales department to get an understanding of their needs and to know if I need to plan for future expansion when designing the network. Second, I would look at the current network design to come up with a way to implement the new employees without causing any changes to the network’s performance. After letting the employees know of the plan, I will then configure the new computers. After doing that I will test it and then set to production. As for training, I would schedule a brief meeting with the salespersons from Y corporation and quickly explain the basics of Windows 10 such as office applications, Cortana and the changes in the start menu.

ANJIE