Help for the Beginner Programmer - Website Questions

 


1. Are there more programming examples besides the ones on the website?

Yes, there are over one hundred examples and tutorial programs in all versions of Ubercode - even in the free downloadable version! The example programs are ideal for beginners since they show the basics of if statements, arrays and so on.

Example programs are available from the following places:

  • The Technical Support database has real-life working example programs.
  • The Developer Environment has more tested examples. Use the File - Open Examples command to see the list of examples, then you can open or run the examples directly.
  • The Help system has a tested example for most commands in the run time library. In the Developer Environment, use the Help - Index menu command to bring up the index and look for the command you are interested in. Then if the Example button is enabled, click it to copy the example to the clipboard, then back in the Developer Environment click Edit - Paste. You can run the example directly from the Developer Environment.
  • The Help system also has an alphabetical list of all the commands in Ubercode. To access the list, choose the Developer Environment's Help - Index command and look for the Alphabetic Command Reference topic. Each command has a detailed explanation and an example.

2. Does the website use VBscript programming? or JavaScript programming?

This website should work reliably with most browsers. It uses the following technologies:

CSS (Cascading style sheets) are used. However the website works without CSS, and all the information is still available.

JavaScript and VBscript program code is not used. Javascript causes warnings to appear under Windows XP SP2 (Internet explorer warns against active contents). Also VBscript is not supported in Netscape.

Frames are not used. Although frames work in Netscape v4 and Internet Explorer v4, the internet community doesn't like them. They are not used in this website.

Flash and Active X technology are not used. There are security issues involved in the download of plug-ins and Active X controls to a client computer. Also these elements place a heavy processing load on a PC, which is unfair on users with slower machines.

3. What browser do I need?

Netscape v3 or later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer v3 or later, or any other compatible browser. The website has been tested using v5 of Internet Explorer, v4.6 of Netscape, and v7.11 of Opera. A lot of effort has been made to use standard HTML, and the website should work on all modern browsers. You can use the HTML 4.01 link at the bottom of each page to validate the page. Please email if there are any problems.

4. What speed modem do I need?

The website was built and tested using a 56kb modem. The graphics are compressed "gif" or "jpg" files. Most graphics are under 10k bytes in size, so each should download in about 2 seconds with a 56kb modem.

The style sheets (CSS files) are common to all pages so they are only dowloaded once - also these files are quite small. The website does not download any plug-ins or Java applets or Active X controls.

Overall, the website performs well using a 56kb modem. The site is still usable with slower modems, down to 14.4kb.

5. Does the website have adverts or pop-ups?

No! The Ubercode website has no adverts, no pop-ups, no unauthorized downloads, no windows that force themselves to the front, no automatic opening of other windows or any other tricks.

6. I want to host my own website. Can you suggest a reliable web host?

Here are some important things to consider when looking for a web host:

  1. Will I be able to use WS_FTP (my FTP client) to upload HTML files and EXE files to my site?
  2. Do you provide POP3 and SMTP for email? I can't use my ISP's SMTP server since I move between different sites.
  3. Do you also provide a webmail interface? (in case I have to administer my email from some place where I only have web access)
  4. What is the monthly bandwidth? Is there also a daily bandwidth limit? (some hosts don't allow you to use more than 1/30 of the monthly limit in one day)
  5. Is there an automatic way of capping usage to avoid me paying extra bandwidth fees? And if I consistently use up to the monthly allowance is this OK?
  6. How many domains can I host? Eg I have several different sites. Can I point these to different folders, or is that an extra cost?
  7. I currently have the domains registered at a separate registrar (eg register.com). I want to keep the domains registered there, and update their nameservers to point to your hosting service. In particular I want to continue as the registered contacts for my domains. Is this possible with your service?
  8. Do you provide access to the raw logfiles? I want to download them via FTP and analyze them locally.
  9. Do you have a phone number for emergency support?
  10. If you have a control panel does it work through Windows Small Business Server 2003? This blocks port 8443 which causes problems for some control panels (eg the Plesk control panel does not work).
  11. What is your setup cost?
  12. When using shared hosting, do you also host AWG sites on the same server?
  13. Aproximately how many sites do you have per server?
  14. Do you have your own datacenter? Or do you rent space in a rack? Or are you a reseller?
  15. Can I pay yearly? (usually cheaper!)
  16. Do you have local support staff, or do you outsource to another country?
  17. If there is a complaint about my account, do you contact me first? (you don't want your site to be suspended if one disgruntled customer phones up and complains to your web host)

There is also a detailed article that looks into web hosting in a lot more detail. The article includes a list of possible web hosts and a list of things to check for.