ð BLS ASIA 2003 WEBSITE: Frequently Asked Questions: (Ordered from the essentials to more casual questions.) Last Updated: 07.30.03

1. About the menu: I can't see the text because it is so pixilated. It looks very unprofessional, and where is the supposed transparency effect? It's very different than the screenshots: One & Two
Answer: You need to upgrade to Internet Explorer Six as the front-page mentions. You will also need a Microsoft Windows 9x (98/SE/ME) or 2000/XP operating system. Also, 1024*768 resolution. This website is being constructed late 2002 and it hopes to utilize already prominent technology for design and effect. The website appeals to the majority of visitors based on web-statistics. Most people already have Internet Explorer version 6 or greater. Microsoft Windows XP already comes with IE6 installed. Already, all the current XP operating systems sold have the browser. It is a free upgrade to anyone else running a Windows 98-XP machine. Microsoft Windows is required for necessary, basic fonts and other prerequisites. wolfyserver.org 2k3 statistics show out of 8 projects, 200,000 visitors: 95% are using a recent version of Microsoft Windows. The rest: Redhat, OS2, and Mac OS X. Similar polls show the same result. With more visitors upgrading to newer browsers, webmasters will have the ability to render their works more user friendly, less bug-ridden, and provide a far better experience. This is one of such websites made to encourage the upgrade of browsers for the visitors' benefit. To do so: Windows users please go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ for a short upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer. This will solve your menu problem. As for the text in the menu and on the site, be sure to have the critical web-fonts installed. They are made by Microsoft and should have came with your windows version or Office version. Listed: Verdana, Tahoma, and Arial. And about the resolution, please refer to the questions following this one.

2. Is Netscape Navigator and Communicator supported on this site?
Answer: No, neither Netscape nor Opera are supported here. The former, because of its horrendous bugs and its inability to display any webpage correctly. A rogue browser is no ways a perfected one. Even not-so-particularly avid Microsoft fans agree to Internet Explorer being the lesser of two evils. This will include all Netscape Navigator/Communicator versions up to 7.1.

3. This site uses 1027*768 resolution. What is that? And when I click the link to 1024*768 on the front-page or wherever it's located, I get SRC, what is that?
Answer: The screen resolution is basically how many pixels are displayed on your screen. Pixels are the little photon dots which make up your monitor or LCD panel display. They are minuscule as compared to a regular television and even Plasma and HDTV displays. 3 different colour pixels make up your 16.7 million colours. It is similar to the primary colours theory. The size ratio between pixels and centimeters is 0.035, which means for every 100 pixels, you will have 3.5 centimeters. Generally, for websites, the higher the pixels, the higher the image quality and the amount of content displayed. A very high percentage of websites are made to be viewed at 1024 times 768 (Horizontal and Vertical) pixels. And the rest are on their way. 1024*768 is the standard resolution for all 17inch monitors made in the last six years. And it's hardly a surprise to find even higher resolutions for larger monitors. It is perfectly fine to exceed this resolution since higher resolutions will not mess up a site's layout. For example, too little screen area means more content to fit in. Text gets smudged, pictures blurred because of compression and so on so forth.  SRC is simply a script that identifies your resolution and if it does not agree with the required (1024*768)- you will be recommended to change your resolution for the better, not required though. How to change resolution: Start: Control Panels: Display: "Settings" - Drag screen area bar to 1024*768 and set colours to 32bit. And what if you have a higher resolution? That's the next question.

4. I have a higher resolution than 1024*768 and the SRC™ states I have "Failed" the test. Is there anything wrong?
Answer: Absolutely not. BLS ASIA 2003 prefers 1024*768 pixels resolution because that is the minimum size to view all the frames and graphics correctly. Any resolution higher than the usual seventeen inch's is perfectly fine. Be sure to have 32bit colour selected.

5. When I switch resolutions as directed, my screen flickers with traceable lines. What can I do?
Answer: This is a problem everyone faces even without switching resolutions. Microsoft's Operating Systems including 9x, NT, and XP set the refresh rate (how many times the screen is drawn in a second) to optimal- meaning their definition of 60hz. 60hz is the worst rate since it impairs eyesight over time and causes nausea. In addition, games and websites will not look so great. Any refresh rate above 85hz is flicker-free and will be much more comfortable for your eyes. Any higher won't make much of a difference except in bragging rights. To change your refresh rate (almost 90% of new computer owners have it set at 60hz) go to the display properties by either 1. Right click on your desktop: Properties: Setting or 2. Start: Control Panels: Display. For Apple OS, Apple: Control Panels: Monitors and Colors. Next, check to see if you have your desired resolution selected (1024*768 is ideal for 17-18 inch monitors) and that your colour depth is at its highest. Click "Advanced" and click "Adapter" for windows 9x & ME systems. Set the refresh rate to 85hz or higher. Click apply. For windows XP machines, the option is "List All Modes" in your graphics card settings. Select "1024*768 32bit 85hz" for our "optimal resolution." Click apply. Over time you will notice how comfortable it is. Now you have truly made use of your money.

6. How come I cannot view some of the website- I see gray areas and the like.
Answer: The gray area is supposed to be Macromedia Flash 6 components. Flash is widely used for animation, display, and multimedia. Flash is essential for web development and viewing. We use it here since is serves as an alternative for visitors to download custom fonts displayed on this website. Since Flash is unified and most people already have it, it is a great way to be unique in the font sense. Microsoft Windows ME to XP have Flash 5 already installed. Nonetheless, more versions with more features and possibilities are constantly developed and improved upon by Macromedia Corporation. Please proceed to www.macromedia.com to download Flash 6, which is the current player as of October 2002.

7. What's a forum, what does it do? And how to do post my own message on the forum?
Answer: Forums, date back to Roman times- they are places to discuss ideas and hold meetings. Obviously, this is a vital component to online communications. Electronic forums have been in use for a while now and the newest one resemble AOL Instant Messenger with Instant Message or (Private Message) capabilities. Such is the one used on BLS ASIA and wolfyserver.org 2k3. You post your ideas, and people respond- or vice versa. For example, one can notify the entire board of a meeting or even hold polls for commercial use or private. That is to say, you can have poems evaluated, the hottest girl in your school selected, and basically anything that's democratic. Forums do have Administrators and Moderators for mishaps and the occasional misbehaved. So don't worry- everything will be taken care of. Currently, there are the delinquents whom tend to spam, or post repetitively the same message for advertisement or acclamation- or at least they think. The PHP operated Invision Forums, the one in effect here, prevents spam and mass flooding of messages and has the ability to ban one user, their screen-name, their email address, their IP address, their area code and even in rare cases, ban their Internet Service Provider and City. To post messages on the forums is quite easy. First, if you are new, click "Register" near the upper part of the page. Enter your desired screen-name, email address, and agree to the TOS (Terms of Service). From there, you may customize your profile (much like AOL) with interests, contact information, a buddy list, and an avatar. An avatar is basically an image with specified dimensions (This site uses 64*64 pixels) that appears next to your name and post. Great for uniqueness. Everyone is recommended to use the provided or make their own. Back to posting, click any topic link in the Forums list, then read what was already posted and either A. Click Reply to follow up, or click Post New Topic: for a new subject visitors can respond to. You are also blessed with the ability to hold your own Polls. People click your selections and a percentage is calculated.

8. I'm interested in developing and design my very own website. Where and how should I start?
Answer: At my school I head the Website Art & Design club, which is going to venture through all the tactics and techniques for a successful site. If your school does not offer a class or an organization, please refer to the comprehensive tutorial I wrote about Website Design. It is located here at http://www.wolfyserver.org/tutorials.html - If you would like to learn design in the shortest amount of time, read that. If you need more resources, I recommended: http://www.dynamicdrive.com and http://code.box.sk - For truly professional guidance, you should pursue a class at one of the technical institutes in your residential area.

9. What tools and software programs have you used to design the BLS ASIA 2003 website? How long did it take you?
Answer: Photoshop 7 took the majority of my time. Art has particular emphasis on my websites these days, and I'm just getting the hang of Adobe Photoshop. It is a great tool for beginners and professional artists. Indeed it is expensive and if you are not able to acquire an academic license, go with Pixel32 (Cost: Free) or Adobe's After Effects (est. $70). These other choices are inexpensive but hardly comparable to such a powerful tool. For website layout and design, I used the GUI (Graphical User Interface) editor Microsoft Frontpage XP (2002 Edition). For miscellaneous items, I used Macromedia Dreamweaver MX. But I recommended Frontpage XP or 98-2000 for the beginner and even expert web-designer. It's a time and life-saver. Frontpage Express comes free with Windows 98, ME, similar operating systems. If not, search on google for the query "Download Frontpage Express"- It is an estimated 2.1mb download. For ASIA, writing, configuring, and designing so far at 10.09.02 has taken me around sixteen hours. And that is just starting off. More than half is spent in Photoshop for CG artwork.

10. Why can't I right click with my two-infinity button mouse?
Answer: A simple java script embedded in the HTML code disables the browser's ability to bring up the menu. This is done for several reasons. First, it prevents the visitor from making mistakes while viewing the website. You won't easily set a picture on the site as your desktop wallpaper, you won't accidentally add the site to your favourites list, print it out or change the text to Chinese Simplified. The more prominent reason is for security purposes. This site and wolfyserver.org 2k3 use the same right click- no effect script to protect the source code. Plagiarism is as widespread online as in the classroom. While this countermeasure will not prevent you from taking the source- it certainly discourages it. We all know how easy it is to File: Save As to download the files. But how easy is it when the file menu is disabled, absent- right click disabled, and status bar hidden? Think about it, that is something that could be easily done but rather not encouraged. We simply discourage taking material without expressed written consent. The last raison d'être: It quells and cures visitors with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

11. How come the pages take somewhat longer time to load?
Answer: As you may have noticed on slower internet connections, this website uses lots of pictures and effects for the multimedia experience; and basically, for it to be pleasing aesthetically. Critical images in the menu are preloaded before the page- that means you won't see the hideous loading boxes often. Also, many images are larger in size compared to other websites. JPEGs are predominantly used. That is an image compression format and one of the best. With Photoshop by side, high (12) quality images are saved over and over again without images degrading. We do have some GIFs for transparency effect, saved in optimized format with Image Ready 7. Nonetheless, JPEG is a bit slower to load but has the better Image size and quality ratio. Also, this website is designed for broadband access mostly. Our target population? Schools and educational institutions already fitted with T10 broadband access. Many home users are benefiting from Cable Modem or DSL broadband as prices become more affordable. Even at that, this site recognizes majorities and minorities: sound and video are sparingly or never used, unless for downloading purposes, except that downloading itself is impractical and consumes both web space and bandwidth.

12. Why do some of the larger, full screen pictures blurry and pixilated? They seem abnormally shrunk. And what is that button that hovers over the picture upon mouse-over?
Answer: In Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and later versions, the picture automatically resizes to fit your screen. It is a convenient feature for most users but for art designers and people looking forward to the high-quality originals, it is one of Microsoft's annoyances. Disabling this feature is uncomplicated. Open up Internet Explorer: Click Tools in the tabs menu, gear down to "Internet Options" and click the Advanced Tab. Next, scroll down to Multimedia and uncheck "Automatic Image Resizing." While you are here, if you want to learn more about the options, just right click on the check box and click "What's This."

13. What are some of the Internet Shortcuts I can learn?
Answer: There are not many but most of them save you much time in your endeavors. The first one is to close any IE window or most programs: Press ALT (near the spacebar) and F4 (near the top) to exit the current program. This is useful to close full-screen Internet Explorer windows when you cannot see any file or quick-launch buttons. Some advertisers do this to confuse the general population. But you're all set! In addition to the ALT-F4 life-saver (Named such because it closes windows rapidly, discouraging prying eyes), there is F5, which reloads the current website. This is useful for updating that page, cranking up fake visitor hits, or for viewing your own banner exchanges. Another keystroke related is the Next Page, Previous Page short cut. Hold down ALT and press either the left or right arrow key. This acts as the backwards and forwards button. Press the stroke in succession to quickly browse through already visited websites. The final and my favorite option in Internet Explorer is the full screen command. If you do not have the button shown in Internet Explorer (View: Toolbars: customize), simply press F11 to hide the ugly buttons and to allow for a clean-cut larger view of a website. It is indispensable for presentations or for sites like this.

13. What is the "correct" font size used by this site and most others?
Answer: Professional websites are now gearing towards the smaller font, or at least the smoother large font. It's like our society's goods: the smaller the better. Cell-phones are great examples. But the most important perhaps is the size of the text you view the site at. The choice is "Medium." Set this option by clicking "View" in the IE menu, and select "Medium" in "Text-Size." The general text encoding is Western European (Windows).

13. What is the Admin Console option in the menu for exactly?
Answer: First of all, the HELP section serves a greater purpose for visitors. The menu is intended for members of the BLS ASIA committee who have email accounts included with the hosting plan. The Admin CP option serves as a quick access to the web host's control panels or forum administration in case of immediate problems. And site statistics show show demographic features, where the visitors are coming from, what technology they use, and their referrals. This allows us to structure the site more around the visitor, you, our target audience. No rights infringed in the process.

Have questions? I'll be happy to answer all of them! Send mailage this way at james@wolfyserver.org or instant message me on AOL Instant Messenger: thatbiggbadwolfy