Handout 5: 1/20/00

We have set aside five class sessions to discuss Web-related technologies. Each session will be run by a separate group from the class. The presenation should cover what the issue are, what resources are available, a demonstration, if appropriate, etc. Make handouts if they seem relevant or place a summary on the Web.

Form groups of size N (N will be decided in class. Choose a topic, either from the list below or one your group selects itself. Email the instructor, identifying the group members and proposing the topic, and agree on a presentation date. Topics will be allocated in a first-come first-served manner, so if another group already has reserved a closely related topic, you will need to find another one.

Here are some possibilities for topics:

• Servers: What are the HTTPD servers available, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? What common functionality do they provide? What functionality does one provide that others don't?
• Mobile application languages: What are HDML and WAP? Why are they necessary?
• Secure transport: https, etc.
• SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language)
• XML: introduction to XML.
• XML-allied utilities: e.g., XLink (XML linking language), XUL (XML Update Language), etc.
• Style languages and document modeling: DOM (Document Object Model), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), XLS (eXtensible Style Language), etc.
• Object specification languages: MathML (modeling language for mathematics); SVG (scalable vector graphics image format).
• Web-site design guidelines.