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((((((((((((((((( WEBREFERENCE UPDATE NEWSLETTER ))))))))))))))))) February 28, 2000

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Load balancing, scalability, performance, openness, and seamless integration: these are the issues that second-generation, serious Internet applications in the B2B and Web integration space need to handle. Join the expert Roundtable discussion: http://www.solutioncentral.com/birlasoftarch

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Now with over 95400 subscribers!

http://www.webreference.com http://www.webreference.com/new/ http://www.webreference.com/new/submit.html New this week on WebReference.com and the Web:

1. DOC JAVASCRIPT: The Doc Dialer, Part II 2. GRAPHICS GREATS: Text as Design 3. NEW LINKS: Banner Ad Networks 4. UPDATE: Optimizing Web Graphics 5. OTHER VOICES: * Clicks or Mortar: Are Domain Names Property? * Spam Him and Die * S/390: The Linux Dream Machine * 0 to 60 in Flash 6. NET NEWS: * What Is Hip? Not GoHip.com * Arizona Democrats Get Go-ahead for Online Primary Vote * Kerberos Made To Heel To Windows 2000 * The Smoking Gun Shoots a Millionaire * There's Something For Everyone on the Web

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. DOC JAVASCRIPT: The Doc Dialer, Part II

Punch in for the latest update of the Doc Dialer, as Doc JavaScript extends his new info indexing and retrevial tool to include more features and better cross-browser support. By Dr. Yehuda and Tomer Shiran.

http://webreference.com/js/column58/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. GRAPHICS GREATS: Text as Design

Whaddya want? Text! Where do you want it? In Web design! When do you want it? Now! You asked and Wendy Peck provides. In the followup to last week's tutorial, Wendy guides you through the great graphic sites (and sights) of the Web.

http://webreference.com/graphics/greats/3/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. NEW LINKS: Banner Ad Networks

Let your banners fly high! Find the best ad network resources with our list of links.

http://webreference.com/promotion/banners/networks.html

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Register for a FREE introduction to Allaire ColdFusion CyberSeminar! Learn how ColdFusion gives you the fastest way to develop and deliver scalable enterprise and e-commerce applications. You could also win a FREE copy of ColdFusion, valued at $1,295! Reserve your virtual seat today at http://www.allaire.com/coldfusion.cfm?web_ID=1090.

****************************************************************** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. UPDATE: Optimizing Web Graphics

This week we take a look at the latest batch of image optimizers, including Fireworks 3, Imageready 2, HVS, and more. What struck me most is the lengths companies will go to reduce a GIF/JPEG to its bare minimum, and also how much hype there is over essentially identical products.

What distinguishes GIF optimizers are how well they reduce colors (quantization algorithm), and the extra optimization features they provide (dithering, "lossy" optimization).

Two of the best are HVS and Imagevice, which have superior quantization algorithms that minimize banding. Add in some dithering to smooth things out and you've got a spiffy yet small GIF ready for Web consumption. But the most innovative technique I tested was the "lossy" feature in Imageready and ImageVice.

Both preprocess the image data so the LZW compression algorithm used in GIFs works more efficiently. They both add redundancy along scan lines, so LZW can use the same token repeatedly, saving file space. Adobe's version is easier to use, and more efficient with their "lossy" slider. BoxTop's Imagevice is a power-users's tool, and offers more control. Both allow smaller GIFs than conventional methods.

As for JPEGs, the results might surprise you. Most of the programs tested use the IJG's JPEG codec, with some improvements. Pegasus Software developed their own JPEG codec for JPEG Wizard, which offers sharpness without added file size like the others. Pegasus also offers selective compression which allows you to choose which parts of your image you want to preserve and which to optimize further. Useful stuff when you are under a file size deadline for that important client.

For all the graphic details, see the article at:

http://webreference.com/dev/graphics/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. OTHER VOICES: Clicks or Mortar: Are Domain Names Property?, Spam Him and Die, S/390: The Linux Dream Machine, 0 to 60 in Flash

>Clicks or Mortar: Are Domain Names Property?

What are your long term plans for your domain name? Perhaps you intend to use the domain name to secure a loan for a business expansion or for your child's college tuition. You may be in for a surprise. http://domainnotes.com/clickormortar.html DomainNotes.com, 000228

>Spam Him and Die

Dave Fiedler's mad as heck, and he's not going to take it anymore. Day in and day out, he's smashing spammers, and wants to let you know how you can help. http://webdeveloper.com/refresh/refresh_022500.html WebDeveloper.com, 000225

>S/390: The Linux Dream Machine

Could mainframes be the next frontier for Linux? Scott Courtney explains how several groups (including Big Blue herself) are working to bring Linux to the S/390 mainframe world - and the results are surprisingly practical and affordable. http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/1532/1/ LinuxPlanet.com, 000223

>0 to 60 in Flash

Flash has already grabbed everyone's attention as the hot thing in Web animation, and it promises to be an increasingly serious tool in Web development. http://www.wdvl.com/Multimedia/Flash/ WDVL.com, 0222

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****************************************************************** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. NET NEWS: What Is Hip? Not GoHip.com, Arizona Democrats Get Go-ahead for Online Primary Vote, Kerberos Made To Heel To Windows 2000, The Smoking Gun Shoots a Millionaire, There's Something For Everyone on the Web

>What Is Hip? Not GoHip.com

According to Internet security firm Finjan Software, Internet search engine GoHip is distributing an ActiveX control download that automatically modifies several components on a user's PC - including one that adds a GoHip signature to every piece of outgoing email. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,34544,00.html Wired.com, 000225

>Arizona Democrats Get Go-ahead for Online Primary Vote

Online elections gained a vote of confidence today as the Justice Department cleared the way for Arizona Democrats to cast their ballots on the Net in the March primary. If the experiment is successful, it could be a major boost to the Internet-voting movement. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1558656.html News.com, 000225

>Kerberos Made To Heel To Windows 2000

In a move that company detractors said is another sign of its infamous "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" strategy, Microsoft has used open Internet security standard Kerberos in its Windows 2000 operating system and made modifications without openly documenting its changes. These nondocumented alterations put existing users of Kerberos "in a place of hurt," said developer Ted Ts'o. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20000228/tc/20000228224.html Yahoo.com, 000228

>The Smoking Gun Shoots a Millionaire

The Fox TV special "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?" was an amazingly successful (if tacky) spectacle for a few days, until the entire project came crashing down. Which press outlet brought down this TV juggernaut? A Web zine so small, it doesn't have an office. http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,12351,00.html TheStandard.com, 000228

>There's Something For Everyone on the Web

The Web Makes it Easier to Sue Wal-Mart Filing a lawsuit against the largest retailer in the U.S. is not an easy thing to do, but that doesn't deter people from doing it. To take advantage of this market, attorney Lewis Laska has launched http://www.wal-martlitigation.com, a site devoted solely to filing a lawsuit against Wal-Mart. http://www.internetnews.com/rumblings/0,1145,81,00.html InternetNews.com, 000228

That's it for this week, see you next time.

Andrew King Managing Editor, WebReference.com update@webreference.com

Eric Cook Assistant Editor, WebReference.com ecook@internet.com

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