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This web page was written by Seth Price.
No standards were harmed in the making of this site
Abridged
I've designed this website to be standards compliant. I believe that a group of individuals can create a better set of standards than any single individual or corporation. By using standards, I've made this website faster, and look better, with less effort.
Artist's Statement
XHTML
This site is displayed using XHTML. HTML was used over the past few decades to construct web sites. It was defined by the major web browsers of the time: Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Because there was little direction for how HTML was defined and who defined it, it became badly formed and unwieldy. Imagine if to speak English, a person would have to know all jargon, slang, and dialects that anyone thought was important. HTML became a mess.
XHTML is a language based on (and compatible with) HTML. It was created by the W3C standards organization to reduce size and complexity, while ensuring accessibility and compatibility. To reduce the language, the W3C removed redundant and unneeded parts. To ensure accessibility, the W3C kept and extended the parts that assist the handicapped. To ensure compatibility, XHTML looks almost exactly the same as HTML, but with a few minor tweaks. Pages written in XHTML are smaller and faster, but easier to use.
CSS
CSS is used to display XHTML. XHTML contains the information, but CSS decides what to do with it. By using CSS, I can choose how to layout all of the images on this page with a single line of code. Because all of the layout code is independent of the content, each page loads faster.
A web browser should use the CSS embedded in each page to appropriately lay out that page. When viewing a page on a desktop computer, the page is laid out for a large screen. If you are using a handheld device, such as a PDA, the page is automatically laid out for a narrow screen. Finally, if you print a web page, it will be laid out for a sheet of paper by fitting images and removing unneeded navigation. By using CSS, we can save paper by only printing the useful information.
FireFox
Many of these technologies were finalized in the last six years. In that time period, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has done the minimum to stay compatible with web sites. But there is hope, if you are still stuck using Internet Explorer you can download a free program called FireFox which can replace Internet Explorer. By simply using FireFox instead of Internet Explorer, you can take advantage of all that I have outlined above. Are you concerned about your computer being infected by a virus? FireFox is safer, too.
~Seth - Feb. 2006