Morning folks

My mum lectures at college, not sure what on but it's to do with CLAIT and
ECDL and things. She's sent me an extract from the FrontPage help files
about metatags that doesn't seem right.

"Add a user-defined META-variable to a page
To add information to the HTTP header for a page, add a user-defined
META-variable. This variable corresponds to the NAME attribute in the META
tag and will not be visible to site visitors. This META tag can supply
special instructions to a Web browser, such as an expiration date or a
display-refresh value."

It's the last bit about special instructions which is also contained in the
section about http-equiv tags.

Any thoughts?

Andy

Andy Jacobs wrote:

Don't use Frontplague

Don't use <meta>

Don't believe anything from M$ or FP abotu the use of <meta>

Start ignoring this advice when you know better
(<meta> really should be used, but only if you're going to do it well)

On Wed, 8 Mar 2006, Andy Jacobs wrote:

Was that the whole explanation? Seems to be a considerable muddle,
guaranteed to confuse anyone who isn't already well-informed about the
several topics in question - in which case they wouldn't need the
explanation anyway?

It would IMHO need a lecture or two to get anyone up to speed
sufficiently to understand *all* the things that are wrong with it.

Starting with its apparent major confusions between meta name= and
meta http-equiv=, and between meta http-equiv= and real HTTP protocol
headers.

The term "special instructions" has no defined meaning in
WWW-compatible terms, as far as I'm aware. Must be some proprietary
thing from the Empire :-{

"Andy Dingley" <dingbat@codesmiths.com> wrote in message
news:1141818225.663621.161930@z34g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...
It's fine saying that but some people have no choice, if students /
teachers are required to learn / teach how to (try and) use MS Front
Page then that is what they have to do - unless they decide to chuck
the course or job!

:::Jerry:::: wrote:

The purpose of teachers is to teach, not to act as a sales force for
M$oft.
That's Tony Blair's job.

FrontPlague is a _bad_ product, which is also very expensive. There are
a lot of better and cheaper or free solutions instead, if you need an
entry-level page composing tool. Teachers simply should not be using
it. Teaching management should not be mandating it, and it's part of a
teacher's job to protest against such bad decisions.

Should teachers also be forced to teach Creationism in Labour's new
private-syllabus schools?

"Andy Dingley" <dingbat@codesmiths.com> wrote in message
news:1141827771.050919.171430@z34g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...
Err, if the course structure says teach / learn Front Page than that
is what will have to happen, there will be no choice what so ever
unless they chuck the job or course.

I thought it was the Tory Government that first put M$ driven
computers into schools and Government offices, and that is the
problem, to much of Education, Government and large business is now
locked into M$ products - on a company using M$ software, with M$
server behind their intranet FP will work OK and as such those
companies etc. will need M$ FP support how ever much you rant on.


No one on this group, with the exception of "krustov", is doubting
that.

Even when the course structure and (external) exams relate to it,
sorry but you are off your marbles if you are suggesting that the
syllabus should be ditched in some unilateral action by a teacher.

Teaching management should not be mandating it, and it's part of a
If the students are taking such a subject and will be sitting an
external exam then yes - of course, the school / college should
perhaps not be offering the course in the first place, but that is
another argument altogether.

In article <Pine.WNT.4.64.0603081136250.1732@ZORIN>,
"Alan J. Flavell" <flavell@physics.gla.ac.uk> wrote:

ok, let's keep it very simple then. Would it be wrong to use META NAME
for a page refresh, for example, which would be my interpretation of
'special instructions'.

Andy

--
Andy Jacobs
www.redcatmedia.net
Intelligent Websites For Intelligent Business People

On Wed, 8 Mar 2006 15:08:23 -0000, ":::Jerry::::" <me@privacy.INVALID>
wrote:

Why? Is this a qualification in "web design", or a qualification in
"using Frontplague" ?

As to "course design", then why should that be any sort of restriction
on the students ? They have a syllabus, they have an exam to pass - but
why shoudl any half-competent course mandate a particular tool?


Why does even a pure Win2003 / IIS / ASP / IE setup in any way require
Frontplague ?


Why should a syllabus even begin to define the tools used ? It needs
to specify what, not how.

On Wed, 8 Mar 2006 17:05:38 +0000 (UTC), Andy Jacobs
<andy@redcatmedia.net> wrote:

It's wrong to teach that this is how you approach the problem. #
<meta ..refresh...> is a hack when all else fails, not the mainstream
approach that should be taught.

In article <v3ru025kjb74fn4k506vo9j4ta2rss1jtv@4ax.com>,
Andy Dingley <dingbat@codesmiths.com> wrote:

I really don't give a frig what should or shouldn't be taught. I gave
an example based on a commonly used approach for people who might not
have access to other methods.

A

--
Andy Jacobs
www.redcatmedia.net
Intelligent Websites For Intelligent Business People