i get html...what next?

Hi! Im just getting started as a real web junkie, even have my own little site. I have HTML down fairly well and was wondering what would be of more benefit for me to learn next JavaScript or XHTML. Im also open to any sugestions or random advice people have for me because i am bloody clueless

thanks a bundel
~Zelita

I would learn CSS.

XHTML "basically" a standardized, neater, form of HTML. It varies very little from HTML, most of it is just single tags need to be closed like :



And nesting needs to be correct, like:



And finally tags need to be in lower case.


So as you can see it isn't really much different, I am sure there are a few things, like header info, that I left out, but if you wanna read up more on it try http://www.w3schools.com (I learned xhtml and CSS from there, great place).

Hope that helps. Are you using a free webpage account?

Yeah, XHTML is just a stricter form of HTML (also doesn't support as much as HTML since it is strict), so if you understand HTML, XHTML should be a breeze.

JavaScript: If you need to know it, learn it, but with most cases if you won't need to use JS that much, just grab a premade script off of a JS Open Source site, no need in busting you hump over something you will rarely use.

CSS: LEARN IT, LIVE IT, LOVE IT!!! CSS is one of the easiest things to learn, and it makes site building so much easier! You can save the information to a .css file and call it from within the .html file, and that way the style for all your pages changes when that .css file is edited and you don't have to modify each page individually. That is just one of the many reasons I love CSS.

well then CSS it is! i have been to w3 site before, it looked well put together. and as for my hosting, i am on a free acount with brinkster.com at least untill i have acumulated some worth while content, for the most part i jut have a page now so i can play with things i learn

Much thanks!

~Zelita

I agree with CSS next. HTML has changed and HTML should be used for structure only and CSS is what should be used for appearance.

Here's the best tutorial I've find to date. Much easier than sorting through the w3c specs:

http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp

P.S. virtually every other tutorial you'll need is there as well.

CSS is good, and JavaScript is also very nice but i agree that it shouldnt be LEARNED i mean dont waste your money on a book to learn javascript.....its not that youll rarely use it, its just that its a VERY simple language to learn and there honestly isnt much you can do with it.....but the things you CAN do with it are neat little doodads.....anyways my point is i would TOTALLY go for CSS but i would go for JavaScript a little bit too

Yea you shouldn't ignore javascript, pick up the basics and such, but thats about it. Learn just enough to decipher code to some extent.

ya, cause if you really wana learn this kind of stuff hardcore like i did then it would help to go to view/source and check out their code and erase everything in there that you dont want.....lol thats the long way of doing it but whatever its the easiest way

I don't know about some of the earlier javascript statements. I have been thoroughly impressed with Rich B's knowledge of it and it is essential if you want to do any DHTML.

Dynamic HTML Guru is a perfect example of it -- entirely javascript -- not flash --- and very excellent:

http://www.htmlguru.com/guru.html

I still agree with the thought to learn CSS first.

Yeah Katushai, I can't say as I agree with some of your previous statements either.

Javascript is an incredible language when you get down to the nitty gritty with it, and no it is not an easy language to learn. It is relatively easy to get the basics down, but to go all out and still be able to code cross browser takes more than it's worth if you aren't going to be using it that often.

DHTML is a combination of CSS and Javascript, so any DHTML effects you see are just that, which shows you some of the power behind the two languages.

You can check out http://bodytag.org/ (love this site) for some very awesome DHTML stuff (make sure to read what it is, they have Java, DHTML, VML, and all different kinds of stuff, but each experiment is labeled what it is made with)

this is known as a hacker and a cheater's way of doing web design. It
won't get your far in this world if all you do is take what is others and
change it for your own. Not a good practice, and I don't agree or
recommend anyone do this.

Not to mention that if you have to cheat to learn CSS then you probably should be looking at a new field rather than looking at someone elses source.

CSS is easier to learn than HTML.