This paper evaluates four tools for creating World Wide Web pages that interface with Microsoft Access databases: DB Gateway, Internet Database Assistant (IDBA), Microsoft Internet Database Connector (IDC), and Cold Fusion. The system requirements and features of each tool are discussed. A sample application, "The Virtual Help Desk"…

The usability test team examined design problems that limit the ability of instructors at the Indiana University to use data entry forms on the School of Education Web site. The forms permit instructors to publish information about themselves and about courses they teach on the School of Education Web site. Faculty and graduate student instructors…

On2broker provides brokering services to improve access to heterogeneous, distributed, and semistructured information sources as they are presented in the World Wide Web. It relies on the use of ontologies to make explicit the semantics of Web pages. This paper discusses the general architecture and main components (i.e., query engine, information…

This paper discusses problems concerning the design of educational applications in general, as well as specific problems connected with educational applications meant to be published on the Web. A new approach to the authoring and maintaining of Web-based educational applications is proposed which is based on the concept of hypermedia composites.…

Information customization is a client-side activity designed to pick up where information filtering leaves off. This article describes a vision of information customization and chronicles the development of a proof-of-concept prototype, Cyberbrowser, for customizing information on the Web. (Author/AEF)

Discusses information-seeking strategies in information retrieval systems, including Web search engines, and focuses on an in-depth investigation of shifts in the micro-level of user goals, namely interactive intention and information-seeking strategies. Discusses implications of the results for the design of adaptive information retrieval…

Most libraries don't have the resources to cross-platform and cross-version test all of their JavaScript coding. Many turn to WYSIWYG; however, WYSIWYG editors don't generally produce optimized coding. Web developers should: test their coding on at least one 3.0 browser, code by hand using tools to help speed that process up, and include a simple…

Explores the possibility of considering the creation and maintenance of reference librarians' personal Web sites as part of their professional duties. Reviews a sample of personal Web sites and the results of an e-mail survey targeting such sites and their creators. Examines three home pages to provide more detailed information about site…

Considers the problem of improving the performance of Web access by proposing a reconstruction of the internal link structure of a Web site to match quality of the pages with popularity of the pages. Provides a set of simple algorithms for local reorganization of a Web site, which results in improving users' access to quality pages in an easy and…

Examines computer conferencing systems for distance education from a design perspective. Outlines structured and unstructured communication, organization and management of communication structures, and functions for users and managers of conferencing environments. Contrasts Web- and non Web-conferencing. Suggests how to choose a…

Reviews problems with the World Wide Web that can be attributed to human error or ineptitude, and provides suggestions for improvement. Discusses poor Web design, poor use of search engines, and poor quality control by search engines and directories. (AEF)

Investigates the design differences between Chinese and English language versions of Web sites based on evidence gathered from Chinese academic Web sites. Through surveying and interviewing university Webmasters from Mainland China and Taiwan, this study seeks to gain real-life insights into the design environment of multilingual Web development.…

The process of creating and maintaining a World Wide Web homepage for a national organization--the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)--is detailed in this paper. The logical design confines the conceptual relationships among the components of the Web pages and their hyperlinks, whereas the physical design concerns…

Java is an object-oriented programming language of the Internet. It's popularity lies in its ability to create interactive Web sites across platforms. The most common Java programs are applications and applets, which adhere to a set of conventions that lets them run within a Java-compatible browser. Java is becoming an essential subject matter and…

This paper discusses the need for and the design requirements of generic chatroom software that is readily configurable to particular domains and that is also extensible. The architecture of a client/server chatroom generation system, ChatterBox, implemented in Java, is presented. The following components of ChatterBox are described: (1) the basic…