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Rot3K Graphics and Web – Site FAQ

This is where all common site-related questions answers are archived. I also include questions that aren’t frequently asked, but that I suspect people may wonder about. There is a good chance your questions, comments, or concerns are addressed on this page, so please do check before sending me an email.

Please note that the whole FAQ page is currently obsolete (most of the questions or answers presented are no longer correct or relevant). We will be rewriting this page from the ground up quite soon.

• Site Questions
• Site Issues/Problems
• Graphics and Web Design

Site Questions

To make this site more accessible for people with specific needs or preferences, multiple style sheets have been constructed (each with different link display options, colors, backgrounds, etc.) and an interface has been provided for switching between them.

Q: What is Rot3K and what do you do?

Rot3K Graphics and Web design, maintained by James Peirce, specializes in w3c compliant web pages at reasonable prices. We also provide free materials like images, copy and paste HTML, and suggestions for aspiring web authors.

Q: How can I improve my experience when visiting this site?

This site uses the font Arial (it was Technical, which looks great on a Mac, but windows does not anti-alias it at default font sizes, so I quit using it). to display text. If you want to view this web site with the Technical font, simply download it and install it. To install on a Macintosh place the font file in the System Folder/Fonts/ folder. For windows place it in the fonts folder, which is usually located in the C drive/Windows/Fonts/ folder. Download technical.zip | technical.sit [fonts now offline] (avoid doing this if you like to view pages at very low font sizes). The pages are best viewed at a resolution of anything higher than 800x600 and with 256 or more colors. This page makes extensive support of CSS, an emerging technology (well... not new, but it is just now getting great support) so for the time being avoid browsers like iCab and Netscape 4.x if possible and use the most up to date version. This page, despite this, supports any browser you may have on your computer.

Q: I would like to write/offer tutorials/content for your web site.

Wonderful, use the feedback form or just send me an e-mail, I am always happy to add content to the site and support other authors/designers/programmers.

Q: Why Rot3K?

A long time ago I made a site about Destiny of an Emperor and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This was not only an information site, but also a fan site. After a while I started getting web design requests from this site, and, of course, was happy to comply. Then I added a web design section to this site and customers (not many, but enough) called it Rot3K web design. My friends started calling it Rot3K Graphics and Web Design. Later, when I finally figured out that something could come of it, I registered the domain name rot3k.com and dedicated the primary site to the Internet. This was in mid 2001.

Q: What does that [name] have to do with web design?

Nothing.

Q: Then why do you keep the name, do you plan to change it?

I like it! / No

Q: Are there any legal complications?

Not unless Luo Guanzhong, the fellow that wrote the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, comes to life and files a lawsuit against me.

Q: Is the Destiny of an Emperor/Romance of the Three Kingdoms site still up?

Yes; http://kongming.net/doae/

Q: What browsers do you support?

All of them. More specifically, Netscape 4.x+, IE4.x+, Opera4.+, Mozilla 0.9.3+, OmniWeb 4.x+ (These browsers will display the page exactly as I meant it to). The page should also appear nicely in all 3.x+ browsers. You can navigate this page in any browser up to and including Lynx and other text-based browsers. If you find this is not the case let me know so I can fix it. Current browser versions.

Q: What are your color and resolution requirements?

Try to get a monitor with more than two colors. As for resolution, it should be fine in all of them, full navigation is visible in 800x600, and everything can be comfortably visible in anything higher than this.

Q: What is the preferred browser for this web page?

A new one, even better with CSS support. I don’t believe in focusing on one specific browser, it is against the order of things. Trust me, the order of things told me. What is my favorite? Internet Explorer (up to date, preferably on the Mac). For me it provides the best combination of speed, space economy, and HTML/CSS support. IE for Mac is the best of all. I know, it also supports some proprietary code, but is that a reason not to use it so long as it supports the w3c compliant code? Nope, not as far as I am concerned.

Q: 1) Who hosts your server? 2) Who writes your HTML 3) Who is the webmaster?

1) Caffinated.net, a good company that has our recommendation.
2) James

Q: What software do you use to make web pages?

Dreamweaver 4 (I spend a lot of time in code view), Adobe Photoshop 6, Simpletext, and Notepad. It all depends on where I am, what I am doing, and what is available.

Q: What software and resources would you suggest to a beginning web designer?

As far as software is concerned NotePad or SimpleText. Keep as far away from WYSIWYG programs as you can. The fastest way to learn is to do it all yourself. When you are comfortable move on to a web design product that assists with code view. Only when you are completely comfortable with hand coding should you move on to one of the best (like Dreamweaver or GoLive). When you do, make sure you work closely with code view to keep your code clean and make sure the program is doing what you want it to. Dreamweaver is an awesome program, but in the hands of someone that does not know what they are doing it will generate messy code (from improper usage) and many frustrations. (You may blame the program for being unable to do something that HTML itself cant do and you will turn into just another ignorant reviewer on VersionTracker). As far as books go start with something like Sam’s teach yourself HTML in 24hrs and when you start using programs go with books in the Bible or Mastering series if possible. Also check out the links in the ‘Links/WebDesign/’ section.

Q: What is your educational background?

I studied computer science and networking for over a year in college, but as far as web design is concerned that means close to nothing. Everything you see on these pages is the result of books along with a healthy (I like to tell myself) portion of trial and error.

Q: I think you did a great/horrible job on the web site!

Thank you either way, please send me feedback using this form [offline] or by e-mail, I love hearing about things like this. BTW: If you have a problem please do explain yourself so I can evaluate and resolve it.

Site Issues/Problems

If you have poor vision or use a resolution that makes the default theme text hard to read, you are in the right section. I will explain how you can use our themes and browser options to increase text sizes here, and I will even give you accessibility tips for other sites on the Internet.

Q: Where has the downloads section gone?

The downloads section has been removed from the menu bars to improve ease of use for first time visitors and to save screen space on smaller monitors [it had been added once again to the navigation bar]. [Remaining information removed, no longer relavent].

Q: You deleted a link I liked from the ‘Links’ section, why?

From time to time this will happen. Once a page is added to this section I will only delete it for one of a few reasons: 1) I have located another site that is much more informative and easier to use, 2) I have discovered that the site is dishonest or unethical in some way (mostly issues regarding information gathering, cookie use, terrible privacy policy, being a hoax, or flat out producing spam), 3) It is a pay site that was once free offering a service that I don’t feel people should pay for. Keep in mind that I don’t link to unethical sites for money, nor do I plan to (I don’t even advertise), so you can consider the links section to be my favorites page.

Q: The backgrounds your page uses don’t show up in my browser!

There are two possible causes for this. This is done with pretty basic CSS that is supported by all recent browsers. If you are using Internet Explorer or Netscape it is because you have a 3.x or earlier browser, in which case you are probably used to it (upgrade please, to get rid of this problem). If you are using Mozilla, it is because of a CSS bug in version 0.9.3 that I stubbornly decided not to resolve. You should upgrade to one of the most recent versions, fixing the problem. There is a minor JavaScript error in the current version of Mozilla (0.9.5) but it is harmless. The site should look much nicer after this. If none of these issues applies to you, and you are still having this problem, please contact me and tell me about it.

Q: Why do I always have to reaload the menu bar?

Your browser should cache the menu bar graphics and load them from the cache when you visit a new page in the site (you will know this is working because the menu bar will appear nearly instantly when you switch pages). If this is not the case, go to your browsers preferences and find the cache options. If you haven’t done so for a long time empty the cache. Check to see how much hard drive space id dedicated to the cache. If it is only 1MB or so increase it. The more sites you visit the larger you may want this to be, especially if you have a low speed connection. Also check to see if there is an option for how often the browser check for new images. If it is set to once every time a page loads, set this to something equivalent to every time I start up the browser. That should solve the problem. As far as framesets go, I have no intention to implement them again. I cannot control the layout well and they kill your ability to use bookmarks correctly. Set up your browser to cache the images, and you will be happy with the speed increase.

Q: The browser stops loading the home page (noframes.html) before it is completed!

It is rare for the first page to stop loading before it completes, this should only happen in a few browsers and not often. This usually means that the site stat tracker is hanging on its server, causing the rest of the page to wait as well. If this happens, let it load for a bit, then hit stop. That should bring up the page canceling the server transaction. If the page loads, and hangs when it is done, it is for the same reason. Again, give it a moment, then hit stop. Also keep in mind that if you are on a slower Internet connection it may be because the browser is now preloading the menu images. If this is the case, let it finish. This will help you navigate the site with less slowdowns.

Q: Your page asked me for a 'cookie', what is it and what does it do?

There are two cookies used for this web page. One is requested when the splash page is loaded and this cookie is used to retreive information relavent to your visit. I use it to see what resolution, os, browser, etc. my viewers use—and nothing else. This tells me, for example, what I need to keep in mind while I design. (I know, because I have viewers with 800x600, that my page should support that resolution. There is another cookie that appears when you leave one of the pages inside the site. This cookie stores your font preferences (so you can choose a font you like for the site) and nothing more. If you decline this cookie the web page will always default to Arial. I do not store any information permanently and I do not offer this information to anyone else. The second cookie is not even stored by me, but rather on your own computer.

Q: I have noticed a problem with (interface, CSS, HTML, JavaScript), what should I do?

Contact me about it, of course! Use this form [offline, please email me] to report a problem or simply send me an e-mail. It is important that I hear about things like this, it allows me to improve the site for everyone.

Graphics and Web Design

If you have trouble discerning links from body text on this Web site click on the “Style Sheet” option in the menu and select “Accessible (Sans)” or “Accessible (Serif)”. In both of themes links are underlined. Also note that everything in the menu is a link, regardless of visual formatting.

Q: How can I get you to design/develop graphics or web pages for me?

This depends on the situation. If you are interested in hiring me for professional work, please use this form [offline] or send me an e-mail that details your interests completely. Please include all relevant contact information including your phone number. There are some questions below. They include packages (services that are already defined with a flat price) and other situations that present different terms, such as HTML questions. Please review them to see if your interest is detailed below.

Q: What do you think of my web page?

Send me an e-mail with the URL(s) that you want me to take a look at. If there is anything specific you would like me to look at as well please include details. I am happy to do this and I will provide feedback (with no padding) to the best of my ability. I never charge for this service.

Q: Will you teach me how to make a web page?

No, I cannot do this. Please refer to this page and the other links in the Web Design section for web designer resources. My advice is to get books to help you learn. Try to get books from either the Bible or Mastering series. If you want to learn now, and you are willing to pay for it, go to college. I will prepare a page for this purpose in the future if a demand surfaces.

Q: Something in my page isn't working, will you check to see what it is?

Send me an e-mail with the URL(s) that you want me to take a look at. If you have any specific details please include them. Make sure you describe the problem as best as you can. Include the browser, with version, and the OS you are using. I will take a look and see if I can isolate the problem. If it is an easy fix I will tell you what the problem is and how it can be fixed. If it is difficult I will tell you what the problem is and, once again but in general terms, how to fix it. I will do this for free. If it is a complex issue that I cannot simply explain how to fix you may hire me [offline, please email me] at my normal rate.

Q: My HTML is all messed up, will you take the file and fix it?

Send me an e-mail with the URL(s) that you want me to take a look at along as detailed a description of the problem as you can manage. I will take a look at the page to see if it is an easy fix and if it is I will explain how to resolve the problem to you free of charge. If the issue is more complex than this you may hire me [offline, please email me] at my normal rate.

Q: Will you rework the HTML on my web page to meet w3c standards (or anything similar)?

Before contacting me go to http://validator.w3.org/ and try this tool. If you are not interested in using the tool Send me an e-mail with the URL(s) that you want me to take a look at along with what standards you want to meet and in what way. You may hire me [offline, please email me] at my normal rate.

Q: Will you write a tutorial (or something similar) for my web page?

No, but you may suggest a tutorial for my page. You may link to tutorials on my page as long as you do not open them in your frames or claim credit for them. You may not under any circumstance copy a tutorial on this site to your own without permission from the tutorial author. To suggest a tutorial for this page please use the Suggestion Form [offline] or Send me an e-mail.

Q: I would like to use an/some (e.g. image, HTML, JavaScript, CSS) from your page, may I?

You may not use anything on this page that does not specifically give you permission without first sending me an e-mail. I will reply and let you know what may or may not be done and under what conditions. If I am not the actual author I will contact them to get permission for you. Without this permission you may use nothing on this site except items listed as free. The free items on this site, and items that you have received permission to use, may only be used if you give credit where it is due. The only items that you may claim ownership of are items that you have purchased. Legal action will be take against people that violate this policy. Please Send me an e-mail if you have any questions.

Q: Will you make some graphics for my page's navigation menu?

First please take a look at the free navigation graphics found on this site. You may use them as long as you give credit where it is due free of charge. If you still want me to make some custom graphics for your page I will be happy to do it. Please use the form on this page [offline, please email me] to make your request after reading the specifics regarding the package listed within. There is a fee for this service.

Q: Will you make me a navigation menu complete with graphics, HTML, JavaScript, and instructions?

First please take a look at the free navigation graphics found on this site. If you use one of these graphics sets you will get a significant discount on the overall price. Please use the form on this page [offline] to make your request after reading the specifics regarding the package and pricing listed within. There is a fee for this service.

Q: Will you design and create the layout for my page?

First please take a look at the free navigation graphics found on this site. If you use one of these graphics sets you will get a significant discount on the overall price. Please use the form on this page [offline, please email me] to make your request after reading the specifics regarding the package and pricing listed within. There are several packages listed on this page which are available at predetermined prices. If your interests are more complex and not listed on the page you may hire me at my normal rate.

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