Q. Where do I learn of HTML updates on regular basis and also Java and such?

A. Check on Yahoo - look for "mailing lists" that cover the topics in which you are interested. Subscribe to several of the lists - but be aware that some of the lists may send you several hundred emails per day. By subscribing to those lists you will be informed of the latest developments.

Q. How do I use CGI?

A. CGI stands for "Common Gateway Interface," which is an interface with your host computer which allows programs to be run. You will have to check with your host ISP for their rules on using CGI. Once you have permission you can begin to write programs in the language of your choice.

Q. How do I make my own guest books (details)?

A. A guestbook is a CGI program. There are several books on the topic of developing CGI programs and also lots of references on the web itself. Again search at Yahoo or the other search engines. You will have to develop the program logic and make it work on your host.

Q. What is MIDI music on the web - what is the best way of delivering the best quality music from one's home page? I'd like music to start playing when my page starts to download. I would consider "best" to mean limited noise and no hesitations during play through. I use a Mac, the server is at my university.

A. Music can be delivered in basically two forms, sampled sound or MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). MIDI files are small representations of a piece of music (when a note starts and stops and it's timbre) where sampled sounds are a digital representation of the sound to be represented. Hence MIDI files are much smaller and play back much quicker than sampled sounds. MIDI files will play back at whatever capability the clients system can handle and are supported by most modern computers.

To answer your question directly -- MIDI files are the way to go. You won't be able to do anything but instrumental music -- but all the positives, speed of download, quality, etc -- outweigh the negatives.

Q. Why does JavaScript work differently in Internet Explorer compared to Netscape 3? Will this inconsistency remain ?

A. Microsoft's implementation of JavaScript is a version behind Netscape's. Will the inconsistency remain? I don't have a crystal ball, but until there are "standards" that everyone agrees and follows I would have to guess that there will continue to be differences. Don't forget there are differences in browsers regarding even more basic items than JavaScript and web designers deal with those differences every day.

Q. What is the difference between Netscape 3.01 standard and Netscape 3.01 with components? Also I'd like to know what is Netscape Navigator 3.01 Gold- Standard. And I'd like to know how do all three compare to each other.

A. I'm not really sure what you're referring to by components. My understanding is that the current shipping version of Netscape Navigator is 3.01 and that this version comes with certain "plug-ins." The "plug-ins" provided with the current version include one for playing several sound formats and one for video. And then there is the "default plug-in" which allows you to go get whatever "plug-ins" you don't have.

Navigator Gold adds a web page creation environment. But for professional web site design there is no substitute for a professional design firm like WEB MASTERS.

Q. I'm using FrontPage 97. I can "embed" or build background MIDIs okay, but when I view it in Netscape, the file appears in the page and will not "auto start."
1. How do I "auto start" a MIDI to accommodate Netscape folks?
2. How do I get that player with the black-colored player with the gray buttons (I don't know what it's called) to appear in the page itself AND auto start in both IE 3.x and Netscape 3.x browsers?

If you can answer this, thanks loads!
If not, then WHAT GOOD ARE YA?! ;-)

A. The commands for using MIDI within Netscape are a little different than in IE. You should go to the Netscape site and get all the latest info but I'll give you this:

EMBED SRC= [URL] AUTOSTART=[TRUE|FALSE] LOOP=[TRUE|FALSE|INTEGER] STARTTIME= ENDTIME= VOLUME= WIDTH= HEIGHT= ALIGN= CONTROLS= HIDDEN= NAME=

To auto start set autostart to true. To have both versions work add the two commands (one for Netscape and one for Explorer) to your file. The one the browser in question doesn't understand it will ignore.

Q. I was wondering how you get music files to play on your web page?

A. There are two kinds of "music" files - sound samples and MIDI files. Both types of data are supported by modern web browsers.

To have a music file play - add an appropriate tag to your HTML code. For further info see the Netscape or Microsoft sites for how to use music within these products.

If you need help in sampling or producing MIDI files - or creating great web pages - please contact WEB MASTERS.