Web Design and Ethernet Cables

I've had a couple of good questions, and I thought I'd pass on the answers to the whole group.

(1) Todd asked about web design software.

The Showcase Center has Frontpage, but they want 50 bucks for it; and Dreamweaver's a great program, but it costs even more, I think.

The ed students tend to use Netscape as a free web design tool; I never have, and the results usually look very 1996, but it's an option. And any students who come packing a new Mac (new post January 2006) will also have iWeb (Mac's iWeb--different app than BSU's iWeb websites) installed, which is kind of a template-based web design tool. (I used it to make the resource site, just to see how it works. It's alright.)

But my recommendation, if you're interested in having your students do web design, is that you should download NVU and see if it makes sense to you: http://www.nvu.com/index.php

It's a free, open source, easy to understand (in my opinion) web design app; and it works on Mac, PC, or Linux. For basic table-based design, it works just fine. I use it most of the time, when I do web design, and it also makes a decent FTP program for uploading and managing files.

(2) Martha asked me what I meant by "short" Ethernet cables. I'm thinking 3'. I should know in about week what price the BSU Computer Showcase Center will ask for 3' cables. (They're ordering them for the first time this fall, just for us.) I know Best Buy will charge $10, but the Showcase Center cells 25' Ethernet cables for $6, so I think they'll probably have the best price. I'll pass along more info as soon as I have it.