This entire home page was written manually in Notepad, which I used because the DOS editor was not worth the effort of accessing with the damn Windows 95/98/NT. I do not believe in webpage authoring tools except in cases of dire need, such a image maps or long pages. The code that those systems spew out is convoluted and inefficient. It is nearly impossible to go back and edit this code without having the original program. Writing in a text editor, I know, for a fact, that I will be able to easily go back and figure out my code, on any type of machine, be it DOS, Windows, Unix, or Mac.

     I also dislike (strongly) frames, graphics-intensive pages, graphics-dependent pages, and pop-up windows of any sort. I have been known to surf the web accessing a Unix Lynx text-based browser off a 80286 computer via a telnet session. It's faster. I don't have to wade through random crap that people have put up on their pages to fill bandwith. When I do use my home computer, which is a Pentium 166, I use small windows on a low resolution monitor. While some sites I have been to manage to set up a system of frames in a delicate, balanced manner, well designed and simple, too many sites set up clumsy and ugly frames. Frames that break up the viewing window into smaller windows, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to move around. The modem is fairly fast - 56k. Yet it still requires substantial amounts of time to load graphics-heavy pages, time I don't want to waste. Graphics are fine, in and of themselves. I mean, look at my page. I've got them scattered all over. But when you depend on the graphics to either navigate the page or to relay the only relevant information on the entire page, it's worthless. Who wants to wait while 15 useless 20K images load? And with no other possible way of navigating the site? What about those who are surfing with old computers? Until a year and a half ago ago, I used a 2400-baud (yes, that number is accurate) modem hooked up to a 486-33, also with a less than stellar monitor. I sure as hell wasn't gonna waste time loading images - I turned them off. And there are others like me.

     And pop-up windows for your links. That REALLY pisses me off. It is a solid demonstration of the ancient Greek characteristic of hubris - excessive pride in one's self and accomplishments. You assume that no one would ever want to leave your web site once they've come to it, so you bounce them to a new window when they try to exit. For God's sake, people, don't you realize that if they use the links, they WANT to leave your site? Why waste their time and processing power to kick open another window if they don't want to look at whatever you happen to have up on your site?

     I was raised to always stand up for whatever I believed in. Regardless of my relationship with my parents, they have always done so, and I admire that. On matter of principle, therefore, I will refuse to link to, and request removal of my link from, sites that put into use any of these practices. You disagree with me? Fine. Send me an e-mail with your thoughts. Then kiss my skinny white @$$.