Issue Number 01 - December 1998Home - Subscribe - Archive - Reviews - Email |
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Welcome to the MANTEX newsletter! Here's a quick list of topics covered in our first issue.
Web Navigation - review article Design - an electronic newsletter Typography - book reviews Software - a free HTML editor A busy writer's mailing list Best Internet provider of the month Writing Matters Writers, journalists, and researchers might like to bookmark a site which features a very useful page of links to resources. Jane Dorner at <www.editor.net> has assembled a bibliograpy [some people say 'netography'] of sources covering topics such as --
Journalism Poetry Reference: Directories Reference: Libraries Reference: Texts Societies: UK Translators' Reference Word Play & Grammar Writing Resources
Design article Jennifer Fleming, Web Navigation: Designing the User Experience, O'Reilly, 1998, pp.253 plus CD-ROM, ISBN 1-56592-351-0 
This is a fascinating book which considers the
principles of design [or 'information architecture']
in relation to large-scale web sites. It comes from
the enterprising stable of O'Reilly Associates, who
publish high quality books for web designers,
programmers, and anyone interested in the sharp end
of information technology.
For a review-article on this publication, go to --
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/fleming.htm DRS Electronic newsletter DRS_NEWS is the electronic newsletter of the Design Research Society. It communicates news about research throughout the world. It is mailed automatically at the beginning of each month. To have monthly copies of DRS_NEWS emailed to you, just join the 'Design-Research' mailing list. Send an email message to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk (leave the 'subject' line blank ie. press 'return') Type a message which reads: JOIN DESIGN-RESEARCH <Your Name> Past copies of DRS_NEWS can also be found at <http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists-a-e/design-research> DRS discussion list DRS is the discussion list now open for unmoderated discussion on all matters related to design research. To monitor and/or join discussions on design research emailed to you automatically, join the 'DRS' mailing list. Send an email message to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk (leave the 'subject' line blank) Type a message which reads: JOIN DRS <Your Name> Archived copies of these discussions can also be found at -- <http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists-a-e/drs> Further information about the Design Research Society can be found at: <http://www.drs.org.uk> Typography matters TypeBooks is a web site which features articles and reviews of books dealing with typography. Delve Withrington maintains the site, which lists reviews of books and periodicals. It also has interviews with typographists, biographical sketches of authors, and an impressive archive of reviews of classic titles. This is a serious location for lovers of typographical design.
Eric Gill's An Essay on Typography
Go to -- <http://www.typebooks.org> Free software Have you wondered which HTML editor to choose for designing your web pages? HotMetal Pro? Front Page? Dreamweaver? Prices of software are coming down, but these programs are not cheap. Why not try a program which is free? Yes, absolutely free! Arachnophilia may not have the snappiest name, but it's an excellent editor, with all the features you need for building professional quality web pages. Moreover, it has two features especially worth mentioning. First, it doesn't secretly add any code in the way which has made Front Page a dirty word amongst many users. Second, it has a terrific site-analysing tool. When you have finished building your pages, the program will not only check that all your links are working - it will identify the exact point of a problem in any page. In fact the cursor is placed there - ready for you to make the necessary change. Why is it free? Because the author, Paul Lutus, believes in 'careware' - and all he asks in return is that you are nice to other people for one day in your life. That's not too much to ask, is it? Give it a try. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. It should be available from any of the major shareware sites such as TUCOWS or NONAGS - or from the author's own site. Make sure you get the spelling right! <http://www.arachnoid.com/arachnophilia> Writer's mailing list If you are interested in how writers work, what they discuss amongst themselves, and how they land book contracts, work with agents, and generally exchange trade secrets and the latest gossip - then there's an excellent mailing list for you at David Rogelberg's 'Computer Book Publishing' David is a literary agent who specialises in computer book publishing, and he maintains a list whose members you will recognise from the covers of many best-selling computer books. They exchange their trade talk at quite a furious rate, so it's best to subscribe to the daily digest of messages. Recent topics have included 'unfair' book reviews at Amazon.com, working with editors, writing best-sellers, payments to writers, the advantages and disadvantages of self-employment and what writers wear whilst word-processing in the privacy of their own homes [which gave rise to an acronym I'd not seen before - NIFK - 'naked in front of the keyboard'].
Join Digest <mailto:digest-cbp@lists.studiob.com> Publishing news BookData now claims to be the biggest online source of bibliographic information in the UK. It has recently gone into a merger with Amazon.com, who have opened their European operations at <http://www.amazon.co.uk> Publishing News is its free weekly newsletter which contains attractively concise news items from the world of books and publishing. The latest issue has items on Waterstone's expansion plans, the ghost-writing of the Monica Lewinsky's 'confessions', and an update on the UK best selling titles [Delia Smith, of course]. If you wish to receive PN Direct, just send your e-mail address to <pn@thebookplace.com> Best Internet provider of the month Every month, Internet Monthly magazine runs tests on the services provided by every Internet Service provider in the UK. The results are listed in two categories:
* best over the last six months We'll be reporting their findings in each issue of the newsletter. This will give UK subscribers a chance to witness the ups and downs of this volatile market - and to make up their own minds on who offers most value for money in the short and long term. Internet Magazine list the full findings at -- <www.internet-magazine.com/isp/tests> BEST FOR THE LAST MONTH -- Primex BEST FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS -- Technocom Be warned! The results for the last month vary widely, and are very volatile. Think about it. A newish ISP will have very few subscribers, so they will all enjoy very rapid access times - whereas a more established provider with more subscribers will face more bandwidth congestion. In the next issue
A free research newsletter A free HTML design tutorial Free tips on web site promotion Study Skills software program (c) Copyright 1998, MANTEX All Rights Reserved If you like this newsletter, PLEASE FORWARD IT to friends and colleagues. Please retain the copyright and subscription information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and subscription information remains. If you have any requests, observations, or items you would like to be included in our next issues, just mail us at -- <news@mantex.co.uk>
You receive the MANTEX newsletter because you subscribed. If you wish to unsubscribe, go to <http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm> News-01-Dec98 |
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