Bios 321: Animal Behavior
Back to the NSCI 001 Course Page
There is also a security issue here. Some of the best systems administrators on campus are of the opinion that putting a WWW server on a computer may make it accessible to unauthorized breakin. Frankly, others disagree. Clearly this is an issue that must be addressed by every user. The alternative to putting course pages on personal or departmental machines is to put them on Owlnet. The security questions still exist on Owlnet, but at least the course pages are all in one place, and the Owlnet staff is aware of the problem.
Putting the course page on Owlnet makes it more accessible to the students, both to those enrolled in the course and to those who want to browse. On the other hand, putting the course page on a computer which is more accessible to you facilitates the many changes you will be making in a course page. However, in my mind the security issue is serious enough to weigh the balance heavily in favor of using Owlnet.
If you wish to consider running your own server, see the W3 Server Software list of WWW servers. If you decide to put the course page on a departmental or personal machine, then you are on your own. Here we will describe what is necessary to get a course account on Owlnet, and to install the course page in that account.
rlogin gg -l apply.
It will take a day or two to process your application, but you can check the progress using any one of the three procedures described earlier. Again log in as apply. When the account is approved, you will have to take a hike to Mudd to pick up the account information, and then you are ready to go.
A course page is only one of the many advantages that is provided by an Owlnet course account. For a complete description see the Faculty Guide to Owlnet.
public_html. Put your course page into this
directory with the name index.html. You need to put
any ancillary files you create into the same directory. To accomplish these tasks, it is necessary to work in the course account, using UNIX. The most straightforward way to access the course account is from an Owlnet workstation. Log in with the course name as the user name. It is possible to access the account remotely from almost any computer on the network, probably including the one in your office. The details of doing this depend on local conditions, so it is best to consult a departmental systems administrator or the divisional support team from Information Services.
When connected to the course account, enter the following commands.
cd mkdir public_html cd public_htmlThe first command, cd, makes sure that you are in the course account's main directory. The second, mkdir public_html, creates a subdirectory with the name public_html. The third command changes your location to that subdirectory. This is the place to put the index.html file.
These few commands are almost all of UNIX that it is necessary to know. To be on the safe side there are a few more basic UNIX commands that you should understand.
Your new course page will be accessible at the URL
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~youraccountname.
The most direct way is to work on Owlnet, either at one of the Owlnet
workstations, or remotely. Use Mosaic to access the NSCI 001 Course
page, and save the source file with the name index.html
in the subdirectory public_html (see the next section). Then
use an editor to edit the file. Of course this method requires
learning something about UNIX and how
to use an editor. However, almost
everything you need to know about UNIX is on this page, and an editor
is just a dumb word processor, so this is not nearly as difficult as
it might sound.
The second method is to work on your own computer, downloading the source file as before, editing the file as needed, and examining the result using a local browser. When everything works to your satisfaction, transfer the file to the public_html directory in the course account with the name index.html. The file transfer is easily accomplished using ftp. From a networked Mac you can use Fetch, and from a PC, PC FTP. (For more details, see Creating HTML Documents on Macs and PCs. In this document, substitute Owlnet wherever you see RUF.)
The first method is more difficult to set up, and it requires some basic knowledge of UNIX and how to use an editor. However, once it is set up, the connection can be easily repeated, and used to make changes as necessary. The second method requires knowing how to ftp a file, which is much easier than learning UNIX and the use of an editor. However, the second method makes it more difficult to make small changes to the course page. There is no clear choice here. It is up to you.
For example, if you are using Netscape, move back to the
NSCI 001 Course Page. Then select source... from the
View menu. You will be presented with a copy of the
source document for the
template. By clicking on the Save ... button, and following
instructions, you will be able to put a copy of the template where you
want it.
If you are using Mosaic, move back to the
NSCI 001 Course Page.
Then
choose Save as... from the File menu. You
will be presented with a Save Document window. In the middle there
will be pop-up menu labeled Format for saved document:.
Select HTML from this menu, and then choose where you want
the template.
If you are using a different navigator, there is undoubtedly a similar procedure that will achieve your purpose.
The source document for the template is an ASCII or a text document. It can be edited in any text editor or word processor. If you do use a word processor, be sure to save the document as text after you are through. It is best to use a monospaced font.
If you want to break a line without inserting the extra space for a new paragraph, insert <br>. This is called a line break.
If you want some text to appear in bold face it is necessary to put it between <b> and </b>, e.g. <b> some text </b>. Italics or slanted text must be inserted between <em> and </em>.
You will notice that the template has these code segments in upper case type, while the examples here are in lower case. The fact is that HTML is insensitive to case.
The list used in Homework is called a definition list. These are started with <DL>, and ended with </DL>. Each list item has two parts. The first is called a term, and is prefixed with <DT>. The second is called a definition, and is prefixed with a <DD>.
Definition lists are also used in the section staff. Here a separate list is used for each person on the staff, with the name of the person being the term, and the information list providing the definition. Notice that <br> is used to terminate each line. The result is a list without bullets.
Lists are a little complicated. In more complicated situations they can be nested to good effect. (See the Table of Contents for this page.)The lists in the template are separated so that they can be easily modified, duplicated, and deleted to suit your purpose.
There are now a large number of courses that have course pages. Here is what the list looked like in May 1995.
Caam 210/211: Introduction to Engineering Computation
Chem 105: Introductory Lab in Quantitative Chemistry
Hart 331: Film and TV Authors: Kubrick, Scorsese, and Mekas
Math 211: Ordinary Differential Equations and Linear Algebra
Nsci 230: Computation in the Natural Sciences
Each of these pages is interesting. Each of them has something that is not present in the others. Your attention is especially directed to the Nsci 230 page. This course page brings together all of the information a student will need to participate in the course.
The most highly developed of these course pages is Hist 333, Galileo in Context, and its link to the Galileo Project. Visiting it is a must, especially if you have any interest in the history of science and Galileo's place in it. However, be warned. You will be fascinated. Do not enter here unless you are willing to spend some time.
There are many other resources available on the Web. A good list is in the AboutRiceInfo page put together by Information Systems. Another general source is Creating Net Sites, provided by the Netscape Communications Corporation.
Rice Information Systems has already made a lot of their information available on the Web. Some of what they have to offer is referred to in the course pages listed earlier. In fact Information Systems contributed significantly to the most of those pages. The following is a partial list of starting points through which to access their information.
Information about UNIX and editors will also be useful.
Finally, one of the most attractive features of HTML documents is the ability to integrate in line graphics. Instructions for doing this are in the documents on HTML refered to earlier. However, you should realize that copyright restrictions apply to graphics as well as to other intellectual property. Before using a graphics object, be sure that it is in the public domain, or that you have the proper permission.
There are a large number of graphics available on the Web. To begin with, you can find a small collection of graphics on Owlnet in /home/nsci001/public_html/icons. If you are working on Owlnet, you can simply copy them to your course account. To find a larger collection you can use Yahoo. An even more extensive source is Images, Icons, and Flags. It is also possible to take your own graphics, i.e., photos, maps, etc., and scan them into the computer. Information on how to do this at Rice is available. It is necessary that the documents be saved in the GIF format.
Back to the NSCI
001 Course Page
This page is maintained by John C. Polking, polking@rice.edu
Last edited 5/22/95.