In examining web sites in preparation to build the OCS / CCCS site, I found a lack of information on what products were used to build various pages and sites. To help those who might wish to know those details for this site, let me provide the following information:
SoftQuad's HoTMetaL PRO 6.0 was my primary page and site design tool. Most of the HTML and JavaScript coding was done using this product and much of the code was generated by the automated features of HM. HoTMetaL is an excellent web development tool. It is, perhaps, a bit less polished than some of its high-end competitiors, but does not lack for functionality. While the sheer range of features it provides might intimidate some first-timers, this was my first page-building effort and I found HM PRO to be both a first-rate design tool and a perfect learning environment. I chose HM after also demoing Dreamweaver, GoLive, and NetObjects Fusion. Unfortunately, Corel, which bought SoftQuad, has dropped the product. The best alternative I have found, to date, is HTML-Kit, a free, share-ware product with impressive functionality. I am using HK in a rewrite of my site to use the latest CSS and XHTML techniques.
To produce the graphics and photos I used Arts & Letters, Corel Draw and Photo Paint, and Ulead PhotoImpact (the latter was included with HoTMetal PRO). All the photos were taken with an Olympus C-4040 digital camera. The on-water action photos utilized the C-4040 in the Olympus PT-010 waterproof case. The CCCS newsletter and forms were created in WordPerfect.
The backgrounds are optimized to a 1024 x 768 resolution, but composition is created with consideration for 800 x 600.
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