Site History and Maintenance

About these resources

Site History | Site Maintenance | Legacy Resources | NOT a Blog | Contact Guidelines

The pages on this site are NOT a blog. To understand what that means, you need to consider the history of these pages and the difference between a website and a blog.

Site History

When I first created this site, few businesses and even fewer individuals had a website. Being “online” generally meant accessing AOL, CompuServe or a local BBS via dial-up (if you were connected at all).

Most people were running DOS or Windows 3.1. Windows 95 (code-named “Chicago”) was nearly a year away from release).
Internet access was and
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many big-name sites didn't yet exist.
My domain was russharvey.bc.ca because only nationally-registered organizations could have a .ca domain.

In November, 1994 OS/2 Warp 3 provided me with a leading edge operating system that included the tools to get onto the Internet for less than the $150 it cost to purchase the software necessary for Windows 3.1 to access the Internet. OS/2 included a 32-bit Lotus software suite but I could still run most 16-bit Windows 3.1 programs (most folks were still running Windows 3.1 or Windows NT).

Because I was running OS/2 Warp (and later Windows 95 using dual boot) I was becoming much more informed about that operating system while simultaneously working with clients running mostly Windows systems.

My “Start Page”

I first created a series of related pages on topics that would help my clients understand concepts like proper email address etiquette. Initially, there was no complete listing except on a separate “Start Page” maintained only for myself and my clients. That page was not intended for public use.

Hosted on Client Computers

This Start Page was hosted on my clients' computers — updated via floppy disk while I was onsite or by downloading the “update” from the website via dial-up. Unlike today's connections, dial-up was temporary and used the home or business phone line for Internet access.

High-speed Internet Arrives

When high-speed Internet emerged, I linked people directly to the online “update” page rather than updating their off-line copy.

At that time, the shortcomings of a site with unorganized resources soon became apparent. While clients had a directory via the Start Page, it wasn't public.

The Resources Index Arrives

I made the decision to create the resource index page to support the rapidly emerging Internet-connected public.

The pages were now publicly indexed which helped make them accessable and interactive.
I began to work on building a consistent layout, linking to content on other pages.
I could develop resources that provided the basics for my clients, but also help others on the Web.
Links to external authority content provided access to deeper explanations than a site like mine could attempt. It also verified content and provided access to copyrighted material on the owner's site.

When this site was originally built, most people were viewing the Internet on small 14 inch monitors using a 640x480 pixel resolution. Images were much smaller (large images consumed a lot of bandwidth when using a dialup modem) and fixed layouts with the navigation menu on the left of the screen were common.

The Site Becomes Responsive

As computer screens became larger and millions of colours became possible, images became larger, with more detail and variations of colour. “Web safe” colours were no longer necessary.

Then mobile devices emerged and the site was rebuilt using techniques that are responsive to screen size. This required a rethinking of layout because navigation menues on the side no longer worked. Moving them to the top of the screen fixed part of the problem, but the number of menu items had to be reduced to fit. The “hamburger” menu was the answer, reformatting the menu when the screen size warranted it.

As more and more users began viewing websites on narrow devices rather than computer monitors, I revised large portions of the site to remove the sidebar (“aside”) but still find it useful on some pages, particularly the site policy and navigation help pages.

Where the asside remains, it will appear to the right of the main content on wide screens, but at the bottom of the main content when viewed on narrow screens like smart phones in portrait mode.

The OS/2 Sub-site

I mentioned that I was running IBM OS/2 Warp when I launched this website. At the time, this site contained very little Windows content even though the majority of my clients were running some version of Windows.

OS/2 was not as well documented as Windows and over time I developed a sub-site devoted entirely to that operating system.

This was the first time this site was purposely dedicated to providing a resource to the public (I had no local clients running OS/2). It was an independent site that contained the knowledge I obtained attending sessions with much more skilled OS/2 users working in government and industry as well from my online research.

I later began to incorporate helpful resources that were being abandoned by other users starting with the Creative AWE64 sound cards with OS/2 developed by John LeMay to discuss the challenges of getting that hardware to work with OS/2. I incorporated a self-hosted newsgroup using tools provided by Islandnet (a dial-up hosting service predating IslandHosting). Eventually the newsgroup was shut down but I retained the most important details within the page itself.

I later added Frank McKenney's “Applying Service to OS/2 Warp” and before the decline of OS/2 popularity, this OS/2 site was one of the “authority” sites visited and referenced by users world-wide.

OS/2 Becomes Legacy

Today, only a fraction of the OS/2 content remains, mostly devoted to eComStation and Arca (OSOS/2's replacements) since most of the remaining legacy resources depended upon external content which have mostly disappeared, including the critical IBM Device Driver Pak On-line which provided drivers for new hardware and updates for older versions contained on the CDs that came with OS/2 Warp.

Although the OS/2 sub-site had its own branding and style, it was later rebuilt to the same layout standards as the other resources on this site.

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Site Maintenance

Unlike blogs and their collection of one-off posts, most pages on this site are regularly maintained.

I update the references to software and techniques to current standards as technologies change.
I update, replace or remove links to content as necessary to remain current.
I add or remove pages and content as needed.
Changed content is re-indexed on the resource index.

Rebuilding Pages

This site is complex and contains so much information that pages can lose their cohesion. Sections within some pages became isolated making that page poorly organized and the information difficult to locate.

To remedy this, pages are rewritten to flow better and be more consistent. Some content was moved to a different location or moved to a new page as well as updating or replacing links. When a page has too much content, it is split off into two or more pages.

An example is the Identity Theft content. It was eventually broken into four pages focused on:

identity theft (the original page);
vishing (phone fraud);
phishing (email fraud); and
computer support scams.

I later split content from the Internet at Risk page to create the “Canadian Internet Legislation” page .

Each time such a change is made, the site's resource index page is updated to reflect the changing nature of the site content. Content and internal links need to be revised and broken links repaired.

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Legacy Resources

Over time, some pages are no longer suitable for updating. Critical external references are disappearing or have already gone. At a certain point updating becomes difficult or impossible leaving me with two options:

the page is removed from the site; or
the page is labelled as a “legacy” resource.

Legacy pages remaining on the site have the following added near the top of the page:

— I no longer develop this legacy resource —

The listing on the Self-help Resources index page now has Legacy added to its listing(s).

While I may sometimes return to such pages and try to clean them up, for the most part this involves removing content and linked resources rather than repairing them or seeking new content.

How Legacy is Assessed

The following issues cause me to designate pages as a legacy resource:

The page documents obsolete software or hardware.
External supporting documentation is either gone or disappearing rapidly.
The content may have been replaced with a page about newer technologies.

Examples of legacy pages are:

Windows XP (obsolete operating system);
Java (no longer supported by current browsers); and
most pages on the IBM OS/2, eComStation & ArcaOS sub-site.

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This Site is NOT a Blog

I receive ongoing requests to include “guest posts” on my “blog.”

Not only do these folks appear to have failed to look at my site before sending their request, but they failed to read my site contact policies.

The nature of this site makes the concept of “guest posts” unworkable even if I were to choose to consider the legal complexities of hosting content written by other people.

What's Different About a Blog?

A blog is a series of one-time posts that are sorted by date.

Each post is a one-time publication. Although there is generally a theme to a blog, each post is independent of any other.
Because blogs are sorted by date, older content isn't considered a problem (unlike outdated content on a website).
A new post can relate newer information without anyone expecting you to remove or update older posts.
Blogs use labels or categories to connect users to posts with common themes.

Because each post is independent, it can be difficult to locate specific information other than by using the categories and labels provided by the blogger.

Blogs work well for content that is either date sensitive (events, notifications, etc.) or serial in nature (newletters, current events, etc.).

This Site is Different

Unlike blog posts, pages on this site are not posted, then promptly abandoned.

Instead, the site consists of a series of regular web pages that are routinely maintained until they are designated as legacy resources.

Content is added when I came across information I feel should be included. It is usually added to a existing page with similar relevant content unless the amount of information or a unique topic requires a separate page (e.g., Artificial Intelligence).

Occasional Re-writes Required

Every once in a while I review and edit pages to remove older content and fix broken links. The page is often rewritten to restore a rhythm to the text. Sometimes this means that content is moved to a more logical location or I create a new page when the amount of new content justifies it.

Russ' Blog

I didn't build a blog for a long time because of the limitations imposed by blogging software.

I refer to Russ' Rants as my “sometimes” blog, since I seldom post to it. Instead, it became a place to post thought processes, something more suited to a blog.

In March 2007, I posted my first post, “My Web Design Journey”, on Russ' Rants.

This blog is an experiment for me. I've been building sites by hand since 1994 and I've learned the technology as it developed.

I built Russ' Rants to learn the basics of blogging on Blogger (the most popular blogging software at the time). I later experimented with WordPress, but this remains my only public blog even though it is pretty much abandoned.

I've also built and helped maintain WordPress blogs for clients including editing the Youth for Christ Victoria website (part of a multi-site WordPress blog built by someone else).

Blogs should generally be much better maintained, but my blog was an experiment rather than a marketing tool.

The content generally doesn't fit within the framework of this site.
It allowed me to post information that is date-sensitive without worrying about it making this site look stale.

Since I can edit this site as I choose and spend a great deal of time working on it, I haven't anything on my blog for quite some time and may choose to close it at some point.

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Contact Guidelines

If you're planning to contact me, know that the primary purpose of my site is to provide resources to my clients and as a reference point when providing my “Help Desk” services. It also enables clients and potential clients with reference material when preparing for a service call.

In addition, I hope that others find these resources useful. I've spent a great deal of time ensuring that site remains relevant.

Links Policy

Most links point to online resources that support my site's content.
I rarely use (nor often acknowledge) most link suggestions.
I only respond to link requests when I have decided to include the resource and need more information.

Before Contacting Me

Please review my guidelines. I do NOT:

exchange reciprocal links;
link to competing services;
accept “guest” posts;
accept advertising; or
link to irrelevant resources.

I rarely respond to link requests unless the resources noted are of particular interest or provide references to subject matters I'm planning to improve upon. I'm seldom interested in adding additional links similar to what already exists unless the content is truly important to myself or the site.

I will contact you if I need more information. That is unlikely if your suggestion doesn't fit my requirements.

Read About these Resources to learn more.

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Related Resources

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