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 was nearly a year away from release.
Internet access was intermittent and slow.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many big-name sites didn't exist (many of their founders weren't even online).
My domain is russharvey.bc.ca because only nationally-registered organizations could have a root .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 (remember, 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 primarily using OS/2 while simultaneously working with clients running Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 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 and not intended for public use.

Initially, this Start Page was hosted on my clients' computers — updated via floppy disk while I was on site or by downloading the “update” from the website via dial-up. Unlike today's connections, dial-up was temporary and shared 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 continuing to update their off-line copy.

The Resources Index Arrives

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. 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 accessible and interactive.
I began to work on building a consistent layout, linking to content on other pages.
I could develop support pages 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.

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 supported millions of colours, images became larger, more detailed and included colours beyond the “Web safe” colours required by earlier computers.

When mobile devices emerged the site was rebuilt using techniques that were responsive to screen size. This required rethinking the layout because navigation on the side no longer worked for narrow screens. 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 found it useful on some pages, including the site navigation page and on my Start Page. The aside was displayed 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.

Eventually, all but the Start Page were rebuilt to remove the aside and place all the content in the main window. This avoided issues with some content being displayed in too narrow a window to be usable.

The OS/2 Sub-site

When I launched this website I was running IBM OS/2 Warp and this site contained very little Windows content even though the majority of my clients were running Windows 3.1 or later Windows 95. 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 documented the knowledge I obtained attending sessions led by 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 sound card to work with my OS/2 system. I incorporated a self-hosted newsgroup using tools provided by Islandnet (a dial-up hosting service predating IslandHosting, a web hosting service that folded in 2025). Eventually the newsgroup was shut down but I retained the most important details within the page itself by formatting the page in a newsgroup layout.

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 OS/2 users world-wide.

OS/2 Becomes Legacy

Today, only a fraction of the OS/2 content remains, mostly devoted to eComStation then Arca (OSOS/2's replacements). Most of the remaining pages depended upon external content which was disappearing rapidly or already gone. Most importantly, this included the critical IBM Device Driver Pak On-line which provided updated drivers for new hardware and updates for versions contained on the CDs that shipped with OS/2 Warp 3 and 4.

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 for consistency of navigation and maintenance.

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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 resulting in poorly organized content making the information difficult to locate. Pages are rewritten to flow better and be more consistent. Some content is moved to a different location or another page as well as verifying, 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 and later content from that page was moved to the Fix Canadian news page which included legislation related to news and the controversial Bills C-11 and C-18.

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 then 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 —

There is now a category on the Self-help Resources index page listing legacy pages.

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. For example, Windows 10 is no longer officially supported, so the page is listed as a legacy resource. However, folks can still get support via Microsoft's ESU program, so there may be changes there.

How Legacy is Assessed

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

The page documents unsupported (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
IBM OS/2 & eComStation.

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This Site is NOT a Blog

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

Not only have these folks failed to look at my site before sending their request, but they also didn't 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 (newsletters, 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 as 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.
See Copyright: who owns content?

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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