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[compatibility] | ||
| Because most schools and home users do not upgrade their browsers on a regular basis, we designed the site to be compatible with all browsers and platforms. We were hesitant to use modern coding technologies like dynamic HTML and third-party plug-ins (i.e. Shockwave Flash, Liquid Audio, and Real Video) because we know that there are people on the Internet who do not know how to correctly install those plug-ins, although we did chose to use a plug-in technology (Real Video) to lightly compliment our site. Ultimately, we feel we made the right decisions to effectively communicate our message without seeming overly flashy and gaudy animation that most browsers cannot display correctly anyway. | ||
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[site design] | ||
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This site was designed to load quickly to preserve bandwidth for users whose connections are slower than the norm. Yet, we did not sacrifice the appealing nature of the site. Without making the appearance overly flashy, we designed an appealing layout with an emphasis on the material, and not on flashy animations and images. The way it should be. Learning is definitely more important than staring at pretty images. However, this does not mean that we abandoned the appearance of the site. On the contrary, we heavily concentrated on a consistent page layout and color theme. The soft-toned colors were chosen so that they would not draw attention away from the content. In addition, to add to the attractive nature of the site, we integrated relevant in-line images and backgrounds to compliment the topic of each page. Furthermore, the entire site exists on a single server. Therefore, we do not rely on the reliability of multiple servers for each separate function of the site. For example, if our guestbook resides on the Geocities server, we need to rely on the stability Geocities server in addition to the stability of the Thinkquest server. For that reason, we worked hard to have every page of this site to reside on just this one server: the reliable Thinkquest server. |
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[about the images] | ||
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All the images on the site were original images taken either from our home towns of Ukiah, California or Baku, Azerbaijan. We chose images that best displayed the beautiful nature of our homes and instilled them into the site for increased uniqueness and character. Appropriately, most of these images appear in the Site Info section of the site. Corel DRAW! was used to edit the images. To see a list of all contributors and equipment used to construct this site, see the works cited and credits page. |
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[expandability] | ||
| We are ready for millions of users, both good and bad! Because our site allows for a great deal of user interaction, we did not limit the number of users who can access and participate in the site's activities. Along with the users who may contribute to the value of the site, there are always users who degrade it. In that case, we will promptly eliminate their presence on the site and ban them until they agree to be no longer malicious. However, our goal is to have all users share their ideas and be able to experience the thoughts of others. | ||
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