(A lot of places have it set up so that all you need to do is specify the directory or even just the computer. These systems have been set up so that if no specific file is given, it looks for one of a certain name. More on this later.)
Typically, the file ends in ".htm" or ".html". These are just text files. If you go to View--Document Source now in Netscape, you will see exactly what Netscape sees when it looks at this page. There are special commands (or "tags") in the file that tell a browser to display certain things in specific ways, so that the document appears as it does in the main Netscape window and not as it does when you view the source.
In the old days (when people walked uphill in the snow both ways) all HTML files were written using text editors. Though some people prefer to do it that way, as the Internet and World Wide Web grew, so did the demand for a HTML file generator that required less work and knowledge of the HTML tags. Now there are programs in software stores that let people put together web pages on their computers just like putting together a letter in Word or WordPerfect.
In order for the rest of the world to see what you've created, you need to move it from your computer to StarNet's... and it needs to be done so that the world can read those files.
Every user on StarNet has their own directory on StarNet's computer (or "server") where they can place files. However, the default is that only the user has access to the files in his directory. Fortunately there are a couple things that have been set up that will automatically create the directory you need in your account as well as set the permissions in that directory so that anyone can view your web pages. (There's a link back on Homepage Central which explains how to use the two methods.)
Well, you've got the files for your web page on your computer and you've got your directory on StarNet's computer all set up. Now the only thing left is to move a copy of those files from your computer to your directory on StarNet. Another link back on Homepage Central goes into detail on how to transfer (or "upload") those files up to StarNet.
First, UNIX (which is the operating system StarNet and most ISPs
use) is case sensitive. That means that a lower case letter and an upper
case letter are not the same. Thus files named "index.html", "Index.html",
and "INDEX.HTML" are considered three completely different files.
This fact is relevant to web pages, specifically to images and links.
If the html file tells the browser to get the image "Picture.Gif" and the
file on the server is named "picture.gif", the image won't appear because
according to UNIX those are two completely different files. Also, if a
page is named "page2.htm", a link (a pointer to another page) that tries
to go to "Page2.htm" or "page2.html" will not work.
Second, if you use Microsoft's FrontPage, most of the FrontPage specific features won't be usable.
Most of those specific features require StarNet's computer to run FrontPage's extension software. There are serious reservations concerning system security and system load.
The license agreement for using the FrontPage extensions prohibits us from figuring out how the software actually works. In other words, they are little black boxes where info comes in and the result comes out the other end. People who have violated the agreement and figured out how the programs work have found ways to get these programs to do things that they weren't supposed to do--things that could result in system crashes or destroying/rewriting files. This is a major security issue and thus will not be allowed.
With around 10,000 users, if even a small percentage of all those people use the Front Page extensions on their page, it would make the computer noticably slower. If the computer slows down, that means it takes longer for people's web pages to appear. If it gets particularly bad, it can cause the computer to crash.
Third, you must abide by the Acceptable Use Protocol found online or in the manual. (Basically, "Play nice and don't break any laws.")
Fourth, you cannot advertise a business or product using a personal web page. If you want to use a web page for advertising, you must obtain a commercial web page. Details for those can be found at http://www.azstarnet.com/public/commercial/.
Fifth, you have five megs of space on the server for all your files. This shouldn't be a problem for most people. However, if more is needed, each additional 5 megs will mean an additional $2.50/month (added to the current bill).
The last part changes for each user. It is a tilde ("~" or the squiggly line to the right of the one on most keyboards) followed by the username in all lower case. (Your username is the three to seven character name you selected when you started the account.) Thus, if the user "support" sets up a homepage, then the web page address (or URL) would be
http://www.azstarnet.com/~support/
Remember that bit about most systems having a setup so that a certain file is looked for automatically if none is specified? Well, StarNet has that as well. We follow the standard of looking for a file called "index.html". Again, remember that UNIX is case sensitive so that "INDEX.HTML", "Index.html", "index.htm" or any other variation will not work.
If your first page is named "index.html", all you have to do is give the URL to your site and end with your directory. Our computer will automatically find and send the index.html file to the person who requested it. For example, the user "support" could name their main page "index.html" and thus all they would have to tell anyone is that their web page was at "http://www.azstarnet.com/~support/" (without the quotes, as usual). Otherwise, you must give the page name or the computer won't find the index.html and tell the person trying to see your page that they are forbidden access to your directory.