Learn How to Program Using Any Web Browser

Harold Davis

Apress

Copyright 2004 by Harold Davis

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.

ISBN (pbk): 1-59059-113-5

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• Technical Reviewer: Beth Christmas

• Editorial Board: Dan Appleman, Craig Berry, Gary Cornell, Tony Davis, Steven Rycroft, Julian Skinner, Martin Streicher, Jim Sumser, Karen Watterson, Gavin Wray, John Zukowski

• Assistant Publisher: Grace Wong

• Copy Editor: Kim Wimpsett

• Production Manager: Kari Brooks

• Proofreader: Carol Burbo

• Compositor and Artist: Diana Van Winkle, Van Winkle Design

• Indexer: Michael Brinkman

• Interior and Cover Designer: Kurt Krames

• Manufacturing Manager: Tom Debolski

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Dedication

For the next generation of potential programmers in my family: Peter, Emma, David, Steven, Julian, and Nicholas

About the Author

Harold Davis is a strategic technology consultant, hands-on programmer, and the author of many well-known books.

His books on programming and technology topics include Red Hat Linux 9:Visual QuickPro Guide (Peachpit Press, 2003), Visual Basic .NET for Windows:Visual QuickStart Guide (Peachpit Press, 2003), Visual C# .NET Programming (Sybex, 2002), Visual Basic .NET Programming (Sybex, 2002), The Wi-Fi Experience: Everyone’s Guide to 802.11b Wireless Networking (Que, 2001), Visual Basic 6:Visual QuickStart Guide (Peachpit Press, 1999), Red Hat Linux 6:Visual QuickPro Guide (Peachpit Press, 1999), Visual Basic 6 Secrets (IDG Books, 1998), Visual Basic 5 Secrets (IDG Books, 1997), Visual Basic 4 Secrets (IDG Books, 1996), Web Developer’s Secrets (IDG Books, 1997), and Delphi Power Toolkit: Cutting-Edge Tools & Techniques for Programmers (Ventana, 1995).

In addition to technical books, Harold has written about a wide range of topics, from art and photography to business and the stock market. His Publishing Your Art As Cards, Posters & Calendars (Second Edition: Consultant Press, 1996) is the definitive work on the topic and has been in print for more than 20 years.

Harold has served as a technology consultant for many important businesses, including investment funds, technology companies, and Fortune 500 corporations. In recent years, he was vice president of Strategic Development at YellowGiant Corporation, chief technology officer at an expert systems company, a technical director at Vignette Corporation, and a principal in the e-commerce practice at Informix Software.

Harold started programming when he was a child. He has worked in many languages and environments and has been lead programmer and/or architect in projects for many corporations, including Chase Manhattan Bank, Nike, and Viacom.

Harold was a professional photographer for 15 years, and he maintained a studio in New York City. His photographs have been widely exhibited and published. While a professional photographer, he founded Wilderness Studio, a national distributor of posters and greeting cards.

He has earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from New York University and a doctor’s of jurisprudence degree from Rutgers Law School, where he was a member of the law review.

Harold lives with his wife, Phyllis Davis, who is also an author, and their two sons, Julian and Nicholas, in the hills of Berkeley, California. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, gardening, and collecting antique machines including typewriters and calculation devices.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, thanks go to my friend Gary Cornell, whose idea this book was. Thanks, Gary, for believing in me! Second, great thanks go to Grace Wong, without whom this book wouldn’t exist in its current form (dare I say this is true of most Apress books?).

I also owe a debt of gratitude to Beth Christmas, Martin Davis, and Phyllis Davis, each of whom read this book carefully in manuscript and made many helpful suggestions.