# Web Design Help **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 13, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742 "2008-06-13T00:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/1 "2008-06-13T00:46:12Z")
Looks like work wants me to handle some bit of web design. I used to do a lot of webdesign and database interface stuff with ASP, but I’ve been out of the loop for a looong time. I’m thinking about using [ASP.net](http://ASP.net) and css as well as Java to do what we need to do. I know my way around Java, and I love some of the examples I’ve seen of modern CSS use where the HTML is just pure content, all properly marked, and then CSS is used to make the content look just about anyway you want it to look. Looks really interesting and powerful. So what I need help with is some book recommendations, something I can use to get acquainted with [ASP.net](http://ASP.net), how to use CSS to create webpages and do stuff like hide content create tables, and just show content in a useful way. Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/2 "2008-06-13T02:35:30Z")
I think you’ll want to check out Ajax instead of Java. If you want to show and hide things on the client side, Ajax is the way to go. [Here’s Microsoft’s official site](http://asp.net/ajax/) As for books…sorry, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/3 "2008-06-13T06:46:40Z")
Java or Javascript? Please don’t get them confused. I’ve never used ASP. What’s so useful about Active Server Pages? Can you maybe look into PHP (and MySQL) instead? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/4 "2008-06-13T07:38:48Z")
I have bookmarked a lot of useful CSS and web design-related sites out there and [here’s the list.](http://blnwebdesign.com/webdesignbookmarks.html) It’s long, but there’s lots of good stuff in there. I taught myself everything about web design and CSS from the web, and didn’t use a single book! There’s such a goldmine of info out there. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/5 "2008-06-13T09:01:07Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] I think you’ll want to check out Ajax instead of Java. If you want to show and hide things on the client side, Ajax is the way to go. [Here’s Microsoft’s official site](http://asp.net/ajax/) [/QUOTE] I disagree. Whenever possible, you should avoid proprietary commercial ‘systems’ and stay with defined, open standards. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/6 "2008-06-13T09:04:21Z")
AJAX isn’t an exclusively MS thing though, is it? (although I agree, it’s worth steering clear of anything Microsoft says about t’internet) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/7 "2008-06-13T10:18:43Z")
[QUOTE=nyctea scandiaca] I have bookmarked a lot of useful CSS and web design-related sites out there and [here’s the list.](http://blnwebdesign.com/webdesignbookmarks.html) It’s long, but there’s lots of good stuff in there. [/QUOTE] Damn, that’s useful! I’m going to bookmark this myself. In fact, I may even keep a local version of it in case you lose it somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/8 "2008-06-13T11:04:11Z")
Thanks for the sugegstions guys. **Nyctea** those are amazing, thanks a bunch! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/9 "2008-06-13T14:13:50Z")
AJAX isn’t a MS thing by a long shot. > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML), or AJAX, is a group of inter-related web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications. A primary characteristic is the increased responsiveness of web pages achieved by exchanging small amounts of data with the server “behind the scenes” so that entire web pages do not have to be reloaded each time there is a need to fetch data from the server. This is intended to increase the web page’s interactivity, speed, functionality and usability. But, if you’re using [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) and you use the free Visual [Studio.Net](http://Studio.Net) Express, you’re just 2 clicks away from having a boatload of free [AJAX-for-ASP.NET](http://AJAX-for-ASP.NET) components running on your site. That is why I linked to the MS AJAX site. Thanks for the finger wagging tho. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/10 "2008-06-13T14:33:13Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] I disagree. Whenever possible, you should avoid proprietary commercial ‘systems’ and stay with defined, open standards. [/QUOTE] There’s nothing proprietary about AJAX. It is, however, overrated, and used in a lot of places where some more simple Javascript and/or server-side templating would be a more appropriate solution. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-design-help/452742/11 "2008-06-13T16:52:11Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] Damn, that’s useful! I’m going to bookmark this myself. In fact, I may even keep a local version of it in case you lose it somehow. [/QUOTE] Thanks, glad my incessant bookmarking can be of help to you! By the way, I uploaded a [new copy (same url though) with more bookmarks](http://blnwebdesign.com/webdesignbookmarks.html) that I didn’t include in the last one, so you might want to save this new copy.