HyperText Markup Language (HTML) Explained

Why you needn't bother learning HTML

WYSIWYG editors already exist (like Netscape Gold)

Automatic converters rarely do exactly what you want

LaTeX users will be happy; it's similar to LaTeX

non-LaTeX users will be happy; it's nothing like LaTeX

It's not that bad...

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a text-based text formatting description (similar to LaTeX, Scribe, etc)

HTML commands are CaSe-InSeNsItIvE

Some commands are only given once:

<LI>, <P>,
	<HR>

Others must be opened and closed explicitly:

<EM>text</EM>,
	<STRONG>text</STRONG>

You cannot control the precise layout; each Web client (e.g., Mosaic) will display your page in a slightly different way.

You cannot center images or text; everything is left-justified (well, Netscape lets you do this but not everyone uses it)

You cannot include tables or mathematical symbols in your text (but some converters like LaTeX2html let you fake them)

PC Week Crash Course (you can ignore the <html>, <head>, and <body> sections at first)

NCSA Primer (you should already be familiar with the Web)