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On first glance, it might seem that getting Web content onto a CD-ROM could be as simple as copying files. The truth is, because the Web is fundamentally a Client/Server system, and because HTML files are linked together, content must be retrieved using HTTP and then "relocated" to a local storage area. Experienced Web developers know many of the pitfalls that surround relocating HTML files. But a whole new set of issues arise when building true hybrid Web/CD-ROMs. These applications are designed to bypass the Internet bandwidth bottleneck by allowing users to view the bulk of a program on their local CD-ROM in a "Web environment", while seamlessly using the Internet to retrieve updates and respond to client requests. This document points out a few of these challenges and shows how a dedicated tool set like MarketScape™ WebCD™ can produce high-quality hybrid applications in far less time than manual procedures.
Rather than copying, it is necessary to "relocate" Web content to the CD-ROM in order to build an open, cross-platform solution that has the look and feel of the live Web site. "Relocating" is a broad term that encompasses HTML retrieval, link editing, file renaming and image map conversion. WebCD lets users avoid the time intensive and error prone steps that occur if trying to copy a Web site to CD-ROM.
Hybrid Web/CD-ROM solutions can relocate specific parts of a Web site to CD-ROM while preserving links back to the Internet. For example, you may decide to leave a "What's New" page on the Internet and transfer the rest of your site to CD-ROM. If you're copying files, you will have to review your entire Web site and change every hypertext link to the What's New page to an absolute URL. What's more, most sites use URLs that are relative to the content home directory (e.g. HREF="/home.html"). Because these links are only partially relative, they too will be broken when copied to CDROM. Not only does WebCD take care of these link editing steps for you, an additional "site integrity" feature identifies links that were broken in your original Web site.
Visitors to your Web site use a browser to interact with your Web server. To avoid losing critical Web content, you have to speak to the Web server using the same protocol - HTTP. Think about it. How else can you handle CGI output? How about redirected URLs, virtual paths and directory URLs? With WebCD all of these problems are taken care of for you. And WebCD builds in all the right defaults. For example, form actions are left live on the Internet so users can respond to your call to action in real-time.
Most sites make use of the older "server-side" image map format. These images maps will not function on a CDROM unless you first convert them to the "client-side" format. You will also need to insert each client-side image map into every file that references it and add the USEMAP tag. For the navigation bars that appear throughout a typical Web site, this means you will need to edit nearly every file! WebCD will take care of all this for you. Server-side image maps are converted and all files that reference the map are modified to use the client-side format.
Most Web servers are hosted on UNIX, Windows NT, or Macintosh platforms that support long filenames. These servers continually access their files in response to client requests. If you now want users of the Windows 3.1 platform (which does not support long file names) to run your portable Web site, you must first rename all your files to use the "8.3" filename format, then edit every URL in every file. In addition, ISO 9660 (the standard physical CD-ROM format) requires 8.3 filenames. WebCD solves these problems by automatically renaming files and editing all the links to these files appropriately.
Copying files from a remote location can be a logistical
nightmare. If access to the file system is granted, there are
security issues. If files are sent on portable media, then changing
content becomes a concern. Problems multiply in hybrid applications
that include content from multiple web sites. One common example
is a hybrid Web/CDROM promoting the solutions of your
business partners. Instead of needing local access to the Web
server of each business partner, WebCD uses HTTP to interact with
the server, allowing convenient remote packaging of Web content.
Another big benefit is that WebCD is easy to use. Dedicated "wizards" allow non-technical staff in Sales, Marketing and Customer Service to create hybrid applications without the involvement of the Web development team, freeing them for other tasks.
For all the reasons mentioned above, copying a Web site to a CD-ROM demands numerous manual procedures that drain productivity and result in a CDROM that is of suspect quality. This is wasted effort that could have been spent improving your Web content. Consider the multiplier effect caused by updating your Internet/CDROM on a quarterly or monthly basis. With WebCD, hybrid publishing is effortless. Step by step wizards, an intuitive Windows interface and integrated CDROM mastering combine to make the process fast and easy. And WebCD lets you update your content with a single mouse click, making it practical to publish your WebCD on a regular basis.
It doesn't make much sense to distribute your Web content if end users can't view and search it. Without WebCD, hybrid CD-ROM development would require helper applications, plug-ins, browsers, and search engines to be distributed, installed and correctly configured across multiple operating platforms and browsers. Not only is this a significant technical burden, but it also requires negotiating favorable distribution terms and ensuring license compliance. WebCD takes care of these chores for you to ensure 100% viewable content. Consider what's included, installed and configured with each WebCD:
Install and uninstall programs are provided to make a professional first impression. Complete control in customizing logo, program group and icon name, licensing agreement and other information allow you to present a favorable company image.
Popular helper applications and plug-ins such as Adobe Acrobat® and Apple QuickTime® are built-in and can be included by simply checking the option. New helpers and the latest updates are always being added. And of course, MarketScape® ensures licensing compliance, eliminating the hassle and legal risk to your organization.
WebCD works with the end user's Netscape or Microsoft browser, allowing the recipient to navigate the content with the help of a familiar interface. If no browser is present WebCD will install the Microsoft Internet Explorer, ensuring that your information is accessible to all Windows users. Because WebCD uses the open HTML format, Mac and UNIX users can take advantage of the Web content simply by opening the home page with their browser.
With CD-ROM capacity of 650 Megabytes of information, you want to ensure that your users can quickly pinpoint the information they need. WebCD's integrated full-text search engine simplifies the process of locating specific Web documents.
WebCD doesn't just relocate a Web site to CD-ROM, it creates a connection between your CD and the World Wide Web. The WebCD features that make creating a hybrid Web/CD-ROM effortless are unavailable to those using ad-hoc approaches:
The WebCD spider discovers the Web's structure and builds a graphical inventory of the Web site. You then select which content is placed on the CD and which links hook back to the Internet, all with a simple mouse click. This greatly simplifies content selection and speeds the entire process of creating a hybrid Web/CD.
WebCD lets you highlight those "must-see" pages with its graphical bookmarks view to customize your WebCD for a specific event or demographic. And WebCD's Live-link bookmarks facilitate commerce by letting you add a strong call to action that connects back to your Web site ordering system. Live-links to late breaking news sections and interactive forms drive up Web visits, which makes your Web site more valuable and promotes long term relationships.
With the speed and convenience of CD-ROM it becomes practical to integrate high-bandwidth content that is not practical on your Web site. With WebCD this is easily accomplished through the drag and drop interface. Now you can add corporate videos, multimedia presentations, slide shows, audio, document, and spreadsheet files to your communications mix. Not only does this allow you to share more information with your end users, but it also allows you to communicate more effectively using a rich variety of media. And, since WebCD lets you launch this content from the bookmarks view, there is never a need to author custom HTML.
A hybrid Web/CD-ROM isn't complete until you've
produced an ISO 9660 image that is ready for replication. With
WebCD, CD-ROM mastering is built-in for your convenience. And
while a CDRecordable device is not required, if you have
one, you can quickly produce prototype WebCDs for internal review
and commentary.
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