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Robyn Overstreet edited this page Feb 3, 2015 · 38 revisions

Before we touch HTML, CSS, or anything that makes a web site look pretty, we're going to learn about how clients and servers interact with each other. We're going to build simple servers and see how we can make them respond to requests from browsers. This first week involves a lot of set up for the rest of the course, where things get more interesting.

The Tools You'll Need

  1. Review and install the required applications in Tools and Set-up

Running a Local Server with Node and Servi

  1. Go through the tutorial in Web Servers with Servi to install Node and Servi and run your first "Hello World" script to confirm that it's working.
  2. Complete the Servi exercises in this gist: https://gist.github.com/robynitp/8ff26f583924220975e5 and turn in your finished version following the instructions there. Refer to Using Servi.js for documentation on how Servi works. Make sure you test everything on your local server before posting your finished version.

Javascript Basics

  1. Read Javascript Basics. Refer to this as you work on the Servi exercises.

HTTP Basics

Reading: Selections from Chapter 1 of HTTP: The Definitive Guide, published by O'Reilly Media.

In Chapter 1, read:

  • 1.1. HTTP: The Internet’s Multimedia Courier
  • 1.2. Web Clients and Servers
  • 1.4. Transactions
  • 1.5. Messages

Available online via the NYU Library website. Log in with your NetID. http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/book/web-development/http/1565925092/idot-http-the-web-foundation/httptdg-chp-1 (If the direct link doesn't work, go to the Articles and Databases tab on the library website, and find the link for the "Safari Books" database.)

Non-technical Reading

  1. Read and write a short blog response to Long Live the Web, Tim Berners-Lee, 2010. Come prepared to discuss.

Administrativa

  1. Add the URL to your blog for this class to the Class Blogs page in this wiki.
  2. Join the Google Group: https://groups.google.com/a/itp.nyu.edu/forum/#!forum/networkedmedia

Get Your Accounts in Order

Next week, we'll start using Digital Ocean to host our servers. Make sure you # for an account and create a droplet as described in the Digital Ocean Set-up tutorial. You should also have a github account, as covered in Tools and Set-up.

Example Code

See the github repository for this week's example code