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Note: This page dates from 2005, and is kept for historical purposes.

COMP1800 – English Report Results

I achieved 12 out of 15 possible marks for the report below.

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Contents

		Page
1	Summary	1
2	Introduction	1
3	Reasoning	1
4	Site Design	2
5	Research	2
6	Composition	3
7	Implementation	3
8	Difficulties	3
9	Conclusion	4
10	References	4

1. Summary

Privacy concerns us all, especially in this modern age. This document describes the creation of a web-based report on Privacy and the Internet. A suitable site structure was first created and tested. Information was then gathered from the Internet, collated, sorted and edited. This information was inserted into the pre-created site structure and the entire site uploaded to a server. Final testing was carried out to ensure all aims had been met. Some minor problems were encountered, but quickly solved.

2. Introduction

Privacy has been an issue that has always concerned people. With the recent introduction of the Internet and anonymous real-time electronic communications methods, this issue has taken on a completely new and global scope. This report documents the steps taken and methods used in the creation of an in-depth, web-based report on privacy and the Internet.

3. Reasoning

There are numerous resources available that deal with the issues of privacy and the Internet, many of which are in a web-based format. However, many of Page 1 these are either incomplete or jumbled, and it is often difficult to find a single concise point of reference. It was felt that the information dispersed throughout the Internet dealing with this subject could be collated into a single resource – providing an easy point of reference.

4. Site Design

A suitable web site design was expected to be simple, clear, concise, and accessible to all people. With this in mind, several site designs were prototyped until a design that was both appealing and functional was achieved. The structure and background code was then formulated to provide a stable framework to implement the site design. Several test scenarios were then enacted to ensure the stability and accessibility of the site. Prototyping typically involved a small semi-functional mock-up of a particular page or feature of the site, often designed using the semi-automated Dreamweaver^[1] web design tool. The final code was hand-coded using the EditPlus^[2] multi-purpose text editor, and tested in all current versions of major browsers to ensure stability, useability and accessibility.

5. Research

The primary sources of research were other web-based resources dealing with privacy. The popular online Google^[3] search engine was fundamental in locating these web-based resources. Several searches were made with Google using different search criteria, and a selection of potentially useful resources was chosen from the results. These were numerous and often contained duplicated, unreliable or unverifiable information and were discarded. From the still numerous remainder, several summaries were constructed, and the main points highlighted. When an issue was discovered but insufficient information was found within the available resources, another Google search would be performed using specific search-terms in order to return more resources Page 2 relating to the specific issues. This recursive process continued until a large amount of suitable information had been collected.

6. Composition

The large amounts of information generated from the research phase of development had to be carefully verified, crosschecked and logically organised into a semi-coherent mass. This was manipulated until it fit the desired document structure. The information, now in a rationally ordered form, was then paraphrased and edited where necessary and often totally rewritten to form a single consistent document. This was then subdivided into appropriate sections and the resulting document was again edited, having its grammar and sentence structure checked. One of the aims of this process was to ensure that the resulting composition was not a direct copy of any existing works.

7. Implementation

Having designed the site and its content, the ensuing files had to be transmitted to the student web server, and a small amount of configuration involving connecting to the web server and executing a few commands had to be carried out. A final check to ensure that the site was operational and running as expected was carried out and the site then declared to be successfully created.

8. Difficulties

The gathering of information involved in the research phase of site development caused the most problems, with the vast amount of varying and often contradictory information requiring careful analysis and verification. Several difficulties were also encountered during the site design phase, mainly concerning the implementation of the site on the remote server, and the lack of control that we had over this server. Fortunately, all of these difficulties were Page 3 overcome with relative ease by the slight modification of certain aspects of the site.

9. Conclusion

Research was by far the largest, most difficult and most time-consuming part of creating the site on privacy and the Internet. The editing and compilation of the research results comprised the next most significant part in the creation of the site, and the most subjective. The site implementation and design was relatively straightforward and the easiest part of the creation. Overall, no major problems were encountered, with the few minor problems being quickly resolved. The resulting site is a good, concise consolidation of many of the more popular opinions and facts regarding privacy and the Internet.

10. References

[1] Dreamweaver – http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/
[2] EditPlus – http://www.editplus.com/
[3] Google – http://www.google.com/ Page 4

 

21-Oct-2003