1.7.1.1. Word processor or WYSIWYG editor?

We think the stepwise approach -- compose, then mark up -- is the better way. We find that once we've defined and written the document's content, it's much easier to make a second pass to judiciously and effectively add the HTML/XHTML tags to format the text. Otherwise, the markup can obscure the content. Note, too, that unless specially trained (if they can be), spellcheckers and thesauruses typically choke on markup tags and their various parameters. You can spend what seems to be a lifetime clicking the Ignore button on all those otherwise valid markup tags when syntax- or spell-checking a document.

When and how you embed markup tags into your document dictates the tools you need. We recommend that you use a good word processor, such as WordPerfect or Word, which comes with more and better writing tools than simple text editors or the browser-based markup-language editors. You'll find, for instance, that an outliner, spellchecker, and thesaurus will best help you craft the document's flow and content well, disregarding for the moment its look. The latest word processors encode your documents with HTML, too, but don't expect miracles. Except for boilerplate documents, you will probably need to nurse those automated HTML documents to full health. And it'll be a while before you'll see XHTML-specific markup tools in the popular word processors.

Another word of caution about automated composition tools: they typically change or insert content, such as replacing relative hyperlinks with full ones, and arrange your document in ways that will annoy you. Annoying, in particular, since they rarely give you the opportunity to do things your own way.

So become fluent in native HTML/XHTML. Be prepared to reverse some of the things a composition tool will do to your documents. And make sure you can wrest your document away from the tool so you can make it do your bidding.

1.7.1.2. Browser software

1.7.1.3. Internet connection

Moreover, an Internet connection is essential for development and testing if you include hypertext links to Internet services in your web documents. Most of all, an Internet connection gives you access to a wealth of tips and ongoing updates to the language through special-interest newsgroups, as well as much of the essential and accessory software you can use to prepare document collections.