Refer to the Web Development Workflow Model for a graphic representation of this Client-Server Model.
Teminology
- Browser
- The application used by the client to read (interprets) HTML pages.
- FTP Client
- An application on the client's machine that will transfer files to and from a server or other computer.
- Server
- A computer on a network that manages resources.
- Web Designer
- The person responsible for the visual and multimedia content of a web site.
- Web Developer
- The person responsible for creating and maintaining the interface betweeen the front and back end of a web site; most of the time also considered a programmer.
- Web Server
- A computer that stores web page files and sends them to browsers when requested.
LECTURE 1 Introduction to the World Wide Web • Protocols 
Client-Server Model
The client/server model describes the relationship between two computers in which the client makes a service request from the server, and the server, in return fulfills that request.
For the Internet, computers that are used to access the Internet are referred to as "client" computers, and are therefore on the Client Side (or front end) of this model; the computers that store most of the information are called "servers" and are therefore on the Server Side (or back end).
Intermediary software and hardware, including domain name services (DNS), firewalls, routers, and gateways, make sure that the client's request and the information returned by the server find their proper destinations in the "Web."
The intermediary system might be provided by a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a local area network (LAN).
A web browser is a client program that requests services, such as the sending of web pages, from a web server somewhere on the Internet.
For example, computer transactions using the client/server model are very common. To check your bank account from your computer, a client program in your computer forwards your request to a server program at the bank. The balance is returned back to the client program in your personal computer, which displays the information for you.
Web Development
Web development is very broadly defined as "an individual or company that specializes in the development of Web sites. Web developers handle all programming aspects of creating a Web site including HTML programming, creating graphics, adding pictures, creating links, and everything else that goes into building a Web site."
However, with enterprises larger than a person or two, usually the responsibilities of the development of a web site are broken down into Web Developer and Web Designer, the one who does the programming and the one who does the designing
A Web developer can also be a Web designer, but a Web developer typically has more database, CGI, and engineering experience. He or she develops the interface between the front and back end of a website.
To more clearly distinguish these two sides of the development process, and to clarify some of the concepts and to illustrate how the work (data) flows, you should study the chart below.
This chart demonstrates how the data flows during the web design and devlopment process. Understanding how the client/server process works—and the Data Flow during the design/development process shown to the left, will help you troubleshoot problems related to displaying web pages, on your monitor and on the web.
While there is an overlap in the responsibilies in developing the front end and the back end of web sites, usually these reponsibiites are separated into these two areas: Web Development, referring to the programming work to be used at the Remote site (on the server side), and Web Design, referring to the coding, scripting, graphic design and layout created for use on the Client Side. Remote files are those residing on the server, local files are those residing on the developer/design's side.
How the Data Flows
On screen, there are two areas or windows used to keep track of the work of the web page designer: one to see what he has inputted (this is shown in the text or Web editor window), the other to see the affect of that input—so the designer can preview it locally, by having his browser read the file from the hard drive or RAM.
The designer saves his work to the hard drive and then opens it (or refreshes it if it is already open) to have the browser interpret the latest data.
In Dreamweaver, there are two view as previous mentioned—Code view and Design view (accessible from the Document toolbar, just under the window's title bar—which appear in the same window.
Dreamweaver also has a feature called Preview in Browser (under the File menu) that easily views the inputted data (without saving it to the hard drive) in another window.
Production Roles
On the client side, those who develop the design and content are:
- Web Designer—The term web designer
is used to cover a wide variety of artistic tasks including the design
of the interface and layout; creation of templates, menus, logos, banners,
and buttons; typography; development of color scheme; and creation and
manipulation of images and sometimes animation and video.
In large firms, web designers implement the website design that was created by the creative director. An ideal web designer has an innovative sense of style, a strong understanding of interface design, and a solid foundation in design theory.
Some web designers may have a fine art or graphic design degree. They should have a solid foundation in areas, such as color theory, design, drawing, layout, and typography. They should also have an understanding of browser and platform capabilities and constraints.
Web designers are also expected to have experience working with HTML, WYSIWYG editors and various graphic applications. - Creative Director—Large web design
firms generally have creative directors who are responsible for the
overall look or appearance of a product.
They develop the overall concept of a product. Most creative directors were once graphic or web designers. - Audio Designer—An audio designer or engineer is responsible for all audio elements of websites, including musical scores, sound effects, and voice-overs. Smaller design firms hire audio designers for projects.
- Video Designer—Like the audio designer,
the video designer may be an independent contractor that you or your
web design firm hires for individual projects.
The video designer creates and edits video clips for websites. They will work closely with the audio designer and the art director. - Animator—There are people who specialize
in creating animations for websites. Some are animators who worked with
film and have switched to the medium of the web. Others were trained
as web animators from the start or graphic designers who learned the
specialized tools.
Sophisticated animations require a knowledge of relevant programming languages and scripts, but many web animations (animated GIFs) can be created without sophisticated scripting.
Most other web animations can be created by using an animation tool like Macromedia Flash or Adobe LiveMotion. With tools like these, you can create effective and entertaining animations quickly.
On the server side, those who serve in the technical development are:
- Programmer—A programmer can be
responsible for coding HTML as well as creating scripts for the website.
The programmer may have experience with CGI scripting, JavaScript, VBScript,
SQL, Perl, XML, and Dynamic HTML.
Dynamic websites will need a programmer who is proficient in one of these programming languages. Involve your programmer in early meetings regarding definition of the site.
The programmer can then make suggestions related to programming issues before the design begins. - Webmasters—The term "webmaster"
is often confused with "web designer." A webmaster is someone
who maintains an existing website.
Some webmasters are also web designers. Generally, they are responsible for updating links, updating the site with new content, fixing scripting errors, answering e-mail enquiries, and keeping the web server up and running.
Webmasters typically have backgrounds in networking, web design, or programming