About the Self-help Resources
Site history and maintenance
Site History | Site Maintenance | NOT a Blog | Contact Guidelines
The pages on this site are NOT a blog. To understand what that means, you need to consider the history of these pages and the difference between a website and a blog.
Site History
When I first created this site, few businesses and even fewer individuals had a website. Being “online” generally meant accessing AOL, CompuServe or a local BBS via dial-up (if you were connected at all).
- Most people were running DOS or Windows 3.1. Windows 95 (code-named “Chicago”) was nearly a year away from release).
- Internet access was and
- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many big-name sites didn't yet exist.
- My domain was russharvey.bc.ca because only nationally-registered organizations could have a .ca domain.
In November, 1994 OS/2 Warp 3 provided me with a leading edge operating system that included the tools to get onto the Internet for less than the $150 it cost to purchase the software necessary for Windows 3.1 to access the Internet. OS/2 included a 32-bit Lotus software suite but I could still run most 16-bit Windows 3.1 programs.
My “Start Page”
I first created a series of related pages on topics that would help my clients understand concepts like proper email address etiquette. Initially, there was no complete listing except on a separate “Start Page” maintained only for myself and my clients. That page was not intended for public use.
Hosted on Client Computers
This Start Page was hosted on my clients' computers — updated via floppy disk when I was onsite or by downloading the “update” from the website via dial-up.
High-speed Internet Arrives
When high-speed Internet emerged, I linked people directly to the online “update” page rather than updating their off-line copy.
At that time, the shortcomings of a site with unorganized resources soon became apparent. While clients had a directory via the Start Page, it wasn't public.
The Resources Index Arrives
I made the decision to create the resource index page to support the rapidly emerging Internet-connected public.
- The pages were now publicly indexed which helped to establish their relationship between each other.
- The site content became more interactive.
- I could build upon existing content and link to related external content so I didn't have to repeatedly explaining basics to clients.
- I began to work on building a consistent layout.
This Site is Responsive
This site was built prior to the emergence of mobile devices then rebuilt using techniques that are responsive to screen size.
As more and more users are viewing the site on narrow devices rather than computer monitors, I've revised large portions of the site to remove the sidebar (“aside”) but still find it useful on some pages.
Where it exists, it will appear to the right of the main content on wide screens, but at the bottom of the main content when viewed on narrow screens like smart phones in portrait mode.
The OS/2 Sub-site
I mentioned that I was running IBM OS/2 Warp when I launched this website. At the time, this site contained very little Windows content even though the majority of my clients were running some version of Windows.
OS/2 was not as well documented as Windows and over time I developed a sub-site devoted entirely to that operating system.
This was the first time this site was purposely dedicated to providing a resource to the public (I had no local clients running OS/2). It was an independent site that contained the knowledge I obtained attending sessions with much more skilled OS/2 users in government and industry as well from my online research.
I later began to incorporate helpful resources that were being abandoned by other users starting with the Creative AWE64 sound cards with OS/2 developed by John LeMay to discuss the challenges of getting that hardware to work with OS/2. I incorporated a self-hosted newsgroup using tools provided by Islandnet (a dial-up hosting service predating IslandHosting). Eventually the newsgroup was shut down but I retained the most important details within the page itself.
I later added Frank McKenney's “Applying Service to OS/2 Warp” and before the decline of OS/2 popularity, this OS/2 site was one of the “authority” sites visited and referenced by users world-wide.
Today, only a fraction of the OS/2 content remains, mostly devoted to eComStation and Arca (OSOS/2's replacements) since most of the remaining legacy resources depended upon supporting external links which have mostly disappeared.
Site Maintenance
Unlike blogs and their collection of one-off posts, most pages on this site are regularly maintained.
- I update the references to software and techniques to current standards as technologies change.
- I update, replace or remove links to content as necessary to remain current.
- I add or remove pages and content as needed.
- Changed content is re-indexed on the resource index.
Rebuilding Pages
This site is complex and contains so much information that pages can lose their cohesion. Sections within the page became isolated making that page poorly organized and the information difficult to locate.
To remedy this, pages are rewritten to flow better and be more consistent. Sometimes that means moving or removing content, updating or replacing links. When a page has too much content, it is split off into two or more pages.
An example is the Identity Theft content. It was eventually broken into four pages focused on:
- identity theft (the original page);
- vishing (phone fraud);
- phishing (email fraud); and
- computer support scams.
I later split content from the Internet at Risk page to create the “Canadian Internet Legislation” page .
Each time such a change is made, the site's resource index page is updated to reflect the changing nature of the site content. Content and internal links need to be revised and broken links repaired.
Legacy Resources
Over time, some pages are no longer suitable for updating. External references are disappearing or gone. Updating becomes difficult or impossible.
There are two options:
- the page is removed from the site; or
- the page is labelled as a “legacy” resource.
Legacy pages remaining on the site have the following added near the top of the page:
- I no longer develop this legacy resource.
The listing on the Self-help Resources index page now has Legacy added to its listing(s).
While I may sometimes return to such pages and try to clean them up, for the most part this involves removing content and linked resources rather than repairing them.
How Legacy is Assessed
The following issues cause me to designate pages as a legacy resource:
- The page documents obsolete software or hardware.
- External supporting documentation is either gone or disappearing rapidly.
- The content may have been replaced with a page about newer technologies.
Examples of legacy pages are:
- Windows XP (obsolete operating system);
- Java (no longer supported by current browsers); and
- most pages on the IBM OS/2, eComStation & ArcaOS sub-site.
This Site is NOT a Blog
I receive ongoing requests to include “guest posts” on my “blog.”
Not only do these folks appear to have failed to look at my site before sending their request, but they failed to read my site contact policies.
The nature of this site makes the concept of “guest posts” unworkable even if I were to choose to consider the legal complexities of hosting content written by other people.
What's Different About a Blog?
A blog is a series of one-time posts that are sorted by date.
- Each post is a one-time publication. Although there is generally a theme to a blog, each post is independent of any other.
- Because blogs are sorted by date, older content isn't considered a problem (unlike outdated content on a website).
- A new post can relate newer information without anyone expecting you to remove or update older posts.
- Blogs use labels or categories to connect users to posts with common themes.
Because each post is independent, it can be difficult to locate specific information other than by using the categories and labels provided by the blogger.
This Site is Different
Pages on this site are not posted, then promptly abandoned.
Instead, the site consists of a series of regular web pages that are routinely maintained until they are designated as legacy resources.
Content is added when I came across information I feel should be included. It is usually added to a existing page with similar relevant content unless the amount of information or a unique topic requires a separate page (e.g., Artificial Intelligence).
Occasional Re-writes Required
Every once in a while I review and edit pages to remove older content and fix broken links. The page is often rewritten to restore a rhythm to the text. Sometimes this means that content is moved to a more logical location or I create a new page when the amount of new content justifies it.
Russ' Blog
I didn't build a blog for a long time because of the limitations imposed by blogging software.
I refer to Russ' Rants as my “sometimes” blog, since I seldom post to it. Instead, it became a place to post thought processes, something more suited to a blog.
In March 2007, I posted my first post, “My Web Design Journey”, on Russ' Rants.
This blog is an experiment for me. I've been building sites by hand since 1994 and I've learned the technology as it developed.
I built Russ' Rants to learn the basics of blogging on Blogger (the most popular blogging software at the time). I later experimented with WordPress, but this remains my only public blog even though it is pretty much abandoned.
I've also built and helped maintain WordPress blogs for clients including editing the Youth for Christ Victoria website (part of a multi-site WordPress blog built by someone else).
Blogs should generally be much better maintained, but my blog was an experiment rather than a marketing tool.
- The content generally doesn't fit within the framework of this site.
- It allowed me to post information that is date-sensitive without worrying about it making this site look stale.
Since I can edit this site as I choose and spend a great deal of time working on it, I haven't anything on my blog for quite some time and may choose to close it at some point.
Contact Guidelines
If you're planning to contact me, know that the primary purpose of my site is to provide resources to my clients and as a reference point when providing my “Help Desk” services. It also enables clients and potential clients with reference material when preparing for a service call.
In addition, I hope that others find these resources useful. I've spent a great deal of time ensuring that site remains relevant.
Links Policy
- Most links point to online resources that support my site's content.
- I rarely respond to link requests.
- I neither use (nor often acknowledge) most link suggestions unless I need more information.
Before Contacting Me
Please review my guidelines.
I do NOT:
- exchange reciprocal links;
- link to competing services;
- accept “guest” posts;
- accept advertising; or
- link to irrelevant resources.
I rarely respond to link requests unless the resources noted are of particular interest or provide references to subject matters I'm planning to improve upon. I'm seldom interested in adding additional links similar to what already exists unless the content is truly important to myself or the site.
I will contact you if I need more information but that is unlikely if your suggestion doesn't fit my requirements.
Read About these Resources for more about how I deal with link suggestions, requests for help, etc.
Related Resources
On this site:
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Updated: February 19, 2025