Updates are made to these pages, research from the local libraries and other information sources, such as emails from those with information, local information centres and local guide books and leaflets. This is a list of some of the publicly available information sources on which these pages are based.
Photographs are taken by the author, processed, then scanned. That optimum JPEG picture is converted to a small interlaced GIF, and incorporated into the pages. Digital cameras are not used, due to the poor resolution. A single photographic image at raw scanned resolution is sized around 6.5 MB, then reduced using various imaging techniques to a practical but detailed quality. Since 2002, digital photography is used to supplement the print film. High resolution images are taken, which are reduced and compressed in quality suitable for web publishing, in addition to the regular interlaced GIF images.
The HTML code is manually edited, and tested using Lynx, Netscape 3 under VMS, and Netscape 4 under Windows98. Occasional tests using Mosaic, Spyglass Emosaic and IE4 are carried out. Command file scripts assist in this, creating headers for the images, and performing some basic link testing and validation. Additional command file scripts ensure that the live web site and the development server are synchronised. These scripts all run under the VMS operating system.
Every morning a set of batch jobs firstly copy all the new and changed pages and pictures to an upload area, and an automated connection copies the files into the main served area. This process happens daily when content changes, and the updated page holds details of the textual changes. It is also possible to trigger the update manually, so the upload times may vary.
Research is carried out in the local libraries, the local studies section of Bolton Central library, and other locally obtained sources. Information and corrections are also emailed to me which are verified and incorporated.
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DISCLAIMER: Errors and Omissions Excepted.