Last updated: 11/18/03
Link back to course Welcome

Agenda for Class 12 on November 18 (eCommerce only)

1. Reminder of what you should be doing online on a regular basis -- these are part of the grade
   1. Signin, from the lab, only on days for the class(es) you are taking
   2. Weekly course report (if you are taking both classes, a single report will do)
   3. Conference postings (one for eCommerce, two for Computers, the Internet, and Society, three if you are taking both)
   4. Not required, but do it anyway - check your email on at least a weekly basis. Don't have email: use hotmail - it's easy and free. See me if you need help.
   5. Developing rest of eCommerce web site - static web pages
   6. Report - go to syllabus
2. Miscellaneous
   1. A txt, htm and asp file can all be the same. Only the extension is different, nothing in the file itself is different. There is no point to saving your ASP file as a TXT file - the content will not change in any way.
   2. I (think that I) have increased the time before the FTP server logs you out from 5 minutes to 60 minutes. This should make repeat logins a lot less frequent! Let's hear it for Bowen!!!! Whatta guy.
   3. Using DOS Edit (handout)
      NOTE: DOS Edit will work with the mouse on some systems. Try it!
   4. Using WS_FTP at home or other locations (handout)
3. Last class we worked on:
   1. Creating the order form
   2. Creating the ASP page to process the order
   3. Creating a table and fields in the database to hold the order information
4. This week we will concentrate on getting those order forms working.
   1. Make sure that your database with the table to receive the order information has been uploaded to your Dum folder on the server
   2. Making a link to your order form
      1. If you brought the rest of your web site to class, upload that. Make sure that your main page is called Welcome.htm. If you named is something lese, rename it Welcome.htm before uploading it.
      2. If you did not bring the rest of your eCommerce webs site with your, use Netscape Composer to create a temporary Welcome.htm page with a link to your order form. Make sure that the link is relative by only putting the file name and extension in the href field (for example OrderForm.htm - no drive or folder in there).
   3. Only use Netscape during the next steps, for debugging your form and ASP file. Internet Explorer will hide crucial information from you.
   4. Place an order using your form. Make sure to have something in each field. Most likely the form will not work. Debugging. Keep that browser window open for future reference. The line number is crucial, if possibly misleading, information.
      
      ASP error message - 10/9/03
      Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a01f4'
      Variable is undefined: 'tsSigninFile'
      /tc2004/SubmitProposal.asp, line 146
       
   5. Common debugging techniques:
      1. Find the error and correct it. Most of us aren't smart enough to do this consistently.
      2. Note the line number. Examine the line number. If the error doesn't make sense for that line number, consider earlier line numbers.
      3. If the error is something about a zero-length field not being allowed, that is a problem when your ASP page put the information into the database. Use your Browser's Back button to check what you typed in. If you left something blank, fill it in.
      4. Use Response.Write statements around to gather more information. For example it is easy in the "For each fld" loop to write out the FieldName this way. This will pinpoint a specific field that many be giving you trouble.
5. In the news:
   1. New York Times 10/27/03, Business C4. Online retailers are gearing up for the holidays. A survey by Forrester research says that web commerce is improving. Many corporations have "usability teams" that are beginning to branch out to brick and mortar stores also, for example to make sure that all clerks have maps for advising people who call wanting directions. For example, it is easier to find what you want, and more surfers become customers these days. However, Forrester Research says that many web sites do not show the customer the full range of products that is available, soon enough. As an example, Dell computer sells services, but many of its customers went elsewhere until the web site was redesigned.
   2. New York Times 10/22/03 Business Pg C3. Amazon.com is now generating real profits regularly, as a result of price cuts, new product lines (selling online for other merchants) and selling worldwide.
   3. New York Times 10/26/03 Business Section 3 Pg 1. Silicon Valley is on the uptick again. Actually, companies that had techies at the helm, instead of MBAs, have a fairly good track record at surviving the bubble. Actual businesses and a real shot at making profits are requirements now.
   4. New York Times Business section 11/16/03 Section 3 Pg 1. Now medical X-Rays, which have to be read or interpreted by specialized doctors, are being read in India, or at least a few are being read there.
   5. New York Times Business section 11/16/03 Section 3 Pg 1. For broadband Internet access, the conventional choice is a cable modem fro your cable TV company Vs DSL from the telephone company. Now there is a growing number of wireless broadband entrepreneurs putting antennas on roofs. Broadband Internet acess is growing faster n the US than virtually any technology in US history. Even so, the US is currently tenth in the world for percentage of  the population with broadband access, for example trailing Canada, Japan and South  Korea.
   6. New York Times Business Section 11/17/03, Pg C7. Hartford Financial Services Group is announcing an insurance policy for online auction purchases (eBay). The insurance would be paid for by sellers, and would insure a purchaser for up to $10,000 if the agreed-upon item was not delivered at the agreed-upon price. eBay has not seen the policy, and has not said whether or not it would support the policy. A survey released last week said that 63% of Americans buy or would be willing to buy online, but that 75% have doubts about security. The Hartford plan would have a seller pay 1% of the sales price to be bonded for that sale, and entitled to display a "BuySafe with the Hartford" logo. An existing service, SquareTrade, insures buyers for u to $1,000 and also requires mediation of disputes. SquareTrade lost the confidence of many eBay users this summer when Liquidation universe took orders from hundreds of eBay customers for used computers, then did not deliver them. Buyers found out that they would have to share the $800 insurance from SquareTrade.
   7. New York Times Business Section 11/9/03 Section 3 Pg 6. Interview with Anthony Noto about online shopping. Mr Noto said that the number of people buying online fell from the end of 2000 to the third quarter of 2001. Now it is again increasing rapidly, and the fundamental trends look good. The number of people buying online fell because of poor service. About 65 million US households are online, and 25 to 30 million buy online. Internet access is growing rapidly, and this should lead to increased online sales. The move to broadband also bodes well, because broadband customers spend about 30% more than narrowband customers. Globalization is also a positive trend; US companies can expand abroad much more quickly online than in retail stores. Only a few people pay sales tax over the Internet, but this does not seem to influence shopping levels.
   8. New York Times Business Section 11/10/03 Pg C1. Computer communications, far from spelling th edeath of analog circuits in favor of digital, are reviving the use of analog chips for radio frequency communication between devices. Analog has an edge in communications because of its simplicity and low power consumption. Eight new analog startups have been privately funded this year so far.
   9. National Public Radio (NPR, WDET 101.9 in Detroit, your WSU radio station) 11/17/03 Morning Edition. NPR Morning Edition 11/17/03. The Federal court system will put nearly all legal documents online. The Judicial Conference of the United States recently made this decision. The courts have long been moving in this direction; bankruptcy and civil filings are now made online, and open to all. But criminal case records have not been online, until now. The concern has been to protect privacy, particularly for those cooperating - witnesses, those with plea bargains, etc. Identity thieves could look here to find social security numbers, bank account numbers, etc. The compromise is that the records will go online but with identifiers deleted (still exist in paper records). Electronic access is revolutionizing work in the legal field - private citizens and small firms have same access as big firms who could go through paperwork. To reach this point, the Judicial Cconference spent years sampling opinion and running trials.