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My area of teaching and research interest is Computational Mathematics, in particular, Numerical Analysis and Dynamical Systems. I am also interested in the implications of the WWW towards education and commerce.
| 215. Sunday 3rd December 2000 - Perspectives of XML in E-Commerce |
| Synopsis: Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) has proliferated on the Web in the last few years. XML is touted to accelerate this growth further. The advantages XML offers to businesses, developers, and customers are discussed. Applications to various business domains are provided. Issues that prove obstacles to effective deployment of XML in E-Commerce, along with suggested solutions, are pointed out. By Pankaj Kamthan and Hsueh-Ieng Pai Techniques: |
| 213. Sunday 13th August 2000 - XML Conformance : The Burden of Proof |
| Synopsis: The notion of "correctness" in authoring documents for the Web is important. Extensible Markup Language (XML) allows various levels of flexibility to the author during document production. Tools and techniques that can lead to XML conformance are discussed. Written by Pankaj Kamthan Techniques: XML, XML Conformance, XML Well-Formedness, XML Validation, XP, RUWF, XML Spy, XmetaL, XML4C, XML4J, DOMit, STG Validator |
| 212. Sunday 21st May 2000 - XML Entities and their Applications |
| Synopsis: Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents consist of entities that are content placeholders. Different types of entities serve a number of different functions, in different contexts, and use different ways to point to the data that they hold. Syntax and semantics of XML entities are discussed by Pankaj Kamthan. Examples of their use in various scenarios and applications are given. Techniques: MathML, XML, DTD, Entities, XHTML |
| 209. Monday 27th March 2000 - XMLization of Graphics |
| Synopsis: Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an important step towards creating a standard platform for graphics on the World-Wide Web (Web). Pankaj Kamthan discusses the motivation for SVG, along with its advantages, applications in various contexts, and issues concerning its deployment. Techniques: Graphics for the Web, Raster Graphics, Vector Graphics, Scalable Vector Graphics, SVG, SVG Rendering, Optimization, Security and Grammar |
| 208. Sunday 19th March 2000 - The State of MathML : Mathematically Speaking (and Stuttering) |
| Synopsis: Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) vocabulary for describing mathematical notation, capturing both its structure and content. The current state of MathML in lieu of other technologies is discussed by Pankaj Kamthan. A variety of examples are presented. Techniques: MathML, Issues, Authoring, software, Mathematical Markup and Semantics, XML, SMIL |
| 203. Monday 7th February 2000 - XML Euphoria in Perspective |
| Synopsis: Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a meta-language for the World-Wide Web (Web) that has been applied to several diverse domains of society. The current state of XML and related initiatives, separating possibilities (rigor) from popularizations (hype), are discussed by Pankaj Kamthan. Caveats in deployment of XML are pointed out with the help of case studies in synchronized multimedia and electronic commerce (E-Commerce). Techniques: Markup Languages, Structure, XML, Extensibility, Data/Object view Semantics, Authoring, Rendering, XML Case Studies, SMIL, E-Commerce |
| 198. Sunday 2nd January 2000 - XML and CSS : Structured Markup with Display Semantics |
| Synopsis: Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a standard for marking up data in a structured manner. Styling the content of XML documents so that it can be presented to a Web browser is therefore desirable. Viability of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in styling XML documents is discussed. Examples from a variety of XML applications are included. By Pankaj Kamthan Techniques: XML, Extensible Hypertext Markup, CSS, Cascading Style Sheets, DTD, MathML, Mathematical Markup, SVG, Graphical Markup, Extensible Stylesheet Language, XSL, XSL Formatting Semantics, XSL-FS, XSL Transformations, XSLT |
| 193. Sunday 21st November 1999 - XML Namespaces : Universal Identification in XML Markup |
| Synopsis: XML namespaces provides a method for qualifying element and attribute names used in Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents by associating them with namespaces uniquely identified by Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) references. The motivation for XML namespaces, along with their internal workings are discussed by Pankaj Kamthan with the help of various examples. Specific applications are included. Techniques: XML Namespaces, Qualified Names, Explicit and Default Declarations, Uniqueness, Attributes, Authoring, MATHML, SVG, Translating XML to XHTML, XSL, Metadata, RDF |
| 192. Sunday 30th January 2000 - The Emperor has New Clothes : HTML Recast as an XML Application |
| Synopsis: HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), the definitive markup language for the Web, is inflicted with various limitations. To resolve those, HTML has been reformulated as XHTML (The Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) 1.0, which is a vocabulary based on XML (Extensible Markup Language) 1.0 syntax. An introduction, from the author's viewpoint, is given. Issues of XHTML 1.0 syntax and semantics, transition from HTML to XHTML 1.0, and XHTML 1.0 authoring, rendering and validation are discussed by Pankaj Kamthan Techniques: XHTML, SGML, HTML, XML, XHTML Syntax and Semantics, XHTML DTDs, XML Namespaces, XHTML Namespaces, HTML to XHTML, HTML Tidy, HTML-Kit, Amaya, XML Spy, Mozquito Factory, Validating XHTML, Rendering XHTML |
| 184. Sunday 19th September 1999 - CGI Security : Better Safe than Sorry |
| Synopsis: The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard for interfacing external programs with the Web servers. In absence of appropriate security measures, CGI scripts can present a variety of security problems to their host. Solutions are suggested by Pankaj Kamthan to minimize these problems, and even eliminate them in certain cases. Techniques: CGI, SSI, privileges, security, NOBODY, wrappers, CGIWrap, SBOX, suEXEC, Apache, tainting, Shell, back ticks, pre-built CGI scripts |
| 180. Sunday 22nd August 1999 - Made to Measure : Apache Web Server Customization |
| Synopsis: Apache is a powerful and widely-used World-Wide Web (Web) server. One of its strengths is that the modules that it is made of are customizable according to the user's requirements. Pankaj Kamthan discusses the benefits and the process of customization, along with a brief introduction to some useful modules. Techniques: Apache, Modules, Standard, Customizing, Configuring Apache |
| 177. Sunday 1st August 1999 - Apache at your Web Service |
| Synopsis: A World-Wide Web (Web) server is a program that provides information to the client on request. One of the most powerful and widely-used Web server in use today, Apache, is discussed by Pankaj Kamthan. Techniques: Apache, Binary, Source, Operating Systems, Compiling, Installing, Running, Linux, Windows, Macintosh, Support, Limitation |
| 175. Monday 26th July 1999 - E-Store on the Web : Let's Go Shopping! |
| Synopsis: E-commerce over the World-Wide Web (Web) is a rapidly evolving and proliferating field. Establishing an electronic store (e-store) makes selling on the Web a reality. Pankaj Kamthan discusses issues involved in deploying an e-store, using the software PerlShop as a prototype. Techniques: Tools, E-Store, Shopping Cart, PerlShop, Catalogs, Security, Payment Methods |
| 172. Sunday 11th July 1999 - Speed Thrills : CGI Please ... and Fast! |
| Synopsis: The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard for interfacing external programs with the Web servers. Under testing conditions, such as computationally-intensive tasks or large number of concurrent users, CGI scripts can degrade in performance. Reasons for this behaviour are pointed out and solutions are suggested by Pankaj Kamthan. Techniques: CGI Performance, CGI Optimization, Perl, Tools, I/O Buffering, Reverse DNS Lookups, Non-Parsed Headers, NPH, Client-Side Processing, State Persistence Using Cookies, Coprocessing, mod_perl |
| 171. Sunday 4th July 1999 - CGI Programming Made (Relatively) Easy Using Libraries |
| Synopsis: The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard for external gateway programs to interface with HTTP servers. CGI libraries simplify the task of writing CGI scripts. The use of one widely used CGI library, CGI.pm, is discussed in detail by Pankaj Kamthan. Techniques: CGI Libraries, cgi-lib.pl, CGI Lite, CGI :: * Modules, CGI.pm |
| 167. Sunday 20th June 1999 - Looking for Something? : Searching the Web |
| Synopsis: Searching for information is one of the most common activities on the Web. However, it can also be one of the most frustrating to carry out. Pankaj Kamthan describes some of the basics behind searching and provide recommendations that could improve the outcome and the experience. The nature of information, which is the search object, is also discussed. Techniques: Obstacles, Views, Search Engines, Gateways, Techniques, Metadate, RDF |
| 166. Saturday 12th June 1999 - Server-Side Includes and its Extensions |
| Synopsis: Server-side includes (SSI's) extend and introduce implicit dynamism in HTML documents, and can be a useful alternative to CGI's in certain cases. Use of SSI's, and their extensions in the Apache WWW server, XSSI's, are described. Applications SSI's and XSSI's are given. Written by Pankaj Kamthan Techniques: Server-Side Includes, SSI, Extended Server-Side Includes, XSSI, Editing, Environment Variables, Directives, config, echo, exec, flastmod, fsize, include, Configuration, Debugging, printenv, set, if, elif, else, endif, Variable Substitution, XBitHack, Applications of XSSI's, Concerns, Performance, Security |
| 158. Sunday 25th April 1999 - E-Commerce on the WWW : A Matter of Trust |
| Synopsis: In this article, by Pankaj Kamthan, the risks involved in E-Commerce (E-Commerce) on the World-Wide Web (WWW) that lead to breach of privacy and loss of trust are addressed. Ongoing efforts to tackle these risks are outlined. Techniques: E-commerce, Risks, Business Practices, Information Protection, Transaction Integrity & Security, Privacy and Trust, WebTrust, TRUSTe, P3P |
| 155. Monday 29th March 1999 - E-Commerce on the WWW : Prospects and Concerns |
| Synopsis: Internet and the World-Wide Web (WWW) have opened new vistas in Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce). Pankaj Kamthan discusses the prospects and concerns that this medium provides from the viewpoints of Business-to-Consumer and Business-to-Business commerce. Techniques: E-Commerce, ecommerce, Electronic Commerce, Businesses, Consumers, Web Presence, Timelessness, Communication, Networking, Information, Services, Sales, Marketing, Advertising, Privacy, Security, Competition, Quality, Searching, Efficiency, Cost Reduction, Timelessness, Inventory Control, Security, Interoperability, Models |
| 152. Sunday 14th March 1999 - Web Design Hints and Tips |
| Synopsis: Hints and Tips to make your Web pages more pleasurable to your visitors - by Paul Rundle, Pankaj Kamthan and Martin Webb Techniques: Java, Sounds, Images, Animated GIFs, Logo's, Color, Guestbooks, Page Length, Counters, Links, Clocks, Status Bar, Proprietary and obsolete HTML tags |
| 151. Sunday 7th March 1999 - Java Applets in Education |
| Synopsis: Java applets are one type of Java programs that can be displayed within a WWW browser that supports Java. Advantages of using applets for the purposes of teaching and learning are discussed by Pankaj Kamthan. Guidelines for developing educational applets are suggested. Technological and pedagogical issues involved are pointed out. Prototypical examples are given as applications. Techniques: Java Applets, Education, Resources, Applications |
| 148. Sunday 14th February 1999 - You do have "CSSTYLE" with Emacs |
| Synopsis: Use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is an important approach towards separating 'aesthetics' from content and structure of HTML documents. Pankaj Kamthan discusses two methods of editing CSS files using the powerful and widely used Emacs editor. Techniques: CSS, Cascading Style Sheets, Emacs, HTML editor, CSS editor, CSS Module, CSS Mode, CSS Validation, CSS1 and CSS2 properties |
| 145. Saturday 23rd January 1999 - Linux with RPM |
| Synopsis: In this article, Pankaj Kamthan discusses how one can readily manage packages on Linux-based platforms using the RPM. We assume the reader has some background in using UNIX-like operating systems, preferably Linux. The ideas presented here carry over to other UNIX-based platforms which support RPM. Techniques: Linux, Installing Packages, RPM, Red Hat software, Querying, Upgrading, Verifying, Installing and Uninstalling packages |
| 143. Friday 15th January 1999 - A Gift of "Life" : The Document Object Model |
| Synopsis: The introduction of proprietary methodologies to induce "dynamic effects" in otherwise static documents have led to a state of chaos on the World-Wide Web (WWW). Pankaj Kamthan discusses the Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1, an application programming interface (API) for HTML and XML documents, which brings order by standardizing these efforts. Techniques: DOM, Document Object Model, W3C Recommendation, Objects, node, child, descendent, element, leaf, method, parent, root node, sibling |
| 141. Sunday 10th January 1999 - E-Payment on the WWW : An Introduction to Merchant Accounts |
| Synopsis: Electronic payment (E-Payment) systems are an integral part of electronic commerce (E-Commerce) on the World-Wide Web (WWW). Pankaj Kamthan discusses the significance of one method of electronic payment, a credit card, how they can benefit businesses and consumers, limitations of their use, and the means of making them accessible on the WWW. Techniques: E-commerce, E-payment, credit cards, merchant banks |
| 138. Friday 30th April 1999 - Stop! Is Your HTML Document Valid? |
| Synopsis: It is important that the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document you create conforms to the corresponding Document Type Definition (DTD). Selected online and offline HTML validation techniques are discussed by Pankaj Kamthan. Updated to include a reference to a GUI version of HTML Tidy, CYAN an online interface to HTML Tidy, and information about Optimization with HTML (UN)Compress, and HTML-Kit. Techniques: Validation, HTML, syntactical, semantical, spelling, stylistic, bandwidth, W3C HTML Validation Service, CYAN, HTMLChek, Weblint, HTML Tidy, HTML-Kit, Doctor HTML, Emacs and Weblint |
| 137. Saturday 5th December 1998 - Intranets in Education |
| Synopsis: An Intranet uses the technology of the Internet for dissemination, sharing and enhancement of information internal to an organization. Advantages of an educational intranet are discussed and some applications are suggested by Pankaj Kamthan. Techniques: Intranets in Education, benefits, applications, information sharing, information dissemination |
| 136. Saturday 5th December 1998 - HTML Editing With Emacs |
| Synopsis: GNU Emacs is one of the most widely used and powerful editors today. The task of formatting HTML files can be greatly simplified by using editing modes available for HTML. Pankaj Kamthan briefly describes the use of editing mode html-helper-mode, supported by the modes tempo, and hilit19. Techniques: Emacs, Unix, Linux, HTML editing |
| 134. Sunday 29th November 1998 - Representation of Japanese Language Characters on the WWW |
| Synopsis: The issue of representing Japanese language characters on the World-Wide Web (WWW) can pose various challenges. In this article, Pankaj Kamthan presents some possible solutions, and discuss their advantages and limitations. We restrict ourselves to Windows 95/NT and UNIX/X-based platforms. Techniques: Japanese Language, Operating Systems, Browsers, World-Wide Web |
| 133. Friday 20th November 1998 - Rendering Chinese Language Characters on the World-Wide Web |
| Synopsis: The issue of rendering Chinese language characters on the World-Wide Web (WWW) can pose various problems due to their varied support in different operating systems and different browsers. In this article, Pankaj Kamthan presents some possible solutions. We restrict ourselves to Windows 95/NT and Unix/X-based platforms. Techniques: Chinese Language, Operating Systems, Browsers, World-Wide Web |
| 130. Saturday 14th November 1998 - Timestamping an HTML Document |
| Synopsis: Pankaj Kamthan presents two solutions - one on the client-side, and the other on the server-side - to the problem of including the date of last modification of an HTML document. Limitations of these approaches are also pointed out. Techniques: Date & Time stampimg, lastModified, SSI, Server Side Includes, *.shtml, #echo, #include, Client Side JavaScript, JavaScript source files, Perl, finding and renaming files |
| 015. - Actinic Catalog 3.0 |
| Synopsis: Pankaj Kamthan evaluates this online catalog creator from Actinic Software. Techniques: software, software reviews, programs, buy software, purchase software, real audio, actinic, catalog, e-commerce, e-catalog, e-store, electronic commerce, transactions, web store, web shop, online catalog, catalogue |