When the Internet started out, web page designers were required to maintain a pretty big server in order to store all work and provide all those who surf the Internet with access to their website. As the usage of the Internet increased though, so did the required size of the servers. The reason for this was that when people access the website, not everything pops up right away. Instead, the browser pulls up the web page, searches for the image link stated in that web page, and then goes to the source and pulls it out of the server for display.
This method has proven to be tedious because if the maintaining server is down, then the image will not display. Also, the image has to stay in the exact same address as long as the link exists. If the server is upgraded and that link is not updated, the browser will hit a blank wall and not come up with an image to display. Thus, the development of CSS.
CSS, also known as Cascading Style Sheets, is a new method of web page programming that in a way embeds the image into the display, shaving of the seconds that it might take for the browser to search for the image and display it. In other words, it saves everything into a page. If servers are updated, there is no problem as the browser has no searches to perform. And if the web page needs to be updated, then all changes will take effect immediately without having to check on links to make sure that they are updated.
There are a number of ways to insert images using CCS, but to make things simple, it would be best to create a separate file and link it. That way, the code can be used several times throughout the site, and to change it all you need is to change the source file. If done in HTML, you would be required to visit each and every portion of the site where the image exists and make changes in that specific area.
Again, this is not how it used to be. However, just like everything else, constant improvements are made to make life better, and this improvement will definitely make life easier for both web surfers and website maintenance folks; something that is surely worth looking into.
This post has been contributed by Nick from Offshore Ally. They provide virtual assistant services and outsourcing for SME's.