Wondering Why

Note: For this list in an easier to navigate version, please visit wonder-why.net. It's updated slightly less frequently, but has jump links.

Last Update:1.30.2008
New SEO link

Recommended Reading:
Books to add to your web design library
CSS Mastery Everyone who is interested in CSS based design should read this book. Very clearly written, easy to understand with a lot of pratical examples and two full case studies by leaders in the web design field.
DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model How to properly incoperate JavaScript with XHTML and CSS.
Defensive Design for the Web How to Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points
Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS
The Elements of User Experience User-Centered Design for the Web
Build Your Own Website The Right Way Using HTML & CSS Build a web site from the ground up. The author assumes no previous knowledge of HTML or CSS so this is a great book for beginners.
Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers

Just about everything:
Web Developer's Handbook
HTML, CSS, PHP and more Cheat Sheets
Cheet Sheet Roundup
Quick Lookup Quick reference to all things PHP, MySQL, JS, and CSS. Start typing and see the bit of code and it's properties.
Grade Your Website

HTML Tutorials & resources:
Open Web Design HTML & CSS templates - feel free to copy :)
HTML Goodies (great for beginners)
W3Schools (web standards compliant mark-up, fantastic for beginners)
Web Standards Workshop
HTML Dog HTML and CSS guide
Crimson Blood Graphics (beginning to advanced tutorials)
EchoEcho (tutorials on all sorts of web languages)
Quirks Mode (make sure your site looks right for everyone)
Mark-up Semantic Basics
Color Schemer (just in case you need a little inspiration for the color scheme of your site; or if you don't know not to use bright, neon blue as a color)
Color Blender Pick any two colors, decide how many steps you want, and push a button - Hexadecimal code included.
ASCII Code Table
Open Souce Web Design Layouts you're allowed to steal.

XHTML Tutorials & Resources:
Anatomy of an XHTML Document
Migrating from HTML to XHTML and XML
Beware of XHTML - Stick to HTML4.01
An XHTML Roadmap for Designers by Molly Holzschlag

CSS Tutorials & resources:
CSS Resources in One Handy Hyperlinked PDF File
One True Layout The ultimate CSS layout including browser hacks
The Holy Grail 3 column, liquid center, fixed sidebars CSS layout
Another 3 Column Liquid Layout
A CSS Framework
A List Apart
       ALA Primer Part 1: A Guide for New Readers
       ALA Primer Part 2: Resources for Beginners
CSS Navigation Showcase
The ultimate CSS Cheat Sheet (pdf or png)
CSS Positioning
CSS Liquid Examples and tutorial for liquid layouts
Box Float Hack
CSS Grids
IE CSS Hacks
The Layout Reservoir Basic pre-made CSS layouts
CSS Layouts Pre-made CSS layouts, part 2
Stripped Down Style: Formatting content for CSS
CSS Techniques Roundup - 20 CSS Tips & Tricks
CSS PLaY Lots and lots of fun stuff.
Centering a fixed width layout
CSS Dropdown menus
Another CSS Dropdown menu
Rounded Corners Without Images
Star Rater with CSS
CSS Uberlinks Image swap style links without the JavaScript
CSS Panic Guide
A Guide to CSS Support in Email
Styling Form Fieldsets, Legends and Labels Also helps me remember that those form elements exist.
CSS Styling for Print and Other Media
24 Ways to Impress You Friends 24 snazzy CSS tutorials by the gurus of web design.
53 CSS Techniques You Couldn't Live Without
Essentials of CSS Hacking for IE
Text Sizing - Using ems in CSS
Creating Bulletproof Graphic Link Buttons with CSS
Top 71 CSS Menus, Navigation, and Tabs
Flexible Box with Custome Corners
New! CSS Sitepoint Reference Guide All the basics, by topic.

JavaScript Tutorials & resources:
JavaScript City
Java-Scripts.net
Java Script Kit
Code Fetch
iPhoto Like Resizing with JavaScript
10 Good Practices for Writing JavaScript
JavaScript Libraries Roundup
Mailto, email encoder
How to Subclass The JavaScrip Array Object
Dojo Tool Kit Free JavaScript/AJAX development tools
Fork JavaScript JS library

AJAX Tutorials & resources:
Bubble Tool Tips
AJAX Lightbox

Mobile Web (cell phones, PDAs, etc.) Resources:
Mobile Web Design Upcoming book by Cameron Moll
Putting 2.7 Billion Mobile Users in Context
Why iPhone won't revolutionize the mobile web landscape

Scripts & Tutorials:
Code Grrl (home to many great PHP scripts, including PHPfanbase)
Matt's Script Archive (CGI scripts)
HotScripts.com (a little bit of everything)
Cute News
Coppermine Photo Gallery
Coppermine Themes and their demos

Web Site Accessiblity:
Colours and Contrast

Advertising: Serving Ads and Affiliate Programs
Open Ads Free, open source ad server program using MySQL
Google AdSense
Yahoo! Publisher Network
Amazon Associates
AllPosters.com Affiliate Program
Art.com Affliates
AssociatePrograms.com Tips, tricks and listings for online affiliate programs.
Text Link Ads

Hotlink Help:
htaccess code generator
Preventing Image Theft

Tagboards:
C Box
Tag-Board.com
My Shoutbox (multilingual)

Free Graphics Programs (Photoshop and Illustrator type):
Gimp (raster image program, simlar to Photoshop)
Inkscape (vector illustration program, similar to Illustrator)

Brushes & Textures:
Hybrid Genesis
Vbrush
Textura
Pattern Bomb
8nero Brushes
Miss M
PhotoshopBrushes.com (free for fun or buy for professional work)
Secret Loft
Void Brushes
Dubtastic Design Labs
Darkwaif Phantasy Gallery
Imprints
Tre-xture
Misprinted Type
The Magic Box
Texture King
Image After
Brusheezy.com Many also sutible for print projects.
PS Brushes
Absolute Background Textures


Free or Cheap Icons:
Crawlspacemedia
FamFamFam

Stock Photography: Free or Cheap Sites
Where to find free images A list of great sites
PhotoCase


Graphics Tutorials:
Good Tutorials.com (great stuff and a ton of it; for Photoshop)
Sketch Pad (great beginner tutorials for multiple programs)
Pixel2Life (tutorials for every graphics and web programs under the sun...well, at least the one's worth having)
Lunacore Great tutorials for editing faces in a non-destructive manner.
Emoticon Tutorial
PSDTuts.com

Flash Tutorials & resources:
Flash Kit
Action Script Toolbox (a great guide to the language of Flash: actionscripting)
Flash Content and Z-Index
Flash Object Embedded Flash with minimal coding

Free Fonts & Typography:
1001 Fonts
DaFont
Font Freak
Larabie Fonts
Cool Archive (free fonts, clip art, sounds, etc.)
20 Best License Free Official Fonts
25 Best License Free Pixel Fonts
Web Typography

Search Engine Optimization:
Google Webmaster Guidleines
Draw Attention to Your Site Through Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Relationship Chart Know where to submit your site first.
Robots.txt generator Prevent search engines from crawing certain directories in your site
UrlTrends Website Optimization Reports, Search Engine Ranking Trends and Online Competitive Research
Site Score Rates how well designed, popular, and accessable your site is
SEO for the Big Three Google, Yahoo!, and MSN
SEO Tools Free tools to help you analyze and optimize your site
New! Search Engine Blog

Copyright Info & Resources
Copyscape Search the web for people copying your site's content.

Browsers (does your site work in all of them?):
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Opera
A list of every browser ever
Yahoo! Graded Browser Support
Running Mulitple Version of IE - How to
New! Installing Multiple Verions of IE - Now includes IE7
Browser Archive

Computer Help:
Ars Technica

Good Articles:
Developing sites for users with Cognitive disabilities and learning difficulties
CSS Typography
Biggest Web Development Mistakes
Variable Fixed Width Layouts
Preparing for Widescreen
4 Modes of seeking info and how to design for them
Study on Use of Site Breadcrumbs
Elements of Style
7 Habits of a Highly Successful In-House Web Designer
15 Important Web Research Findings You Should Know

Just For Fun:
Brilliant Button Maker
FavIcon Maker Resizes pics to make a favicon for your site
Buttonator Make buttons on the fly.