Recently, web sites have been springing up in the cyberspaces between the spheres like, well, webs spun overnight. Unfortunately, there is no official protocol for designing and using facets of the World Wide Web. Perhaps in time, a "webiquette" will arise as did "netiquette" for the newsgroups that have been on the internet for a relatively longer time. Rules for relatively short sigs, or signature files, have arisen by mutual consent on the newsgroups. Perhaps someday owners of web sites will be flamed for including overly large graphics. As part of the "information superhighway," the purpose of a web page is to inform, whether it be a home page about an author, organization, corporation, or simply about a topic of interest. Users access the web to learn about topics which interest them. In order for a user to gain this information, a good web site should be complete, informative, and topic-related. To help the user, and to capture interest and pull the reader along, a web site should also be attractive and well-organized.

The Gibson/CP Page, created by a student named Joe Foley, is not an example of a well-constructed web page. A page which is linked to our very own class web page should be finished. A large "under construction" sign is not a good sign for a reader who is potentially interested, nor does it reflect well on our cyberpunk course, Although the author may have plans to eventually complete this page, the page has not been updated for eight months. The page is simply sitting on the web, taking up space and luring unsuspecting browsers into a temporal whirlpool. A page which is still under construction is mainly a waste of time for a reader who is looking for informative material. Clicking on links which load up a blank page can be very frustrating and time-consuming for the unfortunate web surfer.

Even those links which do lead to completed pages are usually a waste of time. Very little information can be gleaned about the topics on the page. The one link concerning Gibson's books which works is about Burning Chrome. The book's publication date and the table of contents are all that are on the page. Foley does not elaborate on any of the stories. Nothing more than what could be gained by looking at a library listing is on this page.The only information on Gibson is that he "is possibly the greatest writer living." There is no biographical data whatsoever. On a personally disturbing note, this site makes it easy to stray from the topic of Gibson via numerous links with U2 pages constructed by the author. The band U2 is not cyberpunk, except possibly in a few songs on their album Zooropa. A web page which claims to be about cyberpunk should not contain links to such nonsense. Although there is much tribute paid to U2 on the U2 pages, there is very little information on Gibson anywhere. However, in its favor, the page has a copy of Agrippa which does not destroy itself. This is something that I could not find on any other Gibson sites. Also, the page has links to several good pages, especially the ones done by sheneman@cs.uidaho.edu, who has done everything on Gibson better and more informatively, though less attractively, than Foley.

The attractiveness of Foley's page comes from his use of color set against a black background. The black background brings to mind the dark sleaziness of cyberpunk while providing a much more appealing surface than the usual metal gray color used on so many pages. The use of lower case letters throughout the page are a cliche, yet attractive addition to the page in their softness and lack of angularity. The use of white text on the black background draws the reader's attention, highlighting the main divisions on the page. The purple and red used to indicate links are very pretty, and coordinate well with the black background and the green in the title graphics. The colorful graphics are mainly done in a format remiscent of clay, and so they are soft on the eyes as well. Most importantly, the graphics are quick-loading, keeping the user from losing interest and clicking onwards to the next page.

The page is sufficiently organized around the graphics. There is not much useless text filling up the space. While the lack of text may fail to carry the reader along, at least the page is not cluttered and confusing. It is clearly demarcated into sections containing Gibson's fictional works, links to other related pages, and newsgroups. The links stand out plainly and are not dashed here and there about the page in a confusing jumble. Finally, the author's email address and the time of the last update are also clearly shown, as the future rules of webiquette will one day require.

Perhaps when Foley gets around to completing the site, it will be a good site. It certainly has potential. He just needs to complete the page by filling in the necessary information while restricting the links to other, unrelated topics to his main home page. The page is attractive and well-organized enough that if Foley completes the page, the reader will not suffer from information overload. Sadly, the page is taking Foley quite a while to complete. This is one page which has failed to spring up like a web spun overnight.

Foley, J. "The Gibson/CP Page." An unfinished and uninformative tribute to GIbson and his works. 15 Feb. 1995 (retrieved). URL:http://sfbox.vt.edu:10021/J/jfoley/ gibson/gibson.html

"Cyberpunk." Very complete and informative cyberpunk page dealing with Gibson, Sterling, hackers, cypherpunks, and ravers. 9 Oct. 1995. URL: http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/lal/cyberspace/cyberpunk/cyberpunk.html

"Cybersight." Corporate interactive promotion, market, and chatline. Not very related to cyberpunk. 9 Oct. 1995 (retrieved). URL: http://cybersight.com/cgi-bin/cs/s?main.gmml

Larsen, Kim. "Bruce Sterling." Very small homage page to Bruce Sterling and his works and speeches. 17 Aug. 1995. URL: http://riceinfo.rice.edu:80/projects/RDA/VirtualCity/Sterling/index.html

Watz, Marius. "Future Culture." Very informative and traveled cyberpunk discussion list and web community. 6 Aug. 1995. URL: http://www.uio.no/~mwatz/futurec/