Problem with following Tutorial. Apple no longer have Web Sharing option

HI.
I’m just starting the “Build Your First Website: Getting Started with HTML & CSS” course and have seen that my iMac does not have Web Sharing in it’s System Preferences. A quick search of Apple Forums reveals that the answer lies in downloading Websharing from http://clickontyler.com as Mountain Lion no longer has the check option viewable in its System Preferences - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4230660?start=0&tstart=0

I’m on 10.8.4

I have done this, but could someone tell me how I use it with my current System Preferences - in relation to the tutorial, so I can continue to follow it. As this issue isn’t covered in the tutorial. Thank you.

Hi jimsayshi. Welcome to the forums. :slight_smile:

I don’t know anything about web sharing, but I’m wondering what your goal is here. If you want to create a website that is publicly viewable, IMHO you are much better off just buying some web hosting (even if a really cheap setup). You can get decent hosting for a few $$ per month, and it’s more reliable and more secure than using your own computer.

If you just want a local server environment for testing your site, then you are better off using something like MAMP.

Hi Ralph, thanks for the welcome.

I’ve just started following a video tutorial, hosted on le​arnable.com. It’s called “Build Your First Website: Getting Started with HTML & CSS” (by Kevin Yank) https://learnable.com/courses/build-your-first-website-getting-started-with-html-css-2279/lesson/1/step/8
But there’s a problem that doesn’t allow me to follow it (see original post). I posted the issue on learnable.com forums and was told to post it here too, for a quicker reply.

Sarah Hawk - staff - of Learnable.com said to post the question here; http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?16-Getting-Started-With-Web-Design

On a side note, are Sitepoint and Learnable linked?

I’m not looking to host my own site, I already have that with GoDaddy. I’m looking to learn how to code - HTML, CSS & Java. In the Learnable.com tutorial, Kevin Yank says you can use your own computer to host builds you’re doing. - Learning to code. (I have an iMac - see original post for the problem I’ve come across).

Using TextWrangler (it’s free) to edit, and being able to host on your own computer, sounds a lot cheaper than having to buy Dreamweaver. Just to be able to try something that I might decide isn’t for me - but want to try for a while, not just some 30 day trial.

If it helps, this is the short vid tutorial section that shows the problem. 20 seconds in. https://learnable.com/courses/build-your-first-website-getting-started-with-html-css-2279/lesson/1/step/8

Note; my iMac does not have a Web Sharing field in it’s System Preferences that’s seen in the tutorial. Apple have since removed it, but Web Sharing is still possible (see original post). If it helps, I’m on OSX 10.8.4

Many thanks for your interest Ralph, hope you can help. :tup:

Yes, they are essentially one and the same company, operating out of the same offices pretty much. Sarah is the administrator of these forums. :slight_smile:

I’m not looking to host my own site, I already have that with GoDaddy. I’m looking to learn how to code - HTML, CSS & Java.

(Just as a side note, “Java” is not the same as “JavaScript”, and I assume you mean the latter, so try to avoid confusing the two. :slight_smile: )

OK, if you don’t need public web hosting, I would forget about the Mac’s web sharing facility. I’m on a Mac too, and I’ve never used it (and as you say, it’s harder now anyway). You can set up a website on your computer, test it out etc. just fine without any fancy software—as long as you are not trying to show it to the world. When you are happy with it, just upload it to your GoDaddy account to show it to the world.

If the site involves server-side technologies like PHP, then you’ll need a “local server environment”, and the easiest solution for that is MAMP on the Mac.

If, on the other hand, you do want these sites you are testing out to be publicly viewable while you test/experiment with them, my advice would be to upload them to your GoDaddy account. As I said before, it takes a fair bit of skill and knowhow to serve websites to the world from your own computer, and personally, I keep well away from that side of things, as I find it too confusing, and it’s also a big security risk unless you have a lot of system administration skills.

Using TextWrangler (it’s free) to edit, and being able to host on your own computer, sounds a lot cheaper than having to buy Dreamweaver.

You are mixing a bunch of concepts there in the wrong way. TextWranger does the same thing as Dreamweaver: they are both tools for writing code. Whichever you use, the files are on your computer until you upload them; and no matter which you use, you can view your web pages in your browser just like any other website … without having to upload anything.

A website is just a bunch of files in folders. You can build one on your computer and view it in your browser like any other website without needing anything else—web sharing or any of that stuff. It’s only if you want others to be able to view it that you have to upload it anywhere. But if you just want a simple way to show it to others temporarily, you could upload it to a free DropBox account, for example.

If it helps, this is the short vid tutorial section that shows the problem…

You need to have paid for the course to view videos like that. I haven’t paid for that course, so it won’t help to post links to it here.

  1. to learn to code you wont need web sharing. You can check ALL your HTML and CSS using your local browser, and MOST/ALL of your .js as well. So learn in confidence.

As far as having an actual web page hosted on your machine ( which is essentially the functionality you were trying o get out web sharing) , I recommend MAMP. The re is a free basic version, it also runs PHP on your Mac, which you will be the next step once you have mastered HTML, CSS, and .js.

MAMP is pretty much a ‘toggle’ application, when it’s on people will be able to see pages on a specific root folder similar to web sharing ( you just give them your current IP address… voila!)

Hope that helps.