Before modern HTML was introduced, Web pages were basically the same as a page in a printed book; mostly text with an occasional picture thrown in. The HTML pages of today not only contain text and many more pictures, but they may also have animated graphics, interactive programs, sound, and video.

A software program called a "Web Browser", such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, is used for viewing Web pages. The browser arranges the individual parts that make up the Web page, and displays them according to the HTML commands written for the page. The different parts of the Web page are located in different files in various areas of the computer or even on other computers. Since the Web browser assembles the parts onto one page, it appears like the entire page comes from only one source. The Netscape Navigator Web browser is shown at the right with a simple Web page.

The way in which a Web page is displayed and viewed is influenced by a variety of considerations. Web pages may appear to be different when viewed with different Web  browsers such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Several versions of the same browser may create a change in the appearance in the same Web page. The individual computer system may also have an affect on the way a Web page was intended to appear. There may be differences in the available color palettes on different systems and the color usually have differences between them.

HTML pages can be created with almost any text editor or word processor. The HTML commands that are typed into these programs must be saved as plain text in order for the resulting page to be displayed properly on a Web browser. Microsoft Notepad is useful for this, because it always saves files as plain text. You can also create HTML pages with software specifically developed for this purpose. Macromedia Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage, and Adobe GoLive are some of these programs which will be described later on.

You don't need to have an Internet connection to create HTML pages. All you need do is type the HTML into your text editor and the pages can be displayed on your Web browser. When you are ready to have your HTML page viewed on the Internet, you can have it posted by your Internet Service Provider.