Start with HTML first and make sure you are coding properly.
HTML codes tend to be sub standard.
I've seen a lot of HTML coders code this way - < p >This
is a test paragraph. (remove the spaces)
Most browsers will auto correct the wrong codes. With the web
moving towards XHTML, this is not possible. Try something like
this, you will see < p >This is a test paragraph. - in your
webpage.
Or perhaps start with XHTML to train you in writing good
codes.
A good resource which I like - http://www.html.net/
Books wise, I like the Beginning <topic> series by Wrox.
It's a red book with human faces as cover page. Or The Complete
Reference of <topic>. It's a white colour book. They are
pretty thick, and usually cover more than 1 topic.
Do not get cookbooks published by Oreilly. They are very
summarized and served as a memory jotter for experienced users.
All other languages, refer to documentation. That's the best
help. If you need a web server for free, XAMPP is another to consider.
For Microsoft coding, IIS can only be installed on XP
Professional machines.
A WYSIWYG editor that I prefer is Amaya. It's produced
by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). All codes can be validated
within the editor itself before you upload it to the web. Not as
much features as Dreamweaver, but good enough as an alternative to
Dreamweaver.
