HTML

Here you'll find meta tag explained:

http://vancouver-webpages.com/META/metatags.detail.html

and here the base tag:

http://www.stars.com/Authoring/HTML/Head/base.html

xabi

stars.com seems to be slightly close-minded.  BASE can be used to other things besides HREF (TARGET is my first thought).  <base target="_top"> shouldn't validate (according to http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/links.html#h-12.4), but it's commonly used to set the base target for frames so one doesn't have to run around and remember it all the time.  the HTML 4.01 spec suggests <base href="http://someserver.com/" target="_top"> when one wants to define the target (see http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/present/frames.html#h-16.3 and the following paragraphs & sections).

the HTML4.01 spec about the META element:
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/global.html#h-7.4.4

freshmeat: http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/ is a nice thing to have in your bookmarks (or favorites, if you prefer that).

I wouldn't trust Microsoft at all when it comes to HTML.

ha, nettrom, i agree with u
i don't like M$, either
i am a linuxer