What tools do I need for web site development 1

[johnk]

We are an experienced VB app development shop. We have used the services of a professional to create background graphics and general layouts.<br>
<br>
Would you recommend MS FrontPage? Adobe GoLive? Or others?<br>
<br>
After gaining some experience we expect to build and maintain our own site.<br>
<br>
I read an older posting from spring '99. I thought there might be some additional thoughts now.<br>
<br>
Any thoughts will be much appreciated.<br>
<br>
JohnK

 

[MissSile]

I've gone through dozens of HTML editors and in about 1-2 days of aggrivation, I always go back to notepad.&nbsp;&nbsp;I finally found a program that meets my strict criterion:<br><br>DREAMWEAVER 3.0<br>1. generates clean code and gives me complete access to the HTML, which I can edit in a notepad-like environment.<br>2. Acts like a TRUE wysiwyg editor without skewing my work.<br>3. Easy to learn and I've yet to become aggrivated.<br>

 

[carpeliam]

First rule of thumb:<br>don't use a WYSIWYG editor.<br><br>Second rule of thumb (can override the first):<br>if you're going to use a WYSIWYG editor, use DreamWeaver.<br><br>there aren't any more rules of thumb.<br> <p>Liam Morley<br><a href=mailto:lmorley@wpi.edu>lmorley@wpi.edu</a><br><a href=

http://www.wpi.edu/~lmorley/>

] :: imotic :: website :: [</a><br>"light the deep, and bring silence to the world.<br>
light the world, and bring depth to the silence."

 

[MartyLogo]

Have to change my reply now. At first I recommended not using FrontPage but since then have had posts saying the FP2000 is different that its earlier versions so I say &quot;Go For It&quot;

MartyLogo

http://members.xoom.com/WebPager1/index.htm

[sig]<p>MartyLogo<br><a href=mailto:MartyLogo@netzero.net>MartyLogo@netzero.net</a><br><a href=

http://pages.ivillage.com/misc/marty188/main.html>Welcome

to my Main Page!</a><br>Logo & Web Page Designs Inc.[/sig]

 

[kjonnnnn]

I used FrontPage 2000 for my church website...

http://www.PraiseTempleChurch.org

I am contemplating starting another website, and contemplated your same question. After input from others on the board, Im staying with FP and adding some Flash here and there. Im a computer tech, but Im not tryn to be an HTML Guru, I just want an attractive, useful site. [sig][/sig]

 

[tekagami]

First of all learn html, at least the basics. Once you are not afraid to look at the code, then use a WYSIWYG editor like front page 2000.

It lets you change the html very well, it has three tabs for editing, one for WYSIWYG, one for html and one to see how its all going to come out. And if you are going to work with lots of pages the navigation feature will add all the links around to navigate your website.

Its quick, easy and will get the job done. But remember you will have to know what you are doing as far as html goes. So learn it then decide an WYSIWYG editor. My vote is for Front Page 2000.

 

[tanderso]

I suggest not using any WYSIWYG editors. They mutilate your code and add tens of kilobytes of unnecessary tags to your pages. They also cannot handle even simple table layouts involving graphics, and forget trying to use JavaScript in them. They make bad assumptions and kill whole blocks of code which they don't understand. Do yourself a favor and learn the 10 to 15 tags necessary to build and maintain a website... it'll probably be easier to learn than the editor anyway. Use WordPad or a text editor that shows line numbers in Windows, or emacs on a linux system. Once you've got those simple HTML tags down, learn some simple JavaScript as a client-side scripting language by visiting one of the many tutorials on the web. If you really want some serious functionality, learn some Perl too as a server-side scripting language. Don't worry, JavaScript and Perl have similar syntax. Learn the basics and you can look up the specifics of anything you want to program.

Use Adobe Photoshop (on Windows or Mac) or Gimp (on linux) for your graphics. Newer Photoshop versions have good animation and web compression tools.

With that, you should be set to go.
Sincerely,

Tom Anderson
CEO, Order amid Chaos, Inc.

http://www.oac-design.com

 

[iza]

yesss, using notepad is NOT reinventing the wheel all the time, it's just making sure the whell is round, coz wizywig editors just twist what you're trying to do and add a lot of crap code you don't need
i PROFESSIONNALY use notepad and it's much faster than any wysiwyg editor as i KNOW what it's doing, when, and why :]

 

[steveroot]

OK - who opened this can of worms :
My two pennies
I learnt in notepad because it was free, Frontpage and pretty much every wysiwyg editor hadn't been invented, and the company I was working for was too tight to pay out for any software other than MS office (and this was before the MS word save as html option too!)

I now use Dreamweaver 1.0 because it was free on a coverdisk and I have found it excellent for all the reasons already mentioned by everyone else.
BUT
its not so important what software you use to write/edit a page as long as you are comfortable with it. Its far more important to remember WHO you are writing it for.

e.g. my site

http://www.rootskitchens.co.uk

has always been aimed at mr averageUK who is looking to buy kitchen furniture, so I write pages that:

1) Have useful and complete content (the only reason people come to my site is to find out information and prices, not look at spining graphics or splash pages)

2) Load VERY fast (a minimum amount of images, so typical page including images is about 12Kb and loads faster than Altavista, Yahoo and all of my competition! Exceptions being the online ordering system where pictures are required in order to meet number 1 above)

3) Work on as many browsers as possible (which means there are no Flash animations which require plug-ins etc.)

however, as JohnK is in a computer company it may be very appropriate to use the lattest effects and gadgets on the website to show you are 'cutting edge'.

So there we go REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE WRITING FOR and i'm sure you'll succeed with any software.
--
Steve Root

http://www.rootskitchens.co.uk

 

[Silverado]

Great exchange of ideas and suggestions for &quot;tools&quot;! Here is what 95% of all professional &quot;page producers&quot; are doing today:

1. If you design professionally or want to, you MUST learn HTML!!!!!

2. Worldwide, Dreamweaver is the most widely used &quot;WYSIWYG&quot; program because of the reasonably clean code it produces.

3. Use any WYSIWYG to &quot;quickly&quot; design the site.

4. Use HomeSite (another most widely used), or some other text editor to go back and tweak and/or clean up any &quot;frayed&quot; code.

You'll have a quickly produced site that isn't bloated with proprietary code and &quot;your&quot; HTML+ expertise will have polished the final product!

 

[tanderso]

I disagree. Don't even start with a WYSIWYG. Just create your site straight from HTML using WordPad or Emacs. Much quicker and cleaner that way. Otherwise you have to go and try to figure out what your WYSIWYG editor did and then change it. If you programmed it from the beginning then you know where everything is and how it works. Also, you can't do any kind of complex table layouts with a WYSIWYG.
Sincerely,

Tom Anderson
CEO, Order amid Chaos, Inc.

http://www.oac-design.com

 

[drosenkranz]

Hi I am 15 and Just started using Front page 2000 I'm also learning how to use Flash 4 making animations can i use Front Page to upload my Flash .swf files
The 2nd mouse gets the cheese.