Your thoughts, please...


I am looking for a fairly easy, solid Web site builder program.


I have tried Frontpage and do not like it a whole lot. I am currently working with Net Objects Fusion 7 (school's software; I would upgrade to 8) and like it so far, but before I dish out $200 for that program I want to know about any other comparable alternatives or more pros/cons about this program.


I don't want anything that is too reliant on user-input HTML, as I am more interested in a WYSIWYG format with modern features and capabilities. Any site interests I am looking at would be, for now, purely for personal site use, but even so I would not want to negate a business function.


Any help would be appreciated, but I know you guys are almost always helpful so I'm not worried about that! Thanks. :)

-Cad

Use a content management system. :D

DREAMWEAVER is GOD if you know how to do CODE or not... .I use it every time I feel the urge to make a poitnless SITE!


So the dreamweaver package might be a little costly but theres ways around that *cough*:o

Dreamweaver.

vi!

Seriously, Dreamweaver seems to be the standard. But it does tend to produce code bloat if you make a tiny error in your tables, so use it carefully. I also hope you've learned how to code HTML with a simple text editor like notepad. It may seems useless, but it can help if you need to update a webpage in a hurry or something.

The new version of Dreamweaver is god awfully slow. I mean, it's just terrible. Search for "Dreamweaver MX 2004 slow", and you'll see a million hits with people complaining and no real solutions.

I've kept using it anyway, because it's what I'm used to and I've got a ton of sites already set up with it, so it would be a pain to switch. I've heard the latest version of Frontpage is actually pretty nice though. Certainly is a huge amount faster. Probably better in every way for simple static page creation.

Depends how simple you want it.

If you just want to design it and want total control, then Dreamweaver all the way.

If you want something a little more canned, I can't really say cause it would be advertising. Send me an email at mark_gauci@hotmail.com and I should be able to point ye in the right direction.

Dreamweaver is good though if you're too lazy to learn the code.:rolleyes:

I use NetObjects, and have been since version 2.0. Nice solid program.
Dreamweaver is good if you want to get into PhP development and the like.
I also use archnapobia (sp) a careware program that is a solid HTML editor.

It all depends on what your comfortable with and which language you're going to focus on predominately. ie HTML, CSS, PHP, ASP, etc.

If you're going to develop pages that you want spidered by the search engines, pure HTML is the way to go for the most part. The spiders aren't smart enough yet to handle a lot of PHP, ASP stuff and therefore you pages don't get spidered very well.

Same with developing Flash pages, you have to add in alot of behind the pages to make the spiders like your sites.

If you want more info on the NetObjects stuff, go here:

fusiongroups@yahoo.com
http://www.beyondfusion.com/
http://www.fusionmagic.com/
http://www.websitepros.com/
http://www.netobjects.com/
http://www.wowwebdesigns.com/tools/id_61/

A link for Arachnophila:
http://www.arachnoid.com/

I'm sure there are similar links for Dreamweaver but I only use that to develop forms and such that work better using PHP, I also use it to develop some CSS files.

Good Luck with coding and all.
Shoot me an email if you need more info or just want to talk about netobjects.

franklyn @ galacticzero.net

I downloaded the Dreamweaver MX 2004 30-day trial and I have to say I'm not too impressed with it at least regarding ease of use (what little HTML I know is worthless these days). I might just not have it set right.

Thanks for the follow-up on NetObjects, Silvermaine. I think I will end up buying version 8 of that since I enjoy the ease of its dynamic WYSIWYG system (ability to input flash files, easy java, etc.).

Thank you all for your help, and if anyone wants to give any pointers on how to set up using Dreamweaver MX 2004 for someone basicly clueless about modern internet coding, I would greatly appreciate it =).

Cados, I'd use webmonkey in combination with Dreamweaver. Most notably their "HTML Cheatsheet" which basically explains what all the codes do and what not. http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/

I've always used the MX suite and had no problems. Now, I regretably don't know what your final project will be, so I can't exactly say what you should get/use. If its very graphical, starting with some of the other programs in the MX line and switching over is probably more logical. Fireworks is more of the WYSIWYG style without the code, Dreamweaver puts the code backbone behind the pictures you made in Freehand / Fireworks (or I've always used Photoshop, sorry Macromedia!).

*edit* replaced Illustrator with Freehand, got confused for a moment :)

id like to see those hailing notepad as the greatest web editor ever try to maintain a site like www.microsoft.com(for example) or any major site with some sort of SQL or database management is required.

Sure if you got a www.geocities.com site notepad might be ok... but why bother? If you want the notepad interface Dreamweaver can give you that also.

Dreamweaver makes building simple web pages easy. But more complicated ones, I would laugh at someone saying notepad is a superior editor. Thats just a comment from elitist nerds who want to act like there superior in some fashion cause they can built a table in notebad.