Which is better fora novice Web Designer

[Thumpa RA]

Hi there, i'd like to know, for a novice web designer like me. Which software would be ideal for me?......Frontpage or Dreamweaver?


If anyone knows pplease email me :)

Thumpa RA

[bathurst_guy]

option c) learn coding and use a text editor. But if it had to be A or B then definately B - FrontPage is the worst ever!

[Thumpa RA]

hmmmm know any other good easy web deigning software that i could use that doesn't involve in coding?

[geraelindsey]

I think FrontPage is easier to learn for someone totally new to design. You could also try http://www.coffeecup.com/html-editor/ :)

[abz]

I go for option c too. learning to code youself will benefit you if you are a novice. it means if you have a problem, you will be able to understand it instead of being completely baffled.

If you really really dont want to learn anything, then 100% dreamweaver. FrontPage is notoriously rubbish. It spam fills your site pages with stuf that doenst need to be there, costing you bandwidth and money!

[muzzamcfuzza]

I have absolutely no code experience whatsoever! But you don't really need it with Dreamweaver! I have only been using DW for about 6 months and think iv'e picked it up really easy.
I have never used FrontPage so i cant compare.
Yeah code would be handy to know, but you can always find answers on the net for any problems which tell you how to do stuff without the gobbledygook! Dreamwaever all the way,, Just my opinion though!

[davidc]

Hi there, i'd like to know, for a novice web designer like me. Which software would be ideal for me?......Frontpage or Dreamweaver?


If anyone knows pplease email me :)

Thumpa RA


I've been through this recently. MS support for Frontpage Extensions has already being discontinued and Frontpage is being phased out over the next few years to make way for new MS web design products. You can try these products in beta - I didn't like them at all and opted to learn Dreamweaver. If you are going to learn anything learn Dreamweaver and code in parallel. I have just built a simple Dreamweaver website in a month with no knowledge of coding (this would have helped) and just experience of Frontpage. I'd go for Dreamweaver.

David
www.davidcolepictures.co.uk

[tvgraphics]

there is a learning curve for all options. For the serious web designer, then put in the time to learn code. For a good WYSIWYG web building program, then go with Dreamweaver. Frontpage is easy to learn, but is limited in its abilities and as they mentioned in earlier replies, it is being phased out, so stay clear of it.
Good Luck

[ellanab]

Dreamweaver will allow you to continue to grow. You will eventually grow out of frontpage and need to upgrade.

[grumpyoldtechs]

no experience is better than bad experience!

learn code its the only way to produce good websites.

dreamweaver makes a very nice coding tool tho

[TanBrae]

when one cannot afford Dreamweaver?

I do have a Dreamweaver disk that I got from a friend who passed away, but it was not in the case, and I cannot find a serial number for it.

I'm hoping to take an HTML course from our local college, but that will depend on my finances (VERY low income!). I'm hoping to make some extra money building webpages.

[Corey Bryant]

Frontpage will help you create forms, etc with Frontpage Server Extensions (FPSE). However FPSE are being phased out and Microsoft released Expression Web. As far as writing compliant code - it is much more impressive than Frontpage. I have done a couple of websites using Expressions and have been pleasantly surprised.

The problem though - you will now have to rely on coding to create contact form etc and no longer rely on FPSE.

They are offer a free 30 day trial (http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/en/web_designer/default.mspx) as well to test it out.

[toicontien]

From my experience, if you work with static Web sites, those that do not rely on a CMS and data base, then WYSIWYG programs like dreamweaver are still not great when it comes to the initial coding and development of the site. Learn hand coding. Create hand coded templates from graphical mockups created in Photoshop, the Gimp or another graphics editing program. Then open those hand coded templates in Dreamweaver or Front Page and use them to edit the content on the page.

If you get into dynamic web sites and creating content management systems, then a plain text editor like HTML Kit -- http://www.chami.com/html-kit/ -- is what you really want.

The bottom line is, do not go in to Web development unless you want to understand the technologies you are using. Otherwise you'll continually run into problems you can't solve. Programs like Dreamweaver are tools you use that suppliment knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and a server side language. They aren't a replacement for that knowledge.

Some sites I learned from:

http://www.w3schools.com/
http://www.w3.org/
http://www.alistapart.com/
http://www.positioniseverything.net/

[TanBrae]

I would like, as I stated, to learn HTML, and XHTML, and CSS, and...
;) When I get the funds, I would like to take those classes so I will know what I'm doing. But, I don't think I want to hand code everything! That's why I asked about the Dreamweaver. A friend who does do webpage design uses that. She has used Frontpage and hates it. She, though, knows code - learned that first.

I have had *some* Adobe Photoshop training, but I need to learn that program better, also. Those classes are expensive, but I can get some online through our local college. That means I can still work, and learn.

[michaelc]

I would like, as I stated, to learn HTML, and XHTML, and CSS, and...
;) When I get the funds, I would like to take those classes so I will know what I'm doing. But, I don't think I want to hand code everything! That's why I asked about the Dreamweaver. A friend who does do webpage design uses that. She has used Frontpage and hates it. She, though, knows code - learned that first.

I have had *some* Adobe Photoshop training, but I need to learn that program better, also. Those classes are expensive, but I can get some online through our local college. That means I can still work, and learn.

The nice thing about DreamWeaver is you can build websites without knowing the code and then see the code it creates, thus learn to code as you go.

You don't need school room classes to learn, pick up a book and read it.
it's all also all over the net. First get a general understanding of HTML - tables and general layeout, then stylesheets, then Javascript. you will find it's far eazyer then you think.

[TanBrae]

I have bookmarked several sites that give tutorials on HTML, XHTML, and CSS. I'll just have to get busy and DO it! LOL

[nhjac]

I was exactly where you are 2 1/2 years ago. Trust me Dreamwever is the only way to go. Frontpage is no easier to learn and it has many down sides already mentioned in previous posts. I've been fooling around with the beta Expression Web and it has alot of promise but it's to new. Give It a few years to mature. I'm sure the other more experienced developers will disagree but I think there's no better way to learn HTML than with a tool like dreamweaver. Their forums are teriffic. I have always found the answers I needed. I do agree you will never be any good at web design untill you learn to write HTML, java, and whatever else is needed. To me it seems endless. As soon as I think I know something I realize how much I don't Know. You don't need any college courses at least at first. Read read read. There is free Info on the web, at the library, and realitvly cost efficant books at any bookstore. I would start by downloading a trial and seeing if you can make any sence of it. Forums like this one and the ones at the adobe web site will be your best classroom.

[Brendi]

when one cannot afford Dreamweaver?

I do have a Dreamweaver disk that I got from a friend who passed away, but it was not in the case, and I cannot find a serial number for it.

I'm hoping to take an HTML course from our local college, but that will depend on my finances (VERY low income!). I'm hoping to make some extra money building webpages.

TanBrae...and anyone else who cannot afford Dreamweaver & etc. You can download FOR FREE....NO COST AT ALL...... HTMLKIT, or NVU. Just type htmlkit or nvu into google, yahoo or any other search engine.....
Brendi

[toicontien]

The nice thing about DreamWeaver is you can build websites without knowing the code and then see the code it creates, thus learn to code as you go.
The only thing you need to beware of is point and click programs often do not use industry best practices when generating code. Granted, industry best practices change often, but seeing the code Dreamweaver generates can get you the basic idea of how HTML works. And then...

You don't need school room classes to learn, pick up a book and read it. It's all also all over the net. First get a general understanding of HTML - tables and general layeout, then stylesheets, then Javascript. you will find it's far eazyer then you think.
That's about it :) The one thing you want to do with tables however, is learn their semantic uses. That is, learn how to effectively use tables for tabular data and style sheets for design. Learn what each HTML tag is used for, then learn style sheets. Lastly, JavaScript is then used to create interactivity and additional functionality to an already functioning Web page.

[The_Magus]

Hi:

Am totally bored with the work ahead of me so will waste your time by adding my comments to the above.

I started with Front Page four years ago when I didn't even know what Front Page was before getting a copy of DW some months later. Using FP I got a site up and working and have added/chopped/changed ever since including my latest effort which was adding a vertical pop out menu to both a newly designed page using css and inserting the SSI code into the old table heavy pages. I am maintaining four sites I have personally created.

Over time I have jumped back and forth between FP and DW which let me find problems in pages which was not obvious in which ever program I was using. I added Web Expression to my armoury a few months ago and think it will probably be much better then FP but don't have time now to experiment. By the way there was no 30 limit on the copy I downloaded - several months ago.

What this all mean? I say go for it and learn as you go along, You can create working sites even if they don't meet with the approval of many of the very knowable people connected with this forum but results is what counts for me. I think if you want to make a career connected with web sites go ahead and learn the coding from the ground up but if coming at it in later life just get on with it.

Cheers

Jack

[gwynne]

I've used FrontPage 2000 for over five years. I agree it has its limitations but if you're familiar with MS Office then it is ideal for a beginner. It's all very well saying learn code, use code, but sometimes you don't have time to learn it. I'm lucky, I have enough knowledge of HTML to edit out some of the extra rubbish that FrontPage writes in. I do so when I can be bothered. I also find frontpage coding very untidy. I hate untidy code.

I'm interested in the free Dreamweaver that was mentioned above, I have been told often enough that it is superior to FP. There's a surprise.

Will give it a go soon. Thanks for the tip.

[nhjac]

I downloaded NVU as suggested by brendi and I'm impressed. Even though I don't have the time to spend with it right now. I did publish a static page in no time at all. If you can't afford dreamweaver or even if you can download this. Its free.
http://www.nvu.com/index.php