If you are new to web design and don't know where to start, it is probably best
that you devote some time initially in selecting the most appropriate web
editor. The two most popular WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are
Microsoft's FrontPage and Macromedia's Dreamweaver. This leads to the often
heated and delicate debate, "Which is the best editor?" Fortunately this article
informs you of the pros and cons of both and the level of experience that is
required. At this stage, I would like to make it clear that I am not an advocate
for Microsoft or Macromedia and have substantial experience of using both web
editors. FrontPage Pros Starting off with FrontPage, the latest version is 2003
and it has been built on top of the highly successful Microsoft Office suite. It
benefits from having a similar appearance to Microsoft Word and many of the
other Office based programs. The "non technical savv" will appreciate such a
close resemblance and an easy-to-use menu system. In fact FrontPage has many
uses similar to a word processor. The functionality for inserting images, tables
and formatting text are very similar. So the step-up from a well known word
processor, to an equally well known web editor is not that big at all! FrontPage
also has an abundance of ready to use templates, particularly useful for the
novice user.
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Dreamweaver Pros Macromedia products have been designed specifically with web
design in mind and Dreamweaver is the industry standard for web editors.
Dreamweaver has a nice blend of advanced tools mixed in with a tasteful
graphical user interface. Dreamweaver 8, the most recent version, is part of the
Macromedia Studio 8 suite. The tight integration between applications in the
Studio is fantastic. Switching from Dreamweaver to another product such
Fireworks, Flash and ColdFusion is an absolute "doddle" and a real time saver
too! Dreamweaver also enables you to build your own custom templates, allowing
alterations to hundreds of pages to be made with one single change - great large
web sites! It also has an awesome array of database utilities which makes
creating dynamic pages a breeze. Dreamweaver has an extensive collection of
advanced tools and may at times be a little too complex for those who wish to
merely edit pages. Fortunately, Macromedia Contribute is available and is part
of the Macromedia Studio suite and enables easy website maintenance. "Non
techies" can edit the content of pages, whilst the coding part of the page is
protected - so no banana skins here! FrontPage Cons FrontPage's simplicity and
ease of use often generates lots of unwanted code which can be difficult to
manage. It has been designed specifically for Internet Explorer (I.E.) and does
not fully abide by the World Wide Web Standards.
This means the web pages look perfect in I.E. but often slightly out of sync in
other leading browsers such as Mozilla Firefox. Another small hindrance of
FrontPage is that web servers need FrontPage extensions to get some features to
work. Dreamweaver Cons Dreamweaver is not as easy to use and may look a little
foreign and intimidating to the novice user. The lack of beginner tools and
usability may frustrate inexperienced users. Dreamweaver is also a little more
pricey than FrontPage. Conclusion Dreamweaver is a professional level web
editor. It has been designed to be used in a commercial environment and benefits
from having advanced web design tools, is part of a great Macromedia suite,
offers power database utilities and provides a wide range of e-commerce
capabilities. FrontPage on the other hand was intended for the average home user
with a modest interest in web design. It is ideal for beginners and offers a
range of special effects that will keep you busy for quite a while. I think they
both provide value for money and are aimed at different markets. The novice user
will benefit from FrontPage, where as the professional web designer will require
more advanced tools and is more likely to opt for Dreamweave
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