Transcript 1. Web Design Software

Web Design Software
Alyssa Lagimoniere
Adobe Dreamweaver
Pros
Relatively low-cost price ($99)
Produces very "clean" HTML code;
easy to transport and work with
Available in identical versions for
both Windows and Macintosh
platforms
Supports development of your own
template for pages in a website
Relatively easy to set up for
communicating with a server from
office or home
Powerful set of features for adding
interactive elements to web pages
Extensible - many extensions are
available on the Macromedia
website
Has built-in tools to clean up HTML
from other sources, such as
Microsoft Word
Cons
More expensive than FrontPage
Somewhat difficult to learn at first
Adobe Fireworks/ Flash
Adobe Fireworks (formerly Macromedia Fireworks) is a bitmap and
vector graphics editor. It was originally developed, using parts of xRes,
by Macromedia, which Adobe acquired in 2005, and aimed at web
designers (with features such as: slices, the ability to add hotspots etc.)
for rapidly creating website prototypes and application interfaces. It is
designed to integrate easily with other former Macromedia products,
such as Dreamweaver and Flash.
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform
used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is
frequently used for advertisements and games. More recently, it has
been positioned as a tool for "Rich Internet Applications" ("RIAs").
Flash manipulates vector and raster graphics to provide animation of
text, drawings, and still images. It supports bidirectional streaming of
audio and video, and it can capture user input via mouse, keyboard,
microphone, and camera. Flash contains an Object-oriented language
called ActionScript.
Microsoft Frontpage
Pros
Easy to learn because of the
familiar Microsoft menus and
toolbars
Comes equipped with many
predesigned web page
templates
Very easy to edit
Easy to add some features,
such as some forms, to web
pages
Cons
Doesn't produce code as
cleanly as Dreamweaver
Current edition is available for
Windows only; Macintosh
version is outdated and no
longer being updated
Some features are specific to
the Microsoft platform only
Lacks Dreamweaver's
interactive development tools
Microsoft Expression Web
Pros
Truly displays content correctly on
the screen. Dreamweaver is messed
up in this area
MS Expression is awesome for
editing XHTML and CSS on the fly,
because it validates as you type.
Web Expression points out each
code error like Microsoft Word does
when it finds typos. In
Dreamweaver, you must proactively
run validation to find errors.
Integrates with Dreamweaver
Unlike Dreamweaver, Expression
Web Designer was built from the
ground up to support Web 2.0 and
the standards for today.
Cons
Web Designer currently only
supports ASP.NET. Microsoft built
the ASP.NET platform; it isn’t a
surprise that Expression Web
Designer was designed to support
that platform. This is obviously a
drawback for those designers who
work with PHP, JSP, and other nonASP.NET platforms, making it
difficult for Microsoft to expand its
reach beyond the ASP.NET users.
The lack of an OS X version which
is a shame as a lot of designers are
Mac users. One reason why
Dreamweaver has been so
successful, over the years, is that it
runs identically on a Mac and PC.
While developing in Expression, you
get this feeling that you are using
Microsoft Word.
Conclusion
With the limited amount of time I have and
my inexperience, I am going to use
Microsoft Frontpage.
After doing my research, I learned
Frontpage is much easier to use and
learn.