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What
Program to Use?
Background
Since I created the site in 2001,
I've been using Microsoft's FrontPage program to update it. I've
found FrontPage to be easy to use, and it gives me the functionality that I
need.
I'm still using 'FrontPage 2003' to
update the site. I would be happy to continue to use it, but I may need to
change to another program at some stage because:
- Microsoft stopped supporting FrontPage many years ago. (One
day, the program may stop working for me and I might not be able to get it
working again.) The 2003 version of FrontPage is the last that Microsoft
created. They then moved on to Expression Web.
- FrontPage has a reputation for creating poor and inefficient code for
web sites. On the rare occasions that I've had to look at the HTML
code created by FrontPage, I've found what appear to be lots of unnecessary
duplications in the coding.
- FrontPage still displays the site well when it is viewed in
Microsoft's Internet Explorer. However, when the site is viewed in other
browsers such as Firefox Mozilla or Google Chrome, errors are beginning to creep
into the display, e.g. alignment of some of the text. I believe this is
because the coding created by FrontPage is not fully compliant with current
industry standards.
- Future versions of Windows after Windows 7 will not be compatible
with FrontPage. (I'm still currently using Windows Vista, but at some
stage I'll be moving to a later version of Windows.)
What Program Next?
In order to make a move away from
FrontPage easier at some time in the future, I've now changed the way that I'm
using FrontPage. I've stopped using 'FrontPage Extensions'.
Other programs that I'm considering
are:
- Microsoft's Expression Web.
I purchased a copy of this several years ago, but found it to be rather complex
and slow to use. Microsoft have continued to issue new releases of
Expression Web, the most recent being available free (which perhaps gives an
indication of the level of commitment that Microsoft are devoting to the program
and what I might expect from it).
Nevertheless, I may get hold of a copy and try it. I believe that the
coding that it generates is higher quality than that from FrontPage. I
don't know whether or not it would be possible to run my existing pages through
Expression Web and get it to check and amend any non-compliant coding that
FrontPage created.
- Adobe's Dreamweaver.
This seems to be the most widely used program. It has lots of
features - far more than I'll need - so I may have to go through a steep
learning curve before I became efficient in using it.
Ideally, I'd like to be able to go on a training course where somebody with
experience of changing from FrontPage could watch what I was doing and give
advice, but I've not found any such course.
Unfortunately (from my point of view) Adobe recently moved Dream-weaver to
Creative Cloud, so making it far more expensive than buying their program and
waiting a few years before buying an update. I'm not unduly concerned
about the cost, compared to other factors. However, it could be an
expensive mistake to buy Dreamweaver then discover that it's not the best
solution for the EdinPhoto site.
- Serif's WebPlus.
I've been told that this is one of
several Graphical Design software programs now available, and that it is easier
to use than Dreamweaver. WebPlus apparently has good community support on
the web. I don't know how much work would be involved in making my current
25000+ pages compatible with WebPlus.
(Thank you to Frank Ferri, Queensferry,
Edinburgh for telling me about WebPlus.)
Comments Please!
If you have any comments or
suggestions,
please email me. I'm keen to spend my time adding to the content of
the EdinPhoto web site rather than learning any new programming or updating
methods, so any advice about the easiest way forward for me would be very
welcome.
Thank you.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 8, 2014 |