Illusion Technologies: Web Development

How To Choose Which Web Development Package Is Right For You
By Andrew Smith

There are plenty of options when it comes to web site creation
software and a wannabe web designer might have a hard time
deciding which to choose. We will have a look at the most
popular web creation programs: Front Page, Dreamweaver and Adobe
GoLive. All three offer a user-friendly interface and plenty of
beginner and advanced options that will allow you to create the
website of your dreams. A large majority of website hosting
companies accept the final outputs of the three programs, but
you will still need to check your web page for compatibility
with different web browsers.

Front Page
comes as a natural option to many web designers, partly because
being part of the Microsoft Office family this software offers a
familiar workspace. The interface is similar to the ones you
find in Word or Excel, with many identical buttons, keyboard
shortcuts and actions. Text formatting is piece of cake in Front
Page as it almost feels like you are using Word to do it. The
Insert/Picture command is also available here, allowing the user
to easily integrate images into the web page. Although many
experienced web designers see Front Page as a basic software,
you can still tweak your page to higher standards by using the
HTML view.

Dreamweaver
offers a lot more high-end features and is preferred by a large
community of web designers. You have more freedom using HTML
features and taking your web site closer to perfection. A very
useful option is the design and code split view – you see the
effects of the changes you make in the source code affect the
design in real time. Macromedia Dreamweaver allows you to create
from the simplest of web sites to very complex pages that
integrate Java applications and Flash elements. You may also
check the final result in different browsers, a very important
step that allows you to calibrate the web site for maximum
compatibility. It is also an excellent programme for beginners
because of its WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) interface,
this allows the user to create web sites without having
knowledge of HTML coding. Some HTML coding knowledge will,
however, allow you to create better looking sites.

Adobe GoLive
is a favorite web creation software of designers that are used
to working with other Adobe products such as Photoshop or
Illustrator. The familiar Adobe workspace reduces the learning
curve for this program and allows easy integration of
cross-software elements. The graphic elements for the web site,
which are usually created in Photoshop, are effortlessly placed
into GoLive's workspace by a simple drag and drop move. The
excellent compatibility with other graphic design Adobe products
recommends GoLive as a great option when you want to create a
great looking website.

About the Author: Andrew Smith is a co-webmaster of HowToAll, a
site providing well researched information on accomplishing
tasks on various topics. http://www.howtoall.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com