Program Report
Which HTML Tool
is Right for You?
By Anna Pratt
| |  | | | Mike Doyle provided live demonstrations of the tools he discussed. | | | Photo by Anna Pratt |
The October 24, 2001, seminar, "HTML Editing Tools Come of Age," was very well attended. More than 60 STC members and non-members came to hear Mike Doyle, President of PubsNet Inc., compare the evolution, versatility, and flexibility of the three currently popular HTML editing tools.
Mike described how Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, and Microsoft FrontPage outpaced the other tools through a combination of corporate purchases (Macromedia acquired Allaire HomeSite), greater functionality (Adobe replaced its first offering, PageMill), and the stabilization of the HTML code base. Although Mike noted that you still need to know HTML, these editing tools truly facilitate the creation of Web sites.
After giving live demonstrations of how each tool handles templates, style sheets, and event windows, Mike fielded a number of questions. Attendees asked questions in the following areas:
- the ease of choosing and applying events with each tool
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- dealing with browser incompatibilities (Mike hopes we're almost beyond that!)
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- how images and pages are saved
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- Price differences among the three applications
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- combining these tools with external tools such as RoboHelp (Don't count on it!)
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- finding reference materials to help a novice get a handle on site design and organization
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Regarding the learning curve for each tool, Mike offered the following observation: FrontPage appears easiest for those familiar with other Microsoft Office products; Dreamweaver and GoLive offer a more graphical user interface for those familiar with graphics packages.
For details about Mike's evaluation of the three products, see his article in the September/October 2001 issue of Intercom.
| |  | | | Members and non-members made time to hear Mike speak. | | | Photo by Anna Pratt |
Anna V. Pratt currently serves as Secretary to the Boston Chapter STC Council. She also chairs the Membership Committee for the Boston Chapter.
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