Dreamweaver alternative

You can try Kompozer and see if it works for you. It is free I believe.

http://kompozer.net/

 

Coda is, according to me, one of the best web design applications there are. Try it for free at their website, and if you like it, you could buy it from the Mac App Store. I really recommend it.

 

Coda is not a WYSIWYG editor. It's a code editor with built-in browser, ssh, and ftp. But that's not a competitor to the WYSIWYG side of Dreamweaver.

 

Well it is free because it is an open source software. I believe it is mainly developed by Mozilla community.

It is not as advanced as the Dreamweaver but it is good for simple stuff and easy to use. I don't use visual editors, I use mainly just a text editor and some css frameworks for web development; but I used Kompozer sometime ago for quick arrangements. It was easy to use and effective.

 

Dreamweaver MX is very outdated. Also, you seem to be set on using Dreamweaver, why not just go for it?

You could also give Nvu a shot.

 

Flux is okay but I was tweaking my code with BBEdit, so I ended up with Dreamweaver anyway.

http://www.theescapers.com/flux/

I found a deal through macgasm.net on Flux for $39. They run it every few months:

http://deals.macgasm.net/sales/mac-superbundle-featuring-parallels-7

 

As someone who actually knows HTML, I've been doing a lot of development at work, and I'm simply using Dashcode, as it does all the color coding that I rely on. True there is no WYSIWYG interface, but to be honest, when I use my WYSIWYG in Dreamweaver it is more for preview purposes than actual design.

TEG

 

I have only ever used Dreamweaver, but whilst it is great WYSIWYG, the only way to move forward is to learn HTML, CSS and Javascript. There are so many resources from which to learn and in my opinion in is crucial to do so to become a decent web designer. Like the above poster Dreamwever now has become my previewer.

I looked at the flux link today and some of the videos - very clever and would get the job done, but I don't think using it anyone would ever get to grips with the coding itself.

I have found building websites and understanding coding is a learning curve and you can add to the strings of your bow by understanding (or at least being able to use) php, asp and more.

I have just done aninimation for a home page that untilisies HTML5, JQuery and CSS3 - you would think it was flash and really looks like there is so much more to come over the next couple of years.

Go on W3C schools and the numerous free resources and dive in!

 

Yep, and in Coda you can bring up a second panel by clicking the button that looks like this +||| in the top right hand corner under the search bar. Then, whilst that section is highlighted, click the preview (globe and magnifying glass) icon.

If you're working on the site and it's on your computer, this will show you a live view of your site so you can see if anything needs adjusted. If you're working on the site from your web server, it'll update when you save and refresh. Pretty handy!

 

I suggest muse by adobe.

Muse.adobe.com

 

FWIW, I hand-code websites because I find it faster than using a WYSIWYG editor. I was a PageMill user back in the day, have used several programs since then, and own a copy of Dreamweaver through CS5. I don't think I have launched Dreamweaver in the last year. Once you have a good understanding of HTML and CSS, writing the code becomes second-nature.

It's not that hard to learn enough about HTML and CSS to eliminate the need for a WYSIWYG editor, and you have a better understanding of your code when everything is complete. One reason I moved away from WYSIWYG editors is that they add another layer to the process. Sometimes you can get away with not knowing what's going on behind the scenes, but when browser-compatibility issues arise, or you need to implement some complex javascript, you need to learn what's underneath anyway.

This may not be a recommendation for anything you're working on now, but I do echo what most would say about using a text editor to write HTML. I don't think it's just because I'm a stubborn programmer (though that might be part of it).

PS: If you're planning to use a CMS at any point, you typically don't need to write much HTML, you just implement the design with CSS based on the HTML generated through the system. Most content management systems include a javascript-based WYSIWYG content editor that uses your CSS to preview the styling.

Lucas Gladding

Development/Interface Design/Illustration
www.cashdepositapp.com | www.ledgerapp.com
www.dribbble.com/lucasgladding

 

I just watched the video for Muse. I had a great impression up to the point where one of the engineers suggested that he didn't think very many people would be coding to design websites in a few years. He equated hand-coding websites to hand-coding PDF or PostScript, a flawed comparison IMHO. Print is different than web design because the viewer doesn't have control over how content is presented. With websites, the designer/developer needs to consider how the page will change when users override settings. That includes widening a window, changing font sizes for accessibility, etc. Also, structuring your content around the presentation ignores years of web standards work. Separating content, presentation, and behavior simplifies things when integrating into a CSS, or even just when you're making design tweaks in the future.

Designers have an obligation to learn the medium they work with, or they do their clients a disservice. I'm not suggesting that graphic designers need to be able to write HTML/CSS/JS, just that they know enough about the technology to know when they need to hire someone who does know the medium.

Sorry, a little off topic, but somewhat relevant.

PS: The code for the showcase items on the Muse site doesn't inspire much confidence, nor does the behavior when you increase the text size on the designs.

 

weeellll... yes, one has to understand code to master the medium, but that doesn't mean one should hand-code all the time.

A better analogy than editing PostScript might be doing math: It's critical to know how to add and multiply, but if you're accounting with a pencil and ledger instead of a spreadsheet program, you're wasting a lot of time.

I think anyone who hand codes everything is not working efficiently.

 

Agreed on all counts, though I should define what I mean by hand-coding. I build the templates in a text editor, use macros whenever possible to speed the conversion from plain text to HTML, and format content largely using tinymce once the templates are done.

I like the math analogy, but there is already a problem with graphic designers who don't know how to add and multiply, and don't think it's important to know. Understanding how the web works affects design treatments, and you can always tell who knows.

 

The response to this statement depends on what you mean by "hand code everything"? ;-)

 

I agree, I've been using dreamweaver for a while and decided to try Muse. Its really impressive and quite easy to understand. If you're looking for something a little more hands on but not as expensive as dreamweaver. I'd take a look at rapidweaver.

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/overview/

 

Another suggestion for a DW MX replacement is:

Aptana Studio 3

• Integrated debugger
• PHP project support
• GIT integration
• Built in terminal window
• Deployment wizard for synchronized setups
• IDE is easily customizable
• HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Ruby, Rails, PHP and Python

This software requires Mac OSX 10.5 or later with Java 1.5 and comes standalone or as an Eclipse plugin if you wish. I suggested this not because it has a million cool features, but its DW-like features without the slowness or crashing. Download free trial, so won't cost ya nothin' to try.

-jim

 

Hi,

I have Studio 8.... upgraded to Lion... and now can't use any of the programs... grrr..... so I have a website I made in Dreamweaver 8... can I easily import it into an alternative such as Coda?

Thanks!

 

Flux is really good for those with intermediate skills and is relatively easy to use. If you just want to create a web site visually just use WordPress its really easy to get a nice site up and running.

 

Sublime 2 or TextMate, DW is "useless" imho