Cross Platform Web Site Design Software

[ebook]

I am looking to build a website for the place that I work at. The thing is that I have no experience building a website, I have little experience working on PC's (I have an iBook), and the employer has PC's only. So, my question is this, is there software out there that will help me easily design a website that looks good, and is there something that is cross platform. I can somewhat remember working with FrontPage or something when I was in high school. If there is no cross platform software do you have any ideas for good Mac software?

P.S. This might be my excuse for them to by me a new laptop!!!

 

[decksnap]

Well the best software is Dreamweaver- but this is the site management/HTML/FTP part of the equation- you still need to design it in something. I use Fireworks for web design layouts/slicing/graphic export and Dreamweaver for html layout, code tweaking, java, and upload. These programs are available for both platforms. (Macromedia)

 

[freiheit]

Or for something more simple (and free) the Mozilla suite includes Composer which is a pretty decent graphical site designer. Nothing fancy like animations or pre-built JavaScripts (of course you can add them later by hand) but it's the most cross-platform you'll find.

 

[James L]

The trick to cross browser web design is to have error free html/xhtml code, and to use NO proprietary commands that exist for certain browsers. If you always validate your code and remove any errors you will eliminate these commands anyway as they will pop up as errors in the validator.

The web is meant to be browser, and platform, independent remember. While you do need to take into account the little bugs certain browsers, and versions of those browsers, have, error free code will get you 99% of the way there... regardless of what platform you created it on.

To ensure error free code, put a valid DOCTYPE at the beginning of your code, then run it through the W3 validator.

The other thing to consider when designing on a Mac is that the standard Mac gamma is 1.8, whereas the standard PC gamma is 2.2 (I think). In other words, things are lighter on the Mac. When designing graphics for your webpage always keep this in mind as you may design a dark graphic for the Mac (which is lighter don't forget), that looks virtually black on the PC. Or, you design a light colored graphic on a PC (which is darker by default) and it is all washed out on a Mac.

Some people ignore this, but always consider your target audience. If 99% of your web viewers are on a PC then you really should be designing for them with regards to your images, or at least in a middle ground (custom gamma on your Mac). Photoshop allows you to switch between Mac and PC gamma's on the fly so you can keep your eye on the image on both.

Cheers!

James

 

[ebook]

Thanks for the input guys. I think some of that will help.

I just did a search and found this website Freeway and I was wondering if this would be a possibility for a person that has NEVER designed a website. I like some of the drag and drop possibilities, and I've checked out some of the sites designed by the software and they look good enough for a beginning. So, what do you think?

 

[LifeIsCheap]

Thanks for the input guys. I think some of that will help.

I just did a search and found this website Freeway and I was wondering if this would be a possibility for a person that has NEVER designed a website. I like some of the drag and drop possibilities, and I've checked out some of the sites designed by the software and they look good enough for a beginning. So, what do you think?

I've been using the trial version of Freeway Express for a bit and have just taken the plunge and bought the proper product. I'm no whizz with web design so I thought that starting with the Express version then I can upgrade to Pro later if I feel the need. Express does everything I need from a beginners point of view and is expandable if I need to get fancy.

Handy hint: If you do decide to buy Freeway then check out the currency conversions. You can buy in USD, UKP or Euros. They don't update their prices as exchange rates change so I was able to save AUD30 buy buying in UKP instead of USD. Do the maths and you may save!

 

[granny1948]

Freeway Express

I am a beginner using a Mac OSX Intel, a friend of mine has a PC and would like a website that she can update from the PC. I did look into Freeway Express and found it very easy to use. Is this program cross-platform?

 

[Mal]

Wow, might be a record. 8 year old thread resurrection.

Anyways, a simple Google search shows that Freeway Express is only for the Mac.

Far better, btw, would be to use a CMS system that isn't relient on the computer at all. Wordpress and other CMS systems are entirely server-based and are accessed via the web browser, so they can be developed using any type of system (within limits, of course). I've used Wordpress for a number of sites, and it really works well.

jW

 

[granny1948]

Cross-Platform Web Design for a Beginner

Does anyone know of some extremely easy program? Has to be cross-platform, a client of mine has a PC and I want to create her website on my Mac. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.