OS X Webpage Editors--Any Opinions?

[Rower_CPU]

It's a great deal, so long as you use the other apps.

I use Dreamweaver and Flash, so it was worth it to me. If I use Freehand and Fireworks a little, great, I come out ahead.

If you have the money, go for it!

 

[sphereboy]

one word: DREAMWEAVER

if you like to design use dreamweaver. if you like to program go fidget with html..


dreamweaver is so easy. its fun.

 

[jante99]

Dreamweaver is by far the best App. Go Live produces so much unneeded code and has a bad interface. Writing HMTL code yourself give you better control, however. Doing a combination is best.

 

[macktheknife]

Originally posted by awrc


As for good guides, the 5th edition of _HTML The Definitive Guide_ from O'Reilly (which is currently titled _HTML & XHTML The Definitive Guide_) is just out. Not a bad place to start, $24.50 on Bookpool (although they don't actually have it in stock yet). This'll be the fifth copy I've owned.

I'm sure others will have their own recommendations on good HTML starter books, but this one (and the companion pocket reference, and the extremely hefty _Dynamic HTML - The Definitive Guide_, which is also due a new edition very shortly) are the only HTML books I've got that I still keep around, and I've got through quite a few HTML books in the past decade.

I am looking at getting three HTML guides right now: "Learning Web Design" and "Web Design in a Nutshell" both by Jennifer Niederst and "HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide." I have tinkered with HTML already and while I am still a novice, I don't need a lesson on how the Internet works, what webpages are, etc. I would like to know how to make cool webpages, the theory behind a good webpage, and creating graphics for my page. Has anyone read any one of these three books who could offer me their advice? Thanks.

 

[Codemonkey]

Re: This might be an overkill, but . . .

Originally posted by macktheknife
I was originally going to purchase the Dreamweaver MX academic edition for $99, but I discovered that for an additional $100, I could purchase Macromedia Studio MX--Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, and Freehand. This sounds like a great deal.
[snip]
Anyone with any experience with Macromedia Studio? Is this a good deal for a newbie or an overkill?

I've been using Studio MX for a little while now and there are some really pleasant surprises:

- Traditionally, we've also had to keep up with upgrades/software from Adobe in order to really have a complete tool kit. Now with Fireworks MX (the feature set still amazes me), Flash MX (although LiveMotion was never a real competitor) and Freehand 10, I've not had to open up our legacy copies of PhotoShop etc. in _months_. From a bugetary perspective this is _huge_: We can now drop the Adobe line completely from our Web Production toolkit.

- Also from a budget p.o.v. we saved close to a grand CDN going with the complete studio (if not more).

Despite all that about saving money and great feature sets, the integration still seems to be a little... loose... between the apps... also the text editor in Dreamweaver, while greatly improved, imho _still_ isn't as good as BBEdit.

HTH!

Chris.

 

[Gaz]

It would seem everyone here has answered your question incredible well.

Here's what I would do:

1. Make a simple site just using a simple text editor. This way you will learn the syntax and also make lots of stupid mistakes (an ideal way to learn how things work).

2. Find a mag with giving away a free copy of an older version of Dreamweaver. I've seen the odd mag give them away from time to time (it's much cheaper for you this way). Start with Dreamweaver 2-4 (not UltraDev or MX). It's best to make sure you can run before you can walk. Getting to grips with static sites is a big skill. Many people try to jump into dynamic stuff and get lost as it can be a big step depending on how your mind works.

Static to to get your head round should include:
scripting
css
Also try to learn about browser compatibility (page widths, websafe colours, browser support for scripting). This are all excellent things to learn. You'd be better learning this well before moving on to big and more complex things.
Usability, so many people have NO clue about designing for this. Most of the best sites I've seen have excellent usability. Remember the best site is one people can use regardless of the wow factor.

Hope this helps. Also if you want a career in web technologies, become a usability expert, learn XML and get your head round web services (in particular .net and IBM's thingy), that's where the real money is.