FrontPage and the Competition

Historically, competing Web design products seem to fall into different camps with different software groups under different software companies. The one thing that many of them had in common was the fact that previous versions of FrontPage didn't interact well with them at all.

More often than not, the multimedia enthusiast tends to work with the Macromedia line of products (Dreamweaver, Flash, and son on), those with an emphasis on graphics lean toward Adobe's offerings (PhotoShop, GoLive, and so on), and the open source movement regularly stays away from anything with a price tag.

It should be no surprise that those familiar and comfortable with the Microsoft product line often find themselves using FrontPage because it integrated so tightly with other Microsoft products. It should also be of no surprise that users looking to interact with other platforms looked other places for their Web development tools.

This division of users and allegiances is quickly going to change. FrontPage now integrates very tightly with non-Microsoft Web design products, multimedia and graphics systems, and any scripting language in existence, making it a much more compatible product with the competition. In addition, FrontPage 2003 also has a considerably smaller price tag than any of the products (with a price tag) mentioned previously.

In addition, FrontPage has historically been seen by many as a "beginners'" product that wasn't capable of doing serious Web design. "Real" developers used the other products and left amateurs to FrontPage.

Is FrontPage for "Professionals?"

I've always felt that the "pros" were the ones who got the job done the right way as quickly as possible, whatever the product. I have never been one for judging the quality of a product by how complicated it makes things.

This is why I've been such a big fan of FrontPage over the other products: FrontPage allowed me do what I wanted to do faster than any other product ever did. FrontPage 2003 is the same, only faster.

If you like the "under the hood" stuff or charge by the hour, FrontPage might not be the product for you. If you're looking to get the job done right, keep reading.


Historically, other Web design products have prided themselves in being powerful tools that didn't interfere with the code or content the developer might try to create. Fans of these products also frequently criticized FrontPage's legacy of bloated code and integration only with other Microsoft products. FrontPage 2003 now produces code as clean as any other product and integrates easily with its competitors.

FrontPage is not only in a place to meet the competition; it can also work with it in ways that will surprise many.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
ISBN: 0789729547
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 443

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