ADOBE DREAMWEAVER 8 :

Dreamweaver is a popular piece of software from Macromedia used to create web sites.  Currently in version 8 release, Dreamweaver is designed to make creation of web pages an easy task instead of the time consuming chore it once was.  Dreamweaver is designed to take a task – web page creation – that once required a skilled and trained web designer, and allow the average person to complete the task easily and in a professional manner.

Previous versions of Dreamweaver software were WYSIWYG HTML editors.  This stands for what you see is what you get, hypertext markup language.  HTML is the standard code used in creation of web sites and has a rather high learning curve.  Dreamweaver in earlier versions make web site creation much simpler.  However, version 8 has support for many widely used web technologies, including CSS, JavaScript and server side scripting frameworks.

The code view	The design view

Dreamweaver is powered by the Presto Rendering engine and hides the details of a web page’s HTML code from those looking at the page.  On the plus side 1.) Dreamweaver allows even amateurs to create web sites 2.) has a shorter learning curve 3.) is so popular that finding a tutor or training class is relatively easy 4.) is available in Mac, Windows and Unix platforms and 5.) is truly “what you see is what you get” as far as what is put on the page.  There are a few negatives to Dreamweaver though.  1.) All programs like Dreamweaver create web pages that have more code than would be needed if written directly into HTML, slowing down some web browsers. 2.) Dreamweaver encourages the use of table based layout, also slowing down browsers.  3.) Some of the code produced by Dreamweaver does not conform to W3C standards.  4.) Dreamweaver did not perform well on the Acid2Test of the Web Standards Project.  5.) Dreamweaver has a higher purchase price than some equivalent software, including some freeware.

Dreamweaver’s main competitor in the marketplace is Microsoft FrontPage.  Initially created by Vermeeer Technologies Inc., Vermeer was sold to Microsoft in 1996 so that FrontPage could be added to the Microsoft product line.  Like Dreamweaver FrontPage is a WYSIWYG editor that hides details of a web page HTML code from the person using it, with the goal being to make a novice able to create a nice web site without training in HTML.  FrontPage for several years used plugins called HS Extensions which had to be installed. These plugins were later renamed FrontPage Server extensions and were a disadvantage to FrontPage when comparing it to Dreamweaver.  Newer versions of FrontPage are less dependent on these extensions however.

The CSS Panel	Some languages support

Dreamweaver also has extensions available to add to its functionality.  Sorting a difficult table or sorting the contents of a standard repeat region in a table  is possible through the many extensions available.  Dreamweaver exchanges are available to allow users to add abilities to Dreamweaver software such as integration with MP3 files and other functions that would be impossible or at least difficult with many other programs.

The extension Manager (From this panel plugins can be installed and uninstalled)

One benefit FrontPage has is built in support for several automated web templates.  The FrontPage templates have an automatic navigation system that creates animated buttons for pages produced by the user.  Additionally it creates an advanced multi level navigation system using the buttons and the individualized structure of the web site.
The learning curve on FrontPage is a bit shorter than that of Dreamweaver. However, by far more professionals in web design, and more skilled amateurs use Dreamweaver than FrontPage and FrontPage has acquired a reputation among some for having templates that tend to look alike.

 
Another competitor to Dreamweaver is Nvu, a freeware WYSIWYG HTML editor that is open source.  While not as common as Dreamweaver, making it harder to find a training class, Nvu does have a web based community of enthusiastic users who share improvements they have made to the program, and for the user not afraid of self study Nvu can be worth considering.

Nvu is designed for ease of use and they claim that users familiar with Dreamweaver or FrontPage will feel comfortable using it.  They proclaim that the ability to toggle in between WYSIWYG editing mode and HTML code mode creates a feature that experienced web designers will find beneficial and time saving.  This is, of course a feature that Dreamweaver and FrontPage also have.  Nvu is good software, but doesn’t have the support network of a commercial program like Dreamweaver.

One nice feature of Dreamweaver is that it seems to work well with most browsers on the market, including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape Navigator.  Dreamweaver also includes some site management tools, including a find and replace feature to use for text or code according to specified parameters, and a templatization feature for creation of multiple pages with the same type of structure.  Dreamweaver also used dynamic content creation tools.  Much like HTMLO WYSIWYG tools, these tools allow users to make connections to databases like MySQL and Microsoft Access. Then filtering and display of content using scripting technologies like ASP, ASP.NET, ColdFusion, JavaServerPages, PHP, and others without having been trained in these areas.  Dreamweaver is as intuitive as the makers could make it. 

Dreamweaver is priced at $399 full retail, but can be acquired for less on Amazon or eBay at various times, ranging from a low of $299 up to near the retail price.  Also used, older versions of Dreamweaver can be acquired at the online sites for as little as $50.

Dreamweaver is a good purchase for someone whose web design needs are rather simple.  It has almost become an industry standard since it is so commonly used, and that easily outweighs any negatives that might be considered.  Someone who wants to get into web design but doesn’t’ have the time or inclination to learn complicated HTML code will find Dreamweaver a time saver.  A busy web designer who knows HTML may also find Dreamweaver of value as a time saver, and may use it for initial web page creations, cleaning up the code later with a text editor.  On a scale of one to ten, Dreamweaver deserves an eight. 

In conclusion, there are many possible products on the market that will do the job. Dreamweaver is one of them, and one of the most popular. The amount of third party support available and the ease of use make Dreamweaver a good choice for the beginning web designer and the advanced professional.

Author: Him Narang