FrontPage 2000 for Dummies (Paperback)

by Asha Dornfest (Author) "With so many people jumping on the Web publishing bandwagon, you can easily feel like you've been left in the dust..." (more)
Key Phrases: home page filename, host web server, level list item, Server Extensions, Page View, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The whole world is watching! In the past few years, the Internet has given us unprecedented publishing opportunities, and Microsoft has made it easier than ever to reach like-minded souls across the Web with FrontPage, its Web publishing application. If you're new to the world of Web design, FrontPage 2000 for Dummies can walk you through each step of the process with grace and good humor--though you may need to get a more comprehensive reference if you want to explore the intricacies of HTML.

The writing is clear, funny, and well-organized, moving from tool to tool with plenty of tips and tricks crammed in along the way. You learn the secrets of everything from basic file manipulation to multimedia, themes, and image maps. Unfortunately, the writing isn't well-complemented with images; the shortage of screenshots is a serious flaw for visual learners.

The book's accompanying CD-ROM is packed with shareware and trial software: Netscape 4.05, Paintshop Pro, WinZip, and plenty more. You'll also find sample files, bonus chapters, and the URLs mentioned within the text. FrontPage 2000 for Dummies is a good, basic introduction and a refreshing supplement to the often dry text found in other Web publishing books--but even the dumbest FrontPage user will probably need more than this. --Rob Lightner

From The Washington Post
"takes you through the process painlessly, using the most recent version of the software..."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (May 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764504231
• ISBN-13: 978-0764504235
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #510,531 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A great book if you want to STAY a dummy., October 17, 2000

By	Sharon Wylie (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Whenever I have a new software to learn, I go buy the "dummies" title to get me up to speed. Sadly, I'll be returning this title and looking for something more informative.

Although this book does teach you how to use FrontPage in the most basic possible way, it does not cover some very fundamental topics. For one thing, the author recommends using readymade (albeit customize-able) "themes" to design your site, with little information on how to format if you're NOT using a theme. The author also neglects to mention that using a theme will create a huge folder of theme graphics in your web, whether your site uses those graphics or not. So you can double or triple your upload time.

This example is emblematic of many problems with the book. I'm not a sophisticated computer user, and when I'm first learning a software, I count on the "dummies" titles to answer my novice questions. When I have questions that go unanswered, something's wrong.

This might be a good book for the individual user who wants to fool around with the software and perhaps design a personal web page. But if you're looking for the skills you need to design a professional looking site, look elsewhere.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You will outgrow this book in two days..., December 27, 2000

By A Customer

If I had it to do over again, I would just take the Microsoft tutorial that comes free on the FP 2000 disc, and then buy a MUCH MORE HEAVY DUTY reference book. While this book was entertaining and clear enough, FrontPage 2000 is far too complex a program to deal with in this "Dummies" format.

I ended up very frustrated trying to understand the concepts, because they were far over-simplified.

This book probably got me up and running more quickly on the basics of my first attempt at a web page. HOWEVER, the difficult answers - about folders, server extensions, PWS, etc. were glossed over too much to be of any value.

You'll eventually need one of the 900 page reference works to be successful here...

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serves it's purpose just fine, June 11, 1999

By A Customer

I now approach the Dummies titles for what they are - clean, simple introductions to software, etc. I have no problem with Dornfest's approach. She is, perhaps, a bit restricted by the massive amount of information that is out there - and consequently, she refers the reader to certain websites for further training. If she didn't, the book would start to resemble one of those "bibles" that nobody reads but only refers to as a reference manual. Perhaps there are better introductions to FrontPage 2000 out there, but this is a fair start. Almost always better than the manuals that are enclosed from the developer. Why is that?