Microsoft FrontPage 2000 [OLD VERSION]

I eat, breath and sleep Web design and site management. Since 1994 I have searched high and low for a Web page editor that would provide the same kind of control and ease-of-use that I had come to expect from page layout programs like Quark XPress and PageMaker. I tried them all: PageMill, NetObjects Fusion, AOLPress, and then FrontPage. While better than what had come before, FrontPage has always had one overwhelming shortcoming: it is inexorably linked to other Microsoft software, particularly the IIS Web server and Internet Explorer.

I am not a Microsoft-hater; I use IE5 everyday and think it to be a very good browser. And I used FP98 for a number of sites in the past. However, the many problems raised by other reviewers are legitimate

- HTML "Correction" - All versions of FP give the author access to the underlying HTML code, but not complete control over it. If there was only one right way to do something in HTML, that wouldn't be a problem, but with three or four ways to centre something, how can FP know which one is correct? An HTML editor should give the user complete control over all code. Pointing out errors is fine, but correcting them without asking is not.

- Server-side extensions - While FP offers some cool stuff like a guestbook, what isn't made clear to the novice user is that you will need to have FrontPage extensions installed on your hosting server in order for the gizmos to work. A lot of ISPs don't want to do this, which is understandable when CGI scripts can accomplish the same functions with less hassles.

- Bad HTML Code - Like most Web editors that have come before it, FP2K produces bloated HTML.

- IE-specific JavaScript and DHTML - The first time I tried to slam out a page in FP2K, this problem bit me. JavaScript is a problematic thing: different Web browsers interpret it differently. It is important to use code that will be understood equally well by IE and Netscape. With FP2K, forget it. Some JavaScript and DHTML effects are cross-browser, but many are not, and the interface doesn't tell us which is which.

FrontPage 2000 is not a professional Web designer's tool. For them, there is Macromedia Dreamweaver, and text editors like Allaire Homesite and HotMetal. And FP2K isn't a tool for people just starting out, because they won't know how limiting the software really is until it is too late. For them, I recommend a good free WYSIWYG editor such as Netscape Composer or Namo WebEditor, and some books on HTML.

The bottom line? Take a serious look around before purchasing FrontPage 2000.

A lot of my professional collegues scoff at the idea that a professional designer uses Dreamweaver. They say Front Page is not a real program, it's for hack web designers.

What most of these designers are missing is the true point of MS Front Page 2000. It is designed for the average joe to come in and be able to design and maintain a simple site with out a huge learning curve. The interface is very familiar to any Microsoft Office user and they don't have to spend a lot of time learning the meaning and locations of new buttons and tools.

My Company AffordableNetSolutions.com has become a great sucess by designing complex web design and graphics and then empowering our customers to use MS Front Page 2000 to edit and maintain their own sites. It is easy to add/change photos, edit text and create new pages based upon an exising model. Our customers are thrilled with our service and the fact that they don't have to pay an expensive web designer to make simple changes to their web site.

I beleive that so many web designers who complain that MS Front Page is a loser program are failing to realizing the benefits that this software can provide for the customers. Sure, from a professional web designer standpoint Dreamweaver is more functional to do layout design and such. But, it's interface is very intimidating to a newbie. Also, a lot of features of Dreamweaver require you to have some knowledge of programming.

Microsoft Front Page 2000 on the other hand is less expensive, easier to use, and no programming is required. People who don't have a lot of time and money to spare will find this to be a useful program.

If you need a tool to quickly get a web site up and running, and one that will grow with you, FronPage is your best bet for your money. Or if you are a content producer on an intranet where you need basic workflow and group editing features, FP is sill the answer. If you are purely a programmer or scripting professional that does complex database work on enterprise-level databases, FrontPage may not be for you.

Besides its ease-of-use and powerful features, FrontPage also has the largest third-party support of any web authoring product. Dreamweaver does have its extensions architecture that adds additional functionality to the product, but the breadth of available extensions does not match FrontPage's add-in support.

If you are serious about your site and you want a program that will grow with you, FrontPage is the answer. For program enhancements, visit the Microsoft Office Update site (officeupdate.microsoft.com)

A great web site is a product of the web author, not the product that built it.