KompoZer
KompoZer is an easy to use web page editor. It comes
with a simply file management system and intended to allow beginners
create web pages quickly and easily. There are no complicated HTML
coding. It is an open-source software and free for users.
KompoZer allows you to edit the raw HTML of your pages, and even add blocks of
code that it will not touch. Unfortunately HTML code that the program creates is
formatted with so much whitespace, and irregular line breaks and it’s very
difficult to insert more than a few lines of code here and there. Also the
whitespace would shift time you used the editor, spoiling any code indention
that you created, making it almost impossible to do any serious coding.
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe has streamlined Dreamweaver's interface to match and
integrate with other CS4 applications. Customizable workspace includes
collapsible tool panels and new coding views. It is best for coding and design pros, and Adobe
Dreamweaver CS4 is perhaps the sharpest, swiftest tool for developing and
editing dynamic Web sites. Dreamweaver's new Live View shows stuff otherwise tricky to spot in
JavaScript running in a browser, such as image rollovers. For instance, you can
freeze a view of the rollover state while you're working with code in
Dreamweaver. Live Code view lets you preview how JavaScript works in your
HTML pages. Thoughtful shortcuts include Dreamweaver's autofill suggestions as
you look for items in JavaScript libraries. In addition, Adobe has added
enhancements for building complex Web forms without deep developer knowledge by
using the Spry framework.
The bad thing of Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 is it is too complex and costly for those who making
lightweight Web designs. It continues to add unwanted code to Web pages, and price
prohibitive for bootstrapping designers.
Microsoft Expression Web
For basic users who want to just design a few pages or a slightly more advanced
homepage, Expression Web is very easy to use and can actually help people learn
coding. Another good thing is that for those who class themselves as
developers and like working with code, Expression Web no longer buggers up the
coding like FrontPage used to. The interface of Expression Web looks significantly similar to that of
Dreamweaver. You can view code or design, or both. Page views, folders, tools
and other elements are divided into panes that you can dock and drag and drop
nearly anywhere on the screen.
Anyone migrating from Dreamweaver should be able to jump right in and use
Expression Web without much effort. If you breathe dynamic Web design, then
Expression Web offers solid features for managing XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets,
and XML. Expression Web is even less cluttered than Dreamweaver in this regard. It is easy to move the same Web pages between both programs without
causing problems in the code. Plus, Expression Web supports W3C accessibility
standards for designing pages for people with disabilities--a must-have for
those creating business Web sites.
The bad thing about Expression Web is
it lacks FrontPage's help for design beginners. The tech support it
offer is very limited, and it actually supports Windows only.
