RE: Web Development Software

Chuck wrote:
>Just a couple of comments:
>
>1. FP 2000 allows you to configure it for cross-browser compatibility. As
>an aside, you can also set automatic spacing and indenting for all the
>tags. It's pretty slick.

I'd bet that "cross-browser compatibility" is not the default,
right?

>
>2. I would argue the opposite of your stance: that a program like
>FrontPage, where you can first paint the screen, *then* see the HTML
behind
>it, is vastly superior to first learning the HTML with an ASCII editor.
>Taking that a bit further, I'd say the real way to learn HTML is to save a
>web page into FrontPage, and toggle over into the HTML to see how it
works.

I disagree.  One of the most important aspects of HTML is that
it describes the structure of a document, and not the actual
appearance of a document.  By using a WYSIWYG tool, you may get
too hung up on how the document looks, which almost always
differs when the document is viewed in different browsers.  Or
even on the same browser on different systems.

>
>3. FP 2000 can be extended with VBA. Again, pretty slick.

Does that work on non-Windows clients?

>
>4. I have found that I can quickly design a page in FrontPage, then tweak
>the HTML and/or import it into ColdFusion when it's ready. FP is a
>phenomenal prototyping tool. As much as Microsoft gets a bad rep, there
are
>a few tools the company does VERY well: FrontPage, Visual Basic,
Word/Excel
>and Access.

I've also read of shops where FP is banned because of how it
messes up with HTML.

One thing turned me off of WYSIWYG editors:  I was chatting with
an exhibitor at a model train show a couple of years ago.  They
were advertising the URL of their web page, but they told me that
the web page wasn't up yet. They were running some MS HTML editor,
which hung the system.  They found that the motherboard was fried!
They complained to microsft.  MS eventually agreed to replace the
MB, but only after the company threatened to go to the press with
their complaint!

As someone else pointed out, perhaps the best way to edit HTML is
by using your favorite plain-text editor.  HTML is not difficult
to learn (although there are a few quirks peculiar to some
browsers).  Also, it's probably a good idea to get used to XHTML
syntax, even if you're targetting to older forms of HTML.

Even if you do use some WYSIWYG editor, remember to check out the
HTML using a validator like <http://validator.w3.org/>.

Cheers!  Hans

Hans Boldt, ILE RPG Development, IBM Toronto Lab, boldt@ca.ibm.com


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