Web Page Editors

Word processing programs

The latest versions of many word processing programs will let you save documents in HTML format. They may work fine if all you need to do is web-enable a document, but they are not suitable for designing and maintaining an entire web site. The same can be said for other office productivity software like Excel and PowerPoint, which can also save files in HTML format. If you want to create a web site, you need software designed specifically for the task.

HTML editors

If you like to get your hand dirty working with plain HTML and aren't intimidated by the sight of a markup tag, then one of the following editors may strike your fancy. They take a lot of the drudgery out of coding HTML by using toolbar buttons to automatically insert many of the standard tags in the documents letting you focus on the structure and layout.

HomeSite 5 from Macromedia
Platform: Windows
Price: $99 new license, $29 upgrade
Windows 64 MB RAM, 110 MB hard-disk space
Publisher: http://www.macromedia.com

HomeSite has earned its reputation as a powerful, feature-rich HTML editor. It has a built-in browser for previewing pages but can also be configured to use your favorite web browser. A 30-day trial version can be downloaded from the publisher's web site.

EditPlus 2 from ES-Computing
Price: $30 new license, $10 upgrade
Windows 95/98/Me/NT4/2000 or higher
Publisher: http://www.editplus.com

This flexible program not only works well as an HTML editor but can also be customized for use as a programmer's editor to write programs in Perl, Java, and JavaScript. It also features a spelling checker. The software can be downloaded from the publisher's web site and used at no cost for a 30-day trial.

BBEdit 6.5 from Bare Bones Software, Inc.
Price: $119 new license, $39 upgrade
Mac OS 8.6 or later
Publisher: http://www.barebones.com/

This is the editing program of choice for many Mac-based developers. It is also available in a free but scaled down "Lite" version.

WYSIWYG editors

If the sight of a markup tag makes you a bit queasy, you may prefer one of the following "What You See Is What You Get" editing programs that function much like a word processor.

Dreamweaver 4 from Macromedia
Platform: Mac and PC
Price: $299 new license, $149 upgrade
Windows: 64 MB RAM, 110 MB hard-disk space
Macintosh: 64 MB RAM; 135 MB hard-disk space
Comes with HomeSite 4.5 for PC, BBEdit 6.0 for Mac
Publisher: http://www.macromedia.com

This program is a consistent winner in the rankings among web page editors. It's loaded with features and has versions for both PC and Mac.

FrontPage 2002 from Microsoft
Platform: PC only (Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP)
Price: $169 new license, $89.95 upgrade
64 MB RAM recommended for Windows 95/98/NT/2000
160 MB hard-disk space
133-MHz Pentium or better
Publisher: http://www.microsoft.com

Older versions of FrontPage were real dogs. The HTML they generated were ugly and could not be edited directly. In more recent versions, the company finally got it right. The WYSIWYG interface can be used for initial entry of text and formatting. You can then switch to the HTML tab to fine tune the HTML directly. A preview tab lets you check out the finished page.

GoLive 5.0 from Adobe
Platform: Mac and PC
Price: $284 new license, $95 upgrade
Windows: 64 MB RAM, 50 MB hard-disk space
Macintosh: 48 RAM, 70 MB hard-disk space
Publisher: http://www.adobe.com

This program has its strongest following among Mac users and has features for link checking and HTML proofing. The program simulates what the page will look like on different browsers.