Hello bystander,
Thank you for your question.
My colleague journalist-ga speaks the truth below in her analysis of
the two programs. I set out to see if I could find a few comparisons
for you. Do read the entire articles for more information:
An older comparison:
http://www.pointafter.com/Archives/nl0202.htm
"Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 vs. Microsoft FrontPage 2000
by Ruben Jorge
And the Winner is...
I'm a channel operator in a Portuguese IRC HTML channel, and the
question asked me most often is: "Should I use Dreamweaver 4 or
FrontPage 2000 to create my Web sites?" I say to them: "It depends on
a lot of factors." I will explain my point of view.
If you're a fledgling Web designer and you're trying to build a simple
Web site, you'll surely say that FrontPage 2000 is the best! Why? Many
people are familiar with Microsoft Office. FrontPage resembles Word
and other Office products. Thus, FrontPage will be easier and quicker
to learn due to its Office-like menus, working system and site
templates (prebuilt designs). The site templates will help you build
your Web site in minutes; formatting text, inserting images or tables
is as easy as using any other word processor which most people are
familiar with...
...But, sometimes, speed and ease of use are not enough to satisfy or
you or your client, that's why Dreamweaver 4 exists! Macromedia's
diamond is one of the most popular Web development programs because of
its stability and incredible capacity for advanced users. One of the
most outstanding features of this new version is the possibility of
changing between layers and tables. You can place a layer, with all
its HTML content in any place on the page (absolute positioning, that
is, you can set the number of pixels where it will be placed), but you
must realize that not everyone uses the same screen resolution and so
you should use tables instead of layers. Dreamweaver 4 allows you to
design your pages with layers and then it will automatically transform
those layers into tables, without losing any of your document's
structure.
Well, this is only one of the features of Dreamweaver 4. It can create
an image map (an image with many different links) from a normal image
inside the program itself; it has an HTML reference if you have any
doubt about a tag, it lets you create interactive images without any
external JavaScript, as it writes the scripts itself, and a bunch of
other awesome options!
Dreamweaver's compatibility with other Macromedia products, such as
Flash 5 or Fireworks 4, is as perfect as FrontPage is with other
Office programs, even if you don't have Flash 5, Dreamweaver 4 can
create Flash Buttons or text, as it keeps your Web site's files in
order for future uploading..."
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/learn-tech/word/web-editors.doc
DREAMWEAVER vs. FRONTPAGE
"How do Dreamweaver and FrontPage compare as Web-authoring tools?
Here's what some experienced web professionals thought:
EASE OF LEARNING, FILE SIZES…
Gretchen M (creates and evaluates courses on IT security. She is a
technical-staff senior consultant for a NASA contractor in Cleveland)
says Dreamweaver is harder to learn than FrontPage.
She lists these differences between Dreamweaver and FrontPage:
· A Web page created in FrontPage has more HTML code and a bigger file
size than the same page in Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver does have a Clean
Up HTML command for files created in other programs, such as
FrontPage.
· FrontPage has more "bells and whistles," says Morris -- unless you
add Fireworks or Flash with Dreamweaver. Fireworks
(http://www.macromedia.com/software/fireworks/) is Web-graphics
software. Flash (http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/) is
Web-animation software. Both are from Macromedia...
...GOOD AND BAD - Shawn D. (Media arts company account executive,
Colorado) breaks it down this way:
What's good about FrontPage?
· "A very simple interface, through the use of built-in wizards and
templates, you can create HTML pages very quickly."
· Back-end programming for features such as forms through the use of
Web "bots".
What's bad about FrontPage?
· Customizing page design "is difficult at best," he says. The
FrontPage graphic interface creates "convoluted, confusing code that
is very hard to customize."
· Using Web bots requires FrontPage extensions to be loaded and
configured on the Web server.
What's good about Dreamweaver?
· It generates "very clean HTML that is easy to customize".
· It has "useful interface items." For example, it lets you see your
document in full design, full code, or half design, half code views.
· Dreamweaver comes with a "complete HTML debugger."
· It has "unique built-in Web objects" including a rollover-button
interface and a tabular-data table builder.
· Animation capability is built in.
· You can download extensions.
What's bad about Dreamweaver?
· "No back-end programming available for form submission"...
http://www.webmastermac.com/master/editors/dwvsfp.shtml
FrontPage 2000 vs. Dreamweaver 4: Feature comparison
"Why compare two products when one isn't even available for the Mac?
Because IT departments of corporations often wear 'Microsoft goggles',
meaning everything made by Microsoft looks like a better solution to
them, even if they know nothing about the products! So Mac web
designers who work for corporations need ammo like this when it comes
time to tell the IT department why they want Dreamweaver as the
corporate standard instead of FrontPage.
There's an interesting phenomenon occurring in the IT world: if an IT
manager recommends a Microsoft solution and the solution fails, it's
Microsoft's fault, but if the IT manager recommends any other solution
and it fails, it's the IT manager's fault. So IT managers would much
rather recommend MS over any other product, because it clears them of
any responsibility if it fails..."
Here you will see that in their estimation, FrontPage wins on price
but DreamWeaver wins in virtually every other category!
Basic Templates:
http://www.basictemplates.com/tools/fpdwcsshtml-full.shtml
Frontpage vs. Dreamweaver vs. CSS - HTML Web Templates
Which type of web template and HTML Editor is best?
"Having been web template designers since 1994, we are often asked
what the difference is between a Frontpage template, Dreamweaver
template and CSS/HTML template. The second most popular support
question is which HTML editor is best to use to build a web site.
Our advice back in the early days of web template design is the same
as it is today. Firstly, you should be aware that any template
designed to be used with any one proprietary HTML editor program has
an increased risk of high maintenance for future evolution of your
site *if* you decide to switch HTML editors. Before you roll your
eyes, the fact is that more than 75% of the web designers who are
using HTML editors today will have switched to a different HTML editor
or dynamic (rather than static web programming language) within 3-4
years. This is not to say that you should not use templates that are
proprietary to any particular HTML editor software. Utilizing a
template within one of these programs makes it easy to make changes
sitewide and is a static alternative to dynamic web design. Dynamic
sites separate content from design much like the concept of CSS
(cascading style sheets). It takes sections of the original HTML-CSS
template and it delivers it to the browser via the server rather than
the client side.
So in answer to the first question, "Which type of web template is
best to use: Frontpage, Dreamweaver or CSS - HTML?" we have to
honestly say it depends on you, your budget and your site's
objectives.
Ask yourself the following questions and then read our comments on
each:..."
http://cops.uwf.edu/lkcurda2/_disc125/00000040.htm
Dreamweaver vs. Microsoft FrontPage
"I chose to compare and contrast Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage.
I have Microsoft FrontPage on my computer at home and at work,
although other than playing around, I haven't had the need to use it
yet. FrontPage and Dreamweaver are both HTML writers. FrontPage has an
abbundance of templates to use, is very user friendly, and is not as
expensive as Dreamweaver. You can purchase FrontPage for $90-$170 as
noted on Microsoft's website. Many times, this application comes in
the software bundle of Microsoft products. On the down side, FrontPage
can't do as much as Dreamwever, since it doesn't have as many bells
and whistles. Also, FrontPage creates more files for webpages than
Dreamweaver does, which many developers don't like. Now, Dreamweaver,
on the other hand, is more expensive than FrontPage - an educator can
pick up a copy for $199, but others will pay $399 for the same copy.
Dreamweaver has a lot more bells and whistles than FrontPage, but you
have to be very proficient in developing webpages in order to use
them. It isn't very user friendly. It also has limited templates to
use. If I were to chose one over the other, I would choose FrontPage,
because I need the easiest program to use. I like simplicity. Cost is
also a factor. It is nice to have a site license for Microsoft
products here at UWF!!! "
http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/fitzer/edpsy387/eportfolio/htmleditorcomparison.htm
FrontPage vs. Dreamweaver Showdown
"For the purposes of this project, I looked at Microsoft Front Page
2000, and Dreamweaver 2.0. Dreamweaver is now up to 4.0, and while my
ratings of this program are not as accurate as they would be if I were
rating the current version, I did get a pretty good feel for it.
Microsoft Front Page 2000: 4 Stars
I had not used Front Page prior to this evaluation, having only used
Composer and Dreamweaver before, so much of what I learned were just
basic operations. Still I was able to get the hang of it fairly
quickly.
What I liked:
-The interface, like so many of Microsoft's products, was familiar to
me. The application had a similar look and feel to MS Word, or
PowerPoint. Navigation was not difficult, and menus were in all the
old familiar places. "
Viewing the source code was merely a click of a tab at the lower left.
From there, it could be easily manipulated and changed if needed.
-Frames, if you're into that sort of thing, were really easy to create
and set up, due to Front Page's Frame Wizard. "
The Insert menu had a lot of great, ready made goodies to put in your
site, like Banner Ad Manager (I couldn't get it to work, though), Hit
Counters, A Scrolling Marquee, a Table of Contents and more. "
-Also in the Insert menu was a very easy to use Form insert feature.
Clicking on a form object, like a text field, automatically added a
form box and a submit and reset buttons, already coded. You only had
to select the object and go to Form Properties (In Insert>Form>Form
Properties) to designate the server, the CGI script, who to e-mail the
results to, and where to get the confirmation page. Everything is
right there. "
-Navigation is pretty easy, as well. Once you have established your
root and home page in the Folder List, the rest seems to take care of
itself. Images and other items are added easily and imbedded. "
-The Absolute positioning feature. Its perhaps the best thing in Front
Page, and I rarely hear anyone sing its praises. This feature allows
you to select an object and move it anywhere you want on the page, and
IT STAYS PUT! You can even move a table, an image, anything but text.
It will not allow you to wrap other things, however. For that, you
will need to switch to the Wrapped Positioning (in the Format menu).
So you do need to be aware of your text.
What I didn't like:
-The inability to create layers. One of the things I have grown to
love about Dreamweaver is its layer feature (more about that later)
and Front Page just doesn't have it. You can create tables, but its
not the same thing. I missed the layers option. "
-The quick preview option. You cannot choose a browser to do a quick
preview. That requires an extra step or two. Still, its not that bad.
"
-The site map navigation. It is not as intuititive as I am used to,
and the hierarchy seemed to be incorrect. Pages I had linked to the
index.htm page were in the same line as the index. Images were not
stepped back, either. There didn't seem to be anywhere to establish
the Home Page, and then create the hierarchy from there. Plus there
were extra folders in the site that I did not put there that I assume
are there by default. The navigation for the site map will take some
getting used to, I suppose...
...Macromedia Dreamweaver 2.0: 3 Stars
I have been using Dreamweaver now for almost a year, and I even teach
it to my students. I like it very much, and I find that there are some
features that I simply cannot live without, and some that I'd gladly
trade for a few of Front Page's. But then, this is v.2.0, and much of
what I complain about may be fixed in v. 4.0. Anyway . . .
What I like:
-The layers feature. I find it very hard to create a website without
it now that I am used to it. I design for it, I depend on it, and I
find its much easier to use layers than tables. I do convert to tables
just before uploading the document, but for the actual creation of the
site, I don't bother with tables until I'm all done. The reason?
Internet Explorer supports tables, not layers. The brilliant thing
about tables is that you can move things all over the place and
reposition them to your heart's content. Can't do that as easily with
tables.
-The site map navigation. You can't go wrong with this. Once you've
established your root folder and home page, every item you add, be it
object or webpage, is automatically included in the map. Link it, and
you start to create a hierarchy thats very easy to see and manage.
Relative links show up in black, absolute in blue, and broken links in
red, so its simple to tell if you've got a problem. You can expand as
much, or as little as you want. For very large sites, it might make
sense to collapse the tree; you can always expand it if you need to.
The HTML editor is very easy to get to and manage. For some functions,
its absolutely essential.
-The template feature. Dreamweaver gives you the ability to create a
template file in a vector-based graphics application, such as Adobe
Illustrator, or Macromedia Freehand, and then import it to your blank
page as a 50% gray image. This template allows you to position your
layers on a pre-designed image, and tweak them if need be. Great for
web designers!
What I don't like:
-A STEEP learning curve. Its taken me a long while to learn the basics
of this sophisticated program, and I still feel a little lost at
times. There is so much I do not know. For students, it really is a
daunting program to learn.
Some of the features, like the Form Editor, are not particularly
intuitive. The software assumes that you already know how to write
code, and will have to tweak it in the HTML editor. This program is
not for beginners.
-The way it handles frames. I don't use them, myself, because some
browsers don't support them, but if I did, Dreamweaver is not the
program to use to learn how to use them. I've tried to create frames
in Dreamweaver, and have not been very successful. I had much more
success with Front Page..."
You can see that most people note the same features, functions and
learning curves when evaluating these programs. You can find many
sites comparing these two products by re-running my search:
dreamweaver vs frontpage
://www.google.com/search?q=dreamweaver%20vs%20frontpage
Here are a few additional links worth viewing:
WebPrime
http://www.webprime.ca/html-webprime/faq_support/tutorials/dreamweaver_vs_frontpage.htm
"MS FrontPage vs. Macromedia's Dreamweaver, which should I use?
It really depends on the user and his/her preferences. FrontPage (FP)
tries to do a lot of the "thinking" for the user, while with
Dreamweaver (DW) the user should know at least basic HTML (although
the tutorials that come with DW are so excellently made that almost
anyone can learn to design decent pages in a short time). DW is more
designer-oriented (and you will find more pro designers using it),
while FP is more consumer-oriented..."
Indian Flair
http://www.indianflair.com/articles/fpvsmd.htm
Microsoft® Front Page 2000 vs Macromedia® Dreamweaver 4
"The Battle!"
http://studentweb.uwstout.edu/maguirer/dream.htm
Web Page Design Tools for Graphic Users
Dreamweaver vs. FrontPage
A discussion at Host Nexus
http://www.hostnexus.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2078
Front Page vs Dreamweaver
"I've used Front Page, although I'm not an expert. I know that a lot
of people prefer Dreamweaver and I'd like to use their effects. I'm
currently downloading a trial version of Dreamweaver.
Am I going to be able to convert my FP webs to Dreamweaver? I really
don't want to start over and remake everything I've already done.
Also, any hints as to areas are better in Dreamweaver? I imagine this
is a 30 day trial and I want to look it over thoroughly..."
http://www.ppinet.com/mail_list.htm
PPINET is... Graphic & Web Design, Books & Consulting with David
Karlins
" DREAMWEAVER VS. FRONTPAGE Part I
If you’re expecting me to give some equivocal answer on which is
better, you’re wrong.
As visitors to my site know, I’ve been writing about FrontPage since…
well, since there was Microsoft FrontPage. Let’s see: there was Create
FrontPage (97) Web Pages in a Weekend, FrontPages in a Week (my
girlfriend never understood how that didn’t violate some
non-competitive clause in my writing contract – I explained one was
for folks who only had 2 days, and the other was for readers who had a
whole week – two totally distinct markets!)… There was the infamous
FrontPage MCSD Exam book (authorized!), and my personal favorite – the
gorgeous full-color Wild Web Graphics with Image Composer (the
graphics program you used to get free with FrontPage). And the beat
goes on, through my current FrontPage 2002 Bible (with David
Elderbrock) and my FrontPage 2002 Virtual Classroom (with videos).
So, I’ve been kind of a die-hard FrontPage guy. But guess what? I just
finished the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dreamweaver MX. I’m newer to
DW, but I’ve been using it a couple years and teaching it. It’s time
to compare the two applications. Ready?.."
That should get you going with making your own decision on which
program is right for you.
To address your specific questions:
(1) I am very well conversant with HTML/Java/JavaScript/ASP..( it is
just that I do not want to write time-consuming code manually myself).
Either will accomplish this.
(2) My website will have dynamic pages (meaning database interaction).
See this page:
http://www.microsoftfrontpage.com/content/articles/datintro.html
Introduction to FrontPage Database Features
and you might be interested in the book from O'Reilly:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/bddwsdream/
Building Database-Driven Web Sites with Dreamweaver MX
(3) Price is only a factor if the price difference between the two
software is significant.
Both are available at discounts. Currently Frontpage at PriceScan
starts at $140 and Dreamweaver starts at $327
(4) I am not looking for too much jazzy stuff on my web-pages. At the
same time it is not going to be plane and stale either. My website
will mostly be content driven.
See comparisons above.
(5) The webpages should be easily deployable with a web-hosting
company.
You need to be certain your host supports FrontPage extensions to take
full advantage of this program.
Search Strategy:
dreamweaver vs frontpage
I trust my research has provided opinions and links on these programs.
If a link above should fail to work or anything require further
explanation or research, please do post a Request for Clarification
prior to rating the answer and closing the question and I will be
pleased to assist further.
Regards,
-=clouseau=- |
