Which Web design software???

melody_cool

I would like to set up a website for a small business in the near future (still developing content for it) but i really don't know where to start as i have no knowledge of website design, hosting etc...can someone please help me? I have a Mac, btw, i just want to know what is the best software and best value.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

EKRIUQ

Get someone to install a wordpress site and work from there. But if you want to start building websites Dreamweaver is an editor that will build the structure of the website but not the functionality. You have a long road.

Creamy Goodness

EKRIUQ wrote: »

Get someone to install a wordpress site and work from there. But if you want to start building websites Dreamweaver is an editor that will build the structure of the website but not the functionality. You have a long road.

dreamweaver is an awful package to design websites with, especially on a mac.

coda is the best i've used, it's got all the usuals syntax highlighting, code complete, ftp, version control etc.

but i'd go about learning how much of a mountain you need to climb before starting to pick out your climbing gear OP.

melody_cool

Thanks guys...I had a look at wordpress it looks complicated : /
is there a simplier solution? I don't want to do it from scratch.....

Creamy Goodness

wordpress is about as simple as you can get in fairness, anything else is going to be more difficult for you in my opinion.

melody_cool

Ok I'll give it a try, thanks for your advise!

Eoin

If this is for a business, then think about hiring a professional to do it for you. If you use a good outfit to do it for you then it will look better, be more search engine friendly and will save you hours and hours of trying to figure things out.

You might think you're saving money by doing it yourself, but it might well end up being a false economy.

cormee

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

dreamweaver is an awful package to design websites with, especially on a mac.

No idea what it's like on a Mac but it certainly isn't 'awful' on a PC.

OP - here's a list of editors (which coincidently has Dreamweaver in #1 position) http://webdesign.about.com/od/windowshtmleditors/tp/windows-wysiwyg-editors.htm

I've recently started using Microsoft Expression Suite for Silverlight/Blend applications and I quite like it. 90% of the time I use Dreamweaver and the rest of the time I use Visual Studio and Expression.

Creamy Goodness

my definition of awful in this case is why pay $399 for a package that's not as good as something like coda for $99 or something like nvu/aptana/kompozer all of which are free.

that list is seriously flawed in my book.

considering that CS web standard is just packaged dreamweaver/flash/fireworks how can it come number two in a list of editors when it's only editing package is already number 1?

then again there is no definitive answer to this, it's like saying i wear converse and they are the best doesn't necessarily mean you'll think the same.

your editor of choice is hugely down to yourself and your workflow, we can't tell the OP what one to use but we can sure as hell make sure they know of all the options.

Redman101

I am thinking of creating a website for a small business. I was considering using dreamweaver until i realised how much the package costs..$399!how can that be justified?? I have experience using dreamweaver from a corse i have done but im now thinking of using NVU which can be downloaded free of charge. Does anyone know of any pitfalls with it?

Pablod

I have not used DreamWeaver,
But I only started designing basic sites with HTML/CSS mid last year and I started off with MS Expression Web
I'd recommend this as it has a very easy learning curve from what i've read in comparisons to DW
Do a Google search comparisons between DW and Expression Web - and you'll see all the details
(on the plus side Eweb is a fraction of the price of DW with all the same features (only $79 if you already have MS office))

Bob_Harris

Probably off topic, but does anyone know an editor which has the "related files" feature which Dreamweaver CS4 has?

i.e. All linked (.css, .js, etc) and all included files (php include_once etc) are displayed in tabs which allows for quick and easy access.

jmcc

Redman101 wrote: »

I am thinking of creating a website for a small business. I was considering using dreamweaver until i realised how much the package costs..$399!how can that be justified??

Dreamweaver is a website production tool. It has features that most people developing a brochureware (simple static website a few pages in depth) would not need. It also integrates with other Adobe programs.

Regards...jmcc

RIODEJ

Ive 2 websites and the lads who done them are very competitive, PM me and i can give you their websites. One site costs 400 and the other 99 euro

RIODEJ

I think a good website can be tough to do without training etc?

Theres many part time couses though over 6-10 weeks that can teach the skill. meant to do 1 myself but never got around to it

cormee

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

my definition of awful in this case is why pay $399 for a package that's not as good as something like coda for $99 or something like nvu/aptana/kompozer all of which are free.

that list is seriously flawed in my book.

considering that CS web standard is just packaged dreamweaver/flash/fireworks how can it come number two in a list of editors when it's only editing package is already number 1?

then again there is no definitive answer to this, it's like saying i wear converse and they are the best doesn't necessarily mean you'll think the same.

your editor of choice is hugely down to yourself and your workflow, we can't tell the OP what one to use but we can sure as hell make sure they know of all the options.

As you said it's down to a the individual - Dreamweaver is the tool of choice for the majority web designers. It's an extremely comprehensive piece of software that has some fantastic features and as mentioned by jmcc it integrates with other Adobe products seamlessly. If it was *that* bad and there were cheaper alternatives out there with comparable functionality a lot more people would be using them.

Fair point about the top 10 list being flawed.

Pixelcraft

my workflow involves espresso or textmate, and cssedit. But you're essentially talking about text editors with a web specific gui. It all depends on your workflow, no professional will use wysiwyg editing (eg: if they use dreamweaver, they will be in code view most of the time)

petercena

melody_cool wrote: »

I would like to set up a website for a small business in the near future (still developing content for it) but i really don't know where to start as i have no knowledge of website design, hosting etc...can someone please help me? I have a Mac, btw, i just want to know what is the best software and best value.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Well in order to develop your web design you must have some basic knowledge of HTML, JAVA, FLASH, PHOTOSHOP, CORAL DRAW with the help of all these you can make a good web design. After that you need good knowledge of PHP OR .NET, and it is not so easy to learn all these technologies, thus i suggest you to download a webdesign through net you can buy it and also can download it free. Then make changes which are required. If you want to make your website more attractive and eye catchy then you must prefer to hire a web development company.

melody_cool

Many thanks for the detailed reply. There are lots of options out there and i have been researching the easiest and most cost effective way since i posted my question here.

I'm no techie and so getting into programming would be hard and time consuming. I see that there are plenty of ways to get my business online. I think it depends on the person but i know what i plan to do now.

fear corcaigh

There is plenty of free css templates available on line. Maybe you can look into downloading the templates and edit them to your specifications, that will give you a start.