Web Design Software recommendations

[AdamWP]

Hello All,

I'm looking to create my first website and I've been browsing all the web design packages available. I have no experience in HTML, CSS, etc., so I'm looking at WYSIWYG programs and wondering if anyone has any recommendations. There are so many it's tough to know what's good and what isn't. I've downloaded trials/demos of CoffeCup and NetObjects Fusion (both are so-so), and I'm looking at Serif WebPlus X4 now. The site I want to do is nothing really complicated, just a place to showcase some things I've written, maybe add a guestbook and a blog as well.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Slatz]

Download wordpress from http:/wordpress.org it doesn't get any easier than that.

 

[George P Burdell]

Since you're new at this, I would go with Slatz's suggestion and get Wordpress. WordPress is, at its core, a blogging software. But it's very easy to set it up as a content management system (CMS). Download a few plugins, choose a theme you like and edit it to meet your needs, and that's it. Google it.

 

[wwswimming]

Seamonkey, the Mozilla continuation of Netscape 4.79, one of the best web editors EVAR.

http://www.seamonkey-project.org/

it has email, newsgroups, web editor, and the browser. i also use Firefox, i notice that when it does a Flash upgrade that Seamonkey and Firefox upgrade at the same time. like they share *.dll's or Flash components or something.

anyway, it's good and it's free.

IMHO Netscape 4.79 was the last GOOD version of Netscape. no adware bloat, doesn't put f'ing AOL icons on your desktop.

and Seamonkey is about as close as you can get to Netscape 4.79, plus it's 12 years more modern.

i wonder what the rule is about software licenses - if i have the "cc32d479.exe" install executable for Netscape 4.79, am i breaking a rule/law if i share it ?

 

[derrick2237]

HTML-kit seems pretty interesting... Check out the demo videos on thier site.

http://www.htmlkit.com/

 

[m00g00]

Vim

Sorry couldn't help myself.

But seriously, Vim.

 

[Winterpool]

I use vi for half my HTML coding.

Adam, it would help to know what sort of website you wish to create -- I mean designwise. If design is secondary to you (your post suggests it will be mostly text content), then a blogging platform like WordPress or Movable Type will do.

Are you going to host the site yourself? If not, there are a number of free blogging hosts online.

If your real goal is to learn website design, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc, well, that's another thing...