I am thinking of trying out FrontPage 2002; if u use FP2002 or MSOffice XP and u have an opinion about these software please feel free to leave me ur comments here...

or should i just stick with StarOffice?

i say keep away fromn microsoft web dev stuff at all costs!

I spent a lot of time with FrontPage 2002, regrettably. Although I will admit, Microsoft comes out with user friendly software (sometimes), FrontPage's extentions weren't stable enough for me.

Curious, what part of the FPE were not stable? Usually the problem occurs with a host that doesn't quite know their software.

FP is a tool that allows beginners to create websites with ease, and advanced users to create websites in a less amount of time than other popular tools.

The reason why so many of these "experts" stay away from FP is because there are so many newbies out their creating ugly websites with it.

Last week, I made an entire website in 1.5 hours, was paid $200 for it, so that's $135/hr using FP.

The major downside of FP is that it will sometimes modify code on the page to make it "better" but most of the time it messes up the page. You can easily turn this off by modifying the properties.

I have used FP for awhile, and stood behind it against a lot of DW users. As a user of both software, I have stuck to FP.

I will be more than happy to discuss FP and its flaws It would just be nice if you can be a bit more specific about what problem you had.

I used FP when it first came out and didn't like it; a friend gave me a copy of NetObjects Fusion and Allaire Homesite and that's what I used up until ~4 years ago. I haven't made web sites since then so I'm not totally up to date.

I know many people don't like FP because of the FP extensions that aren't compatible w/ some browsers (meaning they require IE due to use of ActiveX and other "features"). Most of the extensions it uses can be created in other ways; it's just that it uses wizard-like functions to create them easier/faster. Another thing to consider is that most of the extensions (to my knowledge) require the server to support FP extensions.

I'm looking into getting a new web development package next year. I'm tired of designing by hand. I'm trying to decide between DreamWeaver and Adobe Live. Because I can get student discounts, the price isn't a big concern. You may consider Live if you want tighter functioning w/ Photoshop, Acrobat, etc. (assuming you use them). DreamWeaver is kinda the defacto standard for web development so it has a lot of public support. Since I haven't followed FP for years, I can't give you a personal opinion of it beyond the fact that I don't even consider it an option.

The only thing I can say about Office XP (since I've never had a chance to use it) is that if what you're using now meets your needs, don't change. The Navy is just now converting to Office 2k; they are expected to move over from Office 97 completely next year. What you need to ask yourself is if there's anything OXP offers that you "must have". I think the statistics I've heard is "90% of the people use only 10% of the features".

Bottom line, unless there's a definitive reason or you can get a fantastic price, I would either stay w/ what you have or look at alternative software. Someone else (Bobby? :-) ) might have more complete answers for you, but you did ask for opinions.

I don't remember exactly, but I think part of it was, they (FPE) were consistently being lost and when I installed them on the server again, they didn't change the file ownerships at the end.

Now one program I wish I would have used is ColdFusion. any thoughts anyone?

I used FP when it first came out and didn't like it
- I agree, FrontPage really was no good when it first came out, but FP 2000/2002/2003 is actually pretty decent. FP 98 wasn't that great either. If you are more concerned about the code that FP creates, the latest version of FP is actually pretty nice.

I know many people don't like FP because of the FP extensions that aren't compatible w/ some browsers (meaning they require IE due to use of ActiveX and other "features"). Most of the extensions it uses can be created in other ways; it's just that it uses wizard-like functions to create them easier/faster. Another thing to consider is that most of the extensions (to my knowledge) require the server to support FP extensions.
- What FPSE require the IE browser? I have worked with most of the extensions, and I haven't ran across a problem with any.

JdS, what do you plan to use FP for? If you are thinking about php, then you will be very disappointed. I think the biggest con for FP is that it DOES NOT support php like it does with asp or htm. Does that mean you can create a php website? Not at all, it just means that some things like the FPSE will not run on a PHP extension. MS will most likely never fix this issue, just because it works with htm/asp fine.

I don't remember exactly, but I think part of it was, they (FPE) were consistently being lost and when I installed them on the server again, they didn't change the file ownerships at the end.
- It really depends on how the FPSE are configured on the server. Some servers I have heard that you need to re-upload your website if you un-install/re-install the FRSE, others seem to handle it ok.

I haven't worked with ColdFusion, but I have heard that Macromedia is coming out with a NEW version of a web development program much similar to Dreamweaver. It is supposed to be called Macromedia Monk, earlier this year, they had a few people beta test it, and I knew some of those people.

Personally, I like using FP, UltraEdit 32, and then DreamWeaver. The only thing I like about dreamweaver is how it manages links. If you are using php, and want to auto update links, FP won't allow for this. If you are using DW, it will do this for php files.

JdS, I have a copy of Office XP 2002 w/ Publisher (I believe it has FP too) if you are thinking about buying it, I can sell it pretty cheap.

I know you work a lot with php, you will be very disappointed if you try to use FP and php.

I would recommend FP 2003 actually. We do some PHP coding thru FP 2003 with no problems.

It does not change your coding as much as FP 2002 or 2000 did. I mainly use FP to publish my websites. I can push a button & it will take care of everything.

All WYSIWYG editors have their shortcomings. One of DW's ones with me is all that extra JavaScript that it creates.

The reason I bring up php pages is the fact that everything that "makes FrontPage be FrontPage" is almost useless.

First, you have to tell FP that you want it to open PHP pages inside of your website. Inside of FP, you have to configure FP to be the editor of PHP.

Secondly, you cannot add php pages to a navigation bar. Unlike htm/asp, php pages are not able to be displayed in a nav bar. Not only that, but the FPSearch does not function on php pages.

Once MS fixes this php problem, I think FP will be pretty much completed. It is a great program, for newbies and experts.

One place you might want to visit is www.frontpagewebmaster.com. I go their a lot to help out a lot of the newbs