a jaundiced eye: FrontPage Considered Harmful

a jaundiced eye: intra dig
for wednesday, july 30, 1997.

FrontPage Considered Harmful

A few weeks ago, I compiled a list of things I didn't like about FrontPage. So far, I've gotten some good feedback from helpful Microsoft geeks trying to set me straight, and there were in fact some errors and omissions in my original list. Thanks to Dan Dockman, Brian Toole, Thomas Knight, bill kaszubski, Dennis Kaiser (send him email if you know of an easier authoring tool) and the rest for pointing out that:

FrontPage mangles Visual InterDev Active Server Pages

FrontPage's greatest weakness is that it encourages bad habits and is more difficult to train people on than straight HTML

FrontPage97 does, in fact, integrate with Visual SourceSafe, FWIW

With about four hours worth of systems administration it is possible to make UNIX-based FrontPage Extensions slightly less dangerous

In any case, it looks like any defense of FrontPage is moot. Even Microsoft warns its internal Web developers away from FrontPage, as the Knife points out.

Perhaps its time I catalogued some of the best tools on the market, so all you FrontPage users will have a decent upgrade path. And here's where I do my Jesse Berst imitation:

Got a favorite HTML Editor? Let me know what it is and why... or I'll send you to Hell.

Steven Champeon

r e c i p r o c a t e

Permanently archived at: http://www.jaundicedeye.com/browse/intra_dig/073097/