Macworld: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed) ...

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13 Replies Last post: Jul 18, 2004 6:51 PM by Brettcamp

johnd0e

740 posts since
Mar 28, 2002

Jul 11, 2004 5:09 AM

Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Hi ,

a friend of mine asked me a few days ago to give him my opinion of Freeway Pro.
Since I am not the perfect choice (using mostly BBEdit, Dreamweaver and vim for web-design) to give an objective opinion about it, I'd like to get a few comments from you...
He does not really want to code HTML by hand, rather he'd drag'n'drop as much as possible. AFAIK he really did like WebObjects Fusion (can't comment on that, since I never used it..)
Are there any alternatives he should try out, keeping in mind that he wants to have as much WYSIWYG as possible?
He already tried Dreamweaver and didn't really like it, as far as I remember correctly.

stuartpurple

770 posts since
Mar 4, 2003

1. Jul 11, 2004 6:34 AM

in response to: johnd0e

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

If he's used any Adobe apps, then GoLive may be a way to go.

Harvestr

201 posts since
Jan 14, 2003

2. Jul 11, 2004 5:38 PM

in response to: johnd0e

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Dreamweaver rocks. GoLive is not hunk of junk but more design shops use Dreamweaver. A friend of mine (we are both graphic designers) used GoLive and switched to Dreamweaver after he got a great price on StudioMX. He likes DW better. I've always been a DW fan but I've been with it since version 1.0 and have never leanred GL so I am biased, lol.

What I tell most people is Dreamweaver if you are wanting to work as a web designer, but if it is more of an for doing freelance or personal projects, then go with what you like best. I think Dreamweavers abilities to work with databases are more extensive than GoLive, so that might be something you'll want to read up on.

Yes there are cheaper alternative, but the pro apps can't be beat by anything else out there. They are not hard and once you learn them, you'll understand why those who promote it do so.

Just DO NOT use MS FrontPage. It might be cheap and might be something that a friend will suggest, but from what I have heard, AND SEEN, the HTML code this thing writes is nothing you'd ever pay a designer to write for you. The HTML standards can and are expanded everyday, but some apps stomp on them and go against them and FrontPage is one such app. Don't use it for freelance work, you'd be doing your clients and injusutice.

stuartpurple

770 posts since
Mar 4, 2003

3. Jul 12, 2004 1:32 AM

in response to: johnd0e

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

In reply to:<hr />
Just DO NOT use MS FrontPage. It might be cheap and might be something that a friend will suggest, but from what I have heard, AND SEEN, the HTML code this thing writes is nothing you'd ever pay a designer to write for you. The HTML standards can and are expanded everyday, but some apps stomp on them and go against them and FrontPage is one such app. Don't use it for freelance work, you'd be doing your clients and injusutice.

<hr />

I agree whole heartedly. I always tell my students to avoid FrontPage like the plague and to export Word documents as HTML as little as possible. They both write horrible code with tons of unnecessary stuff that bloats web pages tremendously. I also agree that Dreamweaver is the better app. It is really extensible easy to use. I tried GoLive as I am used to Adobe Apps, but I didn't like the way it does things. For an Adobe app, it should really be more intuitive.

johnd0e

740 posts since
Mar 28, 2002

4. Jul 12, 2004 1:59 AM

in response to: Harvestr

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Can`t agree with you more on Dreamweaver and MS FrontPage.
Although FrontPage was never a topic, since he's been a Mac user for a very long time.

(BTW, had to change a site "created" in FrontPage a while ago. The source code is not that bad, after you take about every available open source tool to clean up the source code....

)

Jimjam79

51 posts since
Jul 18, 2003

5. Jul 12, 2004 8:13 AM

in response to: johnd0e

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

I'm sorry to be the voice of reason here! But Dreamweaver, despite it's obvious code advantages and professionalism, is NOT wysiwyg! If the guy wants an application where he can put a picture on a page and it will stay there, no matter what he puts around it, then Freeway is the one! If he wants an application where you don't have to worry about text, fonts and CSS then Freeways the one! If he wants an application that takes all of the thought out of the technical side and leaves more time for Design, then Freeways the one! If you ask a web designer to give an opinion on Web applications you will always get an extension of the argument between GoLive and Dreamweaver! I use Freeway, Dreamweaver and GoLive amongst others, I know whereof I speak! The similarity between Freeway and QuarkXpress is striking and if you've used the PrePress app then using Freeway becomes second nature. It is easy to pick up.

johnd0e

740 posts since
Mar 28, 2002

6. Jul 12, 2004 8:30 AM

in response to: Jimjam79

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

In reply to:<hr />
I'm sorry to be the voice of reason here!

<hr />

Actually to hear other than my absolutely subjective opinions about Freeway was the reason to start the thread

In reply to:<hr />
If he wants an application that takes all of the thought out of the technical side and leaves more time for Design, then Freeways the one!

<hr />

I believe that's exactly what he wants.

Thanks to all the people who already have answered (and to those who might answer..)

Arne

408 posts since
Feb 14, 2001

7. Jul 17, 2004 11:54 PM

in response to: johnd0e

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Hi Sven,

And here speaks the friend...

Thanks for starting up this topic since I've been on a business trip in the north and couldn't do it myself.

My situation is as follows:
used NetObjects Fusion when it was still available for Macs (before 2000), stopped for a while and since 2 years I am using .Mac to show friends (like Sven) and my family in Europe & USA what I am doing in Japan.

I like the integration of iPhoto and .Mac, but feel a bit limited in creativity, options and possibilities. I want to make a step further, but without having to learn something big like Dreamweaver or GoLive. I am a Mac-User for a reason, which means simplicity and not study.

Guess I will download the trial version of Freeway and give it a try.

Cheers from Tokyo,

arne

Arne

408 posts since
Feb 14, 2001

8. Jul 18, 2004 12:00 AM

in response to: stuartpurple

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Hi stuartpurple,

Thank you for your post.
I haven't used any Adobe applications yet, even Photoshop seems a bit too big for me (although I am considering of getting Photoshop Elements).
I am afraid GoLive might be as big and professional as DW, and I want to try to avoid any steep learning curve with frustration at the beginning (or for longer time) just to create a family style home-page.

But again, thanks for your suggestion.

arne

Arne

408 posts since
Feb 14, 2001

9. Jul 18, 2004 12:13 AM

in response to: Harvestr

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Harvestr,

I don't want to go into any detailed discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of DW vs. GoLive, since I have only used DW for a very short period of time and GoLive not at all. But I can imagine it's a discussion similar to Windows vs. Apple vs. Linux. They all have their right of existence and pros and cons, and I find it most of the time futile to discuss this points (even though I always praise my Ti PowerBook

).

That said, I appreciate your input into my personal decision finding process. As I mentioned before, I've tried DW and even got the "Missing Manual", but personally it took me too much time to "develop" anything and since I am doing this in my private time (read non-commercial), I rather use an easy application and spend the rest of my weekend with my better half.

Again, thank you for your opinion, but I think DW (and also GoLive) might be a bit too powerful for my needs.

Cheers from Tokyo,

arne

Arne

408 posts since
Feb 14, 2001

10. Jul 18, 2004 12:22 AM

in response to: Jimjam79

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Hello Jimjam79,

Thank you very much for your input. Yes, it looks like Freeway is the one Application I am looking for, something beyond .Mac/ Netscape/ Word but simpler than DreamWeaver or GoLive.

I had the feeling there should be an application right between those mentioned, like FrontPage for Mac or something like it. Freeway seems to be the one.

That said, do you know if it's really worth to get Freeway Pro, or should I stay with Freeway Express?

Again, thank you very much for your post!

arne

johnd0e

740 posts since
Mar 28, 2002

11. Jul 18, 2004 12:40 AM

in response to: Arne

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Arne, please do not compare M$ Frontpage to Freeway. Freeway creates source code which is light years better than Frontpage is ....

Arne

408 posts since
Feb 14, 2001

12. Jul 18, 2004 12:59 AM

in response to: johnd0e

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

Well, I cannot judge the quality of the code but was pointing out the ease of use...

Brettcamp

306 posts since
Jan 3, 2003

13. Jul 18, 2004 6:51 PM

in response to: Arne

Re: Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

I've heard only good things about Freeway and if I ever decide to make a more complex web page, I'll probably pick up express. But for simple pages for someone like me who doesn't know HTML, you might try Mozilla Composer. I used it last week to make a very simple page (links, a photo, text, not much else) despite knowing nary a thing about HTML. It's not quite wysiwyg, but it's fairly close. So if your needs are similarly simple, you might give it a try first. Can't beat the price! And I like the open source philosophy. Apparently Composer itself will eventually be available as a stand alone app, but for now, you have to download the whole mozilla suite, which also includes email and browser apps.

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Jul 11, 2004 5:09 AM

Freeway Pro vs ?? (WYSIWYG needed)

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