Dreamweaver and Expression Web are both web site editors, with Expression Web being the New FrontPage from Microsoft, at least that is what I thought it was. Donna, the Expression Web instructor at LVS Online shared an article that described some of the differences on her blog. I was curious and started to poke around a bit. I have been using Dreamweaver for over five years and a lot has changed. I wondered if my notions regarding the differences about these two programs were accurate. The article that was referenced was a couple of years old and both web site editors have new versions out since that article was written. I was curious as to what the differences are between the programs: Dreamweaver CS3 and Expression Web 2.
Before delving too deep as to why they are different, I wanted to understand how they were similar.
- Both are designed for “professional” use. They are designed to put together entire integrated web sites.
- Both are designed to work within a suite of related programs by their manufacturer
- Both include functionality for data driven web sites
Now let’s examine some of the differences
- Currently Dreamweaver works with PHP, ColdFusion, JSP and ASP server side technology but will be phasing out ASP
- Expression Web uses ASP server side technology
- Both work towards standards compliance but Dreamweaver can get bogged down by trying to uphold it’s legacy code. By basically starting over, Expression Web has avoided the legacy trap so the code is less cluttered.
- Dreamweaver offers more features but that can mean more overhead. Spry Widgets are great but they contain a lot of extra code to cover a spectrum of uses.
- Expression Web lacks the basics for beginners that FrontPage did so well. In terms of ease of use, Dreamweaver is easier for beginners to learn than Expression Web and more complex than FrontPage.
- Expression Web is less expensive than Dreamweaver.
- Expression Web runs on Windows while Dreamweaver runs on Windows and Macintosh systems
These days, I use PHP for 95% of my server side scripting so the choice is a clear one for me. I used to program in ASP.net and if I still had clients that wanted that technology, Expression Web could be an appealing choice. As the two software packages diverge based on server side technology, it is going to force more developers to make a choice. It won’t be a choice based on ease of use, features or interface but which software supports which server side technology.
Posted in: CS3.
Tagged: CS3 · PHP · Reviews
In the Intermediate Dreamweaver class, we use Dreamweaver to implement solid design practices. One of the most important things we can do as a web designer, is to ensure that our web sites are clear and easy to navigate. In the lessons, we talk about using conventions to avoid confusing our users. Consistency is the cornerstone of conventions. Viki talks about the importance of consistency in web design in her blog. She uses her real life example of an online shopping experience and how inconsistencies impacted her buying. Although we aren’t doing any ecommerce in the intermediate Dreamweaver course, we still want our users happy and sticking around. Web is designed for quick use. Even if we spend hours surfing the web, we don’t want to spend hours trying to navigate a single web site. We want to quickly know if that site has something that we need or interests us. Then, we want to know that the information is accurate and consistent and that we can navigate the site easily.
When designing your web site, keep in mind consistency and conventions to increase the clarity of your design.
Posted in: Web Design.
Tagged: Level 2 -Intermed · Usability · Web Design
This six week class is designed for students who have a basic working knowledge of Dreamweaver CS3 and are ready to dive into some more of its potent features. Learn more about spry components, snippets, extensions, templates and the library to make creating consistent great looking websites. We will also work with rollovers, image maps and tracing images. Throughout this course, we will be focusing on both the form and function of a great web site as we explore Dreamweaver’s tools and capabilities.
The base lessons and assignments of this course focus on the core Dreamweaver program, while bonus lessons and assignments allow those of you with additional CS programs to integrate some of those elements into your work.
Register at http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?cPath=5_42&products_id=246 for as little as $20!
Posted in: CS3, Class Announcements.
Tagged: Class Announcements · CS3 · Level 2 -Intermed
This fun class will introduce you to the latest version of Dreamweaver, CS3. This version revs up the power of this web editor with new features like spry widgets and by tightly integrating it with other Adobe programs. The base lessons and assignments of this course focus on the core Dreamweaver program, while bonus lessons and assignments allow those of you with additional CS programs to integrate elements into your work. Dreamweaver is one of the most popular web editing programs and you will learn why as we explore its capabilities in site management, editing, design and coordination.
Sign up for this fun and informative course at http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=245 for as little as $20!
Posted in: CS3, Class Announcements.
Tagged: Class Announcements · CS3 · Level 1 -Intro
