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The much anticipated Office 2003 is out, and with this much anticipated release of the undisputed king of corporate office software some things have changed. One of the most is the new FrontPage 2003. From its interface to its functions, FrontPage 2003 appears to be responding to its critics and the needs of its user base. Of all of the applications I have reviewed recently, this one ranks as the most improved. It is also the one in most need of an overhaul. With the release of this rendition, Microsoft seems to have finally reached a breakthrough point with a much needed application.
One of the things that Microsoft has done with the new Office suite is regroup configurations. There are several different flavors of Office 2003. Each one is tailor made for specific users. Naturally, the professional edition features the most complete bundle of software. What is interesting this time out is that FrontPage 2003 is no longer included with any bundled suite of Office. What was once a part of Office Professional is now an independent application that must be purchased separately. Although FrontPage 2003 is still a part of the Office 2003 family, it is sold only as an independent application.
The big selling point with FrontPage has always been ease of use and relatively modest price points. Coming in under the price tag of Macromedia’s flag ship Dreamweaver, now up to MX 2004, FrontPage was the easier more modest based. The idea was to make Web page creation easier within Office and for those with less demanding needs and understandings of HTML. As time passed, FrontPage has managed over time to take on more features, more power and become a full featured Web creation tool. Although it has never had the clout, reputation or power of Dreamweaver, it held an important niche. It has remained one of the better what you see is what you get visually based Web designer tools for those just getting their feet wet.
The big problems with FrontPage have been balancing ease of use with power. One of the tradeoffs with an application becoming more muscular is that ease of use becomes the first casualty. The more powerful a program is, the more difficult it is to use. What has happened over time is that FrontPage was perhaps too simple in its earlier versions and needed some considerably “beefing” up in order to be useful.
Responding to critics of its bloated code, and difficulty with interoperability with the king of Web design tools Dreamweaver, the new FrontPage has answered those concerns. The new Split View allows users to be able to see the actual code while still in the design view. The code view automatically adjusts to reflect changes made in the design view. The advantage here is that visually based designers can see the code as it is created and use that information as a learning tool. Three is also an HTML optimizer built into the program that again addresses the issue of bloated code. The code view also includes IntelliSense technology to reduce errors even further when it comes to code.
The new XML, being pushed by Microsoft as the centerpiece for the new Office is also present here, along with full support for Windows SharePoint Services. For most end users the inclusion of both may have limited appeal. For business users already dependent on Microsoft server technologies, or in need of serious interaction with other office users, these two features will be of interest. Their inclusion here has much to do with keeping FrontPage tied to other developments with Micosoft’s larger Web plans and the Office suite.
Depending on how advanced you are regarding Web design, if you are experienced, or brand new, there are now more compelling reasons to consider FrontPage. Now more compelling than before, Microsoft has given new life to a dependable Web designing tool.
With the inclusion of layers, a new one for FrontPage, and greater interoperability with Dreamweaver, Microsoft has taken to making this program far more sophisticated than it ever was. While this application cannot replace the features of a dedicated Web titan like Dreamweaver, it does have the advantage of being easier to use, powerful enough for most end—user needs and most of all easier than other applications in this arena.
Like the other members of the Microsoft family of software, and is more the case with newer titles, activation is required on this product in order to use all of the features.
If ease of use, integration with other products and price points are essential to you, there is really little to find fault with in the new FrontPage. Unless you have very specific design or coding needs, FrontPage is now more than ever better equipped to get the job done. With a new interface, overhauled help menus and other convenience features, this is an application well worth having.
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