NVU or EvrSoft FirstPage: Which is better?

[PeterOut]

I have just taken a couple of on-line training classes in html so am
reasonable familiar with it. Doesn't seem too difficult but it seems
that a package like NVU or EvrSoft would be more efficient than doing
everything with free programming in html. I have narrowed the
packages down to NVU and FirstPage and would be most grateful for any
comments about which is better and what their relative merits are.

Many thanks in advance for any help,
Peter.

 

[SAZ]

I have just taken a couple of on-line training classes in html so am
reasonable familiar with it. Doesn't seem too difficult but it seems
that a package like NVU or EvrSoft would be more efficient than doing
everything with free programming in html. I have narrowed the
packages down to NVU and FirstPage and would be most grateful for any
comments about which is better and what their relative merits are.

Many thanks in advance for any help,
Peter.

I would suggest you also look at HTML-Kit. It doesn't have WYSIWYG, but
trust me, you're better off without that and all the crap code that gets
added. There is no substitute for hand coding.

As for your two choices, FirstPage 2006 has not been updated in 4 years.
It seems that the developers get inspired every 6 years or so (if it's
any indication, the previous version was First Page 2000) and toss out a
version that is full of bugs. I tried it briefly when 2006 was
released, went right back to HTML-Kit.

Take a look at the FirstPage forums at
http://developers.evrsoft.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=81 . If this
doesn't convince you to stay away from FirstPage, then nothing will.

 

[Jukka K. Korpela]

I have just taken a couple of on-line training classes in html so am
reasonable familiar with it. Doesn't seem too difficult but it seems
that a package like NVU or EvrSoft would be more efficient than doing
everything with free programming in html.

I wonder what you mean by "free programming in html". If the classes you
took gave you the impression that HTML is a programming language, or even
let you maintain such a preconception, I'm afraid you need a very good crash
course on HTML - to crash the wrong ideas you have got.

I have narrowed the
packages down to NVU and FirstPage and would be most grateful for any
comments about which is better and what their relative merits are.

I'm biased, since I have contributed to NVU development a bit and I have
even written a little about NVU for money.

But I tried to have an open and unbiased mind when I downloaded, installed
and started Evrsoft First Page 2006. I could not help noticing, though, that
2006 is also the last update year of the installation file. After
installation (on Windows Vista), I tried to start creating a CSS file using
the basic CSS template in First Page 2006. The program crashed.

I don't vote for NVU, though, but for Kompozer, the successor of NVU.

 

[PeterOut]

I would suggest you also look at HTML-Kit. It doesn't have WYSIWYG, but
trust me, you're better off without that and all the crap code that gets
added. There is no substitute for hand coding.  

As for your two choices, FirstPage 2006 has not been updated in 4 years.  
It seems that the developers get inspired every 6 years or so (if it's
any indication, the previous version was First Page 2000) and toss out a
version that is full of bugs.  I tried it briefly when 2006 was
released, went right back to HTML-Kit.

Take a look at the FirstPage forums athttp://developers.evrsoft.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=81.  If this
doesn't convince you to stay away from FirstPage, then nothing will.

It is probably preferable to have more control. I have just had some
training in html and xhtml so may as well hand code to reinforce what
I've learned. I have heard that some of the commercial WYSIWYG
programs are bad about adding crap code. My wife has been singing the
blues about DreamWeaver which she uses.

Thanks,
Peter.