Going to start my very first website. Is Dream Weaver the way to go?

[Her Amun]

Hello,

 

I'm about to start my own website and I have never done it b4. Did I mention that I have never designed anything in my life?

 

Would you recommened Dream Weaver? Can anyone direct me to a site made by Dream Weaver so I can see what it's capable of?

 

Thank you:lol:

[Andrea]

Depends -if you're only going to create one site every, then dreamweaver is way too expensive. There are plenty free wysiwig editors out there.

 

However, if you want to actually learn about webdesign, then start with notepad and a few good tutorials - plenty right here on killersites. Dreamweaver is only a tool for the job, you still need to understand what you're doing.

[Her Amun]

Nice.

 

Because Im not just trying to put pictures on a wall. I want to have a message board like this, members, video links etc.

 

So Dream Weaver isnt "web desiegn" for idiots, hmmm.

[Wickham]

If you want to start a message board like this, you don't really need much coding experience.

 

You download and install the complete package with hundreds of php and database files which insatll themselves automatically.

 

You then use the admin menus to set up the forums and permissions, etc.

 

When I set up a forum I only needed to edit the image in a file so that I had my own header image, the rest was via the admin menus.

 

The forum has its own pages, you need coding experience for separate website pages which link to it if you want, but a forum on its own doesn't need a separate website.

[cmpapineau]

I just took a course in Dreamweaver this month and if I hadn't previously took an XHTML and CSS course I think it would have been a huge waste of time.

 

 

I think it is really important to know a bit of code first and then Dreamweaver makes it easier.

 

I would suggest the html and css tutorials at http://www.w3schools.com/

[LSW]

This was not written by any of us, it is a forum called PunBB. You just download it and upload it to the server.

 

This is not web design, this is hard core web programming. You have to understand a language like PHP. Database design and management. Database and programming security to protect members... None of us even bother trying to that. These are dedicated programmers who do nothing but keep these CMS and Forums up to date with the latest bug fixes and security patches.

 

Alternative Editors for Web Development

 

Dreamweaver is for professionals to speed work flow and time management. It is a waste of money for most others. They buy into the legend.