WebDeveloper.com Software Review / Microsoft FrontPage 2000

FrontPage 2000:
Why 2K?

By David Fiedler,
Editor-in-Chief, WebDeveloper.com

Has Microsoft Really Done It This Time?

Most Web developers of my acquaintance think of FrontPage as a gimmick application intended for home users and unsuitable for serious work of any kind, let alone as a Web page authoring tool.

It's gotten this reputation based on a relatively small number of factors: an annoying propensity for rewriting code; a maddening "do it our way or else" methodology; and a ill-conceived requirement for loading proprietary (though freely available) extensions onto your Web server just to get anything done. Some of this, but not all, could be worked around, but in certain circles, admitting you use FrontPage is like admitting that AOL is your ISP.

All that is about to change. I've known this since seeing a private demo of FrontPage 2000 at the Internet World show in New York City, though was waiting for the final code, because sometimes demos prove too good to be true. But Microsoft seems to be quite serious about making FrontPage a no-brainer for everyone: from people setting up their first Web site to teams of professional developers. If you doubt that...well, just read on!

FrontPage 2000 System Requirements:

Intel Pentium® processor or equivalent 75+ MHz

Windows 95/98 (24 MB RAM) or NT version 4.0/SP3 or later (40 MB RAM)

167 MB of available disk space

256-color monitor capable of 800x600 resolution

CD-ROM drive and mouse

Price:

Microsoft FrontPage 2000 lists for $149, and is available at an upgrade price of $59.95 if you have any previous version of FrontPage. It's also available as a free upgrade from FrontPage 98, if you happened to buy that last week (or anytime after January 1, 1999), and is also included as part of Office 2000 Premium.