I’m a [U]complete[/U] newbie at web developing, so thanks ahead of time for your patience. I feel fairly competent with other software (desktop publishing, DV editing, etc.) but I’ve never built a site before. The site I need for a special project needs to have a forum and multiple FTP sub accounts where non-web-savvy people can upload their own photos and edit their own articles. I’ve got an older version of Dreamweaver (Dreamweaver-4 Fireworks-4 Studio) which I’ve never used, but am considering using to build this site. I also have Kim Cavanaugh’s “Dreamweaver-4 Fireworks-4 Studio: A Beginner’s Guide. Finally to my question: Am I too naive thinking I can build this kind of a site being a total newb? If I do give it a go, is there a better way to learn besides just the Beginner’s book? Would the Dreamweaver-4 version need to be updated? Thanks!
@jimberryJun 02.2006 — #I am still using Dreamweaver 3 and Fireworks 3 and haven't felt the need to upgrade. I wouldn't advise spending money on an upgrade until you have used v4 enough to know that you really need the extra functionality of the latest and greatest (unless, of course you have money to spare!), v3 is still pretty powerful.
It is possible to get very good off the shelf forum and photo album solutions for free. I use phpBB and JAlbum and have no complaints about either. JAlbum has an option to run on the server so that new pages are created (and indexes updated) when newly uploaded photos are detected.
@the_treeJun 02.2006 — #Can a Newbie Build a Complex Site?[/quote][B]Yes[/B], good hosts will have the facilities to automatically install forum and gallery software (even if they don't, installing them isn't difficult).
I doubt you'd find much use for a super new version of Dreamweaver, just work with what you've got and enjoy yourself.
@NojiriauthorJun 02.2006 — #Thanks jimberry and the tree. I think I'll give it a shot. Is a book like Cavanaugh's "Beginner's Guide" a good way to get started or do you have other suggestions for getting started and learning?
@jimberryJun 03.2006 — # Is a book like Cavanaugh's "Beginner's Guide" a good way to get started or do you have other suggestions for getting started and learning?[/QUOTE] I can't comment on that book as I don't know it. I found the DREAMWEAVER BIBLE very helpful when starting out, and I still go back to it occasionally when I get stuck. It is very comprehensive, and you might find some sort of "beginners guide" (which just covers the basics) less daunting to start with. I also found the Dreamweaver users forum at Macromedia to be very helpful, with many knowledgable professionals willing to share their insights and techniques in a friendly way.
@ray326Jun 03.2006 — #Actually, a complete newbie can build a complex site when a simple site will do. E.g., newbies will tend to use WYSIWYG editors, table layouts and frames, all of which needlessly complicate the result and tend to ruin accessibility to anyone not using exactly the same web browser as the newbie.
@NojiriauthorJun 04.2006 — #Actually, a complete newbie can build a complex site when a simple site will do. E.g., newbies will tend to use WYSIWYG editors, table layouts and frames, all of which needlessly complicate the result and tend to ruin accessibility to anyone not using exactly the same web browser as the newbie.[/QUOTE]
ray326- I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting. Are you recommending that I do NOT use Dreamweaver? If not, what are you recommending that I use? I'm definitely open to suggestion...
@the_treeJun 04.2006 — #A text editor such as notepad has the potential to create the best code ever, but since you're fairly new [url=http://www.chami.com/html-kit/]HTML-Kit[/url] can help you along the way without crowding your code unnessersarly.
@ray326Jun 04.2006 — #HTML-Kit is my recommendation, too. In general my preference is a text editor that understands and helps with the HTML (including built in HTML Tidy), CSS and Javascript coupled with a quick preview in a couple of browsers like IE and Firefox. HTML-Kit does all that although the Firefox preview takes a little work if you want it imbedded.
@NojiriauthorJun 05.2006 — #the tree & ray326- Thanks for the HTML Kit suggestion; it looks xlnt. However, one important factor I didn't think to mention is I need to have Japanese language support as everywhere I insert text it will be bilingual English/Japanese. Any suggestions for an editor with that support?