# Website design software?



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Are there any free online website design software programs comparable to MS FrontPage? Or is there a free one that I can download that will work on Linux? My computer has decided it can't run Windows any more and so I can't use my FrontPage suite and I can't work on my website.


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## Theta (Jan 9, 2011)

Several years ago I used Nvu for webpage creation. Now it looks like Nvu has morphed into KompoZer, which is cross-platform.

Depending on what you want your website for, though, I would recommend learning basic HTML instead of using an editor like that. I find that things like Frontpage produce bloated and often incorrect code, and it's hard to debug them when they have problems. In contrast, you don't usually need to know more than the basic HTML elements to build a simple webpage.


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

Microsoft has retired Frontpage and alot of places wont support it anymore. Their new design software is called "Microsoft Expression Web". And it's harder for most people to learn.



I would go with Nvu too for linux.


Good luck!


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

Cant run windows or you wont run windows? I think front page will run under wine


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Gary in ohio said:


> Cant run windows or you wont run windows?


I was wondering the same thing. I would concentrate on the Windows problem first.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

I know HTML coding. I just don't happen to like to do it. 

I have a very old computer and Linux has a smaller footprint than Windows does. It can run Linux without a ton of errors. Windows, it does nothing but have problem after problem and Linux is less prone to get the viruses that Windows gets which is better with kids and husband on it.  We used to have a dual boot, but it just can't do it any more. Someday I'll have the money to build me a new computer and I'll be able to reinstall Windows.  But until then, Linux/Fedora it is.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

6e said:


> I know HTML coding. I just don't happen to like to do it.


I don't blame you. Do it with a graphical editor.



6e said:


> I have a very old computer and Linux has a smaller footprint than Windows does. It can run Linux without a ton of errors. Windows, it does nothing but have problem after problem and Linux is less prone to get the viruses that Windows gets which is better with kids and husband on it.  We used to have a dual boot, but it just can't do it any more. Someday I'll have the money to build me a new computer and I'll be able to reinstall Windows.  But until then, Linux/Fedora it is.


Sounds like you might just be low on memory. What kind of processor do you have, how much memory do you have, and what version of Windows were you trying to run on it?


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## CC Pereira (9 mo ago)

I have used a Linux OS for about 15-20 years, which I still prefer over Windows. I have always used BlueFish as a code editor (for HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, and javascript), FileZilla as an FTP client, and Gimp as a graphics editor. I prefer and recommend learning to write your own code, to develop and maintain a custom website.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

Wix is supposed to be easy. I have not used it. I have used WordPress a lot and like it. Try a few out. Most have a tryout option.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

CC Pereira said:


> I prefer and recommend learning to write your own code, to develop and maintain a custom website.


But you know that most people aren't going to be doing that.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

WHy do you need the web site, Is this for academic purposes if so wix is fine. If you really want to run a web site, you should use a vendor with established web front ends. This is not a play to play and learn if your offering any size content and especially if your going to sell anything...


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## st0n3 (7 mo ago)

I took down most of my sites... but... I taught myself html and css just to increase my options.

Designing my own template... allowed me to put stuff where I wanted... take a page off the site and remove content for a fresh empty page to build on...

knowing which folders which content went in was useful...

WP was fun to play with... but seemed to be where the spammers all wanted to go...

I checked your profile to see if I could visit your page and give a better targeted response... alas... no link.


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## CC Pereira (9 mo ago)

Nevada said:


> But you know that most people aren't going to be doing that.


Unfortunately, you are correct. Most people are unwilling to learn to do something for themselves, even if it is the best option they have, especially if they think it is too complicated, will take too much time, will take too much money, or will take too much effort ... some because they are unwilling to learn something new, or they do not have extra time, do not have extra money, and some people are just too lazy. If you want something done your own customized way though, your best option may be to DIY.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

CC Pereira said:


> Unfortunately, you are correct. Most people are unwilling to learn to do something for themselves, even if it is the best option they have, especially if they think it is too complicated, will take too much time, will take too much money, or will take too much effort ... some because they are unwilling to learn something new, or they do not have extra time, do not have extra money, and some people are just too lazy. If you want something done your own customized way though, your best option may be to DIY.


I don't believe that is the entire story. Each day we choose what we want to learn and what is worth learning timewise. If you are only building one website then it is not worth the time to learn it from scratch when so many ready-made applications are there to use. I have built the server and computers I work on. I did all the electrical and plumbing and radiant heating in our home. Choosing what to learn and why is unique for each person and it is not always the best choice to do everything DIY for everyone.


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## CC Pereira (9 mo ago)

painterswife said:


> I don't believe that is the entire story. Each day we choose what we want to learn and what is worth learning timewise. If you are only building one website then it is not worth the time to learn it from scratch when so many ready-made applications are there to use. I have built the server and computers I work on. I did all the electrical and plumbing and radiant heating in our home. Choosing what to learn and why is unique for each person and it is not always the best choice to do everything DIY for everyone.


I understand that each of us has a limited amount of time to live our lives, which is one reason that one might choose not to DIY, or to pay someone else to do it, or to get a free cookie cutter website. I didn't say there is anything wrong with that. Whether you are building one website or multiple websites, it is up to you to decide what works best for you, for whatever reason(s). You may think that a cookie cutter website is better than a DIY or paid custom website -- but that is a matter of opinion. Most of the websites that generate significant revenue are not cookie cutter websites though. I also never said that DIY is always the best choice for everyone. Sometimes it is, sometimes not.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Doesn't the host site offer a graphical web development tool? Most offer WordPress.


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## CC Pereira (9 mo ago)

MoonRiver said:


> Doesn't the host site offer a graphical web development tool? Most offer WordPress.


Good point. Most web hosts do offer a free web builder option -- if that's your preference.


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## RoBlaine (Mar 24, 2015)

If you care about accessibility for the handicapped, accessibility has to be built in from the ground up. Nearly two decades ago I hard-coded a site for a blind association. I started with XP Windows. In the process an update repeatedly crashed my system. MS 'Support' finally told me my two year old hardware was obviously obsolete. Really??! I'd had other trouble and decided to switch cold turkey to Ubuntu. I used BlueFish for coding. The Tidy utilities for code testing and cleaning. The screen reader Orca and the text based browser elinks. Between the two I could easily 'see' how I was arranging each page. Wordpress, Dupal and other CMS packages can make decent accessibility if they're configured properly, but it takes a lot of know-how to do it properly. And as far as testing ... the CMS packages don't test for you and it's up to you to figure out how to test then correct problems. If you don't know any code, you're caught in a halfway situation.


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