Hello everyone,
We fully admit to NOT being anything other than rank website building beginners! However, we have finally received a faster dial-up service that resembles ADSL, at incoming 608kps (whoopeee).
The internet (presumably dial-up) kit that was supplied by France telecom (aka Wanadoo) seems to prohibit any other use of the supplied chinese fabricated ADSL modem.
This means that to try to make a connection without Wanadoo's intervention at every stage is really difficult, if not impossible (or so it seems to us).
Worse still, is that we use a 'net host in the US and just as we get to some critical stage (uploading pix, pages or viewing to verify), the blasted thing freezes.
It almost seems as if there are links requiring certain pass protocols that Wanadoo WOOBrowser, does not support. After that, everything freezes up and even a restart isn't available to us without manually hitting the tower restart button!
Have we just hit bad luck in our combination of ISP and host, or does anyone think we have local PC incompatibility issues?
Secondly, as a one-time graphic designer, (no, don't look at our website - read on), I am happy with Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop etc..
However, my wife and I decided to use Dreamweaver to build our site and I had a go for the first time the other day on a page, but with trepidation as I had seen Catherine struggle.
Whoa! What a load of junk! Anything less inspiring and illogical to use, as far as being a human-being hopefully being helped by technology, I cannot imagine!
Whatever I did, even when comparing and scrutinising the code as well as the design side of things just was not consistent and I found the package totally comprehensible. And I'm good at 'spot the difference' games!
So, why would we use it and shall we revert to spending time with Front Page for a more fruitful outcome?
Just to provoke further discussion . . . our web hosts have an editing suite that is supposed to be WYSIWYG . . . but in reality does not function for us at all. They have also recently surrupticiously suggested we now need an FTP package on top of everything else we've invested in so that our pages go up OK.
So why have an internal 'editing' suite, I ask, and why say they support Dreamweaver, if in reality we have to make all the main investments for software that they claim to provide as a service?!!
Has anyone else had these experiences and are there any useful pieces of advice we may receive please? Thanks.
Colin & Catherine Winn
www.pictureburgundy.com
French Control Freakery
Hi
I've used both, both in French versions. Neither is truly WYSIWYG : both need odd trips into code to sort out problems.
Frontpage is easier for small sites (it crashed for me with larger sites - say 500+ pages).
Dreamweaver can do much more, doesn't crash (well not too often !) but has a much longer learning curve.
Today I use dreamweaver as first choice.
Peter
I've used both, both in French versions. Neither is truly WYSIWYG : both need odd trips into code to sort out problems.
Frontpage is easier for small sites (it crashed for me with larger sites - say 500+ pages).
Dreamweaver can do much more, doesn't crash (well not too often !) but has a much longer learning curve.
Today I use dreamweaver as first choice.
Peter
Hello Winns!
I use Wanadoo ADSL and a US host and don't have a problem. Can't help there.
I do like Dreamweaver though. I find it pretty good intuitively and the dual view very helpful to learn html coding. What I don't like about it is all the superfluous code it puts in, but you can take it out if you can be bothered (I can't).
I haven't used Frontpage, but I haven't heard too many good things about it.
Not a very helpful post I know!
I use Wanadoo ADSL and a US host and don't have a problem. Can't help there.
I do like Dreamweaver though. I find it pretty good intuitively and the dual view very helpful to learn html coding. What I don't like about it is all the superfluous code it puts in, but you can take it out if you can be bothered (I can't).
I haven't used Frontpage, but I haven't heard too many good things about it.
Not a very helpful post I know!
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
Colin & Catherine:
None of the "WYSIWYG" editors are perfect... some are worse than others. All of them put in superfluous code as Paolo mentioned.
I quite like Dreamweaver, but that's probably because I never, ever use the "design" functions. I write all my code from scratch, so I only ever use the program's "code view."
I know that's probably not very helpful to you. But I do know that Dreamweaver does have a built-in FTP function, so you shouldn't be required to purchase any new software if you want to use FTP functionality.
And even if you've already decided against Dreamweaver, there are free FTP programs out there. WS FTP is a bare bones model, but I've also used CoreFTP and CuteFTP (which is actually not free, but they give you a fairly lengthy free trial), and have no problems with any of them.
Good luck!
None of the "WYSIWYG" editors are perfect... some are worse than others. All of them put in superfluous code as Paolo mentioned.
I quite like Dreamweaver, but that's probably because I never, ever use the "design" functions. I write all my code from scratch, so I only ever use the program's "code view."
I know that's probably not very helpful to you. But I do know that Dreamweaver does have a built-in FTP function, so you shouldn't be required to purchase any new software if you want to use FTP functionality.
And even if you've already decided against Dreamweaver, there are free FTP programs out there. WS FTP is a bare bones model, but I've also used CoreFTP and CuteFTP (which is actually not free, but they give you a fairly lengthy free trial), and have no problems with any of them.
Good luck!
Brooke
I use SmartFtp for years now, like cuteftp it isn't free but the trail never ends, you will only get a reminder on start up.
Also stay far away from "Microsoft Office Publisher" I've seen pages that should be around 100kb become 3-4mb!
I also use dreamweaver and like vrooje only use the code view, i tried switching to something else but im hooked on the syntax color scheme.
Also stay far away from "Microsoft Office Publisher" I've seen pages that should be around 100kb become 3-4mb!
I also use dreamweaver and like vrooje only use the code view, i tried switching to something else but im hooked on the syntax color scheme.
Hello to everybody who has kindly responded to my posting.
It must be just us then, who are affected and being driven by Wanadoo?
As a follow-up, I have tried to do without their 'helpful' driving start-up windows and the like, but my brother is querulous about the fact that we have 'ADSL', but that it is still through a Wanadoo dial-up connection.
He thinks this is odd, as he thinks an ADSL connection should just be 'there', connected as soon as the PC is booted.
I don't appear to be able to create a PPPOa (?) connection by myself using the same parameters as does Wanadoo and therefore by-pass their start-up connection making window and every other facet of them wanting to help me direct the way I use the PC (that's what I was referring to in respect of French control freakery!).
Anyway, I take my hat off to those who CAN design web pages in D'Weaver without seeing the design aspect of it, but as I said, after 48 hours of working with it, I still cannot fathom the way it works or why it does what it does, despite looking carefully at the code and the design.
But thanks anyway, maybe we'll persevere a little more with it, or try afresh through FrontPage, if it is the considered opinion it's more designer friendly?
Cheers all.
It must be just us then, who are affected and being driven by Wanadoo?
As a follow-up, I have tried to do without their 'helpful' driving start-up windows and the like, but my brother is querulous about the fact that we have 'ADSL', but that it is still through a Wanadoo dial-up connection.
He thinks this is odd, as he thinks an ADSL connection should just be 'there', connected as soon as the PC is booted.
I don't appear to be able to create a PPPOa (?) connection by myself using the same parameters as does Wanadoo and therefore by-pass their start-up connection making window and every other facet of them wanting to help me direct the way I use the PC (that's what I was referring to in respect of French control freakery!).
Anyway, I take my hat off to those who CAN design web pages in D'Weaver without seeing the design aspect of it, but as I said, after 48 hours of working with it, I still cannot fathom the way it works or why it does what it does, despite looking carefully at the code and the design.
But thanks anyway, maybe we'll persevere a little more with it, or try afresh through FrontPage, if it is the considered opinion it's more designer friendly?
Cheers all.
-
Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Colin,
It’s impossible to be specific as providers give their own specific installation instructions. Generally, the set up process involves installing and configuring a network adaptor to connect to the modem and then doing the following:-
1. Using the Internet Connection Wizard, select “Set Up a Connection Manually� and click “Next�.
2. Check “I connect Through a Local Area Network� and click “Next�
3. Uncheck “Automatic Discovery of a Proxy Server� and click “Next� and then “Finish�.
PS. Reference to Local Area Network is simply the means of connection between your adaptor and the broadband modem not connection to a LAN.
Keep trying, you’ll get there.
Alan
It’s impossible to be specific as providers give their own specific installation instructions. Generally, the set up process involves installing and configuring a network adaptor to connect to the modem and then doing the following:-
1. Using the Internet Connection Wizard, select “Set Up a Connection Manually� and click “Next�.
2. Check “I connect Through a Local Area Network� and click “Next�
3. Uncheck “Automatic Discovery of a Proxy Server� and click “Next� and then “Finish�.
PS. Reference to Local Area Network is simply the means of connection between your adaptor and the broadband modem not connection to a LAN.
Keep trying, you’ll get there.
Alan