the intro

Whether you are a beginner, or a jaded expert, making web pages is much easier and faster using some type of editor. Editors for web-designing are usually classified into one of two categories, a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor, or a raw HTML editor.

WYSIWYG editors are, basically, just that. On them there is usually a screen similar to a web-browser, with the exception that you can type in things. These editors usually allow you to do many basic things, without learning any HTML. If you want to change fonts, styles, colors, sizes, or just about anything else you can imagine, it is easily done with two or three clicks of the mouse.

When you type something into a WYSIWYG editor, it automatically generates the appropriate HTML in accordance to what you tell it to do. Not only can you change text styles with them, but you can do many things. In fact, with some of the better ones you can insert images, hyperlinks, forms, music, lists, and tables.

WYSWYMG?

WYSIWYG editors do have many flaws within them however. One of the major problems is that just because a file looks good inside the editor itself, doesn't mean that it will look the same in a web-browser. Thus, comes the joke name "What you see is what you might get".

HA! You're not in control!

My major gripe about WYSIWYG editors is that you just don't have the control over your documents as you do with a raw HTML editor. In many cases, WYSIWYG editors seem to take on a mind of their own, inserting crazy tables and needless HTML garbage all over the place. Sometimes it is hard just to insert a simple table into a document. The editor seems to always want to do what it wants to, not what you want it to.

alas, newbies 4 life

I'll admit it. Using a WYSIWYG editor is a little bit easier than using a raw HTML editor. You are capable of creating a nice, simple page using a editor like this, in fact, I know many successful sites made with WYSIWYG editors. But, let's face the facts. It is impossible to get as high of quality sites with these editors than HTML editors. Another thing, even though it is easier for newbies to use a WYSIWYG editor than it is a HTML editor, I believe it can possibly hurt you more than help.

Instead of learning the HTML code to start with, you learn how to use a simple WYSIWYG editor. Now, when you start to realize that you can make better sites with pure HTML, you won't know where to start. Don't even bother trying to read the source code generated by your editor either - reading that senseless garbage is like reading a foreign language. In this way, many people stay beginners at HTML for longer times than people that start off with HTML do.

Unlike WYSIWYG editors, HTML editors show you the raw HTML code. A example of one of these would be Notepad. Of course, there are many, many better alternatives to a simple ASCII text-editor such as Notepad.

straight on!

My favorite part of these editors is the HTML code itself. Instead of knowing that some other program is in control of your page, you know that you are in total control of what your page looks like. If something is wrong with your page, you know that it can only be your fault, and not some silly program's.

easier than you think...

Hey, just because it is called a pure HTML editor doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable too! In my opinion, HTML editors are easier to make good pages with than WYSIWYG editors. Most people think that a HTML editor is just a program like Notepad. Well, I hate to say this, but HomeSite is just as colorful and easy to use as Frontpage 98. It has all the nice buttons, wizards, macros, and other features we've come to enjoy from the WYSIWYG editors. You can even define your own buttons, for unlimited control!

I'm a professional - pay attention!

I strongly recommend that anyone use a HTML editor. Whether you be a newbie or a expert at HTML. They provide far more features and control than WYSIWYG editors. Out of the many HTML editors on the market, I would recommend Allaire's HomeSite. Not only does it combine great color coding, wizards, buttons, macros, and a graphical interface, but it also adds a wonderful HTML Validator. The HTML validator checks your HTML for errors, and if it finds one, then it tells you what to do.

But, if you are stuck on the WYSIWYG editors, then I recommend using Frontpage 98. It has the most features of any of the editors, with the capability of using CGI and JavaScript on pages with just a few clicks of the mouse.