Archinect
anchor

creating/designing a website

history

hello, rainy here in LA in sept.....odd

i wanted to make/design my own website. what is the best and most user friendly software to use? dreamweaver?

any good reference books?

any additional tips on how to get started? also how to update website easliy is a plus.

thanks for your input.
H

 
Sep 20, 05 3:31 pm
trace™

Dreamweaver will be good.

I prefer Flash and a little html.

Depends on how long you want to spend on the design. Flash is infinitely more flexible, but it's also more dangerous - it's an open palette, so unless you have a good idea (and it's a 'good' idea) of what you want, it could be horrible. As many will write, there are sooooo many bad flash sites. This is due to the ease of making something look 'cool' and the lack of skills out there.

With html (Dreamweaver writes this so you don't have to a 'What You See Is What You Get' or WYSIWYG), it's more difficult to make something truly horrible, at least as far as the navigation (can't make some annoying squares move around for no reason).

I'd say if you want something quick and don't want to learn too much, go with Dreamweaver.

Go to Amazon, read through some reviews, and buy a book. It, most likely, will walk you through an entire website (basic, of course).
Updating will be easy if you plan well. If you watn something truly 'dynamic', then plan on dedicating tons of time (I think it'd be overkill anyway).

Good luck

Sep 20, 05 3:37 pm  · 
 · 
and/or

well, if going html, you can even start off from microsoft word.
only go flash if you have a lot of time to spare.

Sep 20, 05 5:37 pm  · 
 · 
nathaniel

If you go flash you can download templates from www torrentspy com

never used that site or torrents, just heard that if you query 'flash' you'll be hooked up. Flash is more complicated than antocad, prob about the level of microstation.

Sep 20, 05 7:46 pm  · 
 · 
frisbee pirata

Flash is the way to go. But you do need to 'plan' it so to speak.

Sep 20, 05 8:34 pm  · 
 · 
imagebytekid

HTML ppl.
whatya tlkn about.
Flash my ass.

Download a trial version of dreamweaver...should be a tutorial or 2 with it...open it and off you go.
15-30days then but it if ya need it....works a treat.
keep it simple to start...you can always redo it later when your savvy

Design from content.
Go Low.

Sep 21, 05 4:05 am  · 
 · 
Carl Douglas (agfa8x)

def HTML. If you're tricksy, you can do some good things with DHTML.
If you must use flash, keep it small, and make sure that your site is navigable without it.

from what I've seen, the ratio is about 1 good flash site (I like asymptote.net) to ten or fifteen bad ones that should have kept it simple and just done HTML)

spend your time on quality content instead.

Sep 21, 05 4:17 am  · 
 · 

i learned both flash and dreamweaver just by fooling around and using the digital manuals. it took a while to get it sorted but both are easy enough. dreamweaver works best with fireworks to do most of the graphics and such. flash is harder and as all say above looks stupid most of the time. mvrdv use html on their site and is more than cool enough...

Sep 21, 05 5:09 am  · 
 · 
pinstripeprincess

go html and get dreamweaver because it's practically foolproof.

i love flash but few people know how to use it to their best advantage (this includes wasting their time doing frame by frame animation that could be coded in 10 minutes) and so if you're just starting out and want something quick and clean, html is the way to go.

also.... if you offer a flash option, you should offer an html option anyway for those who don't want to bother with flash. so you might as well go html all the way.

Sep 21, 05 9:12 am  · 
 · 
Manteno_Montenegro
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care how unskilled at web design you are, do not even think about doing a webpage with Word! My God...

Sep 21, 05 10:02 am  · 
 · 
pinstripeprincess

wow, i didn't notice that... someone actually suggested word? stay away from word.

i had a friend start a webpage in word and it took me more time to hack my way through it to fix it than if i had just coded it all in notepad.

Sep 21, 05 10:40 am  · 
 · 
Manteno_Montenegro

Imagine drawing an elevation with rapidograph pens (anyone still use them?)

Now, imagine drawing in additional things...like air, dust, UV rays, etc.

Stupid, isnt' it?

That's what Word does to HTML. It adds so much extra crap.

And, there is something worse: Saving an Excel sheet as a web page.

Sep 21, 05 11:14 am  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: