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happykeeper

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Well the day has come. Here I am working on Dreamweaver tutorials and trying to decide if the learning curve will be worth the final product.
IT'S EARLY in the game
I have read a lot about HTML and CSS and I am starting to understand how they work and why CSS is easier than what came before.
I have completed the "Check Magazine" web page tutorial that shows you how to assemble an entire web page with very detailed information and add ons about HTML and CSS.
I did a tutorial on CSS that helped me understand what a style sheet is, what an ID is, how to type the information, and a little bit about what cascading means, what a class is, and a few other bits.
I am coming from a WYSIWYG program where I did not need to know any of that.
I have not yet started on a web page using a template from Dreamweaver.
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
Is it easier than it looks to use content from other sources than Abode products?
Any thoughts would be appreciated?
 
Dreamweaver is a good tool, but it isn't for sissies. It will do whatever you need it to do provided you understand what it is you're doing. What is it you are wanting to do?
I use dreamweaver and have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. I was able to hobble my website together and have received lots of compliments on its navigability, design and ease of use. The beauty of Dreamweaver is that it is modular. It will let you insert various scripting languages and applets without having to understand completely how each of them works.
Unless your wanting to do something elaborate, I'd opt for a simple editor like BBEDIT (macintosh)
 
Dreamweaver is a good tool, but it isn't for sissies. It will do whatever you need it to do provided you understand what it is you're doing. What is it you are wanting to do?
I use dreamweaver and have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. I was able to hobble my website together and have received lots of compliments on its navigability, design and ease of use. The beauty of Dreamweaver is that it is modular. It will let you insert various scripting languages and applets without having to understand completely how each of them works.
Unless your wanting to do something elaborate, I'd opt for a simple editor like BBEDIT (macintosh).
Actually PT, this seems to be the standard advice. You see it at every turn in the beginner forums. So I would say that, by default, I want to do something eloborate. I managed to do a decent site with less, but I would like to take the next step.
What programs did you use to create your applets and scripts?
 
Dreamweaver is a good tool, but it isn't for sissies. It will do whatever you need it to do provided you understand what it is you're doing. What is it you are wanting to do?
I use dreamweaver and have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. I was able to hobble my website together and have received lots of compliments on its navigability, design and ease of use. The beauty of Dreamweaver is that it is modular. It will let you insert various scripting languages and applets without having to understand completely how each of them works.
Unless your wanting to do something elaborate, I'd opt for a simple editor like BBEDIT (macintosh).
Actually PT, this seems to be the standard advice. You see it at every turn in the beginner forums. So I would say that, by default, I want to do something eloborate. I managed to do a decent site with less, but I would like to take the next step.
What programs did you use to create your applets and scripts?
.
I haven't made the move to xml, so I'm still using Javascript and cgi scripts. There are free ones all over the internet that just require some modest tweaking to customize.
I know Flash is the latest for special effects, but a lot of that can be done with existing scripts. You would almost have to have Adobe Creative Suite to accomplish some of the fancier stuff. Unless, you're going pro, it's hard to justify the expense or the learning curve involved.
 
Dreamweaver is a good tool, but it isn't for sissies. It will do whatever you need it to do provided you understand what it is you're doing. What is it you are wanting to do?
I use dreamweaver and have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. I was able to hobble my website together and have received lots of compliments on its navigability, design and ease of use. The beauty of Dreamweaver is that it is modular. It will let you insert various scripting languages and applets without having to understand completely how each of them works.
Unless your wanting to do something elaborate, I'd opt for a simple editor like BBEDIT (macintosh).
Actually PT, this seems to be the standard advice. You see it at every turn in the beginner forums. So I would say that, by default, I want to do something eloborate. I managed to do a decent site with less, but I would like to take the next step.
What programs did you use to create your applets and scripts?
.
I haven't made the move to xml, so I'm still using Javascript and cgi scripts. There are free ones all over the internet that just require some modest tweaking to customize.
I know Flash is the latest for special effects, but a lot of that can be done with existing scripts. You would almost have to have Adobe Creative Suite to accomplish some of the fancier stuff. Unless, you're going pro, it's hard to justify the expense or the learning curve involved.
.
All that was said above is true. Perhaps people considering Dreamweaver--or any other tool to maintain their own website--should ask themselves how much of a learning curve they can afford to devote to this.
The bottom line is marketing. The High Mountain Lodge generates over ninety percent of its traffic off the Internet. But then, I've been designing web pages since the 1980s.
I cannot stress highly enough the need to keep your pages "fresh." People who are wavering about making a booking at our Lodge have mentioned the fact we update our website regularly. If you have your website designed by a professional, you should at least have rudimentary tools that will allow you to update photographs and text--so long as the basic architecture of your site allows for easy navigation.
What concerns me, PT, is that as you start out in your business, you will find yourself overwhelmed by the nitty-gritties of things as basic as cleaning and laundry. The immediate things that demand your time will not wait, and things as seemingly ephemeral as a website can easily get pushed down the priorities list.
You need to take a hard look at what your skills are, and what must absolutely positively happen before the next set of guests show up at your inn. I suspect that learning an entirely new and deeply sophisticated program is not high on your list of Things To Do. If not, for heaven's sake don't buy a $500 program just so you can correct that typo on your home page.
There are things my wife does exceptionally well, and things I do exceptionally well.
Before my wife and I bought the High Mountain Lodge, in addition to our marketing plan, we also did a skills evaluation to help us in the day-to-day tactical decisions. Guess what? I'm really good at cleaning toilets (who knew?!)
But a website is strategic, not a tactical tool. If you are not a graphic designer/website marketer, I really urge you to get with somebody who has experience designing B&B websites. Pay them the money for the initial design, but make sure that they understand that you will be making changes/corrections/additions.
The bottom line: your website is an absolutely critical piece of your marketing strategy. Don't let your desire to pick up a new skill and master PHP blind you to this fact. You can't and mustn't ignore it, but you have to take a long hard look at the best way to muster your physical, finan- cial, and intellectuql resources to be a successful innkeeper.
In short: a yourself if learning a new programming language is the best way to spend your time.
Really, I can't urge you too strongly to make an needs and skills analysis and coordinate that with your business plan. Then set out to plug a few holes, always keeping in mind what is Most Important on any give day.
 
Dreamweaver is used by the pros. It can do anything! But for the average person trying to do a website, it is probably overkill. I don't use half the stuff from it. Download KOMPOZER. it will do what you need it to do if you are going to be the one to do your website.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.)
 
This is not meant as a sidetrack...even if you realize after a week or two that you really don't want to devote so much time to learning this and just want the end result done by a professional, you have learned the terminology. Like getting your car fixed, the more you know the less you can be bamboozled and the easier hiring someone will be.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
 
This is not meant as a sidetrack...even if you realize after a week or two that you really don't want to devote so much time to learning this and just want the end result done by a professional, you have learned the terminology. Like getting your car fixed, the more you know the less you can be bamboozled and the easier hiring someone will be..
Actually, being bamboozled is what sent us down this path way back when. There are a lot of folks with just enough knowledge to con people into their services. I could not agree more about knowing more. I can always go back to what I know, but I will see it in a whole new way. The free DW trial and the amazing support and tutorials have taught me more in three days than I expected. It is starting to take the mystery out how code works.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
.
I have Fireworks with my Dreamweaver package...but since I already used Paint Shop Pro and it does everything I wanted it to do and much more...I really never got into using the Fireworks. You don't have to have it to incorporate images etc...into your web pages. Any similar program will work...just depends on what you need it to do and probably just the basics of editng, resizing and compression is what you will need for your web images.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
.
I have Fireworks with my Dreamweaver package...but since I already used Paint Shop Pro and it does everything I wanted it to do and much more...I really never got into using the Fireworks. You don't have to have it to incorporate images etc...into your web pages. Any similar program will work...just depends on what you need it to do and probably just the basics of editng, resizing and compression is what you will need for your web images.
.
Thanks for boiling that down for me. It would appear that my strategy of getting DW and using other programs to develop content will work.
If I might ask additionally, I am looking to replace a static jpg image with a slideshow (3 or 4 four rotating photos that fade in and out in continuously. I have a couple of choices to do that I think. Do you have a suggestion?
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
.
Does Gimp 2 work well with DW?
It would work fine. The main parts about playing nicely together comes into play with file check-in and check-out which allows multiple people to work on the same site at the same time. Fireworks will check files out automatically, Gimp would not. (Just an extra step, check them out in Dreamweaver first, then edit in Gimp, then check back in). But again that is likely not a feature you would be using on just one or two sites anyway.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
.
Does Gimp 2 work well with DW?
It would work fine. The main parts about playing nicely together comes into play with file check-in and check-out which allows multiple people to work on the same site at the same time. Fireworks will check files out automatically, Gimp would not. (Just an extra step, check them out in Dreamweaver first, then edit in Gimp, then check back in). But again that is likely not a feature you would be using on just one or two sites anyway.
.
Great- I have been looking a little at how the suite integration works because it is in some of the tutorial stuff and, while it is kind of neat, as long as I can move things in and out of my local site folders for editing, I should be fine.
 
Desinging a nice website is tough. Consider a pre-made template. Search Google for 'website templates'
They are priced from free to an average of $70 to higher.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
.
I have Fireworks with my Dreamweaver package...but since I already used Paint Shop Pro and it does everything I wanted it to do and much more...I really never got into using the Fireworks. You don't have to have it to incorporate images etc...into your web pages. Any similar program will work...just depends on what you need it to do and probably just the basics of editng, resizing and compression is what you will need for your web images.
.
Thanks for boiling that down for me. It would appear that my strategy of getting DW and using other programs to develop content will work.
If I might ask additionally, I am looking to replace a static jpg image with a slideshow (3 or 4 four rotating photos that fade in and out in continuously. I have a couple of choices to do that I think. Do you have a suggestion?
.
YOu are talking flash and that is another software purchase and learning curve:-(
I have used a program called Amara Slide Show builder which builds flash file pretty easily and simply. You can download it for about $30 I believe. Easy to use and does the job nicely. Your other option would be to use some sort of slide show script..this can get tricky...and you have to understand the code to make it work...but there are some things out there.
 
Desinging a nice website is tough. Consider a pre-made template. Search Google for 'website templates'
They are priced from free to an average of $70 to higher..
It is tough, but doable. I will look into the templates, but I am thinking that the CSS templates in DW CS4 are going to be enough for now. They do the things I would like to do and they have hybrids that allow a combination of fixed and liquid assets.
 
SOOOO..... I have had a nagging concern that Dreamweaver may not be able to provide the content I need...that it does not really do that- and that the I may be looking for capable programs that I can use to develop content before I can actually consider using Dreamweaver. I have downloaded some programs that appear strong, like GIMP 2, and see that there are likely others that can do a great job at a minimal expense.
Will I purchase Dreamweaver and discover that I should have purchased a web suite (very expensive)?
I guess I am confused by your use fo the term "content." As a designer, content means the text and images that make up your page. No program will deliver that for you. (and I think you know that... which leads me to think that what you are calling "content" is really something else.)
If you are buying Dreamweaver, FIreworks is a nice image editor to pair with it. They play nicely together, but again that is more for if you are using site check-in, check-out for managing a bunch of sites. If you are just doing your own site, the pair is probably overkill. Pairing Gimp and Kompozer will do everything you need in a similar style to what you are encountering in the dreamweaver tutorials. (the one downside to Kompozer is that it will likely never have an upgrade ... it is at the end of its development. Though the upgrades from Dreamweaver will cost you a bit of money too and not offer huge improvements in what it produces. (likely you notice no big improvements unless you are producing many sites with it.).
Thanks for helping me reframe this a bit
It could be that I am a little confused- I am not entirely sure. It sounds like the same thing. To me "content" refers to the text and the images that I need to develop. I have to prepare some jpg images, a slideshow(I think), some clipart, my text, and some smart buttons(?)
I looked at Kompzer and found it a little confusing. I have already been working in a program that may never be improved and I think I would like to avoid that downside. I sure could be wrong about that, but I have enjoyed doing the tutorials in DW and I am starting to understand how HTML and CSS work and how they work together. I may be doing more sites in the future, and I want to have the ability to do them well. That's why I started in with DW. I have asked about it before, but the 30 day trial is giving me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, which has been beneficial. Instead of ignoring what a <div tag is, I am now learning what it is and how it works.
Question is.... Does Gimp 2 work well with DW? Could I purchase DW and use some of these other programs for a while until I am ready to upgrade to a web suite that would include Photoshop and Fireworks?
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I have Fireworks with my Dreamweaver package...but since I already used Paint Shop Pro and it does everything I wanted it to do and much more...I really never got into using the Fireworks. You don't have to have it to incorporate images etc...into your web pages. Any similar program will work...just depends on what you need it to do and probably just the basics of editng, resizing and compression is what you will need for your web images.
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Thanks for boiling that down for me. It would appear that my strategy of getting DW and using other programs to develop content will work.
If I might ask additionally, I am looking to replace a static jpg image with a slideshow (3 or 4 four rotating photos that fade in and out in continuously. I have a couple of choices to do that I think. Do you have a suggestion?
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YOu are talking flash and that is another software purchase and learning curve:-(
I have used a program called Amara Slide Show builder which builds flash file pretty easily and simply. You can download it for about $30 I believe. Easy to use and does the job nicely. Your other option would be to use some sort of slide show script..this can get tricky...and you have to understand the code to make it work...but there are some things out there.
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I have found the Amara product and another called Aleo Flash Slideshow Gallery Maker. I am also looking at Cool Flash 14.0
 
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