Blogging takes yet another victim: Microsoft kills FrontPage!

Finally, who uses this crap anymore anyway.

To think that I beta tested the first version

I think all versions were beta!

I own a very large design studio and have also used FP from the beginning…I have mixed feelings about Frontpage-although, until the last version, it changed code around in not so good ways (main problem), we could do our major work in DW/Flash using our more advanced and experienced designers and hand off minor client revisions etc to less expereinced personnel on Frontpage mainly because of the “Word-like” interface and IMPORTANT-the publishing section of FP was, IMHO, always better-almost bullet-proof. Juggling design for over 400 sites I have NEVER had a site crash due to FP user error and only had one site go down (due to server migration). We have had quite a few close calls with Dreamweaver and a couple of outright catastrophes because of user failure with DW, also-much more expensive overhead due to training, salaries etc. Dreamweaver creates really nice code short of hand coding, but I don’t think FP was the evil piece of crap that some people tried to make it out to be. A LOT of people would be flat out amazed at some of the MAJOR sites that have been created with it…R.I.P. Frontpage

BTW, we are BETA testing the new MS web software and it is much more advanced, creates nice code, is very MS oriented, will be fairly easy for FP guys to get into and advance buzz – that if your data services are MS-based, it kicks ass.

I personally love DW as the graphical editor of choice here but it has evolved into a somewhat bloated app as opposed to say Fireworks (another Macromedia/Adobe app) which is still quite elegant-I have used them both almost daily since v.1-

We shall see-

Just my .02 -Peace

“The death of FP has nothing to do with blogs. IT wasn’t a professional strength tool.”

I think you have a couple of misunderstandings. First, FrontPage was never intended to be a “professional strength tool.” It was a tool for novices to get websites up and running. For soccer moms and high school teachers. Not for professional webmasters.

Secondly, as the vast majority of novices (those same soccer moms) now use blogs to get their web pages out, the use of FrontPage has declined to the point where no one uses it. That’s what killed it. FP became a product without a market. (Sort of like MS Bob, WebTV, Encarta DVD, and all the other pointless bombs Microsoft innovated!)

Wow, does frontpage still exist? I remember being in school and wondering why people use it, you’d get way better result coding by hand.

So should I feel guilty for using opensource WYSIWYG and FTP now? Am I the downfall of FrontPage?? I’m so sorry.

#13 I don’t think so. There’s always notepad.

Jeeze… Front Page was a fine mid-level web page app. In fact, it did a few things very well.

It did a pretty good job of maintaining links and allowing includes that didn’t rely on the server.

The biggest problem with FP were the “advanced” objects that it allowed users to install into web pages. They were either poorly written Javascript, or worse, ActiveX objects.

But when used as a basic web page and site editor, it was fine.

FP’s demise is the result of being squeezed out of the market from the bottom by blogging sites, and on the top by Macromedia.

Who needs Frontpage when you have Visual Web Developer?

Not really related to FrontPage, but reading this – especially Dvorak’s comments above – reminded me of the transition (transgression?) from Office 95 to Office 97, and beyond. It’s been a long time, but as I recall, I really liked Office 95 and especially the way the wizards worked (I mostly used Word).

Then came Office 97, and everything was all…weird. Especially how the wizards behaved.

Anyone else feel that way?

With the advent of Web 2.0 there are only a few websites using plain html pages.
I think PHP are far more superior than plain html.
Even asp scripts are running out. I hardly see them now .

I am not surprised. The software compared to others with similar features was not making any headway. Personally, I had rathered use a free option over it, not solely for the price, but just the general over all feel of it for the price.posterscorner.com

Charles H Ferguson tells the FrontPage story in his book High St@kes, No Prisoners. Apart from making it clear that FrontPage was never intended as a fully-blown tool for the Web professional, he gives blow-by-blow accounts of doing the start-up, getting financing from VCs and finally negotiating with and selling out to Microsoft. It’s an interesting read.

I’ve tried them all, DW, FP, NetObjects Fusion (now at bversion 10 – and suffering from version creep!). I’ve even tried the blogging/website tools like WordPress.

Now, what I can’t figure out (speaking as a graphic designer) is why there is this HUGE reluctance to bridge the WYSIWYG and database driven worlds?

Seems to me the only reason this hasn’t been done is because of vendor lock-in. The first business that truly innovates in this space could be the new MS/Google.

Sad fact is most WYSIWYG tools still suck at clean formatting and are often too cludgy and manual intensive to bother with.

So create a tool that lets me design a website in a WYSIWYG environment and allows me to VISUALLY make database connections and create variable fields, etc WITHOUT getting covered in SQL slop! And then like this product allow me to create an web application frontend to allow average users to update this new data-driven site!

This is do-able but unlikely given the programmer/coder snobbery and the fact that so many vendors in this space MUST LOCK-IN their users in order to maximize profit.

I’m not surprised in the least to hear this. I stopped using FP years ago. I know use the Drupal platform, which is a content management system. My clients love it because of it’s ease of use, and I love it because of it’s extreme power and flexibility.

#15 and #16, Notepad++ when I’m feeling bold enough to try to code a page. Everybody’s gotta start somewhere. I’m trying to learn how to be a “neat” coder per my husband’s request and the WYSIWYG sucks at neatness I’ve noticed. Anyways.

well front page is out but microsoft is introducing a new programe called Microsoft Expression Web designer altough right now it is beta tested

Believe it or not my current employer uses FrontPage to publish their Intranet. There is no centralized Intranet development. It is all done by people using FrontPage 2000 as part of their normal job responsibilities.

I’m guessing the Expression tool will be used eventually, but there is no time frame. The company uses Win2000 so Expression isn’t even an option now. Training costs will be crazy. I have no idea how Expression will handle legacy FrontPage2000 extensions and border features.

I’ve warned customers not to rely on MS product lock-in and here is an example of its financial costs. Yet, companies continue to go with the lock-in.

Front page was a great intro to the world of webpages, and a great learning tool. now its going no big deal it was allready outdated & geting used less & less and easily replaceable by plenty of good products allready available many for free.

Fab, how do you REALLY feel about the gay blogger templates? LOL. I loved frontpage for its ease of use. I sell jewelry and was able to produce a workable website with FP without being too much of a geek. I have downloaded the trial version and taken some of the Expression Web video tutorials and my head is spinning. I’ll probably be able to figure it out eventually, but what a bummer having to make the change.

I remember when I first discovered web design with front page. Despite my current disdain for the program, I have to say, it helped put web design in the hands of normal ordinary people. Sorry Frontpage, a program can only do so much in its lifetime!

Yahooooo