Website building is not exclusively for the experienced developers anymore. All Website building Software allow graphical editing, by putting some elements (settings, buttons, pictures, etc.) on pages, as one would do it with a page formatting Software. HTML language knowledge thus becomes secondary, even though most of these software allow code editing for a more precise parameter setting.

Of course, some software, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Adobe’s GoLive CS, target professional designers, for, even though their latest versions include wizards that help beginning users build complex Websites with relative autonomy, these extremely powerful tools require none the less a long enough training to be completely mastered; it is especially the case when one wishes to build dynamic pages in the ASP, PHP, CFM or JSP formats. For a ‹‹ personal ›› use, or even for the conception of a professional Websites containing about one hundred pages, they are oversized. There are many software that enable amateurs, hurried users or professionals little versed in technology, to build in a record time a quality Website, by making little or no call to the programming languages. Some of them, such as ThunderSite, allow you to create a full Website without having to manipulate the HTML code. The result, obtained in a just a few minutes, is often impressive. These page and Website Templates are very aesthetic and are appropriate for a professional use. On the other hand, they are not adapted to the creation of voluminous Websites. Between these two types of software, you can find software that include many «ready-to-go» Website Templates, but which appearances and content can be modified afterwards; this is the case for example, of Namo Interactive’s 5.5 Web Editor. It’s also possible to lighten the HTML code so that the pages are displayed more quickly in the navigator.

Written by P Fontaine and J-M Forcioli

1. Ease of use: It is not because a software is considered professional that it must be difficult to use. We evaluated the ease of use and, especially, the quality of the helper wizards, including some used for complex operations. We also evaluated how the average user used the features of the program.
2. The graphic templates: More than their amount, it is the graphic templates’ aesthetic that we evaluated. We also graded the variety and quality of templates, for the software that offered them.
3. The multimedia elements: Some software provided a few dozens of multimedia elements (buttons, animated Gifs... whereas others offered more than 1000 of them! As the Web is overflowing with sites offering thousands of free multimedia objects to decorate a site, we privileged the quality of the elements provided over the quantity.

THUNDERSITE - GENERALIA SOFTWARE
The most simple of use
Building a complex Website without HTML language knowledge is now possible. ThunderSite pushed this reasoning to its paroxysm: consulting the HTML code is not possible when conceiving the Web pages! Inconceivable for the advanced user, this restriction proves reassuring to the beginner. The conception of a Website is of a disconcerting ease. You start by entering the personal information that you wish to see in the Website, before choosing the template that is best adapted to your activity: services, trade, associations, personal page, etc. In all, 33 entirely modifiable Website templates allow you to get a coherent and usable structure quickly. It is then sufficient choose one of the 30 Website Templates that each have several hue declinations. If they do not vary much, they are, on the other hand, of very good taste. The Website, such as you defined it, is then displayed. All that remains to do is fill in the fields and, possibly, insert the supplementary pages, the pictures, the multimedia elements or the Flash animations. Once the work is finished, you can publish it via the helper wizard. It’s impossible to make simpler or faster and the end result is, fully satisfactory from an aesthetic view-point. There is one small problem, the automation of tasks forbids any creativeness.

DREAMWEAVER MX 2004 - MACROMEDIA
The most productive
Considered understandably the richest and most powerful Website building Software,
Dreamweaver MX 2004 targets to the confirmed developers and website designers. Contrary to the programs that offer ready-to-use products intended for the average user. Dreamweaver forces the user to define everything manually, every parameter capable to being set with a multitude of settings.
If it takes time to master all the software’s potential, there are helper wizards that, although of austere appearance, are very efficient. They facilitate some complex operations, such as the creation of a javaScript script or servers scripts (PHP, ASP, Coldfusion, etc.). Dreamweaver is characterized by its ability to produce a very clean code, compatible with all navigators. The software manages CSS style sheets, which regroup in only one document the entire page setting information. It facilitates the work for workgroups, since different intervening parties can modify the content of a site without worrying of the structure. Thanks to the managing of various protocols (WebDAV, FTPS), to the functions of synchronization and to the reports, the management of Websites is simple and complete.