The following article is excerpted directly from an e-mail exchange I had with a ContentSeed client. I’ve removed her name and prefaced her text with [OP], an abbreviation holdover from the Usenet days meaning “Original Poster.”

[OP] As a Microsoft MVP and someone who obviously has some experience in Web authoring, I’m wondering what your response is to other designers who are FrontPage critical. Sometimes I hesitate to say what I use to do Web sites because I have several times been met with the ergative response “why would you use FrontPage?”

[Chris Leeds] I usually never get this from clients but other so-called “Web masters.” I think it springs from what FrontPage used to be and the fact that it made it too easy for the average Joe to simply buy it, run a wizard, and publish a site. I think MS made a mistake there. Not a mistake in making it so easy but it was like it put all its efforts in the ease of use and didn’t spend nearly enough time making the built in templates and themes look professional. Therefore, the unintended consequence is that literally millions of people spit out crappy looking Web sites with FrontPage so everyone assumed that is all FrontPage could do.

Generally when someone asks me why I use FrontPage I tell them because it’s superior to every other editor when it comes to managing and maintaining large numbers of Web sites. If they still act jerky and think they’re better than I am because they use a different editor, I tell them how many Web sites I manage and that usually just makes them jealous. The beauty is that jealousy and false superiority are not compatible. LOL.

[OP] I’ve been using FrontPage since probably ‘93 and know a lot of the ins and outs (although I did just learn today how to make layout cells with rounded corners). Maybe the way I design is simpler than others but FrontPage seems to handle anything that I need to do. The only time I’ve had to outsource is for complicated php forms.

[Chris Leeds] Believe it or not, I’ve found a great way to deal with PHP in FrontPage. I will attach a document about it for you. It involves making the server run the .htm or .html pages past the PHP engine. It’s really a great way to go because you can leave your pages with an htm or html extension and FrontPage doesn’t know the difference. Works great. The only other thing that you would sometimes need to do if FrontPage starts messing with your PHP code because it doesn’t like the <? And ?> PHP delimiters is use <script language=php> and </script> instead or simply scoop up the PHP blocks to your clipboard and paste them into an HTML mark-up Web bot (insert/ Web component/ advanced control/ HTML). Anything in one of these “Web bots” is completely protected from FrontPage “helping” you. I admit that these workarounds aren’t ideal and I’m assured by Microsoft that they’re going to be completely unnecessary in the next release of FrontPage. It’s worth it to me to make the provisions because the features FrontPage has for managing and maintaining Web sites are so valuable to me that I’m willing to do it.

[OP] Is there a reason why I should try to learn the Dreamweaver that has been sitting on my desk for the past year? (I bought it during a slow period last year and it arrived right as I got busy again.)

[Chris Leeds] No, there’s really not. I have Dreamweaver too and it’s a good program - there’s no doubt about it - but if you’re using FrontPage 2003, you’re pretty close in functionality and you’ve got some features that aren’t there in DW. The next version of FrontPage due out in about a year will eclipse DW in almost every way. I signed an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), so I can’t tell you why in detail but you can believe me because I’m not anti-DW or FrontPage blind. I like all tools and use the ones that are necessary for the job at hand. For instance, I’m working really hard right now to learn Flash for some upcoming projects. I’m not learning it for silly animations but instead for delivery of audio/video over the Web.

[OP] I know that people complain about the extensions, but really, it’s not that big of a deal these days with most hosts’ control panels allowing me to be able to reinstall them if needed. Plus, most of the time, I’m not even using the features that need the extensions, so most of the time it doesn’t even matter.

[Chris Leeds] The only two things that I really like the extensions for are so I can use the HTTP publishing through the FrontPage interface, FrontPage Includes (similar to “library files” in DW), and the built-in form handlers. Oh, and the ability to mark files “writable” such as .mdb (access database) and virtually all kinds of “flat files” such as .txt, .asp, etc. I like this because it lets me get applications like shopping carts, forums, and even stuff like ContentSeed up and running without having to go through the server administrator.

[OP] I just recently joined a group in our area for Web designers and am almost dreading having to say that I use FrontPage. Before the first meeting, I’m thinking about getting a t-shirt made “I use FrontPage… Get over it!”

[Chris Leeds] Or you could print out this e-mail and jam it in their faces. ;-) Oh, you might direct them to my article called “Digital Bigotry” and try to shame them into behaving appropriately. LOL.

[OP] Just wondering what your thoughts were on this subject… no hurry…

[Chris Leeds] Hope you like them, and if I left anything out or raised new questions, don’t be shy. I’m always glad to clarify.

So, let me just close by saying, yet again, it’s not the tool that makes the practitioner, it’s how he or she uses that tool that makes all the difference.

Chris Leeds, MVP, WPD
Chris Leeds is a long time digital photographer and Web enthusiast.

Chris has recently developed and released a software product that allows Webmasters to create Web sites that can be edited by their clients with just a browser.

Chris also maintains and operates Northeast Digital Photo.

Chris has additionally had “Tips and Tricks” and numerous articles published, on Microsoft’s site and other locations, regarding various facets of FrontPage and recently served as a technical reviewer for the O’Reilly Press “FrontPage 2003 the Missing Manual.”