So, you can't afford Dreamweaver, but you want WYSIWYG?
Tuesday May 29, 2007
WYSIWYG or "What you see is what you get" HTML editors are often very high-end development tools.
They require a lot of development time to create, so they usually aren't free. So when Nvu came out it was like a breath of fresh air. A free, open-source HTML editor that offered WSYIWYG and site management capabilities. But the problem was that Nvu stopped being widely developed, and there were a lot of bugs. So, another group of open-source developers decided to fix the bugs and release a new version of Nvu called KompoZer.
So what’s different between nvu and KompoZer? They look basically identical. I’m an nvu fan, but the help was pretty weak and the Site Manager seams flaky (so I just use FireFTP). Otherwise nvu is pretty cool, especially for the money.
I’ve just been using NVU for some casual stuff. If really makes some weird code, but run it through tidy and it comes out pretty clean.
I use NVU to teach a class on web writing for people doing internships at small nonprofits – many of which can’t afford the “are you kidding?” price of Dreamweaver. NVU has some problems, but it’s a nice start. I plan to use KompoZer for the next class.
Hooray for Open Source!
This is my favorite HTML editor program. Price is perfect and the features rival commercial programs. I’ve tried to find the source to attempt to fix a small bug but can’t seem to locate it. The FTP site manager works great. The CSS editor has helped me keep my dance group’s website looking good. KompoZer is a big step up from NVU since many of the annoying bugs are gone.
I can’t really tell if my CSS hacks for IE are part of my ‘bugs’. (basically, when I select a picture, the rubber-band box is offset vertically away from the picture.)
Altogether a great program.
Kompozer is Nvu’s unofficial bug-fix release. See line#1 on Kompozers web site: http://kompozer.sourceforge.net/
OK, I tried Kompozer, after being a huge fan of nvu and KompoZer is very nice indeed. A definite improvement and all the features that many web designers will ever need without the high price.