WYSIWYG is Faster to Write
WYSIWYG is faster! Especially when writing XHTML. (Dave)
Many people feel that WYSIWYG editors are faster to write complicated pages in - especially with nested layout sections (using DIVs, of course...) or complicated forms. But when it comes down to it, it's not the editor that is faster - it's the person using the editor.
A professional Web developer who uses a text editor can be just as fast as a professional designer who uses Dreamweaver. Especially when you factor in the entire process of building a site, loading it to the server, and testing. If you want to get a WYSIWYG editor to speed up your development time, be prepared to spend a lot more time at first getting used to the editor. Once you know the software and how it works, you may be faster - but don't expect Dreamweaver to let you build a complicated 3 column layout with header, footer, and dynamict content in 5-10 minutes. Not unless this is the 500th such layout you've built.
Verdict: Myth It's not the editor that is faster, it's the experience of the person using it. If you want to be a faster designer, learn your preferred program inside and out so that you can get the most out of it.
WYSIWYG Editors Deliver High-Quality Sites that are Accessible
The key to a quality site is accessibility and functionality. Either a text editor or a WYSIWYG editor can achieve that. I design sites all day long in Dreamweaver 8 and I create sites that are tabless, valid HTML 4.01 strict, and use proper layout for optimal search performance. (Wes Linda)
As Wes Linda says, you can deliver a high-quality site with either a text editor or a WYSIWYG editor. Dreamweaver offers many tools to help you build a site that you can be proud of, but so do text editors like BBEdit and HomeSite.
Verdict: Fact But it's also true of text editors.
WYSIWYG Editors are the Best Tool for Web Developers and Web Designers
I recommend that you get an editor that offers the features that you need. I recommend Dreamweaver to most people because it offers best-in-class on both sides of the fence. HTML hand coders can stay in the code view and use design view to check their work, while WYSIWYG designers can build in design view and only look at the HTML when something odd is happening. Dreamweaver also has a split view, so you can see the HTML and the design at the same time.
Verdict: Half and Half WYSIWYG offers a lot of benefits, but so does hand coding. You should make the decision for yourself based on how you prefer to build pages.
