Text editors are HTML editors that allow you to manipulate the HTML tags directly. Some HTML text editors also include a WYSIWYG editor, while others are purely text. This is my list of the best HTML text editors for Macintosh.
Dreamweaver is one of the most popular professional Web development software packages available. It offers power and flexibility to create pages that meet your needs. I use it for everything from JSP, XHTML, PHP, and XML development. It is a good choice for professional Web designers and developers, but if you're working as a solitary freelancer, you might want to look at one of the CS suites like Web or Design to get graphics editing capability as well.
Adobe released Creative Suite 3 in a bunch of different combinations. While you can still buy each product separately, buying a bundle might save you money. But how do you decide between the different versions which one is best for you? I believe that any of these four editions would work for most Web designers: Web Standard, Design Premium, Web Premium, or the Master Collection. But you should buy the edition that works best for your needs.
Adobe GoLive is a powerful Web page editor with all the features you come to expect of a high-quality editor. In version 9, I couldn't easily find the hooks to Illustrator and Photoshop that were there in previous versions, but if you're familiar with these programs you'll recognize the interface. GoLive is a high quality Web page editor, and if you've used previous versions, you'll still be happy with this one.
Aptana IDE is an interesting take on Web page development. Instead of focusing on the HTML, Aptana focuses on the JavaScript and other elements that allow you to create Rich Internet Applications. One of the things I really like is the outline view that makes it really easy to visualize the DOM. This makes for easier CSS and JavaScript development.
RAGE WebDesign is a great editor. It packs a lot of features into a simple to use text editing platform. You can use it to learn HTML and get your Web sites up and running quickly.
Kompozer is a great WYSIWYG editor. It is based on the popular Nvu editor - only it is called the "unofficial bug-fix release." Kompozer was conceived by some people who really liked Nvu, but were fed up with the slow release schedules and poor support. So they took it over and released a less buggy version of the software.
Nvu is a great WYSIWYG editor. I prefer text editors to WYSIWYG editors, but if you don't, then Nvu is a great choice, especially considering that it's free. I love that it has a site manager to allow you to review the sites that you're building. It's surprising that this software is free. Feature highlights: XML support, advanced CSS support, full site management, built-in validator, and international support as well as WYSIWYG and color coded XHTML editing.
Good Page offers a lot of the features of a great text editor while also providing some WYSIWYG support. I like the structure views of the document - this makes it easier to see the DOM for JavaScript development. Another cool thing is the CSS editor, which includes the specificity right on the property. If you've ever fought with a very complex style sheet you'll recognize the value of that.
Amaya is the W3C Web editor. It also acts as a Web browser. It validates the HTML as you write it, and since it defaults to showing you the tree structure of your Web documents, it can be very useful for learning to understand the DOM and how your documents look in the document tree. It has a lot of features that most Web designers won't ever use, but if you're worried about standards and you want to be 100% sure that your pages work with the W3C standards, this is a great editor to use.
BBEdit is one of the most popular Web editors for the Macintosh. It is easy to use and has a lot of great features. It's a text editor, so if you need WYSIWYG it won't work well for you, but if you're looking for a powerful text HTML editor, you need look no further.
Do you have a Web editor that you absolutely love or positively hate? Write a review of your HTML editor and let others know which editor you think is the best.
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
| 