Macromedia Dreamweaver 1.2 Macromedia Dreamweaver 1.2 Douglas Smith
Macromedia has introduced a new product in this complex world of available WYSIWYG editors aimed specifically at the Web developer community. Macromedia Dreamweaver is very similar in a lot of ways with some of the other offerings available in the front runners with one exception, "clean code". Most other WYSIWYG editors have a tendency to change the HTML code of your files while inserting their own proprietary tags. Dreamweaver addresses many of these problems in two ways. First the program preserves your markup exactly integrating advanced features, such as dynamic HTML and CSS support, with a user-extensible architecture. Normally, developers have kept clear of HTML editors, and often with good reason. Most of the major WYSIWYG editors will do the job, but sometimes cause problems with the way they write code, while sometimes making pages not function properly when you go in and try to edit what they have placed on a page. Also, some WYSIWYG editors have a hard time keeping up with HTML advances, so there's a danger of finding yourself not current with new technology. While most editors can be set to clean up your your code, it's an option that can easily be disabled or not work as advertised. And, unlike most other editors, Dreamweaver doesn't insert editor-specific or proprietary tags. Second, Macromedia designed the program to be extensible; the code that controls basic functions is written in pure HTML and JavaScript, a big plus for those of us that like to tinker with the code that is written.
