After seeing how poorly FrontPage 97 coded HTML, we were reluctant to believe that FrontPage 98 would be such an improvement. Surprisingly, we were quite impressed. Microsoft has totally revamped the look and feel to make the new version very user-friendly; The management tools are top-notch, making the task of building a large Web site very easy.
What's New
FrontPage 98 makes it easier for users of all levels to create and manage Web sites. Tables are much easier to create (You can simply drag & draw the table of your choice.). FP 98 also supports all the latest Web technologies, including dynamic HTML and CSS (cascading style sheets), as well as "push" via the new .CDF (Channel Definition Format) Wizard.
Site management tools are evident throughout the program. The new navigation view lets you plan your sites from the ground up, changing it as you move along. 98 also simplifies the task of re-structuring a Web site.
We felt that the design support features have been revised and improved as well. There are over fifty themes around which your site can be designed. There is also a new image editor provided with the program.
Office 97 Integration
One of the benefits of FrontPage 98 is its tight integration with Office 97. Frontpage can use Office RTF (converters) which will convert all popular word processing documents and spreadsheets to HTML. Further, you can use FrontPage 98 to manage hyperlinks that you’ve created within your Office 97 documents. FrontPage includes many of the same keyboard shortcuts and includes the same dictionary and thesaurus.
Summary
The only drawback we could find with FrontPage 98 was the $149 price tag. Its integration with Office 97 will help any user who is unfamiliar with HTML. FrontPage's Themes are excellent, allowing users to change the appearance of their entire site with the click of a button.
FrontPage 98 will prove to be a great product, whether you are an experienced Webmaster or a novice.
