NetObjects Fusion The Need for Advanced Web-Building Software Forrest Stroud
Once upon a time a Webmaster could create a Web site with little more than a basic text editor like Notepad and a minimal understanding of the HTML language. That time was less than a year ago, but as we all know today's World Wide Web is a vastly different beast than the World Wide Web of yesterday. And while a solid text editor remains the most commonly used tool for making routine updates to Web sites, a high-end advanced HTML editor is now the only effective way to develop and manage professional-looking Web sites.
New and advanced HTML features like nested tables, cascading style sheets (CSS), dynamic HTML (DHTML), layers, JavaScript, multimedia extensions, Java applets, JavaBeans, dynamic database connectivity, and ActiveX controls contribute heavily to the steep learning curve now associated with developing professional Web sites. The HTML knowledge base has also expanded exponentially to the point that understanding every detail of the language is virtually impossible.
As a result of these and other changes introduced in the 4.0 releases of Netscape and Internet Explorer (and to some degree the 3.0 releases as well), it now takes more than a text editor or basic HTML editor to develop great-looking Web sites with enough appeal and pizzazz to keep your users coming back for more. Today's editor must not only support the latest advanced HTML features but must also make them intuitive enough for developers to implement without having to know all the gritty code-level details. Enter the professional HTML editor.
