Microsoft FrontPage

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Microsoft FrontPage
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Image:Frontpage03-screenshot.PNG Microsoft FrontPage 2003</td></tr><tr><th>Developer:</th><td>Microsoft</td></tr><tr><th>Latest release:</th><td>2003 for Windows / October 2003</td></tr><tr><th>OS:</th><td>Microsoft Windows</td></tr>
Use:	Web authoring tool <tr><th>License:</th><td>Proprietary EULA</td></tr>
Website:	FrontPage 2003 homepage

Microsoft FrontPage (full name Microsoft Office FrontPage) is a WYSIWYG HTML editor and web site administration tool from Microsoft for the Windows operating system. It is part of Microsoft Office and is included in some versions of the popular bundle. It can also be purchased separately.

1 Overview
2 Pros and Cons
3 Superseded by two new products
4 Versions
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Overview

FrontPage was initially created by the Cambridge, Massachusetts company Vermeer Technologies Incorporated, evidence of which can be easily spotted in filenames and directories prefixed _vti_ in web sites created using FrontPage. Vermeer was acquired by Microsoft in 1996 specifically so that Microsoft could add FrontPage to its product line-up.^{[citation needed]}

As a WYSIWYG editor, FrontPage is designed to hide the details of pages' HTML code from the user, making it possible for novices to easily create web pages and sites.

FrontPage's initial outing under the Microsoft name came in 1996 with the release of Windows NT 4.0 Server and its constituent HTTPd server Internet Information Services 2.0. Bundled on CD with the NT 4.0 Server release, FrontPage 1.1 would run under NT 4.0 (Server or Workstation) or Windows 95, and was aimed at providing server administrators with a tool to deliver rich web and intranet content in a package as easy to use as Microsoft Word.

FrontPage used to require a set of server-side plugins originally known as IIS Extensions. The extension set was significantly enhanced for Microsoft inclusion of FrontPage into the Office line-up with the 97 release and subsequently renamed FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSE). Both sets of extensions needed to be installed on the target web server for its content and publishing features to work. Microsoft offered both Windows and Unix-based versions of FPSE. However, newer versions of FrontPage also support the standard WebDAV protocol for remote web publishing and authoring.^{[citation needed]}

A version for Mac OS was released around 1998; however, it had fewer features than the Windows product and Microsoft has not updated it since.^{[citation needed]}

FrontPage's primary competitor is Macromedia Dreamweaver, another web design product.

One of the notable features of FrontPage is its built in support for automated web templates. The main distinction between these templates and HTML templates generated by other products is that FrontPage templates include an automatic navigation system that creates animated buttons for pages that have been added by the user. It also creates an advanced multi-level navigation system on the fly using the buttons and the structure of the web site. ^{[citation needed]}

Image:Microsoft Frontpage.gif

[edit] Pros and Cons

Some of the benefits of Microsoft FrontPage are:^{[citation needed]}

Help navigating through your site, and seeing your file structure, visually
Built-in features for HTML, CSS, and Java / JavaScript (partial)
Built in image editor (MS Image Composer)
Point-and-click functionality for common tools, like mouseovers, e-mail forms, and hit counts
Simple to use with previous knowledge of Office products
Easily integrated with Office (perfect for Access databases)
CSS based themes can be used (like ASP.NET master pages)
When you change the URL of a page, all the links to that page are dynamically changed
Task-assignment for team projects
Content is editable from anywhere with FrontPage (password is needed)
Personal / family website creation is simple with minimal knowledge required
Support for rich clipboard data import (i.e. copy/pasting data from Internet Explorer into FrontPage 2003 will automatically download media resources such as images and save them locally)

Along with these, the cons of FrontPage are:^{[citation needed]}

Non-standard HTML code generated by the WYSIWYG mode — however, version 2003 is capable of generating XHTML
FrontPage is not ideal for managing a medium to large corporate website (Microsoft Visual Studio and Visual Web Developer Express Edition are better suited.)
The user interface buries HTML properties in drop down menus and wizards

[edit] Superseded by two new products

In 2006, Microsoft announced that FrontPage would eventually be superseded by two products.[1] Microsoft SharePoint Designer will allow business professionals to design SharePoint-based applications. Microsoft Expression Web is targeted for web design professionals who create full-blown web sites. Both are partially based on FrontPage and are currently in development. Microsoft announced that they will be discontinuing Microsoft FrontPage by late 2006. The beta of Express Web Designer is available from Microsoft main site for download. See the link below.

[edit] Versions

The final version of FrontPage is Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003, Version 6. No new versions will be offered under this name. The company is introducing Microsoft Expression Web Designer by the end of this year to replace FrontPage 2003. In the new Office 2007 suite it will be renamed to Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer. Previous versions include:

Vermeer FrontPage 1.0
1995 Microsoft FrontPage 1.1
1997 Microsoft FrontPage 97 (version 2)
1997 Microsoft FrontPage Express 2.0 (free stripped-down version came with Internet Explorer 4.0, and could be found online from numerous "download" repositories)
1998 Microsoft FrontPage 98 (version 3)
1999 Microsoft FrontPage 2000 (version 4)
2001 Microsoft FrontPage 2002 (version 5)
Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 (version 6)