Dreamweaver CS6 – is there an Alternative?
September 22, 2013
Hi,
I get asked this every so often:
Is there a cheaper alternative to Dreamweaver CS6? What do professional web designers use?
… Of course there are cheaper alternatives. In fact, there are even FREE alternative that are extremely powerful, run on Windows and Mac and will allow you to build any kind of website you could imagine.
But before I suggest a couple of alternatives, I want to point out that many professional web designers and developers DON’T use fancy programs like Dreamweaver. Many actually prefer to use much simpler programs like for example, Notepad++.
Yes, with the simpler text editors like Notepad++, you have to know your HTML and CSS. But these days, you can’t hide behind programs like Dreamweaver anymore; web designers must understand the code and once you really get into web design, you will actually come to prefer wrangling the code manually than using Dreamweaver’s point-and-click tools.
… More than ever, web design is MUCH more about a deep understanding of code, browser behavior and usability, than it is about design.
Another free web design program
Another option is the free Bluefish editor. It’s a little fancier than notepad++ but you still need to understand the basics of web design to use it effectively.
You can download the Bluefish editor here:
http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/index.html
Learning web design code
People more and more, understand that code is super important to learn; even k12 schools are teaching code in elementary and high school.
… We’ve even created an application designed for schools to teach the fundamental languages of web design and programming:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- PHP
If you are totally new and looking to learn the basics (to get a taste) then I would suggest my beginners course on web design.
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
KillerSites.com
