Buy Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Upgrade - Software

Amazon.com Review: Convergence seems to be the watchword for the Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Web authoring system. Every new edition becomes a bit more like the other components of the Office suite, while also increasingly tying in to related Microsoft products and services. This is vaguely threatening to users who want greater freedom to edit HTML and other code directly or who want to call all the shots on their sites' designs, but for most users the expediency of FrontPage makes these sacrifices worthwhile or even unnoticeable.

With new templates and smart tools ("bots") to help create a wide range of intranet and Internet pages, version 2002 is even simpler and faster to use than its predecessors. Users can draw with PowerPoint tools, drag and drop live content, and create photo galleries with a few mouse clicks. Publishing is incredibly easy. Beginners will love the wizards, and will find Web authoring much easier than expected.

Why do so many people have problems with FrontPage? The main complaint is that the output, which tends to be flabby and difficult to parse, can't be edited by the user and is difficult to run on non-Microsoft servers. This is a problem for those who've gone beyond using wizards and templates to create their pages, but many other users are content with the results. The automatic direction to Microsoft-related services is also somewhat troubling--it would be nice, if unrealistic, for users to have easier access to the wide range of servers and e-commerce providers available.

Still, for Webbies with fairly simple needs and no desire to spend months learning the ins and outs of HTML and XML, FrontPage 2002 is most likely the way to go. --Rob Lightner

Amazon.com Product Description: Microsoft FrontPage 2002 is a Web site creation-and-management solution that gives you the tools you need to create and control professional-quality Web sites. FrontPage version 2002 has been designed so you can create exactly the site you want. You can use new PowerPoint-like drawing tools and automatic web content to make your Web site more exciting and dynamic. If you're familiar with HTML editing, you can also use FrontPage to save time with the new paste options smart tag, a new streamlined user interface, and new optional HTML and XML reformatting. You can also manage your Internet or intranet Web site more effectively by using the new usage-analysis tools, top 10 lists, and enhanced reporting capabilities. And you can use the new technology in the SharePoint Team Services team Web-site solution to create customized team Web sites to store, find, and communicate information.

Customer Reviews:

Better off with ground meat... literally... (12 of 14 Found this Helpful) May 2, 2005
I started off with FrontPage 97... and gradually worked up to FrontPage 2002. I used to think FrontPage was a godsend, boy was I wrong. Things only work if using MS Internet Explorer for a browser, or just plain doesn't work if your ISP doesn't support it's extensions.

I now use Macromedia Dreamweaver. However, between using FrontPage and being able to afford Dreamweaver, I used a nice product by some folks with a funny name. A product named "HotDog Pro" made by Sausage Software! Funny tho it may be, their software is nothing to laugh at! It is a GREAT product, and costs A LOT LESS than MS FrontPage!

http://www.sausage.com/products.html

This software does not work (7 of 13 Found this Helpful) February 22, 2004
Quite simply this software does not work, and I've been using other versions of FrontPage since it first came out--check out the Microsoft web site--they have loads of 'fixes' for this software. None of the web component functions work, and neither does shared borders. I can't imagine that they would continue to sell this.

Not much of an "Upgrade." (4 of 6 Found this Helpful) September 11, 2003
Frontpage is OK in general, a bit hard to get used to. This version seems to have a few more web-bots, but I mostly felt obligated to buy it because my ISP doesn't support the Frontpage 2000 Server Extensions. FP still creates pages bloated with useless code and fails to really automate development of some of the hottest technologies in use today, e.g. XML.

Few are better, and this is essential for some web tasks (22 of 22 Found this Helpful) March 20, 2003
I am a reluctant user of MS products. Who really wants to give them more money? But there are few better web editors than this. With this version, FrontPage has surpassed Homesite; but DreamWeaver is still better--probably the only better web development application.
PROS
* Preserves true HTML coding--old versions of FrontPage did not do this
* Great project management: easy to create and use templates for managing entire sites
* Great WYSIWIG editor: If you know how to use Word, you can make an entire website in FrontPage
* Direct access to web host: Don't have to ftp back and forth; if your web host supports FrontPage, you can edit pages directly in your account and see the changes immediately
* SHAREPOINT!!

The Sharepoint deserves more discussion. Sharepoint is a portal, most likely to be used as an Intranet. It has group calendars, file sharing, etc. You can create and manage your own Sharepoint portal from Frontpage. It is an amazing value for small- to medium-size companies.

SHAREPOINT ALONE IS WORTH THE PRICE OF FRONTPAGE! You cannot possibly find a portal for less money. But compare that to the cost of purchasing a comparable portal or leasing one, and this is hands-down a great value. And there is no, I repeat, NO opensource (free) groupware application that can touch Sharepoint yet. (When there is, I'll migrate.)

PURCHASING RECOMMENDATION

* People who know HTML will code without this product in a text editor
* People who want a WYSIWIG development environment should seriously consider this product, though it costs more than some decent WYSIWIG alternatives--nobody else except Dreamweaver comes close to the features FrontPage has
* If you want highly dynamic web pages (ASP, CFM, Flash, etc.), get Dreamweaver
* If you are interested in a Sharepoint portal, this is a must

WORTHY UPGRADE FOR THE 9X EDITIONS, BUT NOT FOR THE 2000 ED. November 21, 2002
"Microsoft FrontPage" is a full-featured Web design software. The highlights of this 2002 Upgrade include: being easy to use (with the help of additional Wizards and Templates); being able to integrate and correlate with compatible applications; and having a reliable usage-analysis-report. Also, both the 'Auto Web Content' and the 'b-Central Commerce Manager' live up to their respective billings. But despite these facts, Microsoft still has some catching-up to do. This latest 'FrontPage' lack most of the features that make Macromedia's 'Dreamweaver' tick. Again, ardent frontpagers will notice that only a thin line separates this 2002 version from the 2000 version. As a result, I don't regard it as a worthy Upgrade for FrontPage 2000. It is better reserved for FrontPage 9X edition users.

Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Upgrade

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