Microsoft FrontPage

Microsoft FrontPage (later full name Microsoft Office FrontPage) is a WYSIWYG HTML editor and web site administration tool from Microsoft for the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. It was branded as part of the Microsoft Office suite from 1997 to 2003. A Macintosh version was also released in 1998. Microsoft FrontPage has since been replaced by Microsoft Expression Web and Sharepoint Designer, which were released in December 2006.

History

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.^[1]

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 web 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 internet 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 Microsoft Office line-up with Office 97 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.^[2]

A version for Mac OS was released in 1998; however, it had fewer features than the Windows product and Microsoft has not updated it since.^[3]

In 2006, Microsoft announced that FrontPage would eventually be superseded by two products.[1] Microsoft SharePoint Designer will allow business professionals to design SharePoint-based applications.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. Microsoft announced that they would be discontinuing Microsoft FrontPage by December 2006

Features

Some features that are part of the last version of FrontPage include:

• Help navigating through your site, and seeing your file structure and its contents, visually
• Built-in features for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (partial)
• Bundled image editor (Microsoft 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
• Integrated data display with Office products like Access and Excel
• Support for CSS-based themes (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)
• 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)
• Built-in support for automated web templates, that include automatically generated multi-level navigation system.
• FrontPage 2003 introduced support for Dreamweaver compatible web templates, dubbed "Dynamic Web Templates".

Criticism

Some criticism of FrontPage include:

• In previous versions, the WYSIWYG mode tended to generate non-validating HTML, resulting in pages that were optimized for Internet Explorer.^{[citation needed]}
• In some cases, HTML that is manually changed in FrontPage's code view can revert back to incorrectly generated markup after making even slight changes in WYSIWYG mode.^{[citation needed]}
• FrontPage is generally not well suited for administering medium to large corporate websites that require database interaction.

Versions

Microsoft FrontPage 2000 in web-authoring mode

Microsoft FrontPage 2002 showing this wikipedia article in Normal view

The last version of FrontPage is Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003. 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 and 5, and could be found online from numerous shareware websites^[4][5]
• 1998 Microsoft FrontPage for Macintosh 1.0
• 1998 Microsoft FrontPage 98 (version 3)
• 1999 Microsoft FrontPage 2000 (version 9): Included in Office 2000 Premium and Developer editions
• 2001 Microsoft FrontPage 2002 (version 10): Included in Office XP Professional with FrontPage (volume license only), Office XP Professional Special Edition and Office XP Developer edition.
• 2003 Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 (version 11): Not included in any of the Office 2003 editions, sold separately. It was included with Windows Small Business Server 2003.

• Notice: There is no official version 4 to 8, because after FrontPage was included in some Office editions, the FrontPage version numbers followed their Office version numbers. Nonetheless, version numbers may appear in the meta tags of HTML code generated by these versions of FrontPage.

Frontpage Web Hosting-What A Great Solution For Beginners!

Not everyone can afford a page designer and a programmer to put together a professional quality web site. This, however, doesn’t mean that even a novice on a computer can’t create a decent looking home page. Thanks to companies that offer frontpage web hosting solutions, almost anyone can have a great looking site.

Frontpage web hosting involves Internet web hosting that supports a fairly simple web page design program. Frontpage web hosting in question is one that almost anyone can use to create professional looking pages without having to know computer language, coding or programming to do so. Frontpage web hosting is so well designed that anyone with a basic eye for design can create great pages and those who lack that eye can use templates to get around the creative process.

There are a host of companies that offer frontpage web hosting on the Internet. Generally, these companies will offer access to the programs necessary to design the web pages along with a variety of other services that will be necessary to launch a web site and keep it updated and looking fresh.

Anyone who needs a web site, but who doesn’t have the money for professional design can benefit from frontpage web hosting options. Let’s look at some of the benefits of doing so:

* Frontpage web hosting is simple to get started with. Since the program provided is easy to use, it does most of the work for its users. This means pre-designed templates are offered for people to simply input their own text and/or graphics.

* Frontpage web hosting sites generally either sell the program or offers its use through licensing agreements so tracking down a box to buy isn’t necessary. This can really speed up the process.

* Many frontpage web hosting companies also offer a variety of services that make getting a web presence quick and easy. These can include such things as domain name assistance, registration and more. When a web site is needed quickly, but quality is important, this is a fantastic option. While these sites won’t have all the bells and whistles that major professional jobs will, they still look good.

* Pricing is generally very reasonable for sites that use frontpage web hosting. This means a small business can enjoy a web site without paying a fortune or a grandparent can create a family site for a few pennies a day. Contracts for this type of hosting service can cost under $20 a month – even for small business sites.

While big businesses with lots of money for designers might not be interested in frontpage web hosting options, small businesses and individuals can really benefit from this type of service. In this age of the Internet and 24 hour business, most companies cannot afford to not have a presence. Frontpage web hosting makes this possible while ensuring affordability.

Web Hosting FrontPage as Your Web Provider

Web Hosting FrontPage as your web provider.You probably know that FrontPage is a Web site design tool. But it has another major role that's important to remember: FrontPage is also a Web site management tool.

How do you use FrontPage to help you manage your site? Here are examples of what you can do:

• Add, rename, delete, or move around files (without doing it in Microsoft Windows Explorer)
• Fix problems by using special reports, like the broken hyperlinks report
• Publish a Web site

If you are creating websites with Microsoft’s FrontPage you will need to ensure that the hosting company that you host with provides you with dedicated Web Hosting FrontPage.

Microsoft in their infinite wisdom created FrontPage so that it needed specialized hosting which includes various extensions that will allow all the functions built into the site to work. Without these some parts of the site may not run properly. Once that you have found a host that offers Web Hosting FrontPage the problems aren’t quite over yet. You need to make sure that they support the version of FrontPage that you are building your sites with.

One alternative to get around the problem of FrontPage extensions is not to use them. They are generally used to add calendars, flashing graphics, photo galleries or other similar features. The site can be built by using other solutions or the features can be left out completely. If you manage to create your FrontPage site with just HTML you should be able to bypass the Web Hosting FrontPage and host it with any host whether they offer Windows hosting or Linux hosting.

If you have decided that you must have Web Hosting FrontPage then there are a few other things to look out for. In fact these rules could be used for any type of hosting. How many email addresses are you allowed to have? Normally it won’t be an issue but if you are running a business then you may need quite a few for all your staff or departments. You should also check bandwidth and disk space. Bandwidth is particularly important because if your site goes over the bandwidth limit your account may be suspended. If this happened on a Friday evening it may be Monday morning before the problem is discovered. Make sure to check if your allocation of bandwidth and space can be easily upgraded at short notice before signing up for any hosting.

Three things that are often overlooked when buying Web Hosting FrontPage is the length of contract you are entering into with your hosting provider. It is wise to ensure that you can terminate your hosting with a months’ notice and not be stuck into a year long contract.

The other thing to check before signing up Web Hosting FrontPage is what type of administration console do they provide you with. You should ask to see a demo of the software so that you don’t suddenly find out after signing up Web Hosting FrontPage that it is almost impossible to modify or manage your site without upgrading the console.

The important thing to remember is that these management features are not available when opening and working on single HTML files. They are available only when you open and work on aWeb Hosting FrontPage.