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Eileen Neumann wonders: <<I am planning a redesign for a fairly large
Intranet site. I want to recommend some site management software to speed up
our task, as we have more ideas than time. Currently, I mostly hard code and
use Front Page for tables. Our Front Page has site management features
disabled currently.>>
The simplest solution by far is just to get your network admins to enable
the FrontPage management features. If what you're using for authoring files
works, why change?
<<am I better off getting the needed FrontPage features installed, asking
for DreamWeaver, or some other package?>>
I like Dreamweaver a lot, but can't say I've used it for really large sites.
My understanding is that there are better packages (e.g., if you're a
Microsoft shop, Internet Information Server) for the really large sites, but
I don't have direct experience with such sites and thus can't provide any
good recommendations. I'm sure others can chime in on this topic.
<<I've heard a lot of negative things about FrontPage, so if I can show that
another package meets our needs better, I can probably get it.>>
The main negative for FP used to be that it mangled the HTML code by
rewriting it in a way that it thought was more appropriate, which is just
evil. My understanding is that this is no longer the case. Another potential
negative is that FP accomplishes some of its cooler magic using Microsoft's
"active server pages" (ASP) technology, which may not be supported on your
network; if you plan to use those features, make sure the network admins
will support you in this.
If memory serves, FP also provides easy access to ActiveX controls, which in
my opinion (based on what I've read in a variety of forums) are a security
nightmare waiting to happen. If you can resist the urge to use them, and
stick with industry-standard HTML and other tools, FP could well be a good
choice.
<<The site is mostly HTML, with some Java Script. It's basically a low-tech
site.>>
Wouldn't it be nice if more Web designers embraced this approach (function
first, then esthetics and cool tricks to the extent that they don't
interfere with function)?
<<A major concern is improving navigation and organization. Content will all
be updated and maintained by the two of us.
We already have a search engine installed.>>
Follow the carpenter's (and surgeon's) adage: "Plan twice, cut once". Before
implementing anything, beat the new design to death with your colleague
until you _think_ it works, test a prototype with several users, then revise
it iteratively until everyone is happy. _Then_ go live.
By the way, search engines are also _evil_ because many designers try to use
them to compensate for poor design. Don't force users to rely on them for
finding anything. Try to make the navigation so clear that nobody ever needs
to use the search key, consider building a traditional "back of book" index
for your site, and work with your audience to figure out how they use the
site. This is one of the few cases where you can easily work with your
audience to produce something that meets their needs, and you should embrace
the opportunity.
--Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
(try ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca if you get no response)
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
"Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the
earth's surface relative to other matter; second, telling other people to do
so. The first is unpleasant and ill-paid; the second is pleasant and highly
paid."--Bertrand Russell
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