Comparing Programs and Technologies for Creating Web Sites
Here’s a quick look at some of the technologies and applications being used to pioneer the future of the Web.
Ruby on Rails: One of the hottest new Web development options on the Internet, Ruby on Rails is an open source Web framework that enables rapid development with the speed of PHP and the structure and power of Java. It’s fully object oriented and very extensible. (www.rubyonrails.org)
AJAX: Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or AJAX for short, combines a collection of Web technologies to create highly interactive Web applications. One of the advantages of AJAX is that it enables users to make changes to a webpage without reloading the page. For example, you can open and close windows, move elements around a page, and launch new kinds of information using AJAX.
Adobe Photoshop: Not surprisingly, the creators of every website featured in this article used Adobe Photoshop. From image editing to creating page designs, Photoshop is an essential tool for Web designers and photographers alike. (www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop)
Adobe Fireworks: Designed to create Web graphics, Adobe Fireworks includes many features specifically designed for mocking up websites, slicing images for the Web, and optimizing graphics and animations. Fireworks doesn’t have all of the advanced image editing features you’ll find in Photoshop, but it’s so good at creating Web graphics that Adobe includes Fireworks and Photoshop in its new Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Standard and Premium editions. (www.adobe.com/products/fireworks)
Adobe Flash: A large percentage of photography websites are created with Adobe Flash. This vector-based design program is ideal for creating complex animations and integrating video, audio, and images. You also get great design control when you use Flash and pages that display consistently across many different kinds of browsers. So why doesn’t everyone use Flash for their photography sites? For one thing, the learning curve is steep (it takes longer to learn Flash than Dreamweaver, for example). But increasingly, photographers like Jeremy Cowart (featured in this article) are redesigning their websites with CSS and database technologies that are faster loading, more flexible, and more search engine friendly than Flash. (www.adobe.com/products/flash)
Adobe Dreamweaver: The most popular Web design program among professional Web designers, Adobe Dreamweaver is a full-featured Web tool that supports XHTML, CSS, XML, and many dynamic technologies, including PHP, ASP, JSP, ASP.NET, and Adobe’s Cold Fusion. (www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver)
Adobe GoLive: If you’ve been using Adobe GoLive, now’s the time to make the switch to Dreamweaver. Since Dreamweaver has replaced GoLive in the Creative Suite, Adobe recommends that all GoLive users migrate their sites to Dreamweaver. (www.adobe.com/products/golive)
Expression Web: The newest contender in the Web design software arena, Microsoft’s Expression Web is a major improvement over the much-criticized FrontPage. Expression Web supports XHTML, CSS, XML, and ASP.NET. (www.microsoft.com/Expression/products/overview.aspx?key=web)
Expression Blend: Microsoft’s advanced design tool for creating graphical interfaces that blend the features of both Web and desktop applications. Expression Blend allows you to mix video, vector art, high-quality text, animation, pixel images, and 3D content to create user interfaces. (www.microsoft.com/Expression/products/overview.aspx?key=blend)
Expression Design: Microsoft’s new image editing tool combines many of the features you find in Photoshop and Illustrator into one comprehensive tool. (www.microsoft.com/Expression/products/overview.aspx?key=design)
This column originally appeared in Layers Magazine.
