At this time there is a limited amount of software available here but it’s really all you need to get a web page built and up and running and also it’s all that I use apart from Macromedia Fireworks 8 (batch processor) and a few Java programs. Those two categories will be included in the ’Advanced’ section in the next update.

The programs, their source on the web, the approx cost of each is listed for those that intend to purchase them. It’s always a good idea when considering software to download the installation .exe (executable) as shareware (i.e. loan the program for one month to try it out for free) and then purchase it during that month before it expires IF you like it. If you find that it does not measure up then find another that does.

There are two options that allow you to obtain all the software that you need without any cost whatsoever. The first is being facilitated by the companies themselves. Many will offer a fully functioning program such as Topstyle Lite (Css) that does the job without all the bells and whistles and they want you to upgrade to a pro copy if and when you feel you need it. The second option is a result of a dispute that occurs on the web called file sharing. If you buy a music disc you can share it with your friends. The same goes for all things digital. The companies say no but it’s something like buying a rake for the lawn, you can loan it to your neighbors and that means they will not have to go and buy one. Software is somewhat different from the rake analogy. You can loan it to someone in Russia, that you don’t even know and you never have to get it back because you still have it. The companies don’t need a stock of software, like they would with rakes, all they need is one and they can keep selling it over and over and still have it. Not only that they can sell you an upgraded one every year even though you still have the first one and it still works. The point is that you can go on Web File Sharing and get any program that you can name and it’s totally free and not really illegal because of the basic controversy. The biggest problem for the companies is the price that they charge. Realistically all software titles should be about a buck apiece and then people would pay for them but like insurance it’s a huge money grab and the portion of the public that can afford these things pay whereas unlike insurance there is a choice.

The programs listed in this column are fully tested, for many years and if you can afford them then you won’t go wrong purchasing them. They are highly recommended.

Macromedia Homesite 5.5 - Html Editor - $100 - http://downloads.zdnet.com

WS FTP Pro - File Transfer Prog - $45 with no support - $70 with support - http://www.wsftp.com

Paint Shop Pro - Paint Prog - $50 - http://www.corel.com

TopStyle Pro 3.5 - Css editor - $80 - http://www.newsgator.com

TopStyle Lite is a free version of TopStyle that contains an extremely small subset of the features found in the Pro version of TopStyle. Most importantly, TopStyle Lite is strictly a simple CSS editor, whereas TopStyle Pro is a full-blown XHTML, HTML and CSS editor. However, if all you want is a very basic CSS editor, TopStyle Lite will serve you very well.

This next list is highly overpriced software etc that are the Cadillacs of the industry but are also highly recommended.

Dreamweaver CS3 - Html Editor - $399 - http://www.adobe.com

Learn Dreamweaver - A course online not software - $480 - http://www.tiwi.ca

Creative Suite 3 Master Collection - All the above software in one - $2,499 - http://www.adobe.com

The next list is software that you will also need but is all free. This list also contains substitutes for the above listed items and is marked tested or not.

Cetus Wordpad - Html Text Editor - with spellchecker - tested - cwordpad.zip

Irfan View - Picture Viewer - tested - http://www.irfanview.net

Notepad++ 4.7.3 - A free source editor and Notepad replacement. - partially tested, seems good - npp.4.7.3.Installer.exe - Download from us or go to: http://www.freewarefiles.com to get more freeware.

TopStyle Lite - Css editor - tested - http://www.newsgator.com

Almost all software is available as freeware and like pay software it requires some diligence to get used to it.

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