Simple Web Page
Design Tools
By Kushinator
The amount of web design tools on the market these
days has literally exploded; well, you know what I mean. Programming companies from all over are hard at
work trying to get a piece of the action. The tools that I suggesting may or may not be the best tools
for you, but they have found a place on my computer. I am not even suggesting that they are a must at
this time, only that you might find them useful in your future web page building. Also, note that these
are primarily IBM Windows 95 programs, but some may be found for the Macintosh as well.
Mini Note Tab:
Believe it or not, all HTML files can be created and edited using the
common Windows program known as Notepad or any text editor. Notepad, you say? Don't I
need some fancy web page editor which costs over a hundred dollars? The answer to your
question is, NO!
For creating and editing HTML I would recommend Mini Note Tab
which is basically an enhanced version of Notepad. Some of it's features consist of favorites, clipbook
with HTML commands, "&" commands, search and replace, view in Browser button, HTML striping, multiple
pages open at once and much more. It's amazing how something so simple can be so useful and the
best part about it is that it's absolutely free shareware. There is no 30 day trial period with this program,
it's free.
Paint Shop Pro 4.12:
Another design tool that you will eventually need is a good
graphics program for creating and editing any GIF or JPG(JPEG) graphics images.
One of the most commonly used programs is Paint Shop Pro 4. It is capable of manipulating
both GIF and JPG files and has plenty of great features. Unfortunately, this program is given out for
a 30 day trail period. After 30 days, you must pay the registration fee to have it properly registered.
I still highly recommend it.
GIF Movie Gear 2.0:
GIF Movie Gear 2.0, by Gamani Production's, provides an intuitive
and powerful way to build GIF animations. Features include everything from copying and editing frame
information to file optimization routines. Unfortunately, this program is also given out for a 30 day
trail period. After 30 days, you must register it in order for it to function. This may or may not be a
wise investment depending on your enthusiasm for animated web page graphics, but that's why they
give you the 30 days.
Colour Codes V1.0:
Colour or Color Codes is a French made color utility.
It allows you to view the color while adjusting the Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) contents of the
color. It also provides you with the hexadecimal conversion which is used in your HTML code. It's
completely shareware.
Where to search:
Now your probably wondering, "where do I download
these programs?" Easy question, from any shareware site. There are several dozen out on
the web. I'll list a few below to start you out.
Win Site
Shareware.com
Download.com
All you have to do is go to one of these sites and search
for the specific program. In some cases you may have to search for "gif animation" or something
else, but with a little luck you'll be downloading in a few minutes.
