2 Comments for Microsoft Expression Web 3.0

• 1. Anonymous  |  August 18th, 2010 at 10:05 am

  This review is from: Microsoft Expression Web 3.0 (DVD-ROM)

  For the cost of this package, you get Expression Web 3, Expression Design 3 and Expression Encoder. You simply can’t get this kind of value anywhere else. This is especially true if you want to create asp(.)net pages because you can also download the free Visual Web Developer Express program that will make it easier for you to code your back end code.

  Expression web 3 has a great design preview compared to Dreamweaver CS3 (the version I currently use). In Dreamweaver CS3, css layouts look horrible, whereas in EW3, you get a pretty accurate representation of what your page will look like. When you want to take a good look at the way your page will appear, you can use EW3′s Super Preview, which will show you what your site will look like in different browsers (inluding IE6).

  Admittedly, I still prefer Dreamweaver’s property box and CSS editing tools over EW3, but this is what I have been using for years. Now I have to use Expression Web 3 because I am transitioning from classic ASP to asp(.)net which Dreamweaver CS3 doesn’t really support and CS4 doesn’t support at all. The advantage to my switching is that the design view in EW3 is superior and it supports master pages which is so absolutely superior to dreamweaver templates it is not even funny. Finally, I can make a change to the template (i.e. master page) and the changes will automatically appear on ever page without me having to update and upload all child pages. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense if you’ve never used master pages or dreamweaver templates, but the difference is with asp(.)net master pages you can change a template and upload 1 new file. With Dreamweaver templates, you have to upload ever page that was tied to that template every time you make a change. If you have 100 pages tied to a template, you can see the hassle.

  In this package you also get Expression Design which is a program for graphic editing and supports vector and raster editing. I suppose it is similar to Adobe Fireworks (which I really like). If you don’t already have Fireworks, then I am sure Design is great. I like Fireworks and already own it so I am not bothering too much with EW Design.

  For full disclosure I think Adobe’s web products are great, but they are expensive and dreamweaver doesn’t support the advanced features of asp(.)net so Expression Web is where it is at if you do asp(.)net (EW3 also supports php).

  For the price, you can’t get a better web development package. Make sure you download Visual Web Developer Express edition along with all the cool tools that go with it and it makes an excellent compliment to everything in EW3.

• 2. Myfanwy  |  August 18th, 2010 at 12:47 pm

  Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
  This review is from: Microsoft Expression Web 3.0 (DVD-ROM)

  Having been a “simple” web site builder for years, I have used over a dozen different website creation packages. My favorite to date is still MS Front Page which won’t run on my new 64bit hot rod.

  Most of the new features in MS Expression web are an improvement on the old Front Page except one. WYSIWYG is gone. The new flexible framing system makes it rather difficult to use any existing site or template in order to build in changes. New buttons can’t just be placed where you want them, and the wrong mouse clock will inexplicably change the entire page appearance on the screen.

  While most of Microsoft’s products are getting easier to use, this one increased the technical requirements enough to say, “Keep looking unless you want to become a master website builder.” Instead of being simple and easy to use like Front Page, Expression Web is a clear shot at being a budget version of Adobe’s Dream Weaver.

  Once you figure it out, the new tools do offer some great features, and some of the simple tasks like tagging photos and text are much faster. My suggestion is to also buy a guide book since the help files aren’t that great.Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 3 in 24 HoursMicrosoft Expression Web For Dummies

  Happy web mastering.

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