ADOBE GOLIVE 6.0, price range $987 to $1112 plus GST:
Ask anyone about WYSIWYG web-building software and Microsoft Frontpage always seems to be at the top of the list. Adobe’s GoLive rarely features as a top pick but I really don’t understand why.
GoLive pulls together every facet of web design in one smart piece of software, from WYSIWYG and code editing to the more hardcore side of things, such as back-end technologies like ASP and PHP.
There are two options for pricing, with or without the addition of LiveMotion, an animation and scripting tool that supports the SWF format for Flash movies.For the minimal price difference it’s worth taking the package bundled with LiveMotion.
Looking at the basic building of websites, I was impressed with the usability of GoLive. I usually hand code and as a rule don’t like WYSIWYG editors because they tend to add a large amount of unnecessary code.While there was a little extra fluff added to the mix when I was tinkering around with GoLive, it wasn’t a lot and it was easy enough to clean up.
Accessing the source code is as simple as clicking a tab and you do have the option of viewing both code and graphic versions of your work.
The new site management and collaboration tool, Web Workgroup Server, will be a huge plus for those developing a site as a group effort. Installed on a local machine, it allows local area network or web access to a project.
For users of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, there are stronger workflow ties between the products.
Tight integration lets Photoshop users bring items into GoLive, with changes made with one application updating to the other.
The whole interface works on a drag-and-drop setup and doesn’t take long to get used to.
It’s surprising just how many options are available in the compact set of palettes that open when you launch GoLive and having the ability of setting up custom palette arrangements for different users works well.
GoLive also comes with a pretty good CSS editor and a strict syntax checker.
This isn’t a program aimed at the hobbyist web designer looking to build a site about their cat, and the price reflects this. However, if you’re looking for a professional package to plan, build and deploy content for the web and wireless devices, this is it.