3 Best Web Design Software Programs

There are many web design software programs to choose from. What you need may depend on how often you design web sites, your expertise in design and programming, and how much money you can spend. Designing and building web pages is much easier now than in the past. You used to have to know HTML code very well and used a text editor to write the code. It is still good to know how to write code but the modern web-based text editors can help you a lot by showing you syntax errors and the results from your efforts with ease. There are also programs that do most, if not all, of the work for you and you can get professional results without being a real programmer, but they are expensive.

Of course, if you design web pages for a living, you have to know programming languages such as Java, Java script and others to get many things to work the way you want. This is where many web developers fall short and they have to hope there is Java, or other, code already written to be copy/pasted into the web programming. If you need something more customized you are in trouble not knowing these things.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 (CS5)

Adobe Creative Suite has been around awhile and is one of the most used full-featured web design software programs on the market. It is also expensive with the premium edition costing around $1,899. The Master Collection costs $2,599. The high cost is justified with what you get in the package. With this high price you get programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks and more. Flash is almost a standard and is a necessity if you are a serious developer. Most of these programs are available separately and there are cheaper, cut down, package versions available. Upgrading to the newer version costs less than the full version. With this collection of programs you can design professional level web sites with very little programming knowledge, but there is a learning curve to each program that you must conquer. To be able to do everything this package can do without the use of it is an even greater learning curve and it is impossible, as far as I know, to do the Flash programming without it.

Eversoft 1st Page

I love this program. 1st Page is a simple HTML editor that does a lot and it is free to download. You need to know HTML to use it but it can also be used to learn HTML with it's built in features. You can write code and it lets you know of any syntax errors. You can go to another tab and see what your efforts look like. This program is a joy to use and I find it useful even when more professional software is available. It is quick and easy, the kind of web design program I enjoy using.

Komodo

The best web design software program for Linux users is made by Komodo. If you do a lot of XML Komodo Edit is considered the best there is for an editor. This editor is free and also works well for HTML editing. If you need more capability you can purchase Komodo IDE for $295. It contains more features such as debugging, interactive shells, SCC and PDK integration.

There are many more web design programs that could be listed but you will have to consider CS5 if you need to design Flash into your web site. Some web sites use Flash exclusively. This program is your only choice if you are professional web designer and will serve you well through the years with only a upgrade needed ever now and then. The others are good if you are doing basic web development and don't have the funds to purchase the high dollar option. When you consider that every other person thinks of themselves as a web page builder it will definitely give you a competitive edge to have the best available web design program available. If you have the software and are a real programmer then you are in a class of your own and the power is yours to move ahead of the pack.

"Adobe Creative Suite 5." adobe.com
"Eversoft 1st Page 06." eversoft.com
"Activestate Komodo IDE." activestate.com