Dreamweaver is a web development tool built for designing pages with HTML and CSS using template pages, text editing, and a what you see is what you get editor.
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Brackets
Score 8.9 out of 10
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Brackets is a free and open source text editor developed at Adobe under the MIT license, featuring inline editing, live preview, and a wide range of extensions.
Brackets can be considered as the barebones version of a more complex piece of software like Dreamweaver. We selected Brackets due to the simplicity of the UI and the ease of use. In our case we do not need all the additional tools and gadgets that other, more complex software …
One of the issues I've had is our company newsletter. I use MailChimp to send it but the template I chose does not work well in MailChimp. My work-around is that I host the template in Adobe Dreamweaver and then code the new newsletter content in the tool. This allows me to choose the "Code Your Own" option in MailChimp. I simply paste in the code, make any tweaks, and then I can send it to my subscribers.
Brackets can handle most text editing problems, at least if you have a file small enough that it opens. But with so many free and open-source editors out there, it is easy to have multiple tools that fit specific niches. If you are editing HTML and CSS, get Brackets.
The Live Preview feature is extremely helpful. You can make tweaks to your CSS and then see how it affects the pge you're coding.
The recently added file tree feature is really a time saver. You can move files with a drop and drag feature without ever minimizing the program.
One of my favorite features is the ability to update the core program with extensions. Some of the extensions are simple, like adding themes, while others are a offer a little more assistance like creating Lorem Ipsum text for you.
As far as usability, text editors are about as simple as you can get in the GUI world. The little features that make Brackets unique are intuitive enough that you don't really need a manual to find them and come to rely on them. If anybody knows enough about coding and markup enough to be looking for different editors, they will be up to speed before the download finishes.
Brackets has a very extensive support site. Everything is organized nicely for easy navigation. If you can't find an answer you can easily file an issue with them and they will be quick to respond. What's cool is you can also message them on Slack, if you request an invite first. Slack is a very popular program right now so it's great having that integration.
Adobe Dreamweaver is probably the best software for students because you don't need to know HTML, or CSS to use it. However, once you learn it, it fits like a glove. The interface is comfortable, the options, the ability to edit webpages live, and the error tracking ability are great. When you move on to JavaScript it's still a great interactive software. Of course, there are far better JavaScript editors. There certainly are areas to improve, and there's free software out there along with some browser-based ones. I'm not married to Dreamweaver, but it's easy to become content with it.
Brackets can be considered as the barebones version of a more complex piece of software like Dreamweaver. We selected Brackets due to the simplicity of the UI and the ease of use. In our case we do not need all the additional tools and gadgets that other, more complex software packages offer. We need something that's quick, easy, uncluttered and focuses specifically on our needs, which are seeing code and editing code. In this case no frills and complex UIs are required.
ROI is great. The version of the tool we are using is free so not a whole of lot “investment” went into it. And the work we can accomplish with it more than makes up for the “cost.”
The ease of use makes it simple for anyone new to the tool to start using it and contributing to the project.
