Welcome!

[jameson]

I disagree with the idea that Dreamweaver is good for beginners. If you start out on a WYSIWYG editor, you just end up more confused about what all that code is doing (which you need to know eventually if you're ever going to be any good). HTML is incredibly simple once you learn a few basic principles.

WYSIWYG is for WYSI's

[Charlotte]

I have been using Dreamweaver up to now, but have recently tried out the Microsoft Expression Studio and am rather happy with it. It has a lot of good features (and unlike dreamweaver an immediate spellchecker... don't laugh - it's important) and is cheaper than the Adobe Suite, so give it a try.

Regarding training, try out the lynda CBTs, they are rather good and I love their subscription (pay $25 per months and you can use all courses they offer.. and they offer many!)

[ferny]

Thanks Charlotte I have had a look at lynda CBTs that site looks really good, I will give it a go for $25. You can try some of the courses for free too which is good.

[DonRonito]

I don't see all the negative fuzz with Dreamweaver, as long as you use it for code view only. The preview feature is also nice for checking how it renders, even though FireBug plugin for Firefox is the real deal (for me that is).

[MelissaHie]

I haven't read through the whole thread so I apologize if I'm just echoing someone here, but here's my personal experience on dreamweaver.

When you are just learning, or really, even after you feel that you have known everything, it is a good idea to always hand write your code. That way you force yourself to always practice and will never forget what you've already learned so far.

I used to be a WSIWYG hater, but after trying Dreamweaver CS... I have to say, I will never code in notepad again. the color coding and auto-completion help cut down a lot of coding time, plus the auto-formatting helps me keep a neat code. the built in FTP is nice to have too (though I still prefer uploading things manually...)

So my advice: Don't be afraid to use Dreamweaver, but don't depend on the WYSIWYG aspect on it. always select the code view!

[pddesigns]

Dreamweaver is a great tool, but I believe it's best to learn HTML & CSS first. If you don't, you can run into a problem and not know how to fix it. I just started teaching someone I know the basics and we picked up this book, "Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way" - http://www.sitepoint.com/books/html2/. If you are patient and learn the markup language first, you'll be better off.

Regards, Pat

[rotw]

I used to be a WSIWYG hater, but after trying Dreamweaver CS... I have to say, I will never code in notepad again. the color coding and auto-completion help cut down a lot of coding time, plus the auto-formatting helps me keep a neat code. the built in FTP is nice to have too (though I still prefer uploading things manually...)

You'll find those features in any bog-standard text editor (or a plugin for it) that doesn't suck. Vim for example. Or Emacs. Or Notepad++. Or e. Or TextMate.

... But why on earth did you start coding in Notepad?

[brian.johnston]

I think most people frown on beginners using Dreamweaver or other types of WYSIWYG software because it ultimately becomes a crutch if you choose not to stay disciplined in the code view. If you decide to stay in the design view, you will not learn the syntax of whatever language you are using. You also rely on that program to build the back-end of your website which may not always use the best standards or techniques.

Initially I started hand coding in Notepad which helped me learn HTML and CSS a bit better. Once I moved to Dreamweaver, it relieved me of manually typing a lot of 'code', if you will, which saved time and allowed me to focus on other web development tasks.

To this day, I generally stay in the code view with the occasional peak in design view when needed.

[breastfed]

I like Coda pretty much - 99$

[nikhil_ smashing]

Dreamweaver is a good software to speed up the work progress but as a newbie you should concentrate on hand coding.

A good web site to learn Html/Css is http://www.w3schools.com/