Nicest Interface So Far

[School Boy]

I am brand new to HTML and yet to learn it, a little like a child who has to take castor oil and does not like it. Of all the HTML editors I have seen so far, First Page has the nicest interface so far. It is very friendly, and looks easy to use, even though I do not know how yet. It also looks like the best deal for the money among proprietary software.
Being in my position as I am, I truly wish there was an HTML editor that also enacted as a tutorial to HTML and how to use that same HTML editor, and that made learning each of those fun and easier. I really do not fancy the idea of using notepad to write HTML, or a WYSIWYG.
First Page; you seem to be going in the right direction; just get better, and perhaps make yourself, if you can, available to crossover applications so that you can work in Linux.

[AMP]

School Boy,

First Page 2006 has pretty good application specific information under
the Help menu (User Guide, Contents), and various Reference items.

Great tutorials for learning web design can be found on W3C's website:
http://www.w3schools.com. It's not specific to First Page, but coding is
coding of course :)

Congrats on your recognition that WYSIWYG is not the way to go. It can
be useful however to learn HTML, (i.e. design, look at generated code...)

[runbei]

Best beginner's guide for learning HTML is Elizabeth Castro's "Creating a Web Page With HTML" (2005). It's $12.95, covers the basics in an extremely clear, hands-on, project format. Then you can buy her bigger book, "HTML, XHTML & CSS Visual Quickstart Guide." Check Amazon reviews of her books - they're the best.

[ukuwi]

AMP - w3schools is awesome resource! Think I'll make it my browsers home page.

runbei - What about HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS: Visual Quickstart Guide (Paperback) by Elizabeth Castro
In amazon.co.uk from £9+

compared to HTML 4 for the World Wide Web (Visual QuickStart Guides) (Paperback) by Elizabeth Castro
In amazon.co.uk from £2.15.

One point that is of concern is accessability page issues. (imho, sadly this is not seen as issue by huge amount of web pages)
I went to Peachpit Press which had differently worded book description compared to amazon, for HTML 4 for the World Wide Web (Visual QuickStart Guides) (Paperback)
http://www.peachpit.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0201354934&rl=1 and what concerned me was this comment in the first paragraph of the Book Description: "...using tables for page layout,..."

Now, I'm not into starting arguments etc, so please do not let yourself get am dram on me, ok?

ref: HTML Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
W3C Note 6 November 2000
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-HTML-TECHS/#tables
Specifically sections 5.1,5.2,5.3 and the concept of Table Linerization which will allow screen readers/accessability browser aids to relay table information correctly as author intended...

Where is this leading me? Well, do readers consider that Elizabeth Castro is sympathetic or indeed pro accessability in here books?

Anyway!!! I'm getting HTML 4 for the World Wide Web (Visual QuickStart Guides) (Paperback) as so many amazon reviews and generally appears A-OK.

Cheers to all.

[Terminator1138]

I think I bought that book about 3 years ago or something. But I agree, accessibility has taken the backseat for many reasons ukuwi....

One reason is the design aspect. Coders and graphic people are two peas in a pod that don't get along to well. Some pull it off really well. This is getting way better than what it used to be. However graphical people look at the end aspect of the page while coders like to keep their code cleaner. Just my perception :)

In the long run accessible sites are few and far between. Personally Castro's book is old school before much of what is done with xhtml and css was produced and supported. For into into html 4 I would say its a good start for just leaning basics and symantecs of coding. In the long run, its better to learn xhtml and css and get some books by authors who specialize in CSS like Eric Meyer. Now back on topic :), since this thread is going a bit awry

[ukuwi]

Interesting viewpoints Terminator. I'm an ex full time coder and 'clean 'n simple' win hands down for me every time else develop brain ache fast:smack:

Eric Meyer recommendation nice - will do some looksees, thanks!

I think WYSIWYG is great for that side of people wanting visual gratification in a short time span and Evrsoft delivers this. Help on what's going on is not bad either in FP and actually, I've not seen any other editors to compare (course I've not seen all!)

What really frightens me is that I would code pages which some person would have total nightmare regarding accessability issues.
Hence my concern regards the author's input in this area.

The other frightener for me is code transparency across browsers and since not really knowing by inspection if code is ok I'd need good author [like Castro] or... perhaps CSS and XHTML if used correctly, removes most compatability/accessability issues - well, when measured against the majority of sites :)