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To GoLive or to Weave Dreams: Is Adobe's Web Authoring Tool Your Best Choice?
By Robert Peterson

Author Bio

Robert Peterson is a member in the Berkeley chapter and serves as VP-Membership.

WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote Web servers. With Adobe's Web Workgroup Server, users can centralize site management on one computer or file server, run a check-in/check-out library filing system, and archive all versions of a site's Web pages.

Two excellent tools for Web authoring are Adobe GoLive and Macromedia's Dreamweaver. GoLive version 5.0, released in 2000, made a good run at the market served by Macromedia's Dreamweaver, but GoLive version 6 (February 2002) surpasses Dreamweaver version 4.0 in many ways.

Although the newly released Dreamweaver MX may take certain WYSIWYG HTML editor features a step further than GoLive 6.0, GoLive remains a safe choice for clean coding and total Web site management. Which should one choose?

Reviews and Evaluations

According to Kim Wimpsett, a writer for CNET.com's software reviews, "With Adobe GoLive 6.0, Adobe has produced one stellar development tool. Its HTML editing tools and WYSIWYG interface are accessible and powerful enough to build even the most complex sites, and if you use other Adobe applications, you'll appreciate GoLive's solid integration with those apps. In addition, GoLive's fantastic site management tool (Web Workgroup Server) makes this program ideal for professional developers working on medium-sized to large corporate sites."—Adobe GoLive 6.0, CNET.com, March 14, 2002.

CNET also honored GoLive 6.0 with an Editors' Choice award, which it gives to high-quality computing products after careful evaluation by a panel of experts.

On the other hand, CNET also gives a strong review of Dreamweaver MX. Kim Wimpsett reports, "Dreamweaver's thorough ColdFusion, ASP, and JSP support gives it a slight edge over our former favorite, Adobe GoLive. Based on our look at Beta 3, we recommend Dreamweaver (MX) for building a heavy-duty commercial Web site (but not for casual Web builders) .… However, beware; we find Dreamweaver's busy (new) interface daunting."—Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, CNET.com, April 30, 2002.

GoLive 6.0 vs. Dreamweaver 4.0

GoLive 6.0 and Dreamweaver 4.0 were also evaluated at Arizona State University. The department of Academic and Administrative Documents (AAD) evaluated the two for potential use with the Web site of ASU's policies and procedures manuals, http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals.

During the evaluation, it became clear that the two WYSIWYG editors are generally comparable. For educational institutions, however, multiple licenses of GoLive can be purchased at a significantly lower cost than licenses of Dreamweaver. In addition, GoLive 6.0's Web Workgroup Server and Adobe's LiveMotion 2.0, bundled with GoLive 6.0, made GoLive the obvious choice for AAD.

For private organizations, the choice is not so clear. Both GoLive and Dreamweaver offer virtually the same benefits, are in the same price range, and received comparable third-party software reviews as shown below.

Third-party Software Ratings

The main advantage of GoLive 6.0 over Dreamweaver 4.0 is Adobe's WebDAV-enabled Web Workgroup Server, but this may not be a deciding factor for companies using Visual SourceSafe or other WebDAV-related programs.

GoLive Features

GoLive 6.0 has several features already included with GoLive 5.0, among them search functions, graphics and animation, and browser preview.

Search Functions

• Search for ways to optimize Web site navigation, that is, search for files that are "n" clicks away from another Web page to find ways to reduce the number of intermediate links between pages.
  
  
• Search for Web site files by file size, modification date, download time, or common syntax errors.
  
  
• Search for specific links, colors, fonts, addresses, etc.
  
  
• Save searches for future use.

Graphics and Animation

• Resize and optimize native Adobe PhotoShop files without leaving the application.
  
  
• Import PhotoShop layers as HTML.
  
  
• Jump to Adobe PhotoShop, Illustrator, or LiveMotion files using "Smart Object Links" to make modifications and automatically find the changes to GoLive when saved.
  
  
• Edit links inside native PDF, QuickTime, and Macromedia.
  
  
• Flash documents without using the native application.

Browser Preview

• Preview how pages display in various browsers without leaving the application. GoLive 6.0 comes with default style sheet settings for Internet Explorer 4.0 (Windows or Macintosh operating systems), Netscape Navigator 4.0 (Windows or Mac), and others can be created.

Dreamweaver, on the other hand, includes a handy "Clean Up Microsoft Word HTML" command and an XML-based, fully customizable tag database. Dreamweaver MX features an array of additional benefits such as XML editing and validation; a convenient reference panel for cascading style sheets, HTML, JavaScript and other technologies; and Cold Fusion support.

Decision Time

The release of Dreamweaver MX has complicated the decision to GoLive. No clear advantage can be inferred from online software reviews and ratings of Dreamweaver 4, the Beta 3 version of Dreamweaver MX, and GoLive 6. And both editors are equally priced and require comparable computer hardware. (See specifications below.)

The best advice we can infer from Web expert reviews and third-party software ratings is to purchase the product that best suits the software currently used. That is, if you use Fireworks and Freehand, buy Dreamweaver. If you use Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator, buy GoLive. If nothing else, by sticking with the same family of software you increase the likelihood that features such as GoLive's Smart Objects Links, which are designed to facilitate integration with other Adobe software, will function properly.

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Specifications

Adobe GoLive 6.0 ($399)

System Requirements for Macintosh:
· Power PC G3 or G4 processor
· Mac OS 9.1, 9.2, or 10.1
· 96 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
· 90 MB available hard disk space

System Requirements for Windows:
· Intel Pentium II processor (400 MHz)
· Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP
· 96 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
· 90 MB available hard disk space

Adobe Web Workgroup Server

System Requirements for Macintosh:
· Power PC G3 or G4 processor
· Mac OS 10.1
· 96 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
· 150 MB available hard disk space

System Requirements for Windows:
· Intel Pentium III processor (600 MHz)
· Windows 2000, or XP
· 96 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
· 150 MB available hard disk space

For additional information, visit http://www.adobe.com.

Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 ($299)

System Requirements for Macintosh:
· Power PC G4 processor
· Mac OS 8.6, 9.1, or 9.2
· 64 MB RAM
· 135 MB available hard disk space

System Requirements for Windows:
· Intel Pentium processor (166 MHz)
· Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, or XP
· 64 MB RAM
· 110 MB available hard disk space

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX ($399)

System Requirements for Macintosh:
· Power PC G3 or G4 processor
· Mac OS 9.1, 9.2, or 10.1
· 96 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
· 275 MB available hard disk space

System Requirements for Windows:
· Intel Pentium II processor (300 MHz)
· Windows 98, NT, ME, 2000, or XP
· 96 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
· 275 MB available hard disk space

For additional information, visit http://www.macromedia.com.