Comments on: Microsoft Expression Web 2 http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/ Free information on offshore programming Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:32:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: ken http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/comment-page-1/#comment-127 ken Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:18:00 +0000 http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/#comment-127 After using an older version of front page for many years i finally got the company to spring for this "upgrade". well it is not much of one. I'm very tech savvy but the software is counterintuitive. some things just don't work how you would think. for instance. front page understood that web viewers would be browsing from the web (duh). . . and pathed everything automatically that way. Expression pathes it from where I am. So I'm developing live from the secure side of a firewall and it wants to auto-path everything so that viewers have to seek from my side of the wall (absurd). Of course this is likely a configuration thing but the documentation sucks. so i fire up the training disk and it won't run because it wants and autoloads Silverlight but only version 1 will run the training disk and only v 2 is available. of course!!! uninstalling v 2 and installing (if you can find it) v 1 doesn't work. So forget the training disk. So looks like this software has some new useful features like that (only) if you can find the information to understand how it works or have time to take a week for trial and error. I suggest that you buy the last version of front page for 1/2 the money and save aggravation. Rating: 1 / 5 After using an older version of front page for many years i finally got the company to spring for this “upgrade”. well it is not much of one. I’m very tech savvy but the software is counterintuitive. some things just don’t work how you would think. for instance. front page understood that web viewers would be browsing from the web (duh). . . and pathed everything automatically that way. Expression pathes it from where I am. So I’m developing live from the secure side of a firewall and it wants to auto-path everything so that viewers have to seek from my side of the wall (absurd). Of course this is likely a configuration thing but the documentation sucks. so i fire up the training disk and it won’t run because it wants and autoloads Silverlight but only version 1 will run the training disk and only v 2 is available. of course!!! uninstalling v 2 and installing (if you can find it) v 1 doesn’t work. So forget the training disk.
So looks like this software has some new useful features like that (only) if you can find the information to understand how it works or have time to take a week for trial and error. I suggest that you buy the last version of front page for 1/2 the money and save aggravation.
Rating: 1 / 5

]]> By: M. Robinson http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/comment-page-1/#comment-126 M. Robinson Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:32:46 +0000 http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/#comment-126 This product probably does what it claims to, but there's a considerable learning curve. Microsoft includes a training video disc -- but you can't use it. The video demands Silverlight 1, and you can only download Silverlight 2 from Microsoft's site. They have made version 1 completely unavailable, and in doing so ensured that the video won't work. And of course you can't email or call Microsoft for help, unless you want to pay $99 per bug. I would have hesitated before paying for this product if I knew part of it would not work at all. Rating: 3 / 5 This product probably does what it claims to, but there’s a considerable learning curve. Microsoft includes a training video disc — but you can’t use it. The video demands Silverlight 1, and you can only download Silverlight 2 from Microsoft’s site. They have made version 1 completely unavailable, and in doing so ensured that the video won’t work. And of course you can’t email or call Microsoft for help, unless you want to pay $99 per bug. I would have hesitated before paying for this product if I knew part of it would not work at all.
Rating: 3 / 5

]]> By: J. Ferrara http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/comment-page-1/#comment-125 J. Ferrara Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:48:50 +0000 http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/#comment-125 Waste of money: freq crashes, poorly writes code, cannot handle numerous files, and slow as a dead turtle. 1. ) Comes with "Total Training" video which is cool, if it worked [needs Silverlight 1. 0 to work, only Silverlight 2. 0 available at this time and video is incompatible with 2. 0]. 2. ) Tried to import a folder and after 8 hours of waiting gave up [folder had 31,000 20K pics and 31,000 4k htmls] 3. ) Design View often does not show real appearance in web browsers esp with links making the view of little value. 4. )Trying to use Design View resulted in software coding what it said was incorrect coding. 5. ) So I started using the code view. Occasionally freezes in this view for no apparent reason, needing to be restarted 6. ) To place the Dynamic Web Template on just 9 files took it 8-12 minutes each time. How long would it take my 170,000 html files? [Wrote my own software which did the total job in an hour--ya know Expression would have crashed again!] 7. ) So I thought I could at least use its ftp to place the finished files on website. It crashed saying it needed to abort. If you want to write a few pretty files, maybe this software will work for you. For me it was junk that just wasted my time. Rating: 1 / 5 Waste of money: freq crashes, poorly writes code, cannot handle numerous files, and slow as a dead turtle.
1. ) Comes with “Total Training” video which is cool, if it worked [needs Silverlight 1. 0 to work, only Silverlight 2. 0 available at this time and video is incompatible with 2. 0]. 2. ) Tried to import a folder and after 8 hours of waiting gave up [folder had 31,000 20K pics and 31,000 4k htmls] 3. ) Design View often does not show real appearance in web browsers esp with links making the view of little value. 4. )Trying to use Design View resulted in software coding what it said was incorrect coding. 5. ) So I started using the code view. Occasionally freezes in this view for no apparent reason, needing to be restarted 6. ) To place the Dynamic Web Template on just 9 files took it 8-12 minutes each time. How long would it take my 170,000 html files? [Wrote my own software which did the total job in an hour--ya know Expression would have crashed again!] 7. ) So I thought I could at least use its ftp to place the finished files on website. It crashed saying it needed to abort.
If you want to write a few pretty files, maybe this software will work for you. For me it was junk that just wasted my time.
Rating: 1 / 5

]]> By: R. Bullis http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/comment-page-1/#comment-124 R. Bullis Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:40:36 +0000 http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/#comment-124 I had made a mistake so I cancelled the order within 30 min of purchasing and got a full refund. Rating: 3 / 5 I had made a mistake so I cancelled the order within 30 min of purchasing and got a full refund.
Rating: 3 / 5

]]> By: Larry J. Frieders (The Compounder) http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Larry J. Frieders (The Compounder) Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:46:57 +0000 http://offshore-programmers.com/microsoft-expression-web-2/#comment-123 I've used Frontpage for a number of years but it began acting badly on my new computer. As there wasn't a Frontpage update available - and nobody at MS seems interested in resolving my problems - I began a search for a replacement. I tried Dreamweaver C3 and was pleased. I thought about buying it but found it impossible to order online - something about matching my credit card information. I switched to Adobe's phone ordering and was promptly placed on hold. After waiting 10 minutes I hung up and started searching again. Amazon suggested Microsoft Expression when I searched for Dreamweaver so I downloaded the free trial version. It loaded just fine, but that's about it. I attempted to edit a simple php page and the cursor bounced all over the place. It was very difficult to even select and move content. I saved the file and closed the program - then started again. The problems were the same AND I discovered that Expression added some heading code to my file - code that I did not want. If Expression is supposed to really be a threat to DW then I'm missing something. Of the two programs I prefer DW3, but I can't order it. Heck, the Adobe site suggested a retailer in my area, but has their address wrong. If I go to that store I wonder what I'll find. I am sorely disappointed in both of these giants. It seems that success has turned them both into typical uncaring behemouths. My search continues. I have pages to write and I don't have a WYSIWYG editor. I guess I'm returning to hand coding. At least Notebook still works as expected. UPDATE: I bit the bullet and invested in a VISTA laptop. This software screams on VISTA (I mean that in the best sense). It's like FrontPage on steroids. Whatever issues I had with Expressions on XP are gone. I would increase my ranking to a 5. Larry J. Frieders, RPh larry@thecompounder. com 340 Marshall, Unit 100 ~ Aurora, IL 60506 Tel 630-859-0333 Rating: 2 / 5 I’ve used Frontpage for a number of years but it began acting badly on my new computer. As there wasn’t a Frontpage update available – and nobody at MS seems interested in resolving my problems – I began a search for a replacement. I tried Dreamweaver C3 and was pleased. I thought about buying it but found it impossible to order online – something about matching my credit card information. I switched to Adobe’s phone ordering and was promptly placed on hold. After waiting 10 minutes I hung up and started searching again.

Amazon suggested Microsoft Expression when I searched for Dreamweaver so I downloaded the free trial version. It loaded just fine, but that’s about it. I attempted to edit a simple php page and the cursor bounced all over the place. It was very difficult to even select and move content. I saved the file and closed the program – then started again. The problems were the same AND I discovered that Expression added some heading code to my file – code that I did not want.

If Expression is supposed to really be a threat to DW then I’m missing something. Of the two programs I prefer DW3, but I can’t order it. Heck, the Adobe site suggested a retailer in my area, but has their address wrong. If I go to that store I wonder what I’ll find.

I am sorely disappointed in both of these giants. It seems that success has turned them both into typical uncaring behemouths.

My search continues. I have pages to write and I don’t have a WYSIWYG editor. I guess I’m returning to hand coding. At least Notebook still works as expected.

UPDATE: I bit the bullet and invested in a VISTA laptop. This software screams on VISTA (I mean that in the best sense). It’s like FrontPage on steroids. Whatever issues I had with Expressions on XP are gone. I would increase my ranking to a 5.

Larry J. Frieders, RPh
larry@thecompounder. com
340 Marshall, Unit 100 ~ Aurora, IL 60506
Tel 630-859-0333
Rating: 2 / 5

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