I've encountered a lot of discount web developers who use FrontPage seemingly exclusively. There are a lot of negative reviews of this tool here on E2, so, in case you're comparing tools, here's a list of problems with FrontPage.
- First, there is the stability problem. No webmaster in his right mind wants to introduce new ways for a web server to bomb out, especially when they're serving on Windows already. The FrontPage Extensions that make all the features (bots) work will crash - they just will. And then you won't be able to edit and you won't be able to use any of the features until you use the typical MS fix - reinstall them - at the server.
- FrontPage allows you to automate a lot of things you shouldn't need to if you're going to be a real life developer, like rollover buttons and stuff. However, instead of using something logical like JavaScript to do this, if generates a Java class, which is slower to load, stylistically inhibiting and harder to use in the long run.
- FrontPage is a Microsoft tool, and suffers from the Microsoft mindset. In other words, it assumes that your user will never be using Netscape or any other browser except Explorer. It's hard to believe, but there really are developers who develop in FrontPage and preview in IE!
- FrontPage loves to organize your code for you. It's like when you lived with your folks and your mom cleaned your room and threw away your porno mags and moved everything so it took you two hours to find your Sound Garden CD. ASP gets shoved all over the place - anything you wanted processed before the output began gets shoved below the first few html tags killing cookies and session writes, and good luck making a page with dynamically generated content!
- And speaking of moving code, try lining up images in FrontPage and keeping all your hair. You'll be sorry! Get it all lined up and hit save and watch it all jump around the screen!
- And what if you're working on large files remotely? You don't get to choose when your work gets uploaded - because it gets uploaded every time you save! No difference to some people, but, I admit it, I'm often developing over a 56K modem line. Lots of time to smoke, not much time to work.
- I've heard people praise the table editor, even here on E2. Hogwash - go use Dreamweaver or hurk learn to write the code for yourself. I often have to erase my table and start over a couple of times before I lay it all out right and make it work - and this is not my fault.
In fairness, I'll give you what I can see as possible positive points - it allows you to develop without really knowing how, and it does handle frames will, if you're dumb enough to use frames.