...from Saginaw Macintosh User Group
Review of
Adobe PageMill 2.0
by William H. Johnson, Jr
"Simple" is the best way to describe Adobe PageMill 2.0. If you're like
me, and have been looking for a way to design a web page with out having to learn
new languages like HTML, then this is for you. PageMill 2.0 is a internet authoring
program that acts like a word processor. It allows you to drag-and-drop, edit, and
format your web page text and graphics like a word processor. With PageMill there's
no need to struggle with complex Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) because all the
work is done for you by the program behind the scenes.
One of the features that I found interesting and helpful was the ability to do some
limited image editing within PageMill. For more extensive work, PageMill comes with
PhotoShop LE. PageMill 2.0 can create HTML tables comprised of columns and rows and
that can be filled with text and graphic elements to get a wide range of looks and
effects.
PageMill gives you two ways to work with your web page: Edit mode and Preview mode.
Edit mode lets you create and edit web pages. Preview mode lets you see what your
web page will look like. This representation may not be the same for everyone on
the web because of different browsers that are available today that handle HTML in
different ways. The problem stems from the fact that web pages are viewed on a range
of computers whose display size and resolution can vary; plus, not all browsers can
handle the way PageMill generates HTML. As a result, what you see in preview mode
may not be exactly what a visitor to your web page will see. I found it to be sufficient.
PageMill 2.0 supports Netscape plug-ins, including PDF viewer, Quicktime movie, and
shockwave animation. They can be just dragged and dropped in place. Creating links
with PageMill are easy with drag and drop. The address is automatically entered and
linked. You can also create a link by selecting text or image, then type the address
of the link in the link location bar or just simply cut and paste it.
Now all these things are just a small part of the good things that PageMill has to
offer. I did find some things I did not like. There is a lack of support for CGI
scripts which you need to have to allow your web page reader to type in information
and send it to the web server. The server can store, analyze, or act on the information
depending on how your CGI script is programmed. The instruction manual that came
with the software didn't help explain this. The best it could say was to look to
your IP (Internet Provider) for help. Unfortunately, my IP uses FrontPage for its
work, so their Web master could not help me.
Another Problem was the instruction manual, some of the explanations are long-winded
and don't get to the point.
Overall, my personal opinion of this product that is a very good beginning program
for new-comers to the web. It makes HTML coding something attainable for the not-so-experienced
person who desires to create a web page and utilize the web.
I would like to thank Adobe for the opportunity to review and demonstrate this product.
I hope my feedback is helpful to SMUG members and to Adobe.
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