is MODX better than DREAMWEAVER

hi folks,,im new and i dont know much,,,,a friend gave me this link and said this might work for me for my website,,but im really not good with computers,,so im wondering if DREAMWEAVER is a better choice for me,,,id like some input on this please,,thanks so much,,,hellorodney

Hi H,

If you are not good with computers as you say, and if you may not have time or are not willing to invest time to learn how to use a particular software like modx, then modx is probably not right for you. On the other hand, I don’t know if you know how to use Dreamweaver. Knowledge aside, it also depends on the size of your site. Is it only a couple of pages, etc?  Also, do you want to be able to manage the site from anywhere in the world with an internet connection or manage it only from your computer at home? Do you want to invest in commercial software or not?

Hope I haven’t confused you further. You can use Dreamweaver as a WYSIWYG editor to build your site....with minimal fuss. Either way, at the minimal, you will need to know how to use Dreamweaver and/or a similar program in order to create your website. I suppose you know the price tag on Dreamweaver. There are other free alternatives to Dreamweaver that will enable you to create a decent looking website. Good luck with your site!

/k

thanks so much for your reply,,,,i have a DREAMWEAVER,,,i dont think ill need to do much work on the site once its up,,except to add and remove pics and add and remove text,,,,,i dont have a lot of experience with DREAMWEAVER,,,but others around here do,,,,im just looking to get a website up on the web and add to it as i go,,,,if this helps any in your assessment, id appreciate more input,,,thanks so much,,rodney

Dreamweaver and your local experts is probably the best route for you to go. As soon as you need to manage it from any location other than your local computer though, modx is likely the right choice.

I don’t see one as a replacement for the other. You would use DW to do the coding (HTML/CSS) and use modx to build the site structure. modx does not boast code editing tools like DW. THe better comparison would be between modx and Contribute.

I used DreamWeaver for a long time and I think rthrash is right, assuming that your site is simple, you are always working from the same location, and you have a good internet connection there. DreamWeaver has templates that work a lot like MODx templates and it’s easy to make one change that then propagates througout your site’s pages.

When things get a little more complicated and your site has multiple "editors," various user groups, custom PHP code, changes often, and/or you’d like to be able to maintain it from any computer with a web connection, MODX is *far* superior to DW. I’m gradually converting all my DW sites to MODx and I find it very annoying when I have to work on one that hasn’t been converted yet.

If you’re unfamiliar with both MODx and DW, I think installing and setting up your first site is a little harder with MODx (though not that much) since you have to learn how MODx does things and set up the MODX database. The DW site may also be a little faster since there’s no DB access involved.

Indeed, it all depends on what you need to do. Some years ago I had my mother-in-law buy a Brother word processing machine that had spreadsheet features rather than a computer, since it cost much less and would do everything she needed for managing her simple home business.

Just keep in mind that you should still at least become aware of the issues of HTML and CSS and remote access to your web server that are involved in maintaining a website.

thanks for all the help,,,, ,,,,,unless im getting this wrong,,i think ill just use DW,,,and get something going,,,,,i appreciate the help,,rodney

I would say for Joomla or Wordpress would be good to get started as well. If you’re not a graphic designer and just want to get a cool site up- Joomla works well in that case.

www.joomla.org
www.wordpress.org

They’re both really simple. Especially if you have a host that uses Fantastico or an auto-installer (hostgator or Dreamhost).

thank you,,ill check them out,,,rodney