Conversion from FP2000 to Web Expressions

[theBBQGURU]

I am an old user of FP2000 and already have a partial site built in it. I am
concerned about the lack of ongoing support(not from Microsoft, but from
hosting services) and am thinking about upgrading to Web Expressions. My web
site is very basic....a place to post my hundreds of recipes and how to's
about grilling and cooking. Very few pics, mostly text. I know very little
about extensions and from the looks of it I will not be using any. However,
there are enough hosting firms that no longer support them....this is my
biggest concern!

I am a bit intimidated by the description of WE as for "professional web
designers". I am nowhere near a professional! So, questions I have........

1. Being somewhat familiar with FP, how hard will it be for me to use WE?

2. Is there any way to convert my existing page "easily" from FP to WE?

3. Being a novice, would you suggest a different application? I really
like the customizability of FP and I sure hope this doesn't offend the
Microsoft folks! I am willing to buy the WE but don't want to get in over my
head!

Thanks to any and all that answer!

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

See inline below.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe
Microsoft MVP - FrontPage

http://www.Ecom-Data.com
==============================================

I am an old user of FP2000 and already have a partial site built in it. I am
concerned about the lack of ongoing support(not from Microsoft, but from
hosting services) and am thinking about upgrading to Web Expressions. My web
site is very basic....a place to post my hundreds of recipes and how to's
about grilling and cooking. Very few pics, mostly text. I know very little
about extensions and from the looks of it I will not be using any. However,
there are enough hosting firms that no longer support them....this is my
biggest concern!

I am a bit intimidated by the description of WE as for "professional web
designers". I am nowhere near a professional! So, questions I have........

1. Being somewhat familiar with FP, how hard will it be for me to use WE?

You can continue to use FP even if the host no longer supports the extensions, you just will not be
able to use any features/function that require the extensions, such as opening and working on your
live site directly in FP or Expresssion Web.

2. Is there any way to convert my existing page "easily" from FP to WE?

There is no conversion, you just open you site with Expression Web. It will continue to support any
FP functions already in your pages and well as allowing you to publish or work on the liver/remote
site.

3. Being a novice, would you suggest a different application? I really
like the customizability of FP and I sure hope this doesn't offend the
Microsoft folks! I am willing to buy the WE but don't want to get in over my
head!

You can continue to use FP as long as you want, no one is force your to change.

 

[IdaSpode]

I have and use both programs, switching back and forth depending on
what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm very comfortable with FP since I've
been using it since '97 but also enjoy the features in EW not found in
FP.

There is a trial version for download or you can buy the EW upgrade
for $99 as long as you have FP either installed or have the original
disk available. You can have both programs installed, one won't
overwrite the other.

EW is very different from FP, it may take while to learn where
everything is located on the menus/toolbars, but it will also offer
many functions/operations not as easily done with FP. It's a typical
Microsoft program so if you are familar with the way MS does things,
you shouldn't have too much trouble transitioning between the two.

EW is heavy on CSS and can be a great tool to teach yourself to
understand how it all works, how it can be created and/or customized.

I also have Dreamweaver installed, but it operates so differently from
MS style programs, I've never taken the time to figure out how to make
it do what I want it to.

And by the way, don't be intimidated by the "professional" tag, we
duffers can still use it, maybe just not to the level a true pro can.

As always, YMMV, void where prohibited by law and please, no
wagering... <G>

DJ

 

[Jennifer]

I'm in the same boat but I have 6 webs (including client webs) with a host
who will no longer support FP extensions. I'd really like to hear more
input regarding options.

What web software would be worth considering? Is Dreamweaver really that
difficult to learn? Can a FP web be effectively converted to Dreamweaver?

What will really happen to my FP webs when my host stops supporting
extensions? To upload now, FP extensions have to be activated. How would I
upload from FP?

 

[theBBQGURU]

Jennifer,

As you can tell by my questions I am quite the neophite when it comes to all
this stuff. So, I have no answers for you. Just an aside, I am looking at
GoDaddy to host. They still support the extensions and offer Windows based
servers.

Having said that, I would also like to hear of other hosting companies that
I should look at.

Good luck to you!

Kevin