MS will phase out support of FrontPage -- So -- what does this mean for us little guys ?

[Joe S.]

This is all fine for companies, power users, web designers, and the like --
but -- what about us little guys who maintain websites such as:
-- my family site with photos, notes about what we are doing, and the like?
-- my local astronomy club site with notes about meetings, newsletter, maps
to dark sky sites?
-- and the rest of us common folks??


QUOTE

PressPass: Why is Microsoft offering two separate products to meet these Web
design needs?

Richards: While both products are partially based on Microsoft Office
FrontPage technologies, they are tailored to very different usage scenarios.
We have built SharePoint Designer 2007 expressly for information workers in
an enterprise who are creating and customizing Microsoft SharePoint Web
sites and building workflow-enabled applications on SharePoint Products and
Technologies. It provides these workers with versatile tools to produce more
interactive Web pages that incorporate data from a wide variety of sources,
as well as enable business processes and create powerful reporting tools on
the SharePoint platform. SharePoint Designer 2007 also allows the IT
department to closely manage all of these activities so that employees
ultimately can more productively build and customize SharePoint sites and
applications.

Expression Web Designer is focused on the needs of professional Web
designers seeking to build high-quality, standards-based Web sites for
companies. It provides exceptional support for integrating XML, CSS, ASP.NET
2.0, XHTML and other standard Web technologies into sites to make them more
dynamic, interactive and accessible. Teams of designers using Expression Web
Designer and developers using Microsoft Visual Studio will benefit from
numerous integrated features that allow them to collaborate on the design
and development of content and applications.

Microsoft is now truly able to deliver a comprehensive family of Web
authoring products for the diverse needs of our existing Microsoft Office
FrontPage customers.

PressPass: What is happening to the current FrontPage product, and how is
Microsoft communicating with FrontPage users to alleviate concerns about
migration, ongoing technical support and the like?

Richards: After we fully release SharePoint Designer 2007 and Expression Web
Designer, FrontPage will be discontinued gradually. This process will bring
our customers and partners a broader choice of tools that go far beyond the
capabilities within the current FrontPage product to meet the needs of today’s
and tomorrow’s Web authors, designers and developers.

In the meantime, Microsoft will continue to provide current FrontPage
customers with full product support through June 2008, as well as clear
guidance on how they can smoothly migrate to SharePoint Designer 2007 or
Expression Web Designer, depending on their roles and needs. In the near
future, all registered Microsoft Office FrontPage customers will receive
e-mail from Microsoft outlining our overall strategy and roadmap for these
next-generation Web authoring tools. We also will provide continual updates
on the Microsoft Office product Web site. In addition, current FrontPage
customers in both the retail and enterprise channels will be able to take
advantage of special upgrade offers starting in the second half of 2006.

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/feb06/02-15Designer.mspx

END QUOTE

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

You can continue to use FP, web host are not require to stop providing them.

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

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

 

[David Berry]

**Continued support for FrontPage 2003:

Currently, mainstream support will not be retired until 1-13-2009. Extended
support will not be retired until 1-14-2014.
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-us&p1=2514&x=17&y=10

 

[Joe S.]

**Continued support for FrontPage 2003:

Currently, mainstream support will not be retired until 1-13-2009.
Extended
support will not be retired until 1-14-2014.
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-us&p1=2514&x=17&y=10

Thanks.

After posting my question, I searched around the web and found lots of
information about the two products that are "replacing" FrontPage. Looks as
though Web Expressions may be something that I need to look into as it seems
to be aimed at the general market. I noted that anyone who uses FP can
purchase the upgrade version of Web Expressions and it will install a full
version as an update to FP.

I also found lots of discussion from people who have installed both FP and
WebExpressions. Many of them imported their FP webs into WebExpressions and
are running the two side-by-side with little or no difficulty.

My only question would be -- what happens when I make changes to my web in
WebExpressions then publish it to my host server, which has FP extensions
installed??

From the discussions I have read, it seems as though the only conflict is
that WebExpressions will not run FP's web components, such as counters and
forms.

I'm thinking about buying the WebExpressions upgrade, installing it, and
running it alongside FP -- prepare for the future now.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Ronx]

Comments inline, below

--
Ron Symonds - Microsoft MVP (FrontPage)
Reply only to group - emails will be deleted unread.
FrontPage Support: http://www.frontpagemvps.com/
http://www.rxs-enterprises.org/fp

Thanks.

After posting my question, I searched around the web and found lots of
information about the two products that are "replacing" FrontPage. Looks as
though Web Expressions may be something that I need to look into as it seems
to be aimed at the general market. I noted that anyone who uses FP can
purchase the upgrade version of Web Expressions and it will install a full
version as an update to FP.

Expression Web is not an Update to FrontPage, it is a replacement.
FrontPage and EW will co-exist.

I also found lots of discussion from people who have installed both FP and
WebExpressions. Many of them imported their FP webs into WebExpressions and
are running the two side-by-side with little or no difficulty.

My only question would be -- what happens when I make changes to my web in
WebExpressions then publish it to my host server, which has FP extensions
installed??

The hosted web will be updated. EW operates with or without FrontPage
extensions, same as FrontPage.

From the discussions I have read, it seems as though the only conflict is
that WebExpressions will not run FP's web components, such as counters and
forms.

EW will run *existing* FrontPage components, but will not make it easy
to add new FrontPage components. It can be done using Cut and Paste, or
code snippets. FrontPage navigation components, however are as good as
gone. They work with existing pages, but you cannot add to the
navigation. There is no navigation view.

I'm thinking about buying the WebExpressions upgrade, installing it, and
running it alongside FP -- prepare for the future now.

Get the Expression Web 60 day trial, and do not forget the essential
product key.
http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/download.aspx?key=web
(link on above page)

 

[Joe S.]

Comments inline, below

--
Ron Symonds - Microsoft MVP (FrontPage)
Reply only to group - emails will be deleted unread.
FrontPage Support: http://www.frontpagemvps.com/
http://www.rxs-enterprises.org/fp





Expression Web is not an Update to FrontPage, it is a replacement.
FrontPage and EW will co-exist.


The hosted web will be updated. EW operates with or without FrontPage
extensions, same as FrontPage.


EW will run *existing* FrontPage components, but will not make it easy to
add new FrontPage components. It can be done using Cut and Paste, or code
snippets. FrontPage navigation components, however are as good as gone.
They work with existing pages, but you cannot add to the navigation.
There is no navigation view.



Get the Expression Web 60 day trial, and do not forget the essential
product key.
http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/download.aspx?key=web
(link on above page)

Thanks -- now let me ask a follow-on question or two.

First, thanks for correcting my poor choice of words -- as I understand it,
EW upgrade version installs itself as a full-up version of EW running as a
separate application, and, it leaves FP alone.

Second: You say "EW will run *existing* FrontPage components, but will not
make it easy to add new FrontPage components." The only FP components I use
are hit counter, search page, and automatic date insertion to show last time
a page was updated. Does this mean that these components will continue to
function normally with EW??

Third: You say "FrontPage navigation components, however are as good as
gone. They work with existing pages, but you cannot add to the navigation.
There is no navigation view."
-- Now, when you refer to "navigation components," I assume you mean the
buttons that say BACK, FORWARD, or whatever. I don't use those. Instead,
where I link to another article or site, I put in a link. At the bottom of
each of my pages, I use a banner that has a table with selections that say:
Click here to go to the Table of Contents, Click here to go to the first
page, Click here to go to the search page, etc., etc. The LINKs that I use
are not the same as NAVIGATION COMPONENTS -- right??
-- "No navigation view." Well, okay. I don't really need a navigation
view -- it's nice to see the structure of the page but, as long as I know
one page is linked to another, what do I care how it looks? I maintain VERY
SIMPLE websites -- www.miafacts.org
www.schlatter.org


Thanks for taking your time to explain things to a novice

 

[Ronx]

Comments inline

--
Ron Symonds - Microsoft MVP (FrontPage)
Reply only to group - emails will be deleted unread.
FrontPage Support: http://www.frontpagemvps.com/
http://www.rxs-enterprises.org/fp

Thanks -- now let me ask a follow-on question or two.

First, thanks for correcting my poor choice of words -- as I understand it,
EW upgrade version installs itself as a full-up version of EW running as a
separate application, and, it leaves FP alone.
Correct


Second: You say "EW will run *existing* FrontPage components, but will not
make it easy to add new FrontPage components." The only FP components I use
are hit counter, search page, and automatic date insertion to show last time
a page was updated. Does this mean that these components will continue to
function normally with EW??

Existing Hit counters, Search pages, etc. Yes. The problem is (for
example) adding a new Hit Counter to a page. It can be done using cut
and paste or code snippets, but it is not a built in function of EW.

Third: You say "FrontPage navigation components, however are as good as
gone. They work with existing pages, but you cannot add to the navigation.
There is no navigation view."
-- Now, when you refer to "navigation components," I assume you mean the
buttons that say BACK, FORWARD, or whatever. I don't use those. Instead,
where I link to another article or site, I put in a link. At the bottom of
each of my pages, I use a banner that has a table with selections that say:
Click here to go to the Table of Contents, Click here to go to the first
page, Click here to go to the search page, etc., etc. The LINKs that I use
are not the same as NAVIGATION COMPONENTS -- right??

You will be able to use that method. What is gone is the Navigation
Bars based on Navigation View.

-- "No navigation view." Well, okay. I don't really need a navigation
view -- it's nice to see the structure of the page but, as long as I know
one page is linked to another, what do I care how it looks? I maintain VERY
SIMPLE websites -- www.miafacts.org
www.schlatter.org


Thanks for taking your time to explain things to a novice

Your welcome.

 

[Tina Clarke]

I also found lots of discussion from people who have installed both FP and

WebExpressions. Many of them imported their FP webs into WebExpressions
and are running the two side-by-side with little or no difficulty.

There was no need to do that ... and importing won't always bring
everything.. make a backup of course... but just open your web in Expression
Web (not called WebExpressions) as you normally would open in fp and just
carry on.. I move back and forth on webs when i need to use a fp addon that
is not available in ew.

My only question would be -- what happens when I make changes to my web in
WebExpressions then publish it to my host server, which has FP extensions
installed??

Nothing...

It will run all your fpse bots if your using them you just can't add new
content to them (exception includes)

Design Time Includes
http://any-expression.com/expression-web/tutorials/insert-include-pages.htm

if your using bots .. now is the time to dump them.... many have done that
before now with fp 03 which guided one to not use them.

what is your site url?

Tina

Setting up Expression Web Ebook ( Fr*ee )
http://frontpage-ebooks.com/expression-web-ebooks.htm
NEW Expression Web DWT fr*ee Ebook
http://frontpage-ebooks.com/dwt-ebook.htm