Posted by Dreamweaver was not created for people to build courses in, rather it was created for people to build web sites and other web related solutions. However, it has become the tool of choice for creating WBT courses.
Listed Below are FREE
Aptana Aptana Studio – Enables you to also incorporate Ajax, CSS, etc.; very nice solution although you will need mid tech skills to use it. Lots of plug-ins including ones to enable the power of Adobe AIR, APIs, JavaScript debugger and more. Does it offer more power than DW? Legitimate competitor? Absolutely! But not for the novice. Slick interface.
Tech skill: Moderate
Amaya – Lots of features, simple user interface, offers split screen, CSS, Mac and Windows capability, panels, easy to use. If you want slick interface, this isn’t it. But it will get the job done.
Tech skill – Beginner to Mid. A novice could learn it and do some things quicker than Dreamweaver. Oh, template capability.
Kompozer – Very easy authoring tool, WYSIWYG approach; tabbed editing, template support, plug-in capabilities, oh did I mention it was simple?
Nice editing capability and includes FTP (File Transfer Protocol – so you can upload your files directly into your server or your LMS server, if you know the FTP IP, password, user name)
Tech skill: Novice, but it offers enough for someone who is mid to enjoy as well. Most people find this to be a really nice offering and a real competitor to Dreamweaver.
Blue Griffon – This is from the creator of the original Nvu. It is brand new and thus a work in progress, based on the rendering engine of Firefox.
Tech skill: Moderate
BlueFish – Interesting solution, can really compete against Dreamweaver on a multitude of levels, while still providing the WYSIWYG. Includes FTP as well.
Tech skill: Moderate to Advanced. Novice? Uh not likely. Works with Mac, Windows. Offers translations into multiple languages, so you are not stuck writing English code or editing, if that is not your native language.
Selida – Offers lots of features, WYSIWYG, multiple views, auto save, solid solution. Is it the best out there? It’s okay. Some people really like it, others not so much. Most people have never heard of it.
Tech skill: Beginner
Coffee Cup – They also offer a variety of add-ons which range in price from a few dollars to $59 or so or you can buy packs which range from $89 to $149 or so. I never used them, so I cannot tell you one way or another how good they are. The HTML editor basic is free.
MAC OS X Only Paid
- Coda – Never used it, but I have heard mixed reviews. Offers free trial. Total cost is less than $100.
- Espresso
I did not include the following because I believe they are more oriented towards creating web sites or IDE or not necessarily useful for e-learning; but if you like it..then go for it.
- Quanta Plus
- HTML 292 Kit – I use this, but I am a major tech geek. I use Aptana Studio as well. HTML Kit also offers a paid version, however, 292 is free and offers more than enough. Tech skill: Moderate.
- WYMeditor
Next Week: LMS/LCMS – If you build it, they will come
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