Whats the best web design software?

[Davidoff]

I'm using Freeway pro (a xpress like), very simple and pleasant, no code required!

[gospastic]

I think people see a flash site as something which is going to be jumping all over the place, which lots of loading of different parts, and over the top animation, interactivity and sound...

And to a degree many sites are a little this way, with the designer perhaps using every bell and whistle flash offers - but how about a site which is 100% flash but uses motion more sparingly, and only when the design requires it as opposed to for the sake of it?

I really do believe flash has everything - to an extent, anyway:

- Browsers index SWF file content now the same as HTML content
- 98% of computers have flash 5.0 or above since microsoft bundled it with XP/Vista
- CMS is reasonably easy to produce now using the AS GET and POST commands
- You do not need to slice images - and buttons/links/sound/motion/video is a breeze
- You can even create Illustrator quality EPS 3.0 files using the new pen tool in Flash CS3
- The integration between PS AI DW and FL CS3 is so smooth now you can jump from application to application easily - save work as .AI, or .PSD (plus layer information!)
- Flash has many vector based filters now like blur, outer glow

So if I have not bored the pants of you already, I cannot BELIEVE people are still using such old methods as slicing images into tiny pieces to create websites!

(Sorry to ramble on)

here are some examples of full flash sites which I feel use flash in a more subtle manner:

www.prickie.com
www.aeiko.net
www.iso50.com
www.fontsforflash.com
www.factory4.co.uk

Am i wrong? or am i just biased?

[graphic-designer-joe]

The first one looks more ROR built than flash.

Flash is like anything using it where it works is fine using it because that's all you can use doesn't work.

The hatred that arrose around flash were too many 13-18 year old's that got it and called themselves web designers. Meanwhile the real workers were studying lines of code, having to impliment hacks and workrounds to work in all browsers, build to standards etc.

It fealt like a short cut and there's still only a hanful of flash developers in the world that have really grassped it's potential and used it to it's full power.

www.iso50.com still has a splash page tell me that's not for SEO purposes?

[ianm]

can't say i'm really a fan of any flash on a site, unless it's something subtle

[Cwilk]

I've never minded Flash as long as it's not overused.

This comment is not Flash related, but programming related:
What I do dislike in programming is when a programmer does coding on a website and calls it PHP when in fact it's really not.

I've had this happen several times and I don't use that programmer again.

[Keely Hope]

On a seperate note the software doesn't make the designer.

[tommylogic]

Originally Posted by Keely Hope

On a seperate note the software doesn't make the designer.

so, I gues ultimatley MS notepad is the best software

[afox]

Originally Posted by tommylogic

so, I gues ultimatley MS notepad is the best software

Thats funny, because I code in vim. But if I really need to copy and paste a lot or want to use my mouse more I use aptana. Free dreamweaver-esque powerful ide for all kinds of web languages. I'm a fan.

I also use Photoshop or Gimp for graphics and of course when I'm forced to do flash, I use Macromedia Flash.

But I think Keely is absolutely right, Software does NOT make the designer. Any doubts, do a youtube search for people using microsoft paint.

[tommylogic]

Cool.. checking out Aptana now.. looks interesting

[Laura Lynne]

I love the ms paint videos they're breath-taking