Web Hosting Rating

Frontpage Web Hosting vs. A Capable CMS

Frontpage web hosting was once a very popular solution as it provided direct integration with Microsfot’s HTML editor Frontpage. However, over the years Frontpage has been replaced by a host of more convenient and powerful applications such as Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 and others. As the popularity of Frontpage decreased, Microsoft stopped offering support for the software and all Frontpage development was halted. As a result the number of web hosting companies that still offer Frontpage hosting is minuscule and most people that are new to the web hosting industry have never even heard of Frontpage.

Content Management Systems Replacing HTML Editors

Perhaps even more popular than the WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) HTML Editors like Dreamweaver, are the extremely user-friendly content manage systems such as WordPress. In fact the popularity of WordPress as a website management solution has exploded over the past couple of years and has easily surpassed all of it’s competitors. Unlike HTML editors, content management systems let even the most novice users set up professional websites with little to no experience in website design. Absolutely no coding skill is required and the user can even create custom pages using a graphical interface and preset designs called themes. These themes give you the ability to create a website in just minutes that appears to have taken hours.

Control Panel Applications

Another type of internet technology that is making Frontpage web hosting obsolete is the ever expanding selection of control panel applications that enhance the overall functionality and even search engine optimization of a website. Most control panels even include easy installation software that helps you install these applications with ease. The aforementioned WordPress content management system is often included for free with a web hosting account, and this may be one of the reasons why so many people take advantage of Wordpress.

How Long Will Frontpage Hosting Last?

After realizing just how much the popularity of Frontpage hosting has declined in the past couple of years, the question is not “Which is better – a CMS or Frontpage,” rather the question is “How long will Frontpage Hosting last?” At this rate, since Microsoft has stopped developing Frontpage, the service might as well already be extinct. This isn’t to say that some old school users won’t find it useful, however the software is now retired and does not have a use any more in the general public. In fact, it is even difficult to find a web hosting company that uses Frontpage compatibility as one of its selling points. Of course, you can still use Frontpage to create sites with whatever hosting company you’d like to, but the question is why would you want to?

What is the Future of Web Hosting and Site Creation?

As more people venture online to begin their business endeavors, we will undoubtedly see more people looking for simpler solutions to build their own websites. The fact is. Most website owners do not want to take the time to learn HTML or other site coding techniques, so they’d rather use a theme, learn a little bit of CSS and then make a few adjustments to it. This is the mentality that you should expect to see as the web becomes more user-friendly in the years to come.

Integrating Flash and FrontPage

If you opt for a cheap FrontPage hosting plan, there is a great chance that you do not have a lot to work with.  For example, if you have limited bandwidth and disk space in your package, you will not be able to get as creative with your website as you would like.  If you have a Linux-based plan, then you may not be able to utilize FrontPage to its full potential.  Fortunately, there is a way to make the most of your website, especially from a presentation aspect.  All it takes is the use of some inexpensive technologies such as Flash to give your site the visual boost it needs.  Flash is supported in most FrontPage hosting platforms and is generally easy to put into action.

Why Flash?

Now maintained by Adobe, Flash offers a simple way to enhance the look and feel of almost any website.  Because it is compatible with the FrontPage client and most web browsers, you can incorporate Flash just about anywhere in your site for the benefit of your audience. This means you can liven things up with cool features such as recorded presentations, animation or even movies.  While all users do not appreciate Flash, as long as you keep it to a minimum and use the technology properly, you can make your site standout.

Incorporating Flash

One of the best things about Flash is that pre-made content is widely available on the web for you to use.  If you are simply looking for a quick way to add some flair to your website, this could be the route to take.  Adding Flash to a FrontPage site is fast and easy.

- Open your file in the “Design” view and click the page you want Flash inserted in.

- Next, open the Insert menu and select “Web Component” from the list.

- In the “Component Type” list, choose the “Advanced Controls” option.

- Click on “Flash,” hit “Finish,” open the file you want to add and you are done.

It is really that simple.  FrontPage allows you to automatically install Flash files that end in .spl, .swf and .swt extensions.  Acquiring the Flash files and incorporating them into your website is the easiest way to add some pizazz and keep it updated on a regular basis.  What makes Flash and FrontPage such a great match is that it can be inserted into a specific area of the page, or the entire page.  While the latter requires a little more work, it could be worth it if your truly want a visually appealing, eye-catching website.  If you are an inexperienced web designer, Flash could be the easiest and fastest way to improve a FrontPage site that would otherwise be lacking.

Before deciding to integrate Flash with your FrontPage site, it is important to know that your visitors must have the appropriate plugin in order to play the files you have inserted.  While many users already have this plugin in installed, you may want to create a link that directs them to the Adobe website where they can download and install it for free.

Viable Alternatives to FrontPage Hosting

FrontPage is still a very popular design software program.  Therefore, you should have no problem finding a web host that supports it.  However, in 2006, Microsoft decided to discontinue the development of FrontPage, essentially forcing webmasters and designers to seek different options.  The first alternative many take a look at is CMS (content management system) software.  There are currently a number of CMS programs on the market.  Some are commercial products that require a one-time fee, some are hosted services, and others are completely free to use.

Commercial Software

Commercial CMS products are generally designed for enterprise applications and functionality required by large companies.  These programs usually offer the best overall quality because they are well tested and come with premium support and regular updates for as long as the product is under license.  The major downside is that they can be very expensive, some costing thousands of dollars for a single license.

Hosted Software

Hosted CMS solutions make a great alternative for smaller companies.  This type of software is typically offered in the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) cloud computing environment.  Normally subscription-based, these solutions allow you to enjoy a robust CMS with many of the same features geared towards large companies.  The big drawback to a hosted CMS is that the software cannot be customized to suit your personal needs.  It could also turn out be more expensive depending on how long you end up paying for the service.

Free Alternatives

Free CMS software is a popular choice among users of all sorts, businesses included.  Some of the most widely used programs in this category include Joomla, Drupal and Mambo.  These applications are usually open-source, meaning they can be freely distributed and modified.  The best open-source CMS products are backed by active communities that continuously work to enhance the platform.  Many of these programs have come a long way and received dramatic improvement over the years, making them useful for a wide range of purposes.  The most significant benefit of open-source software is that is can be customized to suit your preference through plugins, themes and flexible APIs.  However, because there is generally no official form of support, you may have a difficult time obtaining help when encountering problems.

Conclusion

It has become clear to see that FrontPage and many other desktop HTML editors are quickly being phased out by their more powerful and capable web-based counterparts.  This is what you will get with almost any CMS solution.  When you take a look at how fast technology evolves, the FrontPage client can be considered a dinosaur compared to some of the other web design tools on the market.  While support can still be found on the market, web hosting providers are increasingly removing FrontPage extensions from their feature list due to that fact that Microsoft no longer backs it.  With a good CMS, you can enjoy a reliable alternative that provides you with the same capabilities of FrontPgae and a lot more.

Five Essential Considerations for FrontPage Hosting

FrontPage web hosting is not difficult to find.  Simply go to your preferred search engine and you will likely come across hundreds of sites that can provide this service.  However, there are some key features want to look out for and factors that must be considered before you sign up.

1.) FrontPage Version

The version of FrontPage on your computer is so crucial because the features vary greatly between editions.  For this reason, you need to make sure the service provider offers the extensions that support your particular version of the FrontPage client.

2.) Additional Features

Although FrontPage support might be your main objective, you will need several more features in order to have a great website and presence.  Some features you may want to keep in mind are email accounts, webmail and web stat tools.  While some versions of FrontPage offer the ability to integrate a hit counter, this feature pales in comparison to what you get with a detailed third-party reporting tool.  If you are building a website to sell products or services from, you certainly need to focus on solutions that come with shopping carts, SSL support and other e-commerce features.

3.) Server Resources

The allocation of resources the host provides is also essential when considering FrontPage hosting.  The resources that are of the most importance to you are disk space and bandwidth.  They are so critical because they ultimately determine how large your site can be and the volume of traffic it is able to support.  Some hosts offers disk space and bandwidth in actual measurements.  For example, one company might have a package that supplies 300 GB disk space and 3000 GB bandwidth.  If you go over these allotments, you may be subject to penalties and additional charges.  You also have firms that simply label their packages as “unlimited,” which usually means that you do not have to pay for any overages.  While both scenarios can work out in your favor, it is imperative to access your resource needs in order to prevent problems with your FrontPage site in the future.

4.) Reliability of the Host

There are literally thousands of companies that offer support for FrontPage.  That does not mean are of equal quality.  Although the actual program is native to the Windows environment, it can also be run efficiently on other platforms such as Unix and various distributions of Linux.  Regardless of the operating system, reliability is of the utmost importance.  This is why it is so critical to find out the company’s background and reputation in the business before purchasing service from them.

5.) The Need for FrontPage

Perhaps the most important factor that needs to be considered is whether or not your really need a FrontPage hosting solution.  This is something you need to think about because there are many other tools that can help you accomplish the same goals and a whole lot more.  You should also know that FrontPage is no longer officially supported by Microsoft and considered outdated compared to modern solutions on the market.

Windows Hosting with Silverlight

For some time now, the Microsoft brand has been synonymous with information technology and more recently, formed close ties with the web hosting industry.  Over the years, Windows hosting has made a name for itself with powerful features such as ASP, ASP.NET, FrontPage and MS SQL among several others.  One of the most highly sought after features these days is a Microsoft technology known as Silverlight.

What is Silverlight?

Silverlight is a browser plugin that supports major web browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari and many others.  As a cross-platform technology, it is not only compatible with Windows, but other operating systems such as Mac OS X, Linux and Unix.  Silverlight is viewed as Microsoft’s alternative to Adobe’s Flash technology.  This is because similar to Flash, it allows users to view media applications directly from their web browser in a streaming fashion that lets you listen to music and watch videos in near real-time.  Perhaps the greatest advantage of Silverlight is its ability to be integrated with existing web applications thanks to a robust development framework that supports a number of programming languages.  Whereas using Flash on the .NET Framework is messy at best, Silverlight was made for this powerful environment, giving it the ability to deliver unrivaled results.

Silverlight 3 Features and Benefits

Silverlight 3 was officially released on July 9, 2009.  This version is bundled with many improvements and new features that enable developers to take the rich media experience to the next level.

Enhanced User Experience – The newest version of Silverlight comes included with new 3D graphics, text enhancement, font support and animation features, all of which provide developers and designers with a way to create next-generation web browsing experiences for the end-user.

Deep Linking Capability – Silverlight 3 offers support for deep linking, allowing for the bookmarking of pages within rich internet applications.

SEO-Friendly - With Silverlight 3, users can deal with a number of SEO-related tasks dues to its seamless compatibility with a number of different tools.  By combining business objects on the server with site maps and ASP.NET controls, you can mirror the content of your applications into HTML format that can be indexed by the search engine bots, thus providing for better ranking in the SERPs.

Giving Silverlight a Test Drive

These features and benefits do not even scratch the surface because Silverlight has much more to offer.  Hosting this amazing technology is incredibly easy since there are no significant requirements due to its cross-platform capabilities.  However, there are some factors you want to keep in mind.  Silverlight can be a resource hogging feature, particularly if your plans require a large entertainment or multimedia site.  For this reason, you may want to consider hosting it on a virtual private server or dedicated server.  If you want to give Silverlight a test run, you can try it out with Microsoft Silverlight Streaming.  This is a free alternative that allows you to experience Silverlight for yourself before giving up your existing rich media technology.