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Review: KompoZer--A Capable Web Editor for Mac

You might see some references on Mac websites to an HTML editor called NVU (pronounced N-view). You might even see some references to an editor called Sea Monkey. These are all based on the Composer component of the Mozilla Application Suite and Gecko 1.7 (and they all have a Mac version).

What's the difference between them? KompoZer is the most actively updated and most bug free. I have tried all three, and while the interface of the three programs is very similar, KompoZer works best in my experience. (In fact, Nvu has now been discontinued.)

The situation around KompoZer is something like that of NeoOffice, which is an updated version of OpenOffice (recently renamed LibreOffice). OpenOffice came first, and NeoOffice was spun off of it by other volunteers. Unlike NeoOffice however, which is exclusively for the Mac, KompoZer is cross-platform and runs on both Macs and PCs.

If all this seems confusing, that's because it is! All you have to remember, however, is that for open-source office applications for the Mac, NeoOffice is the way you want to go, and for open-source HTML editors for the Mac, the best choice is definitely KompoZer.

KompoZer is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor, which means that you create your page in a word processor-like interface, and the HTML coding is done automatically in the background by the software. You can view and edit the HTML code if, for example, you need to add Google Analytics code or another piece of code that adds extra features to your website, by clicking on the HTML Tags tab at the bottom of the KompoZer window.

KompoZer is remarkably capable (but not perfect) at reading HTML and interpreting it correctly. You can open virtually any webpage you may find in KompoZer and it will look pretty much the same as it does in your web browser.

In fact, KompoZer even has an "Open Web Location" command under the File menu that allows you to type in the URL of a web page, and the program will download and open it in its own window, ready for editing. This means that you can work with sophisticated templates you find online with no problem.

The feature is good but not perfect. For example, open Apple's homepage in KompoZer and it will look fairly good in preview mode but the formatting will get messed up when you switch to editing mode. On the other hand, KompoZer is standards compliant and doesn't add strange tags to the HTML it creates, unlike older HTML editors you may be familiar with if you've been around webpage creation for a while.

Just because you can open a complex template, however, does not mean that you will be able to edit it to your liking. A novice may find it impossible to figure out how to add and remove columns, sidebars or other elements without destroying the overall formatting of the page. If you want to start your website from a template, you would be well advised to test it thoroughly first to make sure you can make the changes to it over time that you will need to.

The KompoZer interface is somewhat Windows-like but not overly unintuitive. I found the online support for the software to be generally good. There is an active message boards staffed by passionate volunteers available for you to get your questions answered.

KompoZer can open multiple tabs at the same time, so you can work on different webpages (for example, to copy and paste elements from one page to another) without having a gaggle of separate windows open and cluttering your screen. It has unlimited undos, the ability to add tables and forms, and boasts support for cascading style sheets (CSS).

CSS is a standard that allows web designers to set various style elements such as fonts, colors, indentation and other formatting without having to add individual HTML tags. Similar to the style sheets in your word processor, you could set a heading to be boldfaced and a certain size and then you can apply this formatting to all relevant parts of your webpage for consistent results. If you change your mind about the characteristics of the style, you could edit the style sheet, and all instances of that style that you have defined on your webpage will be changed accordingly.

Although KompoZer is definitely an improvement on NVU and SeaMonkey, in addition to the problems opening some webpages, a fair number of bugs still mar the interface. For example, the amount of space it adds between lines on the page is often inconsistent and can require quite a bit of struggling to get the page to look like what is wanted. After closing all windows, it sometimes refuses to open another, unless you quit and relaunch the program. Sometimes applying a headline style to selected text does nothing, and sometimes some keyboard commands stop working until a relaunch.

KompoZer also lacks features such as the ability to create image maps, and the software doesn't give you much help in selecting fonts which are cross-platform, or available on most computers. However, you can't beat the price, and if you want an HTML editor that allows you to easily inspect and edit the underlying code for the greatest flexibility, KompoZer is your best free choice.

KompoZer also has a site management feature, but don't let the name fool you. This is just a built-in FTP program. If you're looking for a feature like the one found in Adobe Dreamweaver that allows you to change your site's organization and move pages around between various folders on your Mac without breaking any of the internal links (often useful for working with templates), you won't find it here.

And as far as FTP goes, I prefer to pay a little extra money and just use the commercial program Transmit, one of the best FTP programs available for the Mac (Panic software - $34). Transmit features an intuitive two-panel window that makes it easy for you to upload your website and perform other FTP operations. On the left side of the interface is a panel that works much like a Mac Finder window, and on the left side is a panel that represents your FTP space. Uploading or synchronizing your site is a simple drag-and-drop operation from the Mac side of the interface to the FTP side, or by clicking the Sync button. A bookmarks feature lets you store the login details for all of your websites, so that the login process is as easy as clicking a button.

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What Is Your Productivity Cockpit?

Is that the most productive and efficient way to go about it? I'm going to propose that there is another way to go about it - and that will make you much more productive.

If you haven't already, go and download the latest version of the Firefox browser from Mozilla (.com).

This browser is the most important piece of software on my computer - and it's totally free.

It has become my productivity cockpit because I really don't have to leave it in order to accomplish nearly everything I must do online each day.

Prior to using Firefox I used Microsoft's IE, like most of you have. Once I switched I couldn't believe I'd been going without it for so long. I tried all the other major browsers on the market - Safari, Opera, Chrome, Avant, and Orca.

Firefox is much more than a browser. First off, it's open-source. Which means that any competent developer can create plugins that add functionality to the browser. Nearly all the plugins are free - with some developers asking for donations to support the ongoing development of the plugins so they can work with upgraded versions of Firefox as new ones are released.

With all these plugins turning Firefox into so many different things - I rarely leave the browser at all. For compositing this article I'm using the ScribeFire plugin - it's a word processing plugin that makes adding photos, links, and other content to internet articles easy.

There are FTP programs (FireFTP), Screen capture programs (FireShot), Color pickers so I don't have to look through code to figure out what color is I see in the browser (Colorzilla), a world clock plugin (Fox Clocks), an easy links system to websites I visit often (SpeedDial) and many more that I use daily.

Here is a short description for each of my favorite plugins I use with Firefox. There are thousands of plugins to choose from, and no doubt I'm missing some that could make my life online even easier. You must try Firefox if you haven't already...

These are free plugins you can install simply by going to the "add-ons" link.

My favorite Firefox Plugins:
ScribeFire- Internet word processing tool. Makes it easy to create articles, add links and photos. You can save articles in the dashboard and post them later according to your schedule. You can post directly from ScribeFire to Wordpress blogs and many other blog systems.
FoxClocks- A small globe in the lower left side of my browser, that, when I put my cursor over top of it - shows me the time in all the timezones I preset.
Colorzilla- If you ever need to know the color of something as you browse the internet this tool enables you to find the exact HTML code for the color so you can reproduce it in your graphics program. You just hover a crosshairs over the color and the code shows up in the bottom left side of the Firefox browser.
SpeedDial- A matrix of visual links to web pages I use often. Once setup this becomes your home page. You no longer need to type anything in or go to your bookmarks. Your bookmarks are like screenshots right in front of you in a grid. This is highly customizable and one of my favorites of my favorites!
FireFTP- If you use FTP programs at all you'll absolutely LOVE this program. It's free, and it provides an exceptionally stable FTP program within a browser window. Unbelievably cool and easy to use. Full featured.
FireShot- Screenshot program that captures the entire page - regardless how long it is. It has a built in editor so you can edit and save it very quickly for republishing screen captures online.

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Seven Reasons Not to Start That Web Project

1. I don't know how to buy a domain. It really is simple. Go to bluehost.com, set the account up and then click purchase. It literally takes about two minutes. There are other providers out there, but in my experience for a beginner bluehost is the easiest to use. I will explain why later. It is recommended that you find a "keyword rich domain", i.e. a domain name that contains your keywords. This improves your chances of the website being a success.
2. I don't know how to identify keywords? There are lots of keyword tools, the most common of which is Google Keyword Tool. You will need an AdWords account, but this again takes 5 minutes to setup, once you have it, there is lots of research that can be conducted and lots of micro niche's identified which are relevant to your niche.
3. I don't know what blogging platform to use? Ok, well here's why I suggested you used bluehost.com. There is an option to automatically install WordPress. Now, purists will recommend that you use an FTP client to install WordPress, as this improves the quality of the installation, however, if you are just looking for a simple WordPress site, there is no reason that you cannot use this option within your Cpanel of your bluehost hosting account. There are also step by step instructions on what to do, and video's providing a visual process of what to do. If you wish to setup by FTP access, there are plenty of video's on the web which will explain this process further.
4. I want my website to look more professional? Using WordPress is the perfect solution. There are so many themes to choose from, and these can literally be installed within about 2-3 minutes. Search WP themes in Google and you will come up with thousands. Whatever your niche it is likely that there will be themes that are relevant.
5. I want an auto responder, but don't know how to set one up. An autoresponder is a list building service which people will use to opt in to receive emails from you. There are lots of providers out there. Aweber is one of the largest out there and again I would recommend using them as they have step by step video's on how to do everything. It is surprisingly easy to get this setup and will probably take around half an hour from start to finish for the first time.
6. It seems like so much to learn, I just don't know where to start. If you procrastinate too much you will never do anything. Treat each of the tasks as a small project and learn it step by step. If you think that you have say 10 projects to do, and each one will take a maximum of a couple of hours, this is realistically 10 evenings work. If you set this amount of time aside, before you know it you will have everything setup and working properly.
7. I have run into problems and the platforms have changed slightly. Again this is another reason why I personally recommend using bluehost. The support service which they offer is excellent and is available 24 hours a day. Aweber also have answers to the most common questions on their website.

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How to Transfer Large Files

The entire process seems too simple. However, these sharing websites also put certain data and usage limits. Most of the sites allow a maximum of 150 to 500 MBs of attachment at a time. So, again you may face some difficulties if your needs are too high. But you can transfer unlimited data if you become a premium member of such sharing services.

At organizational levels, files are transferred through an internal network. All the computers in an office are connected with each other for easy data transfer. The system enables a standalone networking platform which is independent of internet. There is something known as IP messenger which conducts PC to PC file transfers. The network being totally indigenous and direct, there are no restrictions regarding the size or frequency of files in transit. Also, the rate at which the data is transferred is comparatively high. However, you need internet to connect with a system located in a remote office or a different branch. Again you have to depend on email or online data distributing services.

We cannot conclude the discussion without mentioning about File Transfer Protocols. A File transfer protocol or FTP is used at corporate levels to exchange large files within an organization and also among different branches of an organization. It is a networking service that allows unlimited data transfer. There is no limit as to the amount of transfers affected or their frequency. For transferring files using FTP, its networking service should be installed and activated on all the transferring machines. There are different options to select from while using an FTP data transferring system. This makes the system extremely flexible and user friendly.

Apart from FTP, there is something known as SSH. SSH stands for Secure Shell. It is also a file transfer protocol that allows additional features like File Access and File Management. Then there is a special UNIX based file transfer protocol known as SCP FTP. However, the network operates through UNIX programming. Therefore, the system is not so popular in common corporate circles.

The bottom line is there are many file transferring platforms available in the market. The kind of platform that suits you depends on the nature of your needs.

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