Before you take the step to buy or download any web design software, you should be alert as to what the software will do. You have to evaluate the software based on your needs and requirements and what you expect out of it. As you know there are various aspects to web design software. That’s because there is so much involved in web design besides just putting up a few lines of code and that’s it. There’s a lot more involved. Here are some things to look for so you’ll know what to expect:
· Stability: Depending on whether you download the software or buy it off the shelf, some software is in beta version, which means it really is testing software that hasn’t been fully tested and ready for release. Be careful if you are asked to try any beta version. You could be in for some surprises.
· System requirements: Does the editor you use have certain requirements your system can’t match? In other words does the software need more RAM than what you have? You never use a software program that uses the bare amount of RAM you have. The best way to explain this is with this scenario. If you have 1GB of memory and your web design software requires 985MB of memory, you would not do your system a good service by installing that software. It is too close to the bare amount. If you do have 1GB of memory, you would do better to get software that only requires 512MB or 640MB at least. Why? Because you need extra memory for add-ins and other modules the software may load.
· Ability to remove tags: Does the software you use allow you to remove any tags that the program inserts automatically? What if you don’t want a certain tag in a certain spot. By modifying the code you can get it to work the way you want.
· Multiple files: Will you be allowed to open more than one file at a time? What if you wanted to work on four or five web pages at the same time? This you need to know before you buy the software.
Easy-to-use menus: Most of the expensive web design software programs use easy-to-use dropdown menus to make your selections easy. Does the software you want to buy or download have this?
