PC Reviews: Araneae 4.51 & PowerHTML 2.0
March 21, 2001
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In a day when bigger is frequently considered better, HTML
editors such as Araneae 4.51 and PowerHTML 2.0 may not receive
the credit they deserve. After all, who could possibly desire a
quick and efficient editor that doesn't cost anything?
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If you jumped up and slapped your monitor at that remark, you may
well be one of those people, and either of these programs are
something you may want to consider.
Araneae 4.51
To begin with, the download is only 622KB, akin to a speck of
dirt in the middle of the Sahara by today's standards. Once
installed, the expansion results in a directory that is only
919KB in size.
As a result of that size, users will not find a lot of the extras
that are often included in bigger programs, but what they will
get is a program with a clean interface and one that has all the
necessary tools to build Web sites quickly and efficiently.
And, while it is probably more suited for those with experience,
it does offer some features to make the job easier. Among its
tools are quick dialog boxes to insert colors, links, graphics,
fonts, and the date. There is also a menu selection that provides
quick access to the more frequently used editing commands, that
are also available with hotkeys.
Many of those same dialogs are available among the sparse
selection of icons at the top of the page, including previewing
the HTML page in the default browser, something that can also be
accomplished by selecting the [F4] key.
Working on multiple files at the same time is a snap, too.
Araneae's multi-document interface allows users to change from
one document to another by using the "tabs" showing the file
names at the bottom of the screen.
What Araneae lacks in the extras, it makes up for in the basics.
Syntax highlighting and drag-and-drop support are two features
that simplify the Web building job. An ample "Help" program is
beneficial, and the program supports several languages, including
English, Estonian, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese,
Russian, and Spanish.
What is it called again? Araneae 4.51
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Where can I get it? http://plaza.v-wave.com/mark/products/araneae.html
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How much does it cost? It's a freebie, but donations are
encouraged and accepted.
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How big is the download? 622 KB.
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Do you recommend it? Yes, for people with a good knowledge of HTML.
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PowerHTML 2.0
A little larger program, but at 1.29 MB PowerHTML's size is still
not huge by today's norms. The difference between it and Araneae
is that PowerHTML offers a few different features, including a
built-in FTP system and a file management system.
Again, this is a program that does not offer much customization —
in fact, the only configuration it allows is the color scheme for
tags, text, closing tags, and comments. Unlike Araneae, PowerHTML
does not offer dialog boxes for tables or any other features.
What it does offer includes advanced HTML file support, the
afore-mentioned FTP system, and it, too, is free.
About the only other feature is the program's find & replace
capabilities.
Summary
Either program will do the basics — and not much more
— but it seems that Araneae has an edge in smoothness of
operation. Novices won't particularly care for either program,
whereas HTML veterans could find a use for these programs for
quick edits. If you need the basics, for the price you can't go
wrong either way.
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