Namo Web Editor Software Review

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Product Review

Review Provided by : Cnet

Namo WebEditor Suite 2006 offers a complete set of programs for complex Web site design at a reasonable cost. This bundle includes an intuitive page editor, a vector graphics app, and utilities for screen capture, GIF animation, and image slicing. Getting started in Web site design can be costly and confusing, but we found Namo to be a time-saving tool, especially for beginners. Still, WebEditor might not satisfy those used to Macromedia Dreamweaver 8's supersize toolbox. However, Namo is easier to use than Microsoft's FrontPage 2003 and more powerful than freeware programs, such as Google Page Creator beta.

In our tests of Namo 2006, installation took several minutes, and we didn't encounter any speed bumps. Once Namo WebEditor was installed, we opened to an intuitive, WYSIWYG interface. The Namo page-design app is similar to that of a word-processing program, with a window for adding content such as text and images. Four tabs at the bottom of the interface let you switch among editing, HTML, dual, and preview modes. Panels make it easy to find formatting commands and content libraries. Tools for inserting layers, tables, flash content, images, JavaScript, and frames are also easy to locate.

Namo also adds plenty of functionality for HTML coders. Working with Namo is straightforward if you've used a Web editor before. If you haven't, Namo ships with a good selection of wizards and more than 200 templates that you can tailor to your own needs. The designs aren't inspired, but they are free. Starting with the Site Wizard, you can build a basic site in a few minutes, then drag and drop text, images, and multimedia files onto the pages.

We found one annoying quirk with this technique, though: dragging and dropping some Microsoft Word files resulted in strange word spacing. However, if we opened the Word file and cut and pasted the text into Namo, the content appeared fine. Unfortunately, we found that many features were buried deep within drop-down menus and dialog boxes.

For designers who want to move beyond the basic level, Namo provides more than 80 JavaScript actions (rollovers, expanding navigation menus, layer effects, banner rotation, and so on); XHTML (Extensible HTML); blog posting, and WebDAV collaboration. We especially appreciated the Tag Selector, which lets you easily select elements. Namo also supports Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) via the formatting panel and even includes an equation editor. Its Site Manager makes it easy to add, delete, rearrange, and preview pages.

New to the 2006 version is the ability to add text and line art to images without having to load a separate editor--convenient for simple edits. For more complex vector graphics, you can use the included WebCanvas vector-based graphics. This vector graphics toolset is easy to grasp, making it a snap to whip up buttons and banners, and some of the tools are built into WebEditor.

A few short tutorials in the Namo folder help you get started, but the program assumes that you have a basic knowledge of Web design. Beginners should supplement the program with a good introductory design text. Namo WebEditor 2006's support Web site offers a searchable knowledge base, as well as free user forums. But you must register to access the phone support, which some users found difficult to reach even during weekday hours.