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martinv44029552
Inspiring
April 1, 2017
Answered

Dreamweaver v Muse

  • April 1, 2017
  • 9 replies
  • 898 views

As some of you may recall I'm new to web design and very inexperienced.

I've just spent some time practising with the free trial Dreamweaver download.

I'm now practising with the Muse free trial download.

Advantages to Muse clearly is not having to learn code.

But would appreciate some feedback on Muse's limitations and disadvantages against Dreamweaver?

Any help and input appreciated.

Thanks

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    Correct answer Nancy OShea

    Muse is easy to learn and is adequate for hobbyists and designers who don't want to worry about code.  However professional developers would never consider using Muse except possibly for a quick mock up to show the client beforehand.

    All that ease of use comes at a price.

    1. Muse is very limited in what it can do.
    2. Access to HTML & Javascript code is minimal and often difficult.
    3. It cannot support PHP or databases.
    4. Exporting to HTML code and trying to edit code in a plain text or HTML editor is futile because the code Muse generates is horrible to work with.  It's bloated & there's almost no logic to it.
    5. All you can create with Muse is static HTML sites.  Don't ever expect to do anything more advanced because you can't unless there is a plugin for it. 
    6. If you decide at some point to do more advanced stuff & switch to an HTML editor, you can never revert back to Muse.  Be prepared to use Muse for the life of your site.

    In contrast, Dreamweaver can be used to build anything from basic sites to HTML emails, to sophisticated database driven mobile and web applications.  You're only limited by your coding skills.   Not the software.

    9 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Nancy OSheaCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    April 1, 2017

    Muse is easy to learn and is adequate for hobbyists and designers who don't want to worry about code.  However professional developers would never consider using Muse except possibly for a quick mock up to show the client beforehand.

    All that ease of use comes at a price.

    1. Muse is very limited in what it can do.
    2. Access to HTML & Javascript code is minimal and often difficult.
    3. It cannot support PHP or databases.
    4. Exporting to HTML code and trying to edit code in a plain text or HTML editor is futile because the code Muse generates is horrible to work with.  It's bloated & there's almost no logic to it.
    5. All you can create with Muse is static HTML sites.  Don't ever expect to do anything more advanced because you can't unless there is a plugin for it. 
    6. If you decide at some point to do more advanced stuff & switch to an HTML editor, you can never revert back to Muse.  Be prepared to use Muse for the life of your site.

    In contrast, Dreamweaver can be used to build anything from basic sites to HTML emails, to sophisticated database driven mobile and web applications.  You're only limited by your coding skills.   Not the software.

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    martinv44029552
    Inspiring
    April 1, 2017

    Hello Nancy

    Thanks for your reply and a comprehensive one it is too, appreciated.