RJM62
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2007
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- 13,157
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- Upstate New York
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Geek on the Hill
Two of them, actually, both by the same company.
Rapid PHP supports PHP, HTML, CSS, JS, and probably some other stuff that I haven't noticed yet. It should meet the needs of most if not all Web developers who work in HTML and PHP.
WeBuilder includes everything in Rapid PHP, but adds support for Ruby, Python, ASP, Perl, etc.
Both programs are economically-priced and are sold outright with perpetual licenses. Future versions are discounted to owners of current versions.
I tested both programs. They installed cleanly and easily, were easily configured, and played nicely with my local Apache / PHP / MySQL server. Everything I tried worked just fine. The layout is customizable, but the default layout is similar enough to Dreamweaver that long-time DW users should be able to pick it up pretty easily. The code hinting works well and the default color schemes are sensible. There are multiple themes included.
Ultimately I purchased WeBuilder. I don't work in ASP and rarely use Perl or Python; but for the few bucks extra, they were worth having.
I've been using NetBeans ever since I canceled my Adoberansom payment subscription; but NetBeans depends on Java, with which I'm less-than enamored. It also hasn't been updated in ages (although now that it's an Apache product, that might change). I also have a pre-subscription model version of Dreamweaver that I bought outright, but it's ancient and outdated.
I was a loyal Macromedia customer and stayed with that suite of products, usually buying the annual updates, after Adobe purchased Macromedia. I also stayed around for a while when Adobe switched to their presentransom subscription model (but also held on to my old outright-purchased software). But I also made it a point to start finding replacements.
With WeBuilder, I think that process is finally complete. Netbeans is a good editor (as are Atom, PHP Storm, Sublime Text, Eclipse, etc.). But there's something about DW's layout that I missed. I also missed the built-in preview pane. I never used the WYSIWYG capabilities, but I liked having the preview pane built in. It's really no easier nor quicker than just keeping a browser window open, but it seems easier and quicker.
I used Rapid PHP as a trial for enough time to know I liked it and that it would work well with my workflow. But when I went to buy it, I decided on WeBuilder instead. WeBuilder automatically imported the settings from Rapid PHP, so setup was a breeze. I'm happy with it.
Since I'm giving out free plugs, I should also mention Affinity Photo (a worthy replacement for both Adobe Photoshop and, to an extent, the sadly-abandoned and much-missed Adobe Fireworks), and Affinity Designer (a capable replacement for Adobe Illustrator). Both programs are made by Serif, an old-school publisher of inexpensive, but excellent software. They also have another companion program, Affinity Publisher, in open and free Beta.
And while we're at it, Magix Movie Edit Pro is a worthy replacement for Adobe Premiere Pro for personal and entry-level professional video editing. I don't think it's Spielberg-level, but I'm not Spielberg. It's also easy to use, fast, stable, frequently-updated, and has a lot of built-in capabilities for such inexpensive software.
All of the software mentioned here is available for outright purchase with perpetual licenses. I don't do subscriptions.
Rich
Rapid PHP supports PHP, HTML, CSS, JS, and probably some other stuff that I haven't noticed yet. It should meet the needs of most if not all Web developers who work in HTML and PHP.
WeBuilder includes everything in Rapid PHP, but adds support for Ruby, Python, ASP, Perl, etc.
Both programs are economically-priced and are sold outright with perpetual licenses. Future versions are discounted to owners of current versions.
I tested both programs. They installed cleanly and easily, were easily configured, and played nicely with my local Apache / PHP / MySQL server. Everything I tried worked just fine. The layout is customizable, but the default layout is similar enough to Dreamweaver that long-time DW users should be able to pick it up pretty easily. The code hinting works well and the default color schemes are sensible. There are multiple themes included.
Ultimately I purchased WeBuilder. I don't work in ASP and rarely use Perl or Python; but for the few bucks extra, they were worth having.
I've been using NetBeans ever since I canceled my Adobe
I was a loyal Macromedia customer and stayed with that suite of products, usually buying the annual updates, after Adobe purchased Macromedia. I also stayed around for a while when Adobe switched to their present
With WeBuilder, I think that process is finally complete. Netbeans is a good editor (as are Atom, PHP Storm, Sublime Text, Eclipse, etc.). But there's something about DW's layout that I missed. I also missed the built-in preview pane. I never used the WYSIWYG capabilities, but I liked having the preview pane built in. It's really no easier nor quicker than just keeping a browser window open, but it seems easier and quicker.
I used Rapid PHP as a trial for enough time to know I liked it and that it would work well with my workflow. But when I went to buy it, I decided on WeBuilder instead. WeBuilder automatically imported the settings from Rapid PHP, so setup was a breeze. I'm happy with it.
Since I'm giving out free plugs, I should also mention Affinity Photo (a worthy replacement for both Adobe Photoshop and, to an extent, the sadly-abandoned and much-missed Adobe Fireworks), and Affinity Designer (a capable replacement for Adobe Illustrator). Both programs are made by Serif, an old-school publisher of inexpensive, but excellent software. They also have another companion program, Affinity Publisher, in open and free Beta.
And while we're at it, Magix Movie Edit Pro is a worthy replacement for Adobe Premiere Pro for personal and entry-level professional video editing. I don't think it's Spielberg-level, but I'm not Spielberg. It's also easy to use, fast, stable, frequently-updated, and has a lot of built-in capabilities for such inexpensive software.
All of the software mentioned here is available for outright purchase with perpetual licenses. I don't do subscriptions.
Rich