I often like to start my reviews by stating my orientation. I am not familiar with any of the former versions of this program since this is the first version produced by Adobe for either the MAC or Windows platforms. In addition, it is the first version for Windows ever produced. I do not create web pages for a living even though I have a web site. Thus, I am not reviewing this program from the perspective of a commercial web builder but from the viewpoint of an individual who wants the maximum control over a web site. Of course, I am not neglecting those features that apply to multiple web sites nor those that would be important to a professional web site builder.

GoLive is a professional multi-functional web authoring and site maintenance program. Its street price is about $289. Its PC requirements are: Pentium 200MHz or a compatible processor, Windows 98 or NT 4 with service pack 3, 32 MB of RAM for Windows 98 and 64 MB of Ram for Windows NT, 50 MB of available hard-disk space, and a CD-ROM drive.

GoLive's features are described on Adobe's web site of www.adobe.com in a few PDF documents. Some of the key features are: WYSIWYG cascading style sheets, Dynamic HTML with a time line editor, increased visual layout and site management control which includes the ability to view both link and navigational hierarchy, ability to visually check and repair broken links, ability to maintain links for QuickTime and ShockWave or Flash files, ability to spell check either a whole document or a part, and the ability to work with multiple sites. Other features include the ability to read and preserve ASP and XML code; read, write, and edit unrecognized tags; see the HTML backbone of a web page in outline view; check HTML syntax for compatibility with different browsers; create JavaScripts; and through Apple's WebObject 4 software create fully integrated dynamic web sites. The list of features found in GoLive is much more inclusive than presented here. I strongly recommend perusing the Adobe site and downloading the PDF files that I have discussed. In addition, one can download a trial version of GoLive.

Included with the software is a detailed User Guide and a Quick Reference card. There is also a tour or tutorial included in the User Guide. To better acquaint myself with the program, I followed the tutorial. Initially, I found the tutorial to be a little confusing. This involved more the way in which it was written than in completing the actual steps to create a web site.

The program is designed to be very visual. Pop-out text names all of the objects on the various screens, especially the palettes. I found certain simple aspects such as the layout grid to be very beneficial. Once I started laying out a simple page through the tutorial, I found that I had much more control even in these simple maneuvers than I had had with other web creation programs. I wished I had had this at my disposal when I was setting up my own web site especially in relation to displaying my art work.

I did however find what others have already discovered that GoLive 4 for Windows does have some bugs. Since I review software all the time, this is not unusual. Many reviwers refer to the first release of a product as a Beta release. In essence, since this is the first time this program has been available to windows, I look at it as a version 1 release. While I expect to encounter bugs, I do not like them to appear in the tutorial. I feel that at least a tutorial should be bug free and any bugs discovered while writing the tutorial should be fixed or at least noted in a "readme" type of file. However, Adobe does offers a method to try to ascertain whether a problem is isolated or common. Adobe has among other services on its web site User to User forums for their products. All one needs to do to connect to one is to register with a name and password.

When I was following the tutorial, for example, I could not find the Document Layout Controller. I went to the forum and found that I was not alone. In Windows it cannot be opened as stated in the tutorial. However, I did find the workaround in this forum as well as finding workarounds for other problems. If there are going to be bugs, at least Adobe offers this forum.

This program is extremely powerful and I honestly say after using some other recognized web building programs that I really like it and recommend it especially if one is planning on designing multiple web sites.While the learning curve is steep, I feel learning this program is very worth while.

Even though GoLive is geared toward those individuals who constantly build and maintain web sites, I believe that this program can be used equally well by others. The main difference would be in how much of the program would be utilized. Even for very simple maneuvers that would not go much beyond the tutorial, this software would be an excellent choice for a web building program. See the accompanying file, golive.jpg, in the August edition of the I/O Port on the TCS web site at http://www.tcs.org/ioport/aug99/golive.htm

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