Chapter 5

Exploring Editors, Browsers, and FTP

In This Chapter

Choosing the right text editor

Discovering different browsers and tools

Choosing an FTP client

Establishing FTP on your hosting account

Connecting to your Web server and transferring files with FTP

I started in Web design in 1998 and have learned a great many things during my journey through designing my little corner of the Web. One thing that’s for certain is that technology moves at a pretty rapid pace, and if you’re really serious about making a career — or even a serious hobby — out of Web design, you need to keep up. Being a full-time Web designer and developer is like being back in school because you’re constantly discovering and teaching yourself new and emerging technologies.

I’ve also learned that when you sit down at the computer to begin any Web design project, large or small, it’s vital that you have the right tools at your fingertips. Having the right tools makes a world of difference in the quality, efficiency, and overall experience in designing a Web site.

In this chapter, you discover different tools for things like editing HTML, CSS, and PHP. You also explore different Web browser platforms, such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, including tools and add-ons that you can add to a browser to make it work better for your Web designing needs. Finally, you uncover the mysteries of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), including what it means, how to use it, and different types of programs that you can use.

In some cases, the tools I mention in this chapter aren’t necessarily required; however, you’ll be very thankful when you find tools that make your Web designing life a lot easier.