Creating a website with freeware
I began my site with HomeSite 5, a cheap HTML text editor, WS-FTP for file transfer and a free Geocities site. I've replaced HomeSite with freeware (TSW WebCoder 5) and WS-FTP with Core FTP Lite. I process images with Paint Shop Pro and capture images with SnagIt. IrfanView and Easycapture are good freeware for image processing and screen capture respectively.
For a free web site check here or here. You get up to 100Mb. My Geocities site has only 15Mb, which is OK since I use mostly text. If you're image heavy you'll need more. Free sites normally incorporate advertising. For posting lots of family pictures, consider a separate site.
Download programs from CNET downloads. I searched various categories for highly rated, free programs. Before downloading a program check out what it actually does. Not all programs in a given category do everything.
To begin with you need an HTML editor. This inserts code and toggles between code and the actual page. You can insert code from a menu and even write your own tags. I prefer a hand coder. It minimizes code and lets me know exactly what I'm doing. After I insert code I toggle to make sure it's done what I thought it would do. TSW Web Coder 5 is similar to HomeSite. In many ways (including cost) it's better - some suggestions for first time users. HTML basics for HTML beginners. More recently I've found the freeware version is no longer available. I've gone to HTML-Kit. If you're looking for a wysiwyg editor (similar to frontpage) check out Nvu.
My Geocities site has a proprietary file transfer protocol. Most sites require an FTP (file transfer protocol) program. I recommend ftp for convenience. Core FTP Lite works well. You begin with a site manager dialog box. Enter site address, user name and password as well as the folders you're transferring from and to. Clicking "connect" displays "from" and "to" directories. Simply highlight a folder and click the arrow to move it from one side to the other. The directories display dates that files were created so you know which are new and which are old. Be careful not to replace new files for old (unless you intend to).
Irfanview converts picture file formats, crops pictures and changes dimensions (see web tutorial). You'll need to learn about file formats (.bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png)
Easycapture captures images (or parts thereof) from your computer screen. Edit these with Irfanview or incorporate them directly into a web site.
