Make a website for free #1
This entry was posted on October 5, 2007
Who said making websites had to be expensive? Not me! I, like many other people, are what you could call a “cheapskate” meaning that if I had a choice between doing something for free, or paying for it, I’d take the free option.
These days free doesn’t always mean bad. On the contrary, free is actually very good, especially where web design is concerned. Of course, I’m not slating anyone that pays for their tools, because there are some very good (and expensive) tools out there that do wonders. However, if you’re like me then you probably can’t afford the price of Photoshop or Dreamweaver.
So what tools are there out there we can use for free to create websites? Here I’ll list three of my favourites pieces of software.
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
Don’t let the GIMP’s website or name fool you; it’s actually a very powerful image-editing tool, and has been compared to Photoshop on more than one occasion. Think about that for a second - all the features of Photoshop, but with a price tag of £0.00. The GIMP and Photoshop are different in many ways but they both allow you to create all the imagery you’ll need for your website.
Notepad++ is a free source code editor (and Notepad replacement), which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment.
I like to write all of my markup by hand, and when using HTML / CSS trusty Microsoft Notepad was enough for me. Since I started learning PHP and mySQL, I have found the “syntax highlighting” feature of Notepad++ to be invaluable. It colour-codes the languages and the parts of the languages (tags, comments, functions, etc) to help you easily see which part is which. This is especially useful when it comes to finding mistakes in the markup.
Firefox is an “award-winning Web browser from Mozilla [which] is now even faster, more secure, and totally customizable to your online life.”
I could write a thousand words on why you should use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, but I think that’s a discussion for another time. Firefox is a modern browser which supports web standards. It will be more than beneficial when honing your design skills. There are also several “add-ons” to the browser which will help you create your websites : webdeveloper toolbar, firebug, and screengrab are a few of my favourites.
So there we have it: three absolutely free pieces of software to get you started in your new life as a web designer. Whether you go on to find a job as a web designer or whether you want to change the layout on your blog, you should find these tools invaluable.
25 lovely people have commented
You pretty much mentioned all the tools I use for keeping my site in order. Though nowadays I use Bluefish (it’s free too) instead of Notepad (I used that when I still had Windows).
For me “webdesigning” more a hobby so I’ve never seen reason to buy expensive programs when I can have good ones for free. But on the other hand all those programs are very useful even if you’re pro. And GIMP and Bluefish are both open source, I think Notepad++ is also.
I already use Firefox and Notepad++, and I’ve tried Gimp (ditched it as soon as I got Photoshop).
I agree; free is good 
I didn’t personally pay for anything site-related.
Now all I need would be guidance on how to get a free computer to run these awesome programs
^ I’ll see what I can do.
‘course, you could always employ the amazingness that is Bittorent and *download* Photoshop, but that would be stealing, right?
Right.
On a different note - I never knew about GIMP or Notepad++, so I will definitely have to check those out. Thanks for the recommendations.
Paint.net is also a very good free graphics editor for Windows. I use it for all my designs, all the time.
I definitely also agree with Firefox and Notepad ++.
Other programs I agree with are Filezilla (I like 2.32, rather than the new 3.0 but… (FTP), and XAMPP (local server to test files before publishing)
^ You’re most welcome.
And I would never ever promote the illegal downloading of software / music / pictures.
I have Photoshop and FF already, and Notepad++ sounds really good. It’s in my lineup of IE (long story) tabs right now. I, too, am a major cheapskate, so this has been verrrry helpful.
@Daniel - I’ll be talking about XAMPP in the next part in this series.
@Clem - glad to be of service. Keep your eyes out for more freebies.
Ooo very useful. My notebook already has FireFox but I might try the others. Thanks :).
I’ve been using Dreamweaver’s code mode to hand type my code but it’s such a bulky program. *runs off to download Notepad++*
I already have (and love) the GIMP, and Notepad++ sounds cool. *makes mental note to download later*
Thanks for your suggestions!
I tried using GIMP in school before. I was completely stuck I didn’t even know how to paste a screenshot on a new layer. Damn thing. I use Notepad++ though. And we all know Firefox is godly.
The GIMP is love! The new version is supposed to be a lot more user-friendly than the old one was too (particularly when it comes to selections), and I think there’s also a port for Photoshop users (I forget what it’s called, but it’s out there) that makes it a lot easier to migrate since the GUIs are somewhat different — anyway, people shouldn’t despair because they don’t “get it” the first time around.
Of course, I used the GIMP before I ever touched Photoshop, so what do I know >.>
Would you consider GIMP better than Paint Shop Pro 9? I have PSP9, but I’m still a horrible graphics maker and I’m wondering if I should try GIMP.
^ I’ve never used Paint Shop Pro, but GIMP is what I would call “damn good” for something with a price tag of £0.00. Of course, it’s only going to be as good as the person using it.
Yes, that’s true. Are there any good tutorials for it? Because there are almost no worthwhile tutorials for PSP because almost everyone has Photoshop.
@Hanna: You’ve convinced me. I’m downloading GIMP asap.
^ You mean *I* didn’t manage to convince you? *sadface*
You convinced me 99%. But Hanna’s link brought me up to 100%.
I just downloaded notepad++ and it’s absolutely awesome! *huggles Rachael*
I downloaded the GIMP because of this post but I hate it. I can’t do anything on it. I couldn’t even get it to un-select something.
NotePad++ is great but i believe if you can afford, get DreamWeaver 8. Its really fast and great 
but if you do have a short budget then NotePad++ is a must!
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Aisling said:
Cool! Free! I’ve never used GIMP, but I have Photoshop, which was bought for me, so technically free. Maybe I’ll give it a go though for fun’s sake. I luurve Firefox, but my mom thinks it’s crap and refuses to listen to my reasons that prove it’s better than IE in all ways. *sigghhh* And I do all of my coding straight on a Blogger test account, so I can make sure that everything works as I go along, because Blogger is so picky.