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HTML street fight
By H. Cunningham
(6/18/03)
Hard-core HTML coders used to insist they only needed Notepad; but with more full-featured freeware available, there's no reason not to let a dedicated HTML editor do the heavy lifting for you. In this match, up-and-comer AceHTML 5.08 squares off against champion HTML Kit 1.0 for a shot at the title of best HTML editor and a slot on your PC. Our two luchadores have brawn and then some to help you code your way to greatness. But who will watch your back best when it comes to syntax sniping and validation ambushes?
Interface
Both of these competitors have charisma and ring presence to spare. While challenger AceHTMLs interface looks a bit busier and less easy on the eyes than the smooth style of HTML Kit, all the most useful tools are right out on display in a highly customizable workspace. AceHTMLs tabbed display is particularly useful, letting you jump to tool icons grouped by use as well as to your projects. Gearing up for a fight from the get-go, HTML Kit opens with a wizard that helps you customize workspace preferences and gives you the option of creating HTML file associations to enable right-click editing functionality from Windows. As easily adaptable as its competitor, HTML Kit lets you winnow down its overwhelming choices to create the most functional space for coding. Nobody wins the beauty contest, as each opponent delivers a flexible and useful interface.
Efficacy
Coming in at 8.5MB, a little under AceHTML's 10MB, HTML Kit goes blow for blow in powering out basic HTML editing functions and throws in extra scripting language functionality that makes it the justly feared champion. But challenger AceHTML sneaks in a few surprise maneuvers that even up the odds against feature-rich crowd favorite HTML Kit. While both boast excellent code inspectors, AceHTML wristlocks items in its error reports, letting you right-click them to go directly to the line for editing. And for coders with more than a few spoken languages under their belts, AceHTML supports more foreign language encoding. While champion HTML Kit has it all over the challenger in features and extensions, AceHTML covers its cup and justifies its weight better by having an extensive and useful help library, where as HTML Kit earns boos from the crowd for an online-only help database.
Features
Even though our competitors are street-fighter HTML editors, not generators in the WYSIWYG sumo class, each steps up with features that let you follow the action by sight. AceHTML sports a great internal browser feature to show where its blows have landed and lets you easily switch back and forth between source editing and browser viewing. Champion HTML Kit offers the rough but useful prototype pad tool with some WYSIWYG script-generating functionality. For page maintenance and updating, both luchadores can do global search-and-replace, but HTML Kit goes one better with more batch action features. When youre done beating your code into submission, HTML Kit can automatically upload via FTP, which AceHTML does only with a downloadable plug-in. Though AceHTML fights back with an easy-to-use paste-as-HTML feature, the round goes to champion HTML Kit, which wins for most extendable program with its plug-in-generating tool for any customized extras you might have missed.
Quality
Both HTML Kit and AceHTML start strong out of the corners, installing flawlessly. But where HTML Kit takes its time sussing out the ring by running a setup wizard to customize your workspace, AceHTML strolls down the ramp, redirecting you to its registration home page. Not so concerned with the autographs, HTML Kit immediately gets down to brass tacks, letting you pick and choose easily from its arsenal of components for installation. Once they start swinging, these guerreros both do their bit like pros; and like real pros they know how to quit when they are told, packing in complete uninstallers for when its towel-throwin time.
The winner
Either luchadore would be a good choice to back you in a coding fight. But lighter, meaner HTML Kit is the favorite for good reason, despite the rookie maneuver with the help file. AceHTML packs a ferocious wallop, but for pound-for-pound code editing, the match goes by decision to HTML Kit.
H. Cunningham, a frequent contributor to CNET, is a freelance Web designer working primarily to keep her Chihuahua in furs.
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