WYSIWG Web editor recommendations

irlrobins · 02-04-2013 8:16pm #1

Hey all,

Last year I set up a basic website for my mother in law for her home business. Just a couple of pages with text and images. I wrote the HTML in notepad and then just ftp'd it up to host server.

For the record, she's not tech savvy at all.

She's since started a blog and has got it in her head that since blogger offers a nice WYSIWYG editing system, all websites also offer this. So she wants to be able to edit this site and a new one herself.

I know she won't be able to write the most basic of HTML and FTP it up. So is there any open source (windows) WYSIWYG web editors that include FTP client that are easy enough to use?

strandroad · 02-04-2013 8:18pm

She needs a simple CMS-based site rather than an editor, she can then edit the content of pages herself when she logs in to its admin panel. Look up Wordpress etc.

irlrobins · 02-04-2013 8:20pm

Don't want to go down the route of CMS.

croo · 03-04-2013 6:08am

WWW.kompozer.net

EDIT: Sorry I didn't read closely. kompozer is not a web based editor but and editor of web sites (html etc)

tricky D · 03-04-2013 12:04pm

PageLime and CushyCMS can sit 'on top' of an existing static type site (within reason). You just set up the ftp and editable areas by just adding a class and off you go.

stevenmu · 03-04-2013 5:15pm

Not open source, but Microsoft's Visual Studio Express for Web is a great editor, and you should be able to set it up so that she can edit and test things locally and then easily publish up to the server when she's happy with it.

ChRoMe · 03-04-2013 5:39pm

irlrobins wrote: »

Don't want to go down the route of CMS.

For the love of god listen to mhge, this is the exact use case that Wordpress is designed for.

irlrobins · 03-04-2013 7:18pm

ChRoMe wrote: »

For the love of god listen to mhge, this is the exact use case that Wordpress is designed for.

Two reasons for not using CMS:
1) Security. Wordpress, Joomla, etc would require updating to ensure sites are secure and not vulnerable to exploits. She is not capable of installing such updates so would fall to me to do it. I'm trying to avoid having to continuously support the sites.
2) Many CMS offer a range of functions. This will either baffle her or she'll start experimenting with new features and ill be back supporting.

I'm well aware of the advantages of CMS apps, I'm not a novice. I've done my evaluation based on requirements, hence looking for a WYSIWG editor.

mwrf · 03-04-2013 9:59pm

Google sites is easy to use.

http://sites.google.com

irlrobins · 04-04-2013 12:11am

I'm looking for an editor, not hosting.

Kompozer is worth a look, thanks croo

Trojan · 04-04-2013 1:01am

Wow....

Set the site up on WordPress, make the user either an author (best) or an editor if they need to publish Pages (as well as edit Pages and publish Posts). Set up minimum plugins and use either WP Remote and Manage WP to ensure it's always up to date, and charge appropriately (or explain the consequences).

(If it's your mum or your granny, suck it up and do it for free, that's the rules.)

That is significantly better than giving a non-techie access to a static HTML site with an editor of any kind.

smcelhinney · 04-04-2013 2:53pm

Echo everything everyone has said about Wordpress. Having said that, if it's overkill try http://grabaperch.com/.

lynchie · 05-04-2013 12:58pm

irlrobins wrote: »

I'm looking for an editor, not hosting.

Kompozer is worth a look, thanks croo

tinymce?

WYSIWG Web editor recommendations

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