Toy or Terrific?
by Nicholas Trescowthick
It is hard to take Splash seriously at first, with the computer game interface. But once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to use. It is a very "different" interface, with an almost full screen view and a separate window to select the function, such as text, images, background, colour scheme, table, etc.
However, I found it a bit disappointing because it doesn't have some of the functions found in other web editors, and is fairly basic.
The actual program works much like a browser. Instead of an Explorer-like directory of the site that FrontPage uses, there is a back and forward button to skip between pages. That can be more efficient in the early stages of making a site, but if you have a large site a directory tree is a much better way to get around. The tool bar also has save and open, plus a preview button and an export button. Other than these buttons, the program uses the smallest amount of space possible.
One right-click will usually bring up the options lacking on the tool bar, so that instead of having a crammed tool bar and the less useful options in the File, Edit, View, etc menubar, a simple click of the mouse shows only the applicable options. It is much more convenient and gives a larger screen to the project.
Once I got comfortable with Splash!, it was easy and quick to use and did most of what I wanted.
Although it is not the best editor just yet, I feel that it is a great concept, and with a few updates (especially some way to have an Explorer view) it may become a very good program - especially at the price!
