Website Development Software

[kristian221]

I am trying to get a website up and running that will hold information, guides, updates, screenshots, and other information about the games I make. Sort of an E-portfolio but with other various goodies for those who enjoy the games. I know the obvious solution is to just grab a book on web programming but between school and several projects I am working on I just don't have time at the moment. Does anyone know of any good free web development tools? I already am using ipage as my web hosting and mediafire as my file hosting (both paid services) so I don't have any more cash to throw around in my budget. I liked the drag and drop interface of the website designer in ipage but it only allows for 6 pages, and to get more it would start getting expensive. Much thanks for anyone who read all this!

EDIT: The kind of interface I am looking to make: Skistad Studios

 

[hokiealumnus]

I'd use Wordpress. iPage has a one-click wordpress install and there are thousands of wordpress themes to choose from, which you can customize to your heart's content. We use it here on our frontpage and I use it on any site I administer.

I will warn you though, iPage's database performance is abysmal. If they weren't so cheap (or if I were using it for something other than a small personal site), I'd drop them like a bad habit. I use iPage for my site and 1&1 for an organizational site I administer. 1&1 kicks the crap out of iPage. It's more expensive and not worth it for my personal use, but if you plan on using it professionally, 1&1 is by far a better host.

 

[kristian221]

I'd use Wordpress. iPage has a one-click wordpress install and there are thousands of wordpress themes to choose from, which you can customize to your heart's content. We use it here on our frontpage and I use it on any site I administer. I will warn you though, iPage's database performance is abysmal. If they weren't so cheap (or if I were using it for something other than a small personal site), I'd drop them like a bad habit.

Yeah I went with them for the price tag of $12 a year. I was trying to use Wordpress but it really seems like it is more for blogging, I can't seem to be able to build the website the way I want. I really wish that weebly drag and drop site builder was cheaper or would just allow more pages because it was perfect for what I wanted.

EDIT: This is what I managed to make with the Weebly editor: Skistad Studios
It is pretty much exactly what I am looking for. A left hand navigation menu, a list containing all my projects with a brief description and link to the proper page, a full page for every project containing several sections.