Microsoft discontinued support for their FrontPage web page software back in 2006. Please see this article for more information regarding this decision. This means the FrontPage web page software is no longer being updated and neither are the FrontPage server extensions.
To fully support some of the features of FrontPage such as hit counters, forms, publishing, web hosting companies such as ours had to have special software installed called FrontPage server extensions. This software allowed FrontPage to communicate with hosting servers. The problem is Microsoft has not updated these FrontPage server extensions since 2002 nor do they plan on doing so in the future.
The problem now is FrontPage server extensions are considered insecure and they are no longer compatible with newer technologies that have emerged for hosting servers. So offering FrontPage server extensions prevents us from applying the upgrades that would benefit all of our clients and therefore the decision has been made to discontinue their use.
Can I still use FrontPage to make changes to my web site?
Yes, you can. You will just not be able to use the FrontPage publishing feature or any of the features such as hit counters that requires the installation of the FrontPage server extensions. You can use FTP to publish your FrontPage web site and FrontPage 2003 has that ability. This article shows you how. Please keep in mind that only FrontPage 2003 will allow you to connect via passive FTP (needed now for DSL and Cable modem users). If you have an older version of FrontPage then you will need to use another FTP software to publish your web site. Just contact us if you need some suggestions.
Do you have any recommended replacement programs for FrontPage?
We sure do. Here is a list of some great software that you can use to build, manage and publish a web site:
1. Microsoft Expression Web
2. Adobe Dreamweaver (our personal favorite)
3. WordPress (can be installed via your cPanel)
So the end of an era has come upon us but please understand that this is a good thing. Webpage software and our hosting services has come a long way since the era of FrontPage. Moving on will be a great thing for your web site and we at EMWD.com are here to help you make that transition.
