FrontPage Technology Intelligence

What is FrontPage?

Microsoft FrontPage was a WYSIWYG HTML editor and website management tool that was part of Microsoft Office suite. It allowed users to create and manage websites without extensive coding knowledge, making web publishing accessible to the average Office user.

Originally developed by Vermeer Technologies and acquired by Microsoft in 1996, FrontPage became one of the most widely used web design tools during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Microsoft discontinued FrontPage in 2003, replacing it with Microsoft Expression Web (also discontinued) and later SharePoint Designer for intranet applications. While FrontPage is no longer available, its legacy lives on in millions of websites created during its era.

Historical Features

Visual Editing

• WYSIWYG Editor: Visual page design similar to Word
• Themes: Pre-designed visual styles for consistent appearance
• Navigation View: Visual site structure management
• Tables: Layout using HTML tables (pre-CSS era standard)
• Forms: Visual form builder with validation

FrontPage Server Extensions

• Form Handling: Server-side form processing without CGI scripts
• Search: Built-in site search functionality
• Counters: Page hit counters
• Discussion Boards: Simple forum functionality
• Publishing: Direct upload to web servers

Web Bots

Automated components that added dynamic functionality without coding:

• Include Bot for reusable content
• Timestamp Bot for page dates
• Table of Contents Bot
• Banner Ad Manager

Site Management

Reports view showed broken links, slow pages, and recently changed files. Hyperlinks view displayed site link structure graphically.

Historical Use Cases

Small Business Websites

Small businesses created their first websites using FrontPage's familiar Office interface. The low barrier to entry enabled business owners to establish web presence without hiring developers.

Personal Home Pages

The personal website boom of the late 90s saw countless "home pages" created in FrontPage. GeoCities, Angelfire, and Tripod hosted millions of FrontPage-created sites.

Educational Institutions

Schools taught web design using FrontPage due to its Office integration and accessibility. Many computer literacy courses included FrontPage as their web design component.

Corporate Intranets

FrontPage Server Extensions enabled non-technical staff to publish internal content. Many early intranets were built and maintained using FrontPage.

Club and Organization Sites

Volunteer-run organizations created websites using FrontPage without needing technical expertise. Churches, clubs, and community groups maintained their own sites.

Identifying FrontPage Sites

Websites created with FrontPage often contain telltale signatures in their HTML code.

Meta Generator Tag

<!-- FrontPage signature in HTML -->
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 6.0">
<meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">

FrontPage Comments

<!-- WebBot commands in HTML -->
<!--webbot bot="Include" u-include="header.htm" tag="BODY" -->
<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" s-type="EDITED" s-format="%m/%d/%y" -->
<!--webbot bot="Navigation" -->

File Structure Indicators

Common FrontPage directories:
/_private/
/_vti_bin/
/_vti_cnf/
/_vti_log/
/_vti_pvt/
/_vti_txt/

These contain FrontPage Server Extension data

Legacy Code Patterns

<!-- Table-based layout typical of FrontPage era -->
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
    <tr>
        <td width="150" valign="top"><!-- Navigation --></td>
        <td valign="top"><!-- Content --></td>
    </tr>
</table>

<!-- FrontPage themes often used -->
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_themes/capsules/caps1011.css">

Legacy and Migration

Discontinuation Timeline

• 2003: FrontPage 2003 released (final version)
• 2006: Microsoft announces discontinuation
• 2007: Expression Web released as successor
• 2012: Expression Web discontinued
• 2014: SharePoint Designer discontinued

Migration Challenges

• FrontPage Server Extensions no longer widely supported
• WebBot functionality requires replacement with modern solutions
• Table-based layouts need conversion to CSS
• Themes and navigation components need updating
• Form handlers need replacement

Migration Paths

• CMS Migration: Move content to WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal
• Static Site: Rebuild with modern static site generators
• Website Builders: Recreate with Wix, Squarespace, or Webflow
• Complete Rebuild: Modern development with responsive design

Historical Impact

FrontPage democratized web publishing, enabling millions to create websites without coding. Its influence on web accessibility and the proliferation of small business websites during the early web era was significant, even as its technical limitations (especially non-standard HTML) drew criticism from web standards advocates.