HTML-Kit, IMO

Over the years I've answered many questions about HTML-Kit and related subjects on support forums and by email. The following is a compilation of some of the frequently asked questions, and also some less frequently asked but hopefully more interesting questions :)

Chami.

What's HTML-Kit?: For the most part, HTML-Kit is a HTML code editor, although, it has support for many file types (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSL, JavaScript, VBScript, ASP, PHP, JSP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, VB, C/C++, .NET C#, Delphi / Pascal, Lisp, SQL, and more). In recent years it has produced other tools and services that don't necessarily fit inside a code editor. So, I guess it's reasonable to say that HTML-Kit has in a way become a collection of tools for developers.
Who created HTML-Kit?: People from many different parts of the world have written plugins and contributed to HTML-Kit. I'm not always comfortable saying I created this and that but HTML-Kit itself was developed in the USA by me, again with the support of many.
How did this start?: I remember a high school friend of mine talking about the Internet and this eventually lead to a book about the basics of how it worked (I'm not sure if it was one of the For Dummies series, but this was when the "browser-based Internet" was becoming popular). I started creating web pages using FrontPage and then learned enough to write code by hand. I had written small computer programs before so I wasn't new to programming, but there's something about transitioning to writing HTML. As you probably guessed, the hand written code was sloppy and full of incomplete tags (which were happily ignored by the few browsers).

Long story short, I eventually found HTML Tidy written by Dave Raggett. It was one of those magical utilities. Back then it didn't have a graphical user interface so I wrote a small Windows program to make it easier to run HTML code through HTML Tidy and display the result along with any errors. Dave was kind enough to add a link to it and people started to use this small interface that I wrote to help clean up my own code using Tidy. As more and more people started to use this interface, I thought about writing a new program with more functionality. Dave had also made a brief comment about how he might use a graphical program that had certain features (it was a big deal for me to hear this from him), but I didn't really think I could find the time to take it that far.

Well, little by little I eventually started to write a HTML editor. Embarrassing fact (one of many!): the first version was called "HThingy." Now you know how such a wonderfully creative name :) like "HTML-Kit" stuck. It's less worse than the first one.
Can you talk about some of the contributors you mentioned?: I'd like to, and actually I'd like to see them introduce themselves a bit. Maybe seeing this page will help. I think it's bad manners to single out a few people because many other people have also contributed by writing plugins, translating pages, helping other users, testing programs, sending feedback, registering and by generally supporting HTML-Kit efforts. Please see the thank-you page. Having said that, I suppose it's okay to thank some of the very early supporters: BillB, Ciaran, GaryM, Ignacio, Jesper, TomW, and of course Dave Raggett because his HTML Tidy got me going. Again, I'm very thankful and I hope they'll be able to get some benefit from HTML-Kit as well.
Why is HTML-Kit's version at 1.0?: HTML-Kit version numbers are not very conventional in that the version number hasn't changed with each release from 1.0 to 1.1 and so on. The build number has changed, however this number refers to the core or the Main Build.

From the start HTML-Kit was designed to be modular. This made it possible to keep the main build relatively small (currently 2.8 MB) while making it possible to pick and choose additional features. Plugins were not as popular back then but HTML-Kit's plugins interface was used to accomplish this and it's also used to provide many updates.

As the number of plugins grew (a total of over 440 at this time), it has become more difficult to represent HTML-Kit with a single version number that keeps changing with new additions. To address this, a new Updates tab was recently added to Build 292. You can get more information about these updates and other HTML-Kit happenings either by using the "Help | Check for Updates" menu option or by checking the homepage.
Aren't you just relaxing while others write plugins?: First of all, I appreciate the work plugin authors have done and their generosity in sharing their work with other HTML-Kit users. For the longest time I didn't even include my name on my plugin pages because I didn't want to take anything away from other plugin authors. However this made it difficult for newcomers to see the work and time I put into HTML-Kit and related areas. So to answer this, now you can compare the number of plugins and add-ons I've written to the overall number of plugins. I also maintain and support HTML-Kit.
Why is there a registration for HTML-Kit?: Please see the license page for details about HTML-Kit's Personal License. I didn't anticipate how HTML-Kit would grow and didn't plan on registrations in the beginning. Once it got to a certain size, the amount of time spent on it, programming tools, site maintenance, server resources and tech support started to cost more money. I paid for it with my credit card and as it maxed out later added the option to register. So that with the help of users, registrations could hopefully support these things and free up more time for further development.
I like HTML-Kit. How can I support it?: If you use HTML-Kit in your work, registering it is probably the quickest way, plus you'll get extra add-ons as a thank-you. If you tend to like programming, you could write plugins for HTML-Kit users. If you like testing software, you could download the new plugins and send feedback. If you like answering questions about website development, you could answer authoring questions. You could also display a button on your site and spread the word about HTML-Kit.
Are there books written about HTML-Kit?: No books about HTML-Kit specifically, although there are online tutorials. HTML-Kit is mentioned in HTML 4 For Dummies, 5th Edition (this was a nice surprise because I've read For Dummies series books in the beginning). Someone pointed out that it's possible to find books that mention HTML-Kit in Google Book Search (currently about 14 indexed books excluding unrelated matches). Amazon Search / Look Inside should also find some related books, but there doesn't appear to be a direct search link for this.
How many HTML-Kit users are there?: I wish I knew the answer. The only independent number I can think of is the number of downloads as counted by CNET/ZDNet sites, which is currently around 1.8+ million. Even if the download count is higher when you add the HTML-Kit site, which is the primary download site, this doesn't really say much about how many downloads are in use. The way I think of these numbers is that many users probably keep HTML-Kit in their toolbox because of plugins like HTML Tidy.
Sometimes it sounds like you're making fun of yourself and HTML-Kit. Are you?: Occasionally my replies can sound that way. If I didn't think HTML-Kit is the right tool for a particular job someone is asking about, I'd recommend other editors. Sometimes people think of this answer as too casual or showing lack of care. I know emotions don't always come across electronic forums but I don't mean it that way. This probably has to do with my sense of humor (so called anyway). Kidding aside, I very much care about HTML-Kit and appreciate the people who have supported it. But it can be bad for your health if you don't make fun of yourself and the things you do :) so sometimes I make self-deprecating jokes.

(more Q&A to be added. . .)

HTML Kit site requirements.

HTML-Kit, IMO