I'm using Frontpage 2003 because " the price was right". I hear dreamweaver is better, but I won't pay the price. I'm learning still but frontpage does work for me. Right now, all I'm using for a site is one of their templates. Check out
www.airbostongraphics.com to see what I've put together. According to the latest book I bought Missing Manual for Frontpage 2003, MS Frontpage gets a bad wrap and the 2003 and later versions are comparable to dreamweaver and such.
There is a book out... Creating Webpages for Dummies. It comes with a CD that has (if I remember correctly) 4 trial web developer programs. With this you can try before you plunk down your money.