IF THE computer jargons FTP and HTML resemble some form of Greek language to you and the idea of web publishing daunts you to the point of inaction, then Apple's iWeb '08 may be the answer to your woes.

The program boasts an almost 'no-brainer', highly graphical interface which offers first-time website authors a quick way to dip their fingers into what would sometimes be a confusing world of internet publishing, bogged by terminology and steep learning curves.

Simplicity of use, however, does not come at the price of amateurish, non-attractive results. iWeb '08 is chock-full of sophisticated looking templates that are paralleled in functionality as well - visitors to your webpage are able to view photo slideshows, browse through archives, post comments and subscribe to RSS feeds.

Essentially, the designers of iWeb '08 have aggregated what most web authors would want on their sites - blogs, video galleries and photo albums - and have ingeniously integrated these demands with the other iLife '08 programs like iPhoto, iMovie and iTunes.

26 ready-to-use themes to suit every mood and age group

Themes and pages: the canvas to paint on

iWeb features 26 stunning themes, including eight brand new ones for the '08 version. From the simple 'plain-jane', no-frills "White" to the superhero quirkiness of "Comic" - the themes encompass a whole spectrum of moods for different age groups.

Within each theme are prototype pages - "Welcome", "About Me", "Photos", "My Albums", "Movie", "Blog", "Podcast" and "Blank" - templates which have pre-designated placeholders (or positions) for text, pictures, videos, and photo albums.

To help you better visualize the layout of your pages, iWeb had assiduously filled in gibberish text and great-looking sample pictures on every template page. Double-click to edit the mumbo-jumbo text and replace the sample pictures by dragging in your own - simple!

The great thing about these templates is how neat they are. Header and body font sizes and styles match the themes well and pictures frames are stylishly cropped. New pages can be chosen across themes - starting a website on one theme does not constrain you to just one particular look and feel.

Whenever you add a new page, the navigation bar on the top of the site automatically accounts for it. Rearranging or renaming the items is performed by manipulating the pages shown on the 'parent-child' hierarchy in the left tool bar, akin to how folders are controlled on a Windows Explorer platform.

Drag-and-drop a photo album from iPhoto directly onto the "My Albums" page and watch as a gallery complete with thumbnails and slideshow is created

The media browser: your palette of paint

If themes and template pages are the 'canvas' on which your webpage is created on, then the media browser is the 'palette of paint' by which you add your photos, videos and podcasts to the pages.

This nifty device lets you browse through your entire iLife catalogue and uses a drag-and-drop function to add items to your pages.

Try adding a "My Albums" page, which is an index page for managing your photo albums and videos so your site visitors can have easy access to them. With your media browser, select an existing iPhoto album and drag it onto the page.

Watch with bated breath as a new photo gallery page for that album is instantly created, complete with thumbnails and a slideshow for visitors. The look and feel of the albums and individual photos are easily customizable - have your album look rustic with a hard-bound cover, or have your pictures pinned up with white edges.

The spacing, columns, and captions of the albums and photos can also be altered. When on the "My Albums" page, a mouse-over any individual album will give an impressive looking preview of the photos contained within.

Inspector gadget

Another clever device in iWeb is the Inspector function, which contains nine little tools to help manipulate the objects on your pages.

For example, to make a series of words a link, just drag over the desired text and select the hyperlink tool. Check the "Enable as a hyperlink" box and choose whether you want the selection to be linked to a file, web address or an email account. The format section will determine how the words will appear as a "normal", "rollover", "visited" or "disabled" link.

The Inspector tool allows you to quickly change fonts, edit the start-stop portions of videos, manipulate graphics and much more. The only problem with Inspector is that it always remains on the last used tool, which can create some confusion for the less experienced user.

In other words, if I was editing some word spacing and employing the text tool, after I was done and I clicked on a video to work on that, the default tool would still be the text one.

Apple could possibly think of a slightly more intuitive Inspector for the next iWeb.

Blogging is a breeze with automated archiving, RSS subscriptions and stylish designs

I rant therefore I am

iWeb's blogging tool boasts sophisticated looking designs and an automatic archive and summary function - the former an index listing of all the entries, and the latter for the blog's landing page, with the latest entry right on top.

RSS subscription and a search function are also incorporated into the blog tool, so there is no twiddling with web language to get these elements in.

Time to show the world: One-step publishing with .Mac

iWeb offers an FTP function for those who have their own servers to upload their content to, but the really easy way is to apply for a .Mac account and publish through that medium.

.Mac is available on a 60-day trial, following which subscriptions are paid on a yearly basis, but it offers instant, hassle-free publishing of your website with just one-click. Everything ranging from photos and videos are uploaded to the server in the background - all you need to do is go to the 'live' address and enjoy your creation!

Final words

iWeb '08 is perfect for the hard-core Mac user who uses the iLife suite of programs extensively. The integration is seamless - saving hair-pulling problems of compatibility - if your iPhoto, iTunes or iMovie can play it, then it most certainly will work on your web page.

The themes and template pages are stylishly designed and ready for use at once - offering first-time web authors instant satisfaction and gratification at seeing their creations on the internet.

For the extremely creative individuals, iWeb has probably done 'too much' in the sense of laying out the pages down to narrowest details. Freedom for creative design is limited by the fact that everything is so cleanly laid out, leaving little for the mind to explore and overhaul.