I started out with MS Front Page way back in 1998. It really opened things up for me. Back then I was using FrontPage 98 version of the software, which is a lot different from the current version, I am sure. I upgraded to FrontPage 2000 and didn’t like it very much (it seemed more difficult to get pages to publish for whatever reason).
I changed over to Dreamweaver several years ago and would recommend Dreamweaver to FrontPage. However, I still have fond memories of FrontPage, and I did get a lot of web work done with it.
If you are looking for a bargain in web design software, Dreamweaver 3 is an older, but still decent, version of the software. Also, check out HTML Goodies, which will teach you to code web pages from scratch. Even if you decide to use web design software, it’s a really good idea to also know how to edit “what’s under the hood,” and seriously, basic HTML isn’t that difficult. The UBB coding that we do on these boards is very similar to HTML (which is no coincidence, of course).