Why hand code and not WYSIWYG?

Biggest reason is you have zero control over the code that's actually being written. This can lead to things not working well, unnecessary code, slower pages, poor SEO...the list goes on. You're also very limited by what you can do. Yes they're getting more advanced but you've got to think, the frameworks and software were all hand coded. You want to get to the core of the code so you can write exactly what you need.

Of course, if you find it suits your needs then use it but, you can't sell your services when you're using something that takes little skill and a prospective client can do exactly what you're doing. Coding is a skill and that's what people pay for. You take that away and you've got nothing to sell.

I think there is nothing wrong with WYSIWYG development -- AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON! Understanding what the program does behind the scenes is crucial and gives you the power to manipulate your code. If you don't understand what's going on, and are using WYSIWYG precisely because of that, then it's the wrong reason and you will likely hurt yourself in the long run.

Also, you need to understand that while coding with WYSIWYG may be faster for the development process, maintenance can easily become a nightmare. As such, it is often less work to code things yourself -- or at least code with a textual IDE that gives you graphical previews. Coda 2 by Panic is one such IDE where you can have a live preview as you code. You'll be a better developer for it, and also understand the in's and outs of your app much better.

Don't get me wrong, I used to use Dreamweaver as my WYSIWYG development platform, and I asked the same question as well: why not WYSIWYG? It didn't take me long to find out that it is very limiting, and eventually always caused me to redo my work without WYSIWYG to get around the barriers in functionality.

Sites like Weebly are limiting in their functionality -- you can only do what they let you. The same goes for hosted Wordpress sites. However, if you run your own Wordpress site, you can use plugins that others have made, as well as create your own functionality to extend it exactly as you need it. The world becomes open and free. With WYSIWYG you are always kept within the confines if its environment, and aren't truly free. :)

So, while I don't think WYSIWYG is right either (it's a "meh" thing), it can be a tool to get something started quickly, giving you time to refocus and create exactly what you need for the long run.

I agree with the comments about WYSIWIG sometimes producing bad code, I think if you learn code (programming or markup) really well, and learn a framework (like bootstrap for example), you can move just as fast as a wysiwig, have more control, and produce good products.

I saw a local help wanted ad on Craigslist a few days ago. The guy needed somebody to untie the tangled knot he had created in his coding for a website. When viewing the page source, I saw things like two different open head elements (neither of which was closed) and a mix of different WYSIWYG shortcuts on top of each other. He obviously was relying on not knowing any hand coding.

I think the answer is knowing what to do when the auto coding doesn't do it right.

That said, I'm learning the Zurb Foundation framework these days. So far, it seems like the perfect mix of the control of hand coding, but without the slowness.

I do both, depending on what I'm trying to do. On wordpress, I choose a simple template and then I tweak it to my heart's desire. I can do that because I know enough CSS and php to play with it without breaking anything up, usually.

You could do the same. Get the basics done on your WYSISIG app and then modify the code, polishing it and modifying it to your needs. If you are concerned about SEO (and who isn't?) you could go through the generated code and see how you can improve it in that regard. Or if it doesn't produce accessible content, then rectify that up.

I choose to hand code because it gives me an understanding of how everything works. If there is a problem I can generally identify it without too much trouble. At the same time I can be in control of aspects such as browser compatibility and create fall-backs as necessary.

I think WYSIWYG tools are very empowering for people just starting out, I see many people who have used something like Sqaurespace and become more curious about coding as a result. I was reading about Macaw earlier which would be interesting if it is able to accomplish all it promises.

Macaw isn't out yet, so I haven't played with it first hand, however I did check the html/css that the demo spits out. I thought it was really solid code. However, what it can't do it slice up its output into a cms, and I don't think it handles animations. So it's not a totally magic tool, but a very solid one.

I checked back on the macaw site, it CAN do some jquery.