Dreamweaver MX 2004 Bible

Rating:
Summary: It Tells You What You Need to Know
Review: As always, the Bible series of Computer Tech books are the best. They are written with the user in mind and are very clear and precise while covering everything about the subject. I wouldn't presume to start a new software program without my Bible!

Rating:
Summary: DreamweavX 2004
Review: As always, the Bible series of Computer Tech books are the best. They are written with the user in mind and are very clear and precise while covering everything about the subject. I wouldn't presume to start a new software program without my Bible!

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive
Review: HTML was originally meant for programmers, so that they could easily put up a simple web page. But as HTML reached out to a wider audience, it attracted those who hailed from graphics design. It is to people like these that Dreamweaver is suited for. This massive text goes into the many details of the latest version. Its size is mute testament to the power and success of the program.

Lowery describes the intuitive refinements in this wysiwig and drag and drop environment. Like when filling in a hyperlink inside a page. Suppose this refers to another file on your computer. Instead of manually typing in that file's path, you can drag the mouse to any file visible to Dreamweaver. Much simpler and less error-prone. The latter of course helps improve the quality of the final pages.

As shown by Lowery, Dreamweaver is to HTML editing what Photoshop is to digital image editing.

Another useful attraction of the book is the CD with a trial version of Dreamweaver. So you don't even need to buy a Dreamweaver to use the book.

Rating:
Summary: It Tells You What You Need to Know
Review: I'm a Multimedia major and for my Web Design class, I often had to look up various things and figure out how to do them. What I love about this book is that I can turn to either the table of contents or the index and find exactly what I need to know! Perfect for me, since sometimes I forget what I learned in class and need a pick-me-up to get me started. I've started web designing when I was 16 and I've recently got into Dreamweaver because this book makes it easy and fun and . . . I'm still not done exploring it! If someone like me can learn Dreamweaver, you can too.

Rating:
Summary: Best way to jump into Dreamweaver
Review: I've been using the Dreamweaver Bible series of books for years, all the way back to Dreamweaver 2.0. They are perfect for my needs. I dip into them whenever I want more information about a particular feature.

Although the books say they can be used by someone who is new to Web site design, I think you need a little background before using these books. (I mean, what do the descriptions of XML or JavaScript mean if you don't already know what they are?)

The best features of these books are:

1) Tour of the Dreamweaver user interface. This is handy whether you are moving to a new version of Dreamweaver or have never used it before. You get a good introduction to all the basic features.

2) In-depth discussions of Dreamweaver features. Not only do you get the information on how to use Dreamweaver features, but also very complete discussions of why and when to use them. This is the kind of knowledgeable information you just don't get in a user manual from the manufacturer.

3) Tips and guidelines. Very useful hints on overcoming common problems. For example, a sidebar on overcoming line spacing difficulties gives four different workarounds for adjusting line spacing.

By the way, the author, Joe Lowery, has a reputation for being a great Dreamweaver resource, willing to help with technical problems and a very nice guy. His Web site has lots of links to Dreamweaver sites: http://www.idest.com/dreamweaver/. However, it looks like the site has not been updated in a while, so I hope he is not out of the business.

Rating:
Summary: Wow! That's what I call a Bible!
Review: This Bible is an excellent example for how to write a book, which is simply the best for the novice up to the experienced professionals. As a Web-Designer and -Publisher, I've read quite a lot of other books about Macromedia software, especially about Dreamweaver, in german and english. In the Dreamweaver MX 2004 Bible You'll find all of the programm's capabilities. HTML-Authoring and coding, designing WebSites, developing Web applications with ASP.NET, JSP, PHP or Macromedia's own ColdFusion: It's all covered in depth without losing the focus.
For a german Webdesigner it's time to learn English (because this book won't be translated: Sad enough...):
If not for this book, why then?
Most excellent, Mr. Lowery: Kotau!

Rating:
Summary: Teaches Antiquated Programming Style
Review: While this book seems fairly comprehensive in terms of covering Dreamweaver's features, the author still hasn't grasped how to do modern, standards-based web design. He encourages people to use non-semantic markup ("I'm also fond of the <blockquote> tag, which indents text by a browser-defined amount...") and to abuse whiz-bang technologies in ways that make sites less usable and accessible ("Flash Button objects are great for quickly turning out a professional quality navigation system"). If you need a reference for how to accomplish a particular task in Dreamweaver MX 2004, this book may be a good choice, but if you're seeking advice on designing a web page, please look elsewhere.