Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Starting Tutorial
Review: Apart from Mirroring Michael Woznicki's review, I'd have to add that this book is a pleasant gem in a field of rocks. In a market where technical texts seem to be rated by the amount of content rather than quality of content, this book is a breath of fresh air. Yes, its a bit directive but it quickly takes the reader through the process of building and then extending a web site. No fuss, no muss, no mining for nuggets. It helps if you understand the fundamentals of what a website is made up of, but those are very simple concepts that might be worth a page or two of text and illustration. And yes, there are a few small errors in the book but nothing an experienced Mac or PC user shouldn't be able to figure out. For the purposes of learning how to use Dreamweaver MX, this book excells wonderfully. BTW, the Macromedia suite of products really is a professional web development environment. If you're new to computers or web development in general I'd recommend using a product like Frontpage rather than Dreamweaver for creating your web page.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Starting Tutorial
Review: Apart from Mirroring Michael Woznicki's review, I'd have to add that this book is a pleasant gem in a field of rocks. In a market where technical texts seem to be rated by the amount of content rather than quality of content, this book is a breath of fresh air. Yes, its a bit directive but it quickly takes the reader through the process of building and then extending a web site. No fuss, no muss, no mining for nuggets. It helps if you understand the fundamentals of what a website is made up of, but those are very simple concepts that might be worth a page or two of text and illustration. And yes, there are a few small errors in the book but nothing an experienced Mac or PC user shouldn't be able to figure out. For the purposes of learning how to use Dreamweaver MX, this book excells wonderfully. BTW, the Macromedia suite of products really is a professional web development environment. If you're new to computers or web development in general I'd recommend using a product like Frontpage rather than Dreamweaver for creating your web page.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best experience in tutorial learning ever.
Review: As a beginner with little experience in website in development, I was able to make it through the tutorials very easily. By the time I completed all of the tutorials, I came away with renewed interest in pursuing more advanced DW techniques. It was certainly frustrating when I ran into a couple stumbling blocks but what made the experience some awesome was the fact that there is support for the book. It was not because the book was not written well, it was simply due to the fact that all technical books are wide open to interpretation and with my limited experience, I somehow strayed off the path set for me by the authors. Joyce Evans and Donna Casey as well as the publisher were most helpful in aiding and guiding me through the areas I had trouble with. As for Mac users, I started out using my Powerbook for the tutorials and ran into some problems. I gave up and used a PC instead and finished my tutorials that way. However, I went through the tutorials again after I regained some confidence, I found I was able to complete the tutorials via the Mac. Everything worked as it should. The Animation chapter is somewhat complicated but there is further instructions and a animated media file on the author's website. So, it is Mac compatible. You just need to work a little harder is all. I noticed, it seems to work better in the newer versions of Netscape than IE but the tutorials worked nonetheless. I have no reservations in recommending this book for any beginnner in Dreamweaver MX. Just know that DW does indeed have a steep learning curve and you must be prepared to work for that knowledge. The book is a wonderful start. It is well written and each step is clearly marked in color. I am a very visual person and appreciated the full color illustrations on every page. Buy the book if you are up for the challenge that is Dreamweaver MX. You'll come away with a sense of achievement like I did.
Rating:
Summary: Can't get to class - let the class come to you!
Review: Developing a web page? Find that text editors are too much coding? HomeSite, FrontPage and others just don't have the right set of application features. Want to be able to do CSS, JavaScripts, HTML, DHTML, tables, frames and forms? Can't afford the cost of formalized classroom training? You want to use DreamWeaver MX and learn how to use the application, then you have look no further. Having taught DreamWeaver classes over the past several months, this book is by far much better than any courseware I have used or seen. One thing I like about this is that fact that you control the pace of learning, whether you want to learn over the weekend or over the month, this book allows for complete user control. Fully illustrated, you start off with the basic page design and from there you will work with more advanced concepts as you progress. I really like that fact that the book is a continual process of learning and building. I also like the way the author has broken down the step by step process by adding notes in the exercises. One of the best features is that the pictures and diagrams are in color to allow you to see what the result will be without having to guess. Again this book exceeded any text I have used in class and has given me some new DHTML ideas for website development. The cd-rom included has all the files you need for each project or exercise in the book. Also included are DreamWeaver, Flash and Fireworks MX trial versions as well as a trial version of Top Style Pro. I had absolutely no trouble with the exercises and found no steps missing from them. Overall if you are looking to advanced your website or are beginning to build one with DreamWeaver, stop by the bookstore and grab a copy of this manual, well worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: really bad
Review: Do not waste your time or money on this poorly written book. You will spend a lot of time trying to figure what you are supposed to do because the examples in the book do not match up with what is on your screen. I do not understand how this book was ever published the way it is because if somebody like an editor actually went through this they would see that it does not work.
Rating: 
Summary: Dreamweaver MX Complete Course
Review: Dreamweaver MX Complete Course started out nicely. You'll find clear instructions and the four-color displays of the Dreamweaver interface are good. Then as one reviewer mentioned the good turned bad. Session (chapter) 10 was gobbledygook. Many of the files didn't match the instructions and I found myself improvising frequently to make sense of it. I stumbled into similar problems again in Session 15. In addition to file problems, the author uses terms inconsistently throughout and her instructions are often a riddle. I don't think this book received a hard edit. Parts of the book were wonderful, but the problems I mentioned were frustrating and support is useless. I would not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A great learning tool. An excellent reference.
Review: Great book for someone who wants to learn Dreamweaver. Excellent source of references for those who already know the program.
Joyce does a great job walking you through exercises and showing you how everything is done throughly. The author shows so much perfectionism in every single page of this great book. Dreamweaver MX Complete Course explains everything to you with all technical info that you should know to become Dreamweaver proficient.
If you wish to learn Dreamweaver, look no further. Grab this book!
Rating:
Summary: Love/hate
Review: I am a graphic designer learning web design software. I gave this book several tries, but quit the Complete Course tutorial after the third lesson. I found I was not learning much I could use outside the tutorial as the approach was directive without explaining the underlying logic. Without that basic understanding, I did not have enough information to trouble-shoot beginner errors. Several times I just quit the program when I couldn't figure out how to undo something. Most of my questions were answered either accidentally by random clicking or through a web-search. (Examples from early chapters: the books instructs you to type in the hex color numbers for various attributes, but does not tell you that if you eliminate the # in front of the numbers that the color will show in Explorer but not in Netscape. Or, it does not define what an S or V value is, but rather tells you about a problem they can cause if an object is left or right justified.) I switched to Dreamweaver MX Hands-On-Trainin. The tutorial is much more basic but provides a much fuller base of information.
Rating:
Summary: Directions without explanation of underlying logic
Review: I am a graphic designer learning web design software. I gave this book several tries, but quit the Complete Course tutorial after the third lesson. I found I was not learning much I could use outside the tutorial as the approach was directive without explaining the underlying logic. Without that basic understanding, I did not have enough information to trouble-shoot beginner errors. Several times I just quit the program when I couldn't figure out how to undo something. Most of my questions were answered either accidentally by random clicking or through a web-search. (Examples from early chapters: the books instructs you to type in the hex color numbers for various attributes, but does not tell you that if you eliminate the # in front of the numbers that the color will show in Explorer but not in Netscape. Or, it does not define what an S or V value is, but rather tells you about a problem they can cause if an object is left or right justified.) I switched to Dreamweaver MX Hands-On-Trainin. The tutorial is much more basic but provides a much fuller base of information.
Rating:
Summary: Total Confusion
Review: I am stunned by the number of high ratings for this book. If you knew next to nothing about Dreamweaver, you would never to able to understand how to use it. When you are given directions without rationales and then something crashes, you are stuck and have to try to figure it out for yourself. This book is a waste of money and your time.
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