Mastering Macromedia Dreamweaver 3 (Mastering)

Rating:
Summary: Skip this book and read the Macromedia Dreamweaver 3 manual
Review: After reading and enjoying other books in the "Mastering" series, including "Mastering Visual Basic 6," and "Mastering Delphi 5," I was expecting to find the same high quality tutorials in "Mastering Dreamweaver 3," but what I got was a book that gave me the same information found the user manual that comes with Dreamwaver. This is a very basic book and barely mentions that Dreamweaver can be extended with all sorts of third party objects and behaviors, which is the reason why Dreamweaver has become so popular with professional web developers. The only plus about this book is the CD includes to links to popular Dreamweaver sites like Dreamweaver Depot and Massimo Corner. If you're a beginner and need documentation, this book is suitable, but if you're an experienced Dreamweaver user, save your money and buy the updated "Dreamweaver 3 Bible." I think the authors of this book should be ashamed for using the title "Mastering Dreamweaver." It certainly does not belong in the "Mastering" series.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: After reading and enjoying other books in the "Mastering" series, including "Mastering Visual Basic 6," and "Mastering Delphi 5," I was expecting to find the same high quality tutorials in "Mastering Dreamweaver 3," but what I got was a book that gave me the same information found the user manual that comes with Dreamwaver. This is a very basic book and barely mentions that Dreamweaver can be extended with all sorts of third party objects and behaviors, which is the reason why Dreamweaver has become so popular with professional web developers. The only plus about this book is the CD includes to links to popular Dreamweaver sites like Dreamweaver Depot and Massimo Corner. If you're a beginner and need documentation, this book is suitable, but if you're an experienced Dreamweaver user, save your money and buy the updated "Dreamweaver 3 Bible." I think the authors of this book should be ashamed for using the title "Mastering Dreamweaver." It certainly does not belong in the "Mastering" series.

Rating:
Summary: Beware of 2 books for one deals...
Review: As one who purchases many third party books and with CDS, I have a critical eye for a book that runs between 40-50 bucks and whether or not it will be a good reference source. This book is not a good reference. I thought I would gain by having both programs in the book but actually I lost out on content on this book. The accompanying CD was not an asset for my library. About the only thing good was the Dreamweaver extensions on it. I would hold out for a better Dreamweaver book for sure.

Rating:
Summary: Objective Appraisal
Review: Having never used a Macromedia product, and working approx. one hour a day, I completed this book in three weeks. Overall, my experience was good. Following the same format as the manual, Mastering Dreamweaver 3 elucidates on every point, further allowing you to interact with each of Dreamweaver's tools and options as you work to create the site of Glendale city. But, unlike the manual, there is a linear textbook structure that motivates and provides practical applications for the use of each tool and option, thus making the learning process more substantial and meaningful in the long run. The only down side is that as the book progresses, especially in the Fireworks section, the book becomes quite terse, e.g., with slicing and tweening techniques, and I often found myself using the manual to supplement my reading. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have read and used the book, the authors performed excellently. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Objective Appraisal
Review: Having never used a Macromedia product, and working approx. one hour a day, I completed this book in three weeks. Overall, my experience was good. Following the same format as the manual, Mastering Dreamweaver 3 elucidates on every point, further allowing you to interact with each of Dreamweaver's tools and options as you work to create the site of Glendale city. But, unlike the manual, there is a linear textbook structure that motivates and provides practical applications for the use of each tool and option, thus making the learning process more substantial and meaningful in the long run. The only down side is that as the book progresses, especially in the Fireworks section, the book becomes quite terse, e.g., with slicing and tweening techniques, and I often found myself using the manual to supplement my reading. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have read and used the book, the authors performed excellently. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: The software.
Review: I am currently taking Dreamweaver in school and this book is not clear and concise enough and lacks necessary visual reinforcment. As a beginner, I want to understand and apply this info quickly. With so much extraneous reading, I can't get through it quick enough to get to the basic principles. D3 for Dummies or Short Order is better for the novice who wants to learn quick.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant for beginners
Review: I'm a beginner in web weaving and this book is brilliant. Dreamweaver is also a brilliant tool so I highly recommend this combination if your serious about your web design. I believe this book is not so good for advanced users so they would probably be advised to look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: A poor buy
Review: I'm sorry I wasted money on this book; The Dreamweaver 2 Bible, and the Dreamweaver 3 manual are much more useful to me. The title implies most of the book is about dreamweaver; around half of it is for Fireworks. I don't like the style of the book; It gets overly long-winded on the simple stuff, and not enough detail on more complicated things.

Rating:
Summary: Where are the tutorials for Authorware 5.1 and Coursebuilder
Review: Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of all the books I have looked at here for Dreamweaver, is that none cover Coursebuilder. I am an Instructional Designer teaching myself these new innovative and powerful tools from Macromedia, yet I am having difficulty in finding good material for Authorware 5.1 and Coursebuilder. I suppose for my claim to fame, I should write and design my own tutorial for these two applications. Macromedia....lets work out a deal!

Rating:
Summary: The software.
Review: The Dreamweaver 3 software which come from this book...... Doesn't work at all!