Customer Reviews

Dreamweaver MX Bible with CD-ROM

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

...I'm a working web designer using Dreamweaver, I teach Dreamweaver at universities, and I write books about Dreamweaver and web design. The DW MX Bible is *the* resource that professional web designers use for Dreamweaver design. We *need* the kind of accurate, specific, concrete, detailed documentation and advice provided in the DW Bible.

...The description of cascading style sheets does a good job in synthesizing the critical relationship between external and local formatting as managed by Cascading Style Sheets. Similarly, it's necessary to understand the naunces of font support and substitution when assigning fonts.

This book does not claim to be the Complete Idiot's Guide to Dreamweaver MX (in the interests of full disclosure, I wrote that book). And perhaps some readers will want to start with a simpler and less detailed approach to Dreamweaver. But everyone who moves to the level of professional web design with DW MX needs this book.

I do have my own minor criticism of the book. I would have liked to see a little advice on how to find and connect with reasonably priced web hosts that provide good support for DWMX's UltraDev features - which scripting language is easiest to work with, what options are available for developers without local servers... But whatever it's omissions and weaknesses, this book is the single most valuable resource for anyone serious about using Dreamweaver on a professional level.

When I started in Web design I was using notepad as the editor, as things started to become more advanced I began using FrontPage. Now wanting to add Flash and multimedia, not mention JavaScripts I found DreamWeaver MX to be the application of choice. As such this book is one of the best in helping to fine tune the application and make web page design easier.

There are over 100 pages to work with and whether you are an experienced DreamWeaver developer or fairly new at the game, you'll find just about every topic or question answered within the pages of this book.

They layout of the book can either be used to run from beginning to the end or if you need help in a certain area then you can use the book for that particular topic. I also like the way this book is setup, as an instructor I have already been able to use several examples for the classroom.

It doesn't appear that the author missed anything, as there are breakdown of buttons, shortcuts, menus, drag and drop, and preferences and properties. About the only drawback is the fact that the coded pages are not in color, so for something you may not be able to see the result before you finfish.

The cd-rom include has trial version of the MX applications of DreamWeaver, Flash and FireWorks but more importantly over 300 extensions for you to work with, not only with this book but in actual web development. Overall Bible certainly describes this book.

I am not a hobbyist - I am a professional web developer with real cients, and I have been picking up the Dreamweaver Bible since version 2.

I read a lot of web development and programming titles, and for Dreamweaver, the Bible is hands-down always the best.

Granted, its a big book, and there are things in the book that I already know - there always are. But time and time again, I find myself going back to this book to remind myslef of something I forgot, or a tip or trick to make things easier.

This particular version - MX, has a lot of changes from version 4, and that was where this particular book really made a difference for me, as all the new features are called out with a special icon so I could pick them up quickly.

Since the book 'starts at the beginning' I could see where this would be a good book for beginnnig web designers or even developers who might want to use DW as their new editor of choice for PHP, ASP or the like.

Thanks Joe.

Biblical in heft, this iteration of the Dreamweaver Bible covers pretty much all the features available for Dreamweaver MX. For past users of Dreamweaver, much of the book is a re-run of previous iterations, which serves to make a fair chunk of this one redundant, anything new not obvious. But this sort of thing can't be avoided so that new users are properly catered for.

The writing is clear and not too chummy, like many books of this type can be, in order to make them less intimidating. The examples are comprehensive and plentiful And many hints and tips are given.

The CD is comprehensive with a properly Bookmarked .PDF version for when out and about. My only gripe was the lack of information included with the extension folders, only Massimo Forti bothering to include a detailed description of what was what. Everyone else - the author as well - sticking to quasi-cryptic file names. Come on JL!

To get even better use from the Dreamweaver Bible, it's a good idea to look up the Macromedia news groups, and maybe give Jakob Neilson's useit website a visit.

Agreed, this is not a book for people starting out designing their first ever website. That's true and a very important point. However, it shouldn't result in a low star rating - the book is not aimed at beginners!

This book is aimed at the professional user of DWMX, and as such, it does a great job. DWMX has become a huge product - the tool of choice for large web projects. Therefore, a book which details all of DWMX's commercial features will NECESSARILY be overcomplex and confusing for a beginner.

This book will not spoon-feed you with a 'Hello World' project-based introduction to web page building. It WILL help you organize code versioning within your project or plan for a more easily maintainable web project etc etc.

As a web-development professional currently working alone, I find the book very useful.

I had no idea there was still so much more to learn after using DW MX every day for a year now! This book has me constantly asking "WHO KNEW"? I've read all the source books, the H.O.T. and Teach yourself in 24 hr's, trained one on one with peers, and developed over 20 sites with this program and still this book (in the short 24 hours I've had it) HAS BLOWN ME AWAY! It has filled in some blanks that have irked me; issues that other books, training, websites, & experience just didn't cover. Especially with regard to the wonderful intergration between fireworks & DM. If you are ready to move on to mastery - this book is a must. IT IS NOT a step-by-step training guide, BUT when you think you have a solid foundation in DreamWeaver move on this this baby & test your knowledge. This book has already paid for itself in the time I have already learned to save. I feel like I found a goal mine - dig & you shall find!

PS: I looked at this book a few times but whenever I skimmed through it - it seemed to cover things I was certain I knew thoroughly. So finally I borrowed it from the library - I'm glad I took a closer look and have just ordered a copy of my own as this is one for the reference shelf if ever there was one!

First off, I'm not a professional web developer - I am merely the backup for our division's page. I bought the book to gain exposure to Dreamweaver MX's features. I wanted to know how to do the "routine" stuff as well as learn what additional features the software is capable of. I've gone through the book, reading most chapters thoroughly, not to remember everything but to be familiar with the general contents. Now, I plan to use the book as a reference.

No one book can be all things to all people, but Mr. Lowery has put together an invaluable resource. It won't be the only resource I use, but it will definitely be the primary one. And, at the price Amazon's selling it for, it's not going to break your pocketbook. If you're an advanced web designer, maybe you don't need it. For the rest of us, it's a real asset.

If you are new to Dreamweaver and web page designing, you would be makng a mistake if you purchase this book. The book is designed for an experienced individual in computer applications and unless you devote a large percentage of your time on web page design, it is not recommended. The author should split the book in, perhaps, four different sections beginning with a simple web page design. The first section should contain no more than 25 pages to allow beginners to experiment on one page design. The second section should deal with multiple page design. The other sections should relate to more complex designs used by professional users. Nowadays, many people are purchasing web sites and, because they cannot design pages and are not prepared to pay high prices for web page design, the sites are not being used. It is my firm opinion the the layout of this 1000 page book should be changed.

This book does not discuss anything about the new MX features in terms of templates and database connectivity. I glosses over everything leaving you nothing to work with when building your own projects. This book is a slimmed down version of the Dreamweaver 4 Bible with new Dreamweaver MX pictures. The information is almost the same, but almost less informative. Sorry Joseph you can do better!

I returned the Bible and bought Dreamweaver MX Unleashed by Sams Publishing. A much beter book - written about Dreamweaver MX.

I am certainly no professional web designer. I am learning web design on my own. After mastering and taking Frontpage as far as I think I can go with it, I am now looking for a new program to design websites that is more advanced. Web Designer friends recommended Dreamweaver. I picked up this book, as it looked understandable & thorough. The cover of the book promises 100% comprehensive, and he keeps his word. I have gone from knowing nothing about Dreamweaver to having a good grasp, and still learning with this book. It has covered every topic I can think of. A trial version is included. I can't speak for professionals, but it is a great resource for beginners.