Customer Reviews

Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 for Windows & Macintosh

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have looked at several Dreamweaver 8 books that were released recently. This book has great value.

It covers the interface very well and explains the vast features of Dreamweaver clearly.

Perfect for someone that has a project they need to complete in Dreamweaver and would like to get up to speed on the program fast.

The only thing I don't like about the book is once you do get up to speed this book will simply end up collecting dust somewhere or inherit other uses that it was not originally intended to serve.

It is why it is called "Visual Quickstart".
The flow of the material isn't as fluid as some of the other books I've come across. It is somewhat lacking in enrapturing what the program really does as a whole.

For example, "Dreamweaver 8 unleashed" walks you through the process of starting a web site from beginning to end within the context of Dreamweaver *AND* in the order it should be accomplished.

I was also impressed by "Dreamweaver 8 Hands On Training" by Lynda.com folks. The book was in color for goodness sakes.
For a second I thought it was a book on Adobe's products.

Those two books are *the* best book to learn if you want to get trained from start to finish in order to deploy a project.

If you know how to create sitemaps, set-up local server, ftp etc AND you simply want to center your focus on learning Dreamweaver alone then the "Visual Quickstart" book is or you otherwise I would recommend trying out the other two books in mentioned earlier.

There are some software books that try to be all things to all levels of users and wind up serving no one very well. The title of this volume says it all - "Visual Quickstart Guide". Smith and Negrino's book hits its target dead center.

If what you want is a straightforward, to-the-point handbook to learn how to use Dreamweaver 8, this is it. The VQG covers the entire Dreamweaver interface - all the menus, panels, and features. It is not a book that teaches you how to program a PHP, ColdFusion, or .NET application - that's not its purpose. What it does, it does very, very well. So well, that it's one of two books I keep within arm's reach on my desktop.

True to its name, the book is capable of taking a beginner through the processes of configuring the Dreamweaver workspace, defining a site, and creating his or her first pages. It'll help an intermediate user grapple with Templates, get up to cruising speed with CSS, or work with and create Snippets. Of great importance (at least to me)is the authors' willingness to tell it like it is when it comes to using some of the not-so-grand features such as Layout Tables, Layers, and Layer-to-table conversions.

Dreamweaver 8's CSS panels are a work of programming art. There is no comparison to similar tools in competing programs. Negrino, Smith, and contributing author Virginia DeBolt explore these new panels very thoroughly. As someone who can write CSS with a fair bit of expertise, I learned some fascinating ways that the new CSS tools in Dreamweaver can help me achieve a more efficient workflow. Without reading this book, I very likely would not have explored these features in much detail.

I rarely recommend Dreamweaver books but give this one a hearty thumbs up - actually I give it all five digits. Get it - you need it.

I've been using Dreamweaver for a couple of years now, and I've found this to be the most useful Dreamweaver reference in my library. The visual images alongside the bulleted points is perfect for my learning style, and this book covers exactly the information I was looking for. The authors demystify some of the more complex tasks, and even provide new tips for some old favorites.

As an experienced Web designer who has used NetObjects Fusion for over seven years, I want to add Dreamweaver into my world. I am currently reading this guide to see if I can make a comfortable transition from Fusion to Dreamweaver and thus far, I find the book engaging, easy-to-understand and quite informative. The authors have an uncanny way of answering my questions even before I have a chance to ask them. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn Dreamweaver 8 although I'm not sure if it would be good for absolute beginners,as the guide assumes you already understand basic Web terminology.

This is a great book, though I have used DreamWeaver for several years, I wanted to see how DreamWeaver 8 was going to deal with CSS. I took the time to read most of the chapters, and picked up a lot of tips. The book is comprehensive and specific at the same time. Concepts are interlaced with keystroke instructions. Well worth the price and a great reference.

I decided to try my first Dreamweaver site today. Thankfully I had this book on my desk.

So, when I tried to create a template, I found the information that I needed right away in this book.

I appreciate the tips and suggestions. The layout is great and easy to read, not overwhelming as I have found many other books to be. Efficient use of graphics as well.

I've been using Dreamweaver for a couple of years now, and I've found this to be the most useful Dreamweaver reference in my library. The visual images alongside the bulleted points is perfect for my learning style, and this book covers exactly the information I was looking for. The authors demystify some of the more complex tasks, and even provide new tips for some old favorites.

I have just finished going over this book. I teach DW at two media training companies, and I will be using the book as one of my "training manuals". I found the section on CSS especially good, the authors have a good grasp on CSS, and DW now has a much better interface for CSS. Yes, I agree that the reader needs a basic understanding of html terminology, but they surely can work thru that with this book. I'd recommend this book to any one who wanted to start learning how to use Dreamweaver. It covers it all!

This book is not totally disappointing. It has some good sides. However, my overall experience is not very positive. You get the impression this book targets about 1 percent of DW users, the heavy-duty coders. If you are like me, more design-oriented and interested in Flash, web images and other stuff, you'll be lost with this book.

While I have a background in graphics programs, I'm entirely new to Dreamweaver. This book looked like it would be a sole resource. It wasn't. Too often terms are mentioned without definitions (a glossary would be a help). More than once a process was described without a basic first step that would seem obvious to experienced users, but only confused novice users. I wound up having to use other resources to make sense of this book. I wouldn't recommend it to first timers like myself.