Customer Reviews

Real World Adobe GoLive 4

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

 

 

First off I would highly recommend this book for anyone who feels as I do that the Adobe GoLive manual is not as well written as it should be. Seems like the GoLive manual was rushed through the publication process (including a few typograhical errors).

RealWorld GoLive 4 is a perfect companion to learning how the software works. It is an easy read for those learning how to assemble a web page (or web site). I would suggest using this book as your main guide for learning GoLive and fall back on Adobe's manual for secondary information.

If there is a 'beef' I have with RealWorld, its that I feel it should have come with a CD-ROM containing various 'how to' & tutorials (i.e. tutorials on tables, forms, CCS, etc.). I have learned a great deal from similar CD-equipped tutorial books (i.e. Inside Photoshop by Bouton & Bouton). RealWorld is a perfect example of a book needing an accompanying CD-ROM for even an easier (and speedier) understanding of what is essentially the learning of a new language - the language of the web. Maybe the authors can include some "QuickTime" examples on their web site.

Nevertheless, get this book! It will be money well spent.

Of all the books I've seen on Adobe GoLive so far this one is the best. It is very well written. It is thorough and goes to what I think are considerable lengths (they cover regular expressions - that's cool), so it should serve as a great beginners tutorial to get people like me up and running quickly and it is a great reference as well. It is easy to understand. A great smattering of humor is used throughout (at least one of the authors I think may be a Peter Sellers fan).

One bonus is the authors are very active and approachable in the forums and mailing lists dealing with Adobe GoLive and they have a web site devoted to the book and the program with updates, news, helpful hints and tons of resources.

I had been using GoLive CyberStudio for years before Adobe acquired it. I've been waiting for a resource like this for a long time! Never has there been a better resource for learning, using, and mastering Adobe GoLive. These guys showed me things about the program I didn't know; and they also showed me quicker, easier ways to do the things I did know. They also solved a problem for me that I had been struggling with ever since v.4 came out. That alone was well worth the price! They have a great sense of humor, and the book is wonderfully easy to read.

Perfect resource for anyone using GoLive, no matter how familiar you are with the program. Thanks guys!

As the co-author of this title, I wanted to respond to the review below. The reviewer writes, "assumes the user understands and has used all the tools or has experience creating web sites." We agree! This anonymous person in D.C. dinged our book for this, but we hope that people won't expect this to be a step-by-step tutorial of the program.

Instead, we delve deeply into all the basic, intermediate, and advanced features, assuming the reader has some knowledge of HTML (not extensive) and some knowledge of how the Web works (again, not extensive). This book is aimed at folks who use the program for production, and who are moving to it as a tool to help them do their job.

The book that the reviewer below from D.C. needs is Molly Holzschlag and Stephen Romaniello's title "Mastering Adobe GoLive 4" (ISBN 0782126049) which is aimed at people with little or no knowledge of building Web sites with any program or using HTML.

I hope the review below doesn't discourage anyone from buying our title who is looking for solid, production-oriented, detailed tips. The book has illustrations and screen captures on almost every page. (A few sections that are more about background issues, like FTP, are a little heavier on text. But our "basics" section has several illustrations per page. Our Advanced section on using Actions has step-by-step examples with illustrations, too.)

You can see a sample chapter of the book at our Web site and at the publisher's Web site.

Adobe GoLive 4 is a great program. Real World GoLive 4 is the book that will tell you how to get the most out of GoLive. Real World GoLive 4 is a must for all who use GoLive 4 for web design. Although the GoLive 4 manual is the size of a telephone book, its use in applying the program to real world design situations is limited. Real World GoLive 4 presents procedural (i.e., how to) information in clear, concise, well written prose. Anyone designing websites with Adobe GoLive 4, from beginner to expert, should have a copy of Real World GoLive 4 in their library. Better yet, on their desk top.

I dove into GoLive last summer using the manual that originally shipped with v4.0. By the time I was 200 pages into it (out of 700!), I realized I wasn't learning much about using the software. The Adobe manual (which I understand was the original developer's work that Adobe "ported" and rushed into print to get a v4 out the door) is a recitation of software features with almost no application. NOW ENTERS "Real World GoLive". The page count is almost the same as the original v4 manual, but these guys understand there's such a thing as needing to get some work done. The coverage is cross-platform without being obnoxious about it. When bugs exist (through v4.01, still current as of the date of this review), they let you know that the bugs are there and how they'll affect your work. Finally, they cover the most arcane features, such as URL mapping, with aplomb and admissions of headache. I'm learning enough about this outstanding Web tool to teach it to others, and I recommend this book highly. As with other reviewers, I do think a book whose cost approaches $40 should include a CD-ROM with tutorial files. But this does not shave any stars from my evaluation.

At the WebNYC conference in February, the Adobe reps themselves (there to demo GoLive) were carrying around well-thumbed copies of this book. Called it "the Bible." What more do you need to know?

Anyone who owns a large number of applications from Adobe Systems can attest that they are incapable of writing a decent manual - but with GoLive 4 they've taken this dysfunction to new levels. This book should be shipping with Adobe GoLive 4.0 because without it learning this program will be a long and painful process.

If you own Adobe GoLive 4.0 you cannot be without this book. Period.

I must say that Glenn and Jeff have done an excellent job with this book. Well written, well produced, great screenshots, and very comprehensive.

If you're serious about learning GoLive and you're on a time crunch, this book is one of the tools that made it happen for me. GoLive is a deep program with extended capabilities, like PhotoShop which is another Adobe product. This book is formatted for an easy [not easiest, I said 'easy'] read while you're learning and quick reference when you get stuck [and you will!]. While `GoLive Classroom in a Book' from Adobe will get you started with the program's basics, this book is the next step to get you moving and productive on the MAC or PC platform. I found it to be worth the investment of money and time.