2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
 The absolute be-all and end-all of HTML web design software., 2001-11-06
This is it. People who have been using it for years know it, and people who are just discovering it are realizing: Dreamweaver is in a class by itself. Version 4 is the best yet, much better than it needed to be considering there wasn't any competition as it was. From beginning web-designer to experienced coder, this is one POWERFUL program. Combine it with Fireworks 4 (Macromedia's much better version of Adobe's Image Ready) and you haved it all.Dreamweaver allows you to: -meticulously organize your sites, make master templates for page uniformity, use Cascading Style Sheets to easily customize and format various page elements, the ability to convert the CSS atributes to HTML tags for use in older browsers, update entire sites with one click, view your page in html code view OR wysiwyg OR at the SAME TIME (you can drag open a table let's say and watch the code get written like x-ray vision, OR, conversely, edit the underlying code while watching the effect on your page in front of your eyes), covert tables to layers and back again, edit graphics in Fireworks without having to enter Fireworks and re-export your work (a VERY VERY VERY timesaving feature), insert frames, tables, Flash buttons, rollovers, swap images, and other JavaScript behaviors with a simple "drag and drop". Dreamweaver will automatically clean up messy HTML (deleting extra font tags for instance) as well as debug JavaScript behaviors. The code that version 4 writes is MUCH cleaner than version 3, and any ...programmsers have TOTAL access to the code to customize it how they see fit. You can preview your work in as many browsers as you have on your computer, and then FTP to your server right from Dreamweaver in the best FTP interface on the market. Dreamweaver automatically keeps track of all updates to any page or graphic and asks you if you would like to update other pages. For sites that will be worked on by a team there are many features to organize the work flow such as "Check In/Check Out" that keeps track of who did what to what part of the site as well as leave comments for other parts of the team. There really are too many features to list here. Fireworks 4 has a new "button editor" that makes it ridiculously easy to generate rollover buttons or the currently trendy "dropdown menus". I personally don't like them, but they are there to use. Included are a bunch of really useful effects such as bevel and glow. The best part about this program is that vector graphics REMAIN as editable vector graphics EVEN AFTER YOU APPLY EFFECTS. You don't have to permanently convert your graphic to a bitmap first. This alone is worth the whole program. You can also set the program to use all your Photoshop plug-ins (although using SOME of them DO require you to do the evil conversion from editable vector to bitmap). Fireworks also feature "selective" JPEG compression for optimizing certain parts of the SAME image with a different JPEG compression setting (let's say 30% for a background and 70% for a detailed foreground). What other program does that? Fireworks is also THE animated GIF software. You can make them as many frames as you want as well as set the duration of each frame. Overall I think that Fireworks 4 is not as totally developed as Dreamweaver 4 is, but it does what it is supposed to do, and works flawlessly with Dreamweaver. I can't even tell you how easy they have made it to produce 100% professional sites. The bottom line is: this package is the ABSOLUTE best web development software in existence. There is no equal. And for all you hand-coders who swear by BB-Edit or "anti-WYSIWYG" programs, you CAN entirely hand-code in Dreamweaver too. Just use code view. There is no reason to not use this program. Once you do, you will NEVER use anything else. You'll see.
1 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
 UltraDev4+ Fireworks4 needs 128MB RAM, 2001-10-30
If you're buying Ultradev4+Fireworks4, you'll need 128MB of RAM at a MINIMUM. That's what the box lists.
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
This product is indispensable, 2001-07-11
I have been struggling with pop-up menus and disjointed rollovers for some time now, but Fireworks makes it so easy. Almost too easy because people are so impressed with the results, I think I should've worked harder. Fireworks may replace Photoshop for me. I cannot believe people are developing website without Dreamweaver/Fireworks.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
Refuse To Use Anything Else, 2001-07-07
I design webpages for a living and use Dreamweaver 4 on a daily, probably HOURLY basis! It can be a memory hog at times, but otherwise it is great! Gives you great control over how your code is written. I like th new Inline WYSIWYG/HTML code view. I can edit both at the same time without switching between each view. Love the new insert Flash buttons and text option!
8 of 8 customers found the following review helpful:
Make Dynamic Apps - FAST, 2001-06-29
I am the Internet Manager for an art supply company, and a web programmer at heart. I manage 5 people, and a couple of websites for our company. We bought Dreamweaver and Ultradev 4 copies for everyone about 4 months ago, and I have become completely ADDICTED to this product. I have done more than my fair share of hand coding, notepad was my previous editor. And though the hand coding purists may pooh-pooh this kind of product, I will never go back. This product has allowed me to become about 8 times as productive - and now I expect my employees to be more productive also. The html editing tools are great in themself, but combine this with the ability to rapidly create dynamic pages has allowed me to create all kinds of management tools that in a short period of time - that I used to just daydream about. Instead of thinking - wouldn't it be nice if I had the time to do 'this' - I can have things up and working in a day or two. It has allowed me - literaly - to create my own applications, in about the same time it would take for me to explain what I want to another person. Love It!
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Amazon Sales Rank:#17477