theuerkorn's Full Review: Garo Green, Lynda Weinman, Abigail Rudner - Macrom...
The internet is (almost) everywhere! I know, this is shocking news. (LOL) But seriously, no other media allows the individual to contribute as much as the triple W's do. Designing websites emerges from the expert-only status to reach a much broader user group, as more intuitive software becomes available.
Macromedia's Dreamweaver MX is a powerful tool that can be intimidating to the novice. The book shelves are full of self-proclaimed beginner's guides to mastering Dreamweaver (or Frontpage for that matter), however, very few are as well laid out as the H-O-T (Hands-on Training) series from Lynda Weinman. "Dreamweaver MX: Hands-On Training" is no exception. (I will simply call it DMX:H-O-T.)
Editors Garo Green and Abigail Rudner do an excellent job in guiding the reader thru the material and avoiding tech-lingo wherever possible, without sounding silly.
Who should read it?
Everybody, who wants to get a good start in using Dreamweaver MX should consider this book as part of his library. The focus is on the first steps and those are supported greatly. No previous knowledge of Dreamweaver is required.
However, basic knowledge of how to use a computer is required, since the book does not cover details beyond the actual program.
Since it's software specific, the obvious limitation is to users that already own or intend to use Dreamweaver MX. This book does not teach web development in enough depth to make it a considerable source for general information.
Advanced users may also consider skipping to a higher level tutorial. However, it might turn out to be a good refresher of the MX features, even if one used DW4 before.
For the next step after basics, I would recommend Dreamweaver Web Development by Drew McAllen. It's an excellent overview to advanced technologies.
Excellent tutorials!
Tutorials, tutorials, tutorials, that's what DMX:H-O-T is all about. Instead of teaching the use of DMX in a dry fashion, the book uses the "learning by doing" method. This is probably the best way of getting familiar with the subject. However, it still provides enough information to be worth reading without being next to a computer.
The tutorials are very well organized and describe each step in every necessary detail. While this can be a walk on a very thin line, the editors mastered this challenge without boring with too much information.
The book contains a CD ROM with the associated files. It also holds a time-limited demo of DMX and Quicktime video files that support the tutorials. This way, the reader can practice each tutorial and explore it even further. Note: The videos might be a good start to get a general feel for DMX or to simply verify that one understood the book.
Illustrations are well organized and relate very good to the text body. The concentration on the necessary details makes it easy to find the information and mark-ups guide the readers eye.
The provided information is mostly excellent and beyond criticism. I actually only ran over one unexpected shortcoming. The forms section covers elements in great detail and even points to websites where CGI scripts for server-side form processing can be found. However, the easiest solution (mailto:) is not mentioned. Granted, it should be used temporarily and with caution only, but it might have rounded up the tutorial.
The companion website is more of a marketing tool than actual user support. However, it may be a good resource to gather more information before the purchase. After that, the only useful information might be the Errata section, where corrections to the book can be found.
Check out: www.lynda.com/products/books/dmx4hot/
Chapter by Chapter
Background / Interface / Site Control: These 3 chapters cover the basics of web pages and the user interface of DMX. After that, the reader is prepared to create pages and should have a basic understanding what a site is and how DMX stores the data.
Rating:****-
Basics / Linking / Typography: The basics of page design. HTML typography (no CSS) and linking are the most straight forward steps in web design. The authors manage illustrate the power of DMX using simple examples and still convey enough information to spark the interest for the next step.
Rating: ****-
Tables / Layout / Frames / Roll-Overs: Despite the controversial use of these features, DMX:H-O-T manages to highlight both advantages and shortcomings. In nice table form each subsequent option is nicely compared. Makes for a great reference and clears up confusion with some seemingly overlapping features.
Rating: *****
CSS / HMTL / Forms / Behaviors: It's all about making life easier. These 4 chapters highlight the advantages of CSS over and in conjunction with HTML formatting, review how to edit HTML code (if desired) and create forms, and discuss the magic of behaviors (JavaScript generator).
Rating: *****
Working w/ Fireworks: Gives a short overview of the integration of the graphics editor Fireworks and its interaction with DMX. It shows how simple roll-overs can be and pictures are manipulated. (Nice overview, not enough to fully master Fireworks though.)
Rating: *****
Automation / Templates: It's all about efficiency and these two chapters highlight the tools available to make the workflow smoother (less repetitive) by using templates, and library items. An example shows how Cut / Paste function can help creating a photo album.
Rating: *****
Accessibility / Plug-Ins / Publishing to the web: Great round-up of advanced features like how to support accessibility guide lines (i.e. for the visual impaired). It also covers the (cautious) use of plug-ins for sounds and graphics. For publishing to the web, the authors use the free Tripod (basic) service and discuss in detail how to synchronize files with the web hosting server.
Rating: ****-
My recommendation:
I am pleased to say that I can unconditionally recommend this book to every beginner and intermediate user who is interested in learning the basics of using Dreamweaver MX. It might also serve as a good refresher course.
This is one of the best tutorials for DMX I have seen so far, very well balanced to provide just the right amount of information to keep the interested reader motivated.
Layout and editing of the book is excellent. Despite its focus on beginners, the tables and provided links make it a valuable reference for intermediate users.
I could not agree more with Lynda Weinman's statement from the introduction: "... most people buy computer books in order to learn, yet it is amazing how few of these books are actually written by teachers ... this book was written by experienced teachers ..." Well spoken, and even better executed!
The textbook, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX HOT Hands-on Training - With CD, by Garo Green and Abigail Rudner, available in Paperback. Published by: Pea...More at Textbooks.com
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