Web Design Series- Dreamweaver 8 and Cs3: Should You Switch?
Posted by admin in Mobile Web Design, tags: arts, computer, science, visual
Upgrade to Dreamweaver CS3? Or stick with Dreamweaver 8? This is a question that many web designers who own Dreamweaver 8 are asking themselves as they consider whether it would be worth their money or their Web Design company’s money to upgrade their design software. Since it is your job as a web designer to work with the software in question, the onus of deciding whether the new version will improve service and overall work quality or not. Many web designers are also wary of the fact that Macromedia has been acquired by Adobe and are wondering whether the new owners have improved or destroyed this piece of software. It is my opinion that there is no clear choice between the two. The choice you eventually make must be determined by what you require from your design software.
Web design feature #1: Adobe and Dreamweaver Together
Some web design companies may find the integration between the new Dreamweaver software and existing Adobe tools a good enough reason to purchase the Dreamweaver CS3. Images can easily be transferred from one software to another and some designers find this feature very attractive.
Web design feature #2: CSS Support Made Better
Designers will likely find that one of the best new features of Dreamweaver CS3 are the fresh and improved CSS layouts. The software code contains detailed commentaries related to how these layouts function so understanding how to use them is a relatively simple affair. There are currently 32 different layouts to choose from, in 1, 2, or 3-column designs, and in fixed or liquid design layouts. The starting position of the CSS is easily defined and subsequent movement is also simple and easy. Designers can simply style the tag directly into the HTML through a style attribute, then transfer it to their style sheet. In Dreamweaver CS3, “Convert Inline CSS to Rule” appears on a single right click of the tag and a custom class for that particular style or a full CSS selector is easily created.
Web design feature #3: Mobile Support
The incorporation of Adobe Device Central into Dreamweaver CS3 also makes designing pages for viewing on mobile platforms much easier than before. Although use of the mobile platform to view web pages has become increasingly popular, it was previously a rather challenging task to design pages that are compatible for viewing on both a mobile platform and a web browser one. Dreamweaver CS3 makes those challenges a thing of the past.
Web design feature #4: Ajax Implementation Now Made Possible
Adding Ajax widgets and effects to the web pages that you create is now possible through the incorporation of the Spry framework in to Dreamweaver CS3. A simple drag and drop operation will deposit them into your dataset. Transition effects such as shrinking, growing, highlighting and fading, integration of XML feed data and widgets for tables lists and forms are just some of the features of Spry that have been included in Dreamweaver CS3.
Web design feature #5: XLST Support
XLST support is a major feature of CS3 and both you and your design company will be delighted by the support included through the use of XML files as the database source. Viewing of the XML and integration into any HTML documents are made easy through XLST. Web designers who possess XML files of the same format can easily create a single template for them by using XLST.
Web Design feature #6: Support for Mac Intel Processors
CS3 is now also native to the Intel-based Macintosh platform, and load times have been significantly reduced. The company behind CS3 claims that, whereas Dreamweaver 8 previously required four minutes to load, CS3 now accomplishes the same feat in under one minute. However, these claims have yet to be verified by proper testing.
To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade
The question does not have an easy answer. Personally, I chose to upgrade and have not looked back since. The new CSS features, XLST support and Device Central are all wonderful new additions to the software. However, live databases and server side scripts are still difficult to use with Dreamweaver CS3 and this may discourage web design companies from purchasing the software. If, at the end of it all, you choose to upgrade, it is unlikely that you will regret the money spent.
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Ozzie is a First Year Student on the BA/BSc (hons) Degree in Mobile, Web and Game Design, at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff.
Help answer the question about mobile web design
Hi does anybody know who can design a web site?It's a website for my fans to come visit, see my portfolio (pics and video), chat, buy merchandise and downloads (wallpapers, mobile wallpapers, etc.). Basically a fully functional fan site. The site will receive a lot of exposure so it is a great way to get your name out there and build a marquee portfolio.
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Moe Tamani is a Dallas SEO consultant for a leading Dallas Web Design company.
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http://www.samwilson3d.com
mobile mmorpg? you wish..
Hi Skyyla,
I lead the design team at Brook Studios ( http://www.brookstudios.com ) you can email me your requirements at info@brookstudios.com and I'll get back to you with the pricing and the proposal in a day.
Now that ive made my pitch
I'd recommend you to test the waters with any company or individual you choose by only contracting for the webdesign phase first. After that part is complete and you are satisfied with the work, you can employ them further for the development part.
This approach has many advantages. It reduces your risk and keeps the company/individual motivated for the next phase. You can pay as you go, opt only for a static website and choose another vendor.
Choose a company or an individal who you think can relate to your personal taste by judging from their portfolio and their personal site. The personal site is important of the two as the individual/company is pushing their creativity to the limits for its brand, whereas a portfolio may be tainted with the client's tastes.
Also, whichever company you choose to work with, never use elance or a similar service for contracting. The prices there may look real cheap but so will be the work.
Lastly, a good designer is hard to find and you might have to shell out a bit extra to make him interested. But a relationship with a professional individual/company can help your business do wonders in the long run.
Good Luck!
i'm using WM5 (XDA Atom) at the moment
my version is flash player is 7.
for plugin and scripting javascript i supported, but i suggest u to use microsoft based script.
and i'm able to see PNG image from browser
I've tried making a simple pre formatted webpage and it works trough the mobile phones & PDAs. I've also tried php webpage and it works too..
i guess even if there is a scripting language for mobile webpage. just plain html and some scripting will work just enough.
Because now techonology is running our lives instead of the other way around. My blackberry got shut off due to late payments. I thought I was going to DIE! I was freaking out. It's been off for a week now, and I have to say, I actually FEEL better. I was so stressed out before. Running accounts for 3 companies; keeping track of vehicles and licenses; keeping track of 2 kids at home (brother and sister). I was really stressed. So when I lost the phone, I thought it would add to the stress because that's how I kept in touch with ALL of these businesses and such. But really? After it was gone, It got soooo much better. I only checked things when I had time at home on the PC. I checked on the kids once a day. It was such a relief. I don't think I'll put it back on now.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that it's amazing to just get away from technology. You have less stress and can focus more on you. Hence, you live longer! Woo Hoo!
-Later Gator-
You'd probably need Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign. You can check out requirements for software at aionline.edu (an online web design, and other courses, school). Just click on Web Design BS or AS and you can find the Adobe software they say you need there. You can follow that, if you want to.
there are a couple of ways you could do this. I didn't investigate deeply to see what they did.
I think that the more professional way to do this is with css using a technique similar to this:
a:link {
display:none;
}
a:hover {
display:block;
}
Good luck, here are some other resources that are free.
Thanks for the information. Very helpful. There are alot of good offers out there but you should do some research before you make a decision.