Dreamweaver - Re: Is DW8 worth it?

Author

Re: Is DW8 worth it?

gaurav_ch

2005-10-25, 3:20 am

Hi Ginevre. In total nothing much has been upgraded in DW8 since MX2004. In my
opinion Macromedia has made a mistake in coming out with Studio8 so soon. Its
been 28 days since I have been using DW8 and the major changes which I saw and
welcome are: zoom option, code collapse and css panel. The rendering options
are not needed in many situations like I am in India and still many people here
dont like to surf on mobile. all other features are same. I would suggest you
to stick with MX2004 if you dont need the extra features. You would unneccesary
will be shelling out for more features if you dont use them.

.: Nadia :. *TMM*

2005-10-25, 3:20 am

"Ginevre" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message news:djkck9
> I'd like to know if there are any real worthwhile reasons to upgrade in
> the
> near future (for an experienced web designer using CSS a lot and learning
> ColdFusion).

For the updated CSS functionality it can't be beat. Why not download the
trial and see for yourself.

--
Nadia
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Ginevre

2005-10-25, 3:20 am

Cool thanks... I don't want to be left behind but I really only get to use it
on the weekends these days as I use a CMS in my job now. I must admit I always
wanted a zoom feature- back in the days when I used tables! Not so important
now. Code collapsing seems like a good idea (to save all that scrolling) but
not worth paying for. I'm quite happy with the current CSS- I use the tag
inspector anyway for that stuff or just edit the style sheet directly. I think
I'll wait a while.... jumping by 2 versions is more worthwile anyway so maybe
I'll wait for v9.

Thierry | www.TJKDesign.com

2005-10-25, 3:20 am

Ginevre wrote:
> I'd like to know if there are any real worthwhile reasons to upgrade
> in the near future (for an experienced web designer using CSS a lot
> and learning ColdFusion).

If you spend most of your time in code view, then it makes a big difference.

--
Thierry | http://www.TJKDesign.com | CSS-P Templates + Articles:
CSS Popups, CSS 3 Column Layout, CSS Tabs, CSS Dropdown Menu,
TIP Method, Sliced Images, Clean Popup Windows, Easy Maintenance.....

Ginevre

2005-10-25, 3:21 am

>For the updated CSS functionality it can't be beat. Why not download the
>trial and see for yourself.

I'll check the file size- last time I went to download something from MM I
realised it was way over my 200MB broadband limit. I usually wait for these
things to appear on a CD...

I just wanted users opinions on the good stuff since so much of what I read is
bugs. Version 4 used to crash a lot, MX2004 still does a few times a week and
if there's more headaches than good points I figure why buy it? I'm pretty
happy with 2004 but it's always hard to resist the lure of the flashy new
versions (and you can never go back once you've tried them! I had to go back to
MX at work and it totally sucked and I was really glad I never bought it).

Malcolm

2005-10-25, 3:21 am

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 04:34:17 +0000 (UTC), "Ginevre"
<webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote:

>I haven't read anything good about Dreamweaver 8 ... just lots of bug
>complaints. Is it worth an upgrade? Will it be worthwhile when the various
>bugs are fixed?

I can't say whether it is worth it or not - it depends on what
features you use etc..

I use Templates, CSS on a large site and don't use dynamic pages yet.

But yes there are bugs no doubt, there are bugs in DW2004 and all
software. We read about the bugs here, but for every person reported
bugs there are presumable many more using DW8 with no problems.
I upgraded on day 1 and it immediately recognised my DW2004 files and
configuration and the bulk of things work as well and better than
before. The one feature that has changed for the worse in my
experience is syncronisation with the server.

Malcolm
--

~Malcolm N....
~

Murray *TMM*

2005-10-25, 6:18 pm

It certainly is for me.

--
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Team Macromedia Volunteer for Dreamweaver
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"Ginevre" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:djkck9$sld$1@forums.macromedia.com...
>I haven't read anything good about Dreamweaver 8 ... just lots of bug
> complaints. Is it worth an upgrade? Will it be worthwhile when the
> various
> bugs are fixed? Or is it safer to stick with MX2004 on a poor old 800Mhz
> system? I like the fact that Contribute is thrown in the studio. On
> another
> note whatever happened to Freehand (or is that the obvious)? It seems to
> have
> been ditched. Good thing I have Illustrator.
>
> I'd like to know if there are any real worthwhile reasons to upgrade in
> the
> near future (for an experienced web designer using CSS a lot and learning
> ColdFusion).
>
>

dreamworms

2005-10-25, 6:26 pm

Thierry | www.TJKDesign.com wrote:

>Ginevre wrote:
>
>
>
>If you spend most of your time in code view, then it makes a big difference.
>
>
>
You could say that again!!!
But, in my opinion the XML on the server behaviour panel, is the biggest
leap for the new version.

Murray *TMM*

2005-10-25, 6:28 pm

My sense is that those who say there is not much there haven't looked too
hard.

--
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Team Macromedia Volunteer for Dreamweaver
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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"dreamworms" <dreamworms@siteatelier.com> wrote in message
news:djla8b$9pp$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> Thierry | www.TJKDesign.com wrote:
>
> You could say that again!!!
> But, in my opinion the XML on the server behaviour panel, is the biggest
> leap for the new version.

EastTexas

2005-10-25, 6:28 pm

So far DW8 is Snail Slow for me!!!
DWMX/DWMX2004 is very fast...

This is my second day of trying to use it... going back to MX2004!

Nancy Gill

2005-10-25, 6:29 pm

> So far DW8 is Snail Slow for me!!!
> DWMX/DWMX2004 is very fast...

How interesting .. I would say just the opposite. What are your machine
specs?

--
Nancy Gill
Team Macromedia Member: Dreamweaver MX/UltraDev
http://www.macromedia.com/go/team/
Co-Author: Dreamweaver MX: Instant Troubleshooter (August, 2003)
Technical Editor: DMX 2004: The Complete Reference, DMX 2004: A Beginner's
Guide, Mastering Macromedia Contribute
Technical Reviewer: Dynamic Dreamweaver MX/DMX: Advanced PHP Web Development

Win Day

2005-10-25, 10:18 pm

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 11:05:57 -0400, "Murray *TMM*"
<forums@HAHAgreat-web-sights.com> wrote:

>My sense is that those who say there is not much there haven't looked too
>hard.

So far I am very pleased with DW8 as a whole. I've only run across
one oddity, that I cannot duplicate in previous versions:

If I close all active files, ALL the icons in the toolbars at the top
become greyed out and unavailable, even if I immediately open another
file.

As long as I keep at least one file open, I can work for hours with no
problem. In general it's much faster doing any site management,
including but not limited to FTPing.

I'm accustomed to doing CSS editing in TopStyleLite, so haven't really
explored DW8's CSS editing much.

LOVE the code collapse feature.

Win
--
Win Day, Wild Rose Websites
http://www.wildrosewebsites.com
winday@NOSPAMwildrosewebsites.com
Skype winifredday

John Waller

2005-10-26, 6:23 am

> My sense is that those who say there is not much there haven't looked too
> hard.

It really depends on what you are looking for and how you use the product.

I've run the Trial version for the last month.

I'm impressed with the new features and tweaks of existing features but, I
must admit, I'm not over-awed (though I wanted to be). I certainly haven't
found any killer features which have had me reaching for the credit card
ASAP.

I've just today returned Down Under from a 3 week trip to the UK.

Interestingly, I had a good look through the reviews of Studio 8 in most of
the British tech mags in the newsagent shops.
Most, understandably, focused on Flash 8 as the major upgrade.
DW8 earned reviews such as (not quoted verbatim): "disappointing in
general", "not much there to compel an upgrade", "more of a dot release than
a full version upgrade", "it's OK but not sensational" and so on.
Again, what were the reviewers looking for? and you naturally have to keep
in mind their target audience for their mags.

I'll probably upgrade anyway (DW8 only, not Studio) but I think it's a handy
upgrade rather than a "must have" one for me.

--
Regards

John Waller

Murray *TMM*

2005-10-26, 6:16 pm

You have not looked into the CSS improvements? Or the Server Behavior
improvements? Or the Coding improvements? Or the workspace improvements?
Or the workflow improvements? I just can't imagine, really....

--
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Team Macromedia Volunteer for Dreamweaver
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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"John Waller" <johnw@REMOVETHISpinnacleweb.com.au> wrote in message
news:djnjiv$hhu$1@forums.macromedia.com...
>
> It really depends on what you are looking for and how you use the product.
>
> I've run the Trial version for the last month.
>
> I'm impressed with the new features and tweaks of existing features but, I
> must admit, I'm not over-awed (though I wanted to be). I certainly haven't
> found any killer features which have had me reaching for the credit card
> ASAP.
>
> I've just today returned Down Under from a 3 week trip to the UK.
>
> Interestingly, I had a good look through the reviews of Studio 8 in most
> of the British tech mags in the newsagent shops.
> Most, understandably, focused on Flash 8 as the major upgrade.
> DW8 earned reviews such as (not quoted verbatim): "disappointing in
> general", "not much there to compel an upgrade", "more of a dot release
> than a full version upgrade", "it's OK but not sensational" and so on.
> Again, what were the reviewers looking for? and you naturally have to keep
> in mind their target audience for their mags.
>
> I'll probably upgrade anyway (DW8 only, not Studio) but I think it's a
> handy upgrade rather than a "must have" one for me.
>
> --
> Regards
>
> John Waller
>

Gary White

2005-10-26, 6:21 pm

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 19:21:26 +0930, "John Waller"
<johnw@REMOVETHISpinnacleweb.com.au> wrote:

>Again, what were the reviewers looking for? and you naturally have to keep
>in mind their target audience for their mags.

When I first tried DW8, my opinion was much like the reviewers. It was
nice, but nothing special. I had, in fact, nearly decided against buying
it and went back and started using MX04. THAT was frustrating. I'd click
to PUT a few files, then start to do something else, but nooooo. Gotta
wait for the darn FTP to complete before I could do anything else.
Where, oh where was my coding toolbar? Why does this CSS layout look
like THAT?

That went on and on over about a day and a half ... discovering features
that I was missing. The new features in DW8 are subtle, but you can
quite quickly become reliant on them. Going back was painful. After that
day and a half, I ordered the upgrade.

Gary

John Waller

2005-10-26, 6:54 pm

> You have not looked into the CSS improvements? Or the Server Behavior
> improvements? Or the Coding improvements? Or the workspace improvements?
> Or the workflow improvements? I just can't imagine, really....

Yes, all of the above.

As I said, they're nice but they haven't revolutionised my workflow or
productivity over the last month or so. I suppose I was just expecting more
of a wow factor having read and heard the marketing hype and wanting to be
greatly impressed.

I think as Gary says, many of the changes are subtle rather than
sensational.

I'm sure I'll upgrade to DW8 (but not Studio8). It may turn out to be a
"sleeper" upgrade for me i.e. it'll grow on me over time.

P.S.
Strangely enough, I had the same "ho-hum" feeling about Photoshop's upgrade
from CS to CS2. But since I've lived with CS2 for a few months now, I keep
find new ways to do old things and subtle improvements everywhere.

I've absolutely fallen in love with one of the most minor -- and less
heralded -- new features (Smart Guides) which give an instant on-screen
indication of when various objects are perfectly aligned as you move them
around your layout. I never realised how much I do this and it's proved a
major timesaver for me.

Hopefully DW8 will do the same for me.

--
Regards

John Waller

Steve

2005-10-26, 10:17 pm

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 07:15:28 -0400, "Murray *TMM*"
<forums@HAHAgreat-web-sights.com> wrote:

>Or the Server Behavior improvements?

I thought Server Behavior was one area left untouched in ver. 8?
--
Steve
steve at flyingtigerwebdesign dot com
Certifiable Dreamweaver Developer

Bonnie

2005-10-27, 3:16 am

John Waller wrote:
>
>
> It really depends on what you are looking for and how you use the product.
>
> I've run the Trial version for the last month.
>
> I'm impressed with the new features and tweaks of existing features but, I
> must admit, I'm not over-awed (though I wanted to be). I certainly haven't
> found any killer features which have had me reaching for the credit card
> ASAP.
>
> I've just today returned Down Under from a 3 week trip to the UK.
>
> Interestingly, I had a good look through the reviews of Studio 8 in most of
> the British tech mags in the newsagent shops.
> Most, understandably, focused on Flash 8 as the major upgrade.
> DW8 earned reviews such as (not quoted verbatim): "disappointing in
> general", "not much there to compel an upgrade", "more of a dot release than
> a full version upgrade", "it's OK but not sensational" and so on.
> Again, what were the reviewers looking for? and you naturally have to keep
> in mind their target audience for their mags.
>
> I'll probably upgrade anyway (DW8 only, not Studio) but I think it's a handy
> upgrade rather than a "must have" one for me.
>
As a Fireworks and specifically pen-tool challenged user, for me the
convert Marquee to Path feature of FW justifies the upgrade all by itself.

--
Bonnie in California
kroko at
sbcglobal dot net
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/...ts/CTDSites.woa

John Waller

2005-10-27, 3:16 am

> As a Fireworks and specifically pen-tool challenged user, for me the
> convert Marquee to Path feature of FW justifies the upgrade all by itself.

Good to hear Bonnie.

Why is it such a great feature worth hundreds of dollars for you?

--
Regards

John Waller

plummerdesign

2005-10-27, 3:16 am

So many good points here. We all get tempted with new shiny toys. I use DW as
part of an overall workday package. With Prepress, Web Dev and Creation on
three workstations, that is a pile of licenses. Been with DW since 2, got 3,
then MX, then MX2004..always as Studio. This is for PC and Mac workstations, a
lot of money invested. So if the new bits are slim, that is money better saved
for the next release( Same reason I passed on CS2). Most likely waiting on
MacroAdobe 2006 products. Money is money, write off or not.

Bonnie

2005-10-27, 6:19 pm

John Waller wrote:
>
>
> Good to hear Bonnie.
>
> Why is it such a great feature worth hundreds of dollars for you?
>
Because I can now use the magic wand to outline an element of an image
that I would have had to spend hours carefully tracing with the pen tool
when I want to remove the background, for instance, to replace it with
another one. When you did that in MX or MX04, you were stuck with the
results of the magic wand, which left an ugly, pixellated border; the
alternative was to spend hours with the pen tool, which I just don't
have the patience for.

(Well, okay, so I went for the InterAKT goodies, as well!)

--
Bonnie in California
kroko at
sbcglobal dot net
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/...ts/CTDSites.woa

John Waller

2005-10-27, 6:21 pm

Thanks for that, Bonnie.

--
Regards

John Waller