I suppose I can quickly give the reader a thumbs up on this, the newest version of Macromedia studio, and let everyone know that this is a good deal. This holds true even if it is a straight purchase and not just an upgrade.
For me this was an upgrade from an antique version of both Flash and Dreamweaver and I was surprised at the ease of installation. In the antique version I had issues during install, but it was on a Windows 95 machine so some problems were expected. In this version the easy pre-menu allows you to install one of many applications available on the CD. Even though I was running a 2.4 GHz machine with 1 GB of RAM the system installed quickly and easily.
Upon inserting the CD I had the opportunity to look at the upgraded products that were available to me. Keep in mind I was upgrading from Flash 4 and Dreamweaver Ultradev 4.
Launching the first install I added Dreamweaver 8 to my system. Upon entering the application I found the navigation to be familiar and the intuitive nature to be very solid. In a few moments I had passed the basic setup and was looking at some of the more powerful features of the system.
Of interest to me in the Dreamweaver application was the Code and Application view that allowed me the ability to write code and switch windows to review the effect quickly. Although other applications boast similar features the Dreamweaver windows were clean and the code editor much easier to deal with. The ability to quickly switch via an easy control to either code, design or split further enhances my ability to navigate a series of pages. HTML, ASP, Java, the code editor handles them all easily. Want to validate you code, easy, the system does it for you in a nice report format. If debugging had been this easy in the old days a lot of programs would have been written much better.
As I scanned through the features I also scanned through the given content. As such I was able to browse a large selection of pre-built web pages that gave me an instant insight into some more advanced features of the program. I was impressed with the templates and the ability for novice users to jump in and make pages.
Having looked at the actual application I looked at how to deploy my pages and found this action to be similar to my previous version of Dreamweaver. The new interface, however, was much easier to use and the simple wizard style interface allowed me to log on to an existing web server in a matter of moments. I choose FTP as my protocol for getting to the server and was appreciative of the new version and the lack of bugs with the use of FTP. In a few quick moments I had pulled the site down, checked out files and reset files on my web server. This strong management interface would be a major feature for new web developers and an even bigger plus to those more advanced.
Moving forward I then installed Fireworks. My previous experience with Fireworks was thin and though I had played with the application I had not used it effectively for any business application. I was not surprised to again see the application install flawlessly and I launched into the wonderful world of Fireworks. So what did I need to do? I found the help files immediately and was pleased to see they were more comprehensive than other systems. In typical Adobe fashion I was able to build with existing graphics and in a few minutes I was getting the hang of this complex program.
As I explored the system I used my knowledge of Premier and Photoshop to create some really good images and in the end was able to create a few nice web banners, several nice graphics and a nice animated graphic with some playful features integrated into it. The plug-ins allowed a little more flexibility but I did not have the opportunity to explore further during this initial review. New users: Take a class. This application will take a little while to master and I am sure the capabilities of this program are much larger than my initial review. If you do not want to take a class, at least read through the help and get started. The features will eventually cut your web development time down considerably. It should be noted that I also enjoyed the multi window modes of this application and was able to really enjoy it as I progressed through the features!
Moving forward I installed the Flash 8 Package. I was very excited about Flash as I had set it aside for some time in favor of other programs that were much heavier and I had been seeing more and more flash on the web, even in non-traditional applications such as remote data capture and clinical data capture.
Again the software installed flawlessly and again I was impressed with not only the speed of install but the complete lack of any issues. In the few moments that passed as the program installed I was on pins and needles waiting to see the new interface and if many of the older problems had been solved. Again, I was not disappointed.
Suffice it to say as I walked through the available features I was amazed to see the familiar editing window but now with more power available to it. As with my earlier version frames, key-frames and sequences were very intuitive. Working with tracks had become a breeze and made my discovery quite pleasing as I went through several older flash files, and created a few new ones. I was also impressed with the variety of quick and easy templates that could assist in the quick deployment of a solution by eliminating the tedious work. Again, new users will find the help a necessity and a little extra would do them good. Older users will quickly pick up on the familiar features and begin to enjoy the system almost immediately.
That's not all! As I browsed through the rest of the CD I found several other programs including Homesite, Coldfusion, Contribute and Flash Paper. From a business perspective Flash Paper may be a solution that can be deployed across an enterprise at a reasonable price.
As a wide overview of this offering I would have to say that Macromedia Studio 8 is a massive help to any and all web developers and a great product for an existing or new web developer to get a handle on multiple aspects of web development. For sheer ease of use the Dreamweaver application gives a user all the tools they need to do their job while Fireworks and Flash allow for heavy enhancements. I consider this a must buy!