Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland
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Book Reviews of Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual
Book Review: 968 pages of help
Summary: 5 Stars
The Missing Manual series sports the tag line "The book that should have been in the box". Generally it's the truth and "Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual" is a shining example of what a tech manual should be.
It's huge: 968 pages, not counting the index.
It is thorough: the table of contents runs 14 pages and you can see that just about every subject a beginning to advanced intermediate website creator is included. (Note that I say website creator and not designer. This is not really a book intended for designers.)
McFarland is an excellent writer for this kind of book. His style is moderately spare. He keeps his sentences concise and direct, which is a boon in this kind of manual. Unlike some tech authors, he does not see himself as a comedian, and doesn't attempt intoducing lame humor.
Website creation isn't a single subject and, if it is covered in detail, it isn't necessarily simple. One needs to understand HTML, XHTML, CSS, HTTP and more. McFarland does an excellent job of introducing the reader to both website creation and Dreamweaver CS3.
Dreamweaver CS3 is a complex environment, which accounts for its being the most used creation tool by web professionals. But McFarland takes the reader by the hand and walks him through virtually every aspect of Dreamweaver CS3. Not every capabilitity is treated in great depth, but that is to be expected.
Overall, this is a fine example of what a technical manual should be. Exhaustive, but readable and highly informative. Its 968 pages may look daunting at the outset, but the reward is in leaving with a thorough explanation of what Dreamweaver CS3 can do - and being able to do it.
Jerry
Book Review: No Bull Instruction
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second book I've studied by this author (the other is "CSS, The Missing Manual"). I've used Dreamweaver from the very first version, and as a Marketing Communications/Graphics/Web professional for more than 18 years, I'm no novice where web design and production is concerned. Now that web design has finally emerged from the table-dominated HTML world, it's great to have an instructional resource like this to aid the transition to CSS-based page layout.
Both of McFarland's books are excellent instructional manuals (and I seriously recommend that you buy both). They combine concise, easy-to-understand explanatory text and superb tutorials to present the material in a manner that only the dimmest bulb could fail to appreciate. I've read many intstructional texts over the years, and this is the most fully competent and effective manual I've yet encountered.
It helps if you have some experience with Dreamweaver, but even if you don't, this is the book you should buy. I can't imagine any other manual that could possibly give you a better -- and usefully functional -- overview than this one. Buy it and study it. If you do, all your web friends (pretenders) will be knocking on your door, asking you to share your expertise.
The "Missing Manual" series, at least as far as I've been exposed to it, is excellent. I just bought the Flash CS3 manual, and I will report on that shortly.
Book Review: Dreamweaver CS3 The Missing Manual
Summary: 5 Stars
I am in no way a computer expert. I was trained to be a teacher way before Windows even came out. The internet was nothing more than personal computers connected by modems way back then. So it has been rather daunting that my mid-life crisis involves a desire to create a website. Who am I to think I can pull this off??
Before I stated out, I checked out a bunch of website creation books from my local library. Several of the books made me feel like a real nincompoop who had no hope of ever understanding the inner workings of a website. Some of the books were so incredible boring, they were great for insomnia. The rest were better used as door stops. One book, however, was so good that I had to go out and buy my own copy.
Dreamweaver CS3, The Missing Manual is perfect for a person like me with very little knowledge of programing (DOS in the 80's) and a not a whole lot of time to learn something new. I love the humor that is intertwined with the material. It makes the book that much more enjoyable. I also love the way the author points out many things but cuts right to the chase and lets his reader know exactly what the important stuff is.
I have found that the website which accompanies this book is a perfect companion to the book. The downloads are quick and easy and the tutorials are easy and entertaining.
I highly recommend this book.
Book Review: To Buy or Not to Buy?
Summary: 5 Stars
I work for an engineering company, do their web, and a bunch of other stuff. We're moving from Go-Live to Dreamweaver. I've been doing the web for nine years, and am not a rookie. Having said that, this book is excellent for beginners or advanced code writers who wants to learn Dreamweaver. I just don't have a lot of time to waste. The tutorials march you through it. This book is recommended if you don't have a lot of time. I have NOT bought any other books for Dreamweaver, but I have bought Adobe's Classroom in a Book for other programs. This book is as good as those, and with fewer errors. And the writer is more precise in the steps to take. Nearly impossible to get lost in the steps.
Personally, I don't write reviews very often. But this is a real review by someone really working for a living, and I MUST figure out how to use Dreamweaver right NOW!!! The book is helping; this is day 2; I'm on page 243 (Images) and it's starting to sink in.
One other note: the reviewer who said he was suspicious of all the positive reviews: get a life! This book is detailed, but not mindlessly so. The tutorials found on the writer's website are just fine, and the website is easy to navigate. Not sure what the gent meant. But I guess you can't please everybody.
Gotta get back to work!
Book Review: BEST How-to book EVER
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't stop talking about how GREAT this book is! I've been trying to figure out how create a dynamic website for a couple years now, and I finally found a book to walk me through the process from start to finish- I practiced on my son's school track website- Thanks to Mr. McFarland, I got a dynamic site up and running!(With password protected admin forms for the coaches to update the data themselves!) I had no previous experience with MySQL or PHP, and didn't even know that I needed them, or how to get them (he gives you the links to do it for free)... I noticed that some people found the references and repeats to other sections irritating- Not having time to read everything, I found them essential, and appreciated him taking the time and effort to do that. I skipped to the sections I needed and found EVERYTHING I needed at my finger tips. (Who has time to read almost 1000 pages before you get to work!) His real world tutorials, and step by step instructions were EXACTLY what I needed to get my site up and running! He was logical, thorough and entertaining- I've been looking for a book like this for several years and am thrilled that I finally found it. I'll have to go back and read the chapters I skipped, and get his book on CSS (The missing manual)Then I will be a real expert.