New Web page tool set the best ever

By MIKE BERMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
March 24, 2004

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the folks at Macromedia make their ultimate Web page creation tool even easier to use and more intuitive.

Macromedia Studio MX 2004 ($899) includes new and improved versions of Dreamweaver, Freehand, Fireworks, ColdFusion and Flash, giving you one of the most powerful packages of Web creation and design tools known to mankind.

I've been a Dreamweaver advocate for several years now, using it to create and constantly update my own ego trip at www.jocgeek.com.

But many of the steps I used to take to keep my site floating in cyberspace have become automated.

Cascading style sheets make it easier for you to get the job done by giving you instant access to all of the package's tools and allowing you to change fonts; link to other Web sites or email addresses; edit graphics; and use other tools at the click of a mouse.

It's also much more powerful, resulting in faster manipulation of graphics, quicker access to files and less delay moving in and out of applications.

In addition:

• New tools have been added to Flash and Fireworks, making it easier to employ those special effects you seen used on "professionally created" Web sites.
• You can now automatically check and validate your site using any Web browser.
• A new user interface makes it easier to edit documents you're posting to your site.
• New "start pages" give you immediate access to your files and guide you through the creation of new ones.
• Effects previously only available in Freehand, Flash or Fireworks are now accessible through Dreamweaver, eliminating the need to switch from one program to another.

Of course there are programs available that are a lot less expensive and offer you quick and easy solutions to setting up your own Web pages.

For those of you who prefer a Ford over a Rolls-Royce, that may be adequate. But I've always found myself wanting more tools than those programs could give me, ranging from photo manipulation to special effects. This is what makes Studio MX 2004 the ultimate Web creation tool available for professionals and novices.

For more information, check out the company's web site at www.macromedia.com.

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