For visual content of webpages

Macromedia offers a bundle of tools that span visual web site development. I say visual because the emphasis of the tools is on building complex HTML web pages and groups of these pages, where the groups might typically constitute a website. The tools basically construct static web pages with intricate graphical content.

For example, Flash is wonderful for making animated graphics. While Fireworks claims to be better than Photoshop for editing still images. I am not sure whether this is indeed so. But the book's narrative on Fireworks shows impressive functionality.

I should qualify my earlier statement. You can certainly add sound effects in Flash. And there is some ability to have dynamic webpages, using DHTML. But the book really doesn't emphasise it. Just gets a passing mention.

Overall, the Studio should handle many needs for web developers. Though note that the construction of dynamic pages is most often done via JSPs or Active Server Pages, which is outside the scope of Studio.

Other Reviews

• Listen to Jonathan Marquardt below
• People, people -- come on now!
• This book is too overwhelming for beginners.
• For visual content of webpages