Reviews
Alien Skins Snap Art 2
by Darren Winder - 05-Oct-09
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Turn photos into Sketches and/or Paintings the easy way.
Flash Presentation Without Flash
by Darren Winder - 08-Sep-09
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Build Flash Presentations without "Flash". NO Flash training or knowledge required. In this article I will review Pixtivity 2.0 Pro Edition. Create professional presentations with this easy to use software; you will be amazed with your end product. Use all the features, have fun while creating.
Testing in Internet Explorer
by Adrian Senior - 04-Aug-09
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In the absence of Multi-IE for Vista I have been using an application from debugbar.com called IETester.
IETester is a browser (complete with tabbed interface) that allows you to have the rendering and JavaScript engines of IE8, IE7, IE6, and IE5.5 on windows 7, XP and Vista. The application is currently in alpha release but it is freely available for download, the current version is 0.3.5 and is delivered by download with an exe file for easy install.
Wacom Intuos4 Digital Tablet
by Scott Valentine - 28-Jul-09
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Wondering how to spend all that extra money you have laying around? Me, neither. But here's something that may be worth saving up for - Wacom's new Intuos4 Digital Tablet.
I'll cover the new stuff, give you my opinion, and then give you some tips on whether this tablet is right for you!
New From Acrobat.com: Tables
by Kim Cavanaugh - 01-Jul-09
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When Adobe acquired Virtual Ubiquity—the company responsible for the great online word processor Buzzword—there was an awful lot of speculation about where the company would take these technologies and what sort of additional services might be offered. In the two years since the acquisition was announced Buzzword has been rolled into the online sharing platform found at Acrobat.com and the programmers have been hard at work on other applications.
Recently two new services were announced that extend the services of Acrobat.com but that hold to the same principles as the original Buzzword application—focusing on the ability of users to share information and collaborate on documents in a real-time environment. In my previous article on the new features at Acrobat.com Labs we took a look at the new Presentations service that allows you to make slide-show presentations in an on-line environment.
In this article we'll look at the similarly simply-named Tables application service that provides you with a means to share a document that has the most common features that real people use spreadsheets for—the simple organization of information. Both of these software as services applications are in beta testing as this article is being written at Labs.Acrobat.com,
but they are slated for a wider release into the Acrobat.com service in the future.
Review of Balsamiq, a Wireframe Software Package
by Paul Davis - 25-Jun-09
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Mockup software is expensive - this little gem of a program makes quick work of mockups and costs less than you would expect!
New From Acrobat.com: Presentations
by Kim Cavanaugh - 24-Jun-09
Reader Level:
When Adobe acquired Virtual Ubiquity—the company responsible for the great online word processor Buzzword—there was a great deal of speculation about where the company would take these technologies and what sort of additional services might be offered. In the two years since the acquisition was announced Buzzword has been rolled into the online sharing platform found at Acrobat.com and the programmers have been hard at work on other applications.
Recently two new services were announced that extend the services of Acrobat.com but that hold to the same principles as the original Buzzword application—focusing on the ability of users to share information and collaborate on documents in a real-time environment. This article will take a look at the first of these new services known simply as Presentations and discuss some of the trends ahead and speculate a bit on where Adobe might ultimately take these services.
Jumpchart - Simple Web Site Planning and Wireframing
by Steven Seiller - 27-May-09
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Jumpchart is an on-line web site collaboration tool for defining site structure and content. The newly released version 2.0 adds export support for WordPress as well as enhanced interface functionality.
Jumpchart was originally developed as a communication tool designed to bring developers and clients together for the purpose of successfully defining site structure and collecting site content with a minimal of fuss. The core activity of this tool is to create a wireframe for the site -- an outline of site structure -- and to fill it with the text and assets which will comprise each page's content.
Suitcase Fusion 2
by Steven Seiller - 08-Dec-08
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The support technician informed me that I had installed too many fonts. This is when I learned that I needed a font manager. With more research, I learned about a product from Extensis called Suitcase X1 which was a font manager that solved my font management problem and provided several great conveniences in selecting the fonts I needed for specific projects. Extensis in October, 2008 released a fourth generation of this product called Suitcase Fusion 2. Keeping many of the Suitcase features, this new version has even more interactive conveniences.
Below, I will summarize functions common to the current Suitcase product line and highlight the fantastic new features found in Fusion 2.
Meet My New Friend, the ColorMunki
by Steven Seiller - 30-Sep-08
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My new friend, the ColorMunki, is going to help me with my color management. Want to meet my ColorMunki?
My ColorMunki has many talents. It can calibrate my monitor, profile my printer, calibrate my projector and, most importantly to me, scan a color swatch of any surface. With the included software I can create custom color palettes which are shared among my design applications such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Using the Pantone Goe System, the ColorMunki Design system enables me to work with any color that I can see and to match the color on my screen to the printed result. My ColorMunki and I are going to be busy!
Windows File Sharing with Apple's Time Capsule
by Steven Seiller - 17-Sep-08
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Known mostly as a companion to Apple Leopard's Time Machine automatic back-up system, the Time Capsule also plays nicely with others by sharing files and a printer. I recently installed a Time Capsule in an office to back-up Apple and Windows computers as well as serve files and a printer. True to Apple fashion, the Time Capsule is relatively easy to install and use, but there are a few gotchas which I did not find in the documentation. This article will help guide you in setting up Windows file sharing.
Lensbaby 3G
by Scott Valentine - 12-Sep-08
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Put away your fancy autotelezoomincappuccino lenses, and forget letting the camera do your dirty work. Get your hands in shape and calibrate the exposure meter in your eye; we're going to bend it with the Lensbaby 3G!
Google's New Browser - A Review
by Paul Davis - 10-Sep-08
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Google has done it again - they have released a new software package to create a stir in the web community. This time it is a browser called Chrome. Let's walk through the browser and see what it has to offer.
Cross Loop
by Adrian Senior - 08-Sep-08
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Recently, I came across a neat little application called Cross Loop. This free application provides me with a couple of great options as it provides very simple to use desktop sharing.
I have now used it both for training purposes and to gain access to clients machines to help with email set up and other minor problems they run into from time to time. It is a great little application and one I would recommend you take a look at.
Checking for SQL Injection Vulnerabilities with Scrawlr
by Adrian Senior - 13-Aug-08
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The Internet can provide some great pieces of software for free. Sometimes you can be searching for an answer to a question and you just stumble across applications you never knew existed.
I had the good fortune to run across a free application that checks your code for vulnerability to SQL injection. It doesn't do everything for you but it does enable you to check for "Get" type vulnerabilities in your SQL, and it does it a lot quicker than you or I could ever do it by hand.
TODCon 2007 - A Summary
by Jim Babbage - 14-Jun-07
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This is an almost impossible task: How to sum up one of the best learning and networking experiences of the year, without trivializing it.
If you didn't make it to TODCon, read through this article for an insight to my overall impressions of the conference and learn why I think this is a "must-do" event.
Chat4Support: Real Time Support Direct From Your Web Site
by Adrian Senior - 09-May-07
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I'm sure you have all seen them, the click here for live support buttons that are becoming more and more popular on today's web sites. I've often looked at them and wondered how effective they might be, would people actually use them enough to make the outlay worthwhile?
I recently had a request from a client to research this functionality on their behalf with a view to setting up a system on one of their web sites. If it proved a success then it would be added to their other web sites.
I was pleased to have the assignment, it was something I had intended to look at for my own site for a while but as ever, due to time constraints, I had never quite got around to doing the research on the different software available.
A Photoshop CS3 Sneak Peek - New Features
by Jim Babbage - 20-Apr-07
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There are indeed many new things coming with the release of Photoshop CS3. The phrase "jam-packed" comes to mind. Between new features and improvements to existing features and tools, this is one pretty amazing upgrade. Perhaps the most noticeable is the fact there will be two versions of Photoshop: Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended.
I'll start with Photoshop CS3 and then give a brief overview of the extra goodies in CS3 Extended.
Tag along and see what's in store.
18 FREE Software Tools You Need to Use!
by Paul Davis - 19-Apr-07
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Everyone likes FREE. Find some software that is free and actually really good, comparable or better than the commercial applications in the same field.
My First MacWorld (with Flashforward!)
by Robert Reinhardt - 12-Jan-07
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Whoah. As in a Joey Lawrence, "whoah." Cheesy, but it's pretty much how I felt as a Macworld newbie this week in San Francisco. Lynda Weinman had asked me back in October if I was interested in presenting a Flash Video session at Macworld. Since I had never been to a Macworld conference, I took the opportunity to go. I arrived Sunday night and prepped my slides and sample files on my brand new black MacBook, packing a sweet Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Little did I know that night just how rewarding the following two days were going to be.
Extending Flash Projectors: Review of Zinc 2.5
by David Stiller - 26-Dec-06
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This article provides a brief overview into the feature set of Zinc 2.5, a Flash Projector enhancement tool developed by Multidmedia Limited. Though expensive, Zinc extends the capabilites of normal Flash Projectors in a variety of interesting and useful ways and is compatible with both the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. To my thinking, the extended functionality is well worth the price.
Favourite Extensions - Part 2: Massimo's CF Insert Bar Plus
by Adrian Senior - 07-Dec-06
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In this, the second look at extensions that can enhance your production time, we are going to look at Massimo Foti's CF Insert Bar Plus.
The extension enhances functionality that already exists within Dreamweaver by reducing cftry, cfoutput and cfdump to a single click.
The Favourite Extensions Series:
Favourite Extensions - Part 1: Tom Muck's Sniplets
Favourite Extensions - Part 2: Massimo's CF Insert Bar Plus
Favourite Extensions - Part 3: The TFM Progress Bar
Favourite Extensions - Part 1: Tom Muck's Sniplets
by Adrian Senior - 16-Oct-06
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We all have our favourite extensions and I'm no exception. Some people collect them and have extensions for everything whether they use them or not, and some folks have just a few. I fall into the latter category.
In this ocassional series I thought I would catalogue some of the extensions that I use on a regular basis. Extensions that speed up my productivity are a particular favourite of mine and Tom Muck's Sniplets extension is one such tool that I use a great deal. It isn't a commercial extension, it is absolutely free, costs nothing but your time to download and install it.
The Favourite Extensions Series:
Favourite Extensions - Part 1: Tom Muck's Sniplets
Favourite Extensions - Part 2: Massimo's CF Insert Bar Plus
Favourite Extensions - Part 3: The TFM Progress Bar
Ubuntu & You, Part 6: The Dapper Difference
by Thomas Pletcher - 24-Jul-06
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Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution on the planet, and the recently released 6.06 ("Dapper Drake") version is the best yet. This article looks at what's new in the latest version, explains what sets Ubuntu apart from other Linux distributions, and suggests ways you might benefit by using Ubuntu for Web development. The article also contains capsule reviews of two new Ubuntu books.
The Ubuntu & You Series:
Ubuntu & You - Part 1: Trying Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 2: Using Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 3: Breezy is Easy
Ubuntu & You - Part 4: Breezy is Better
Ubuntu & You - Part 5: Be A Dapper Dude (or Dudette)
Ubuntu & You - Part 6: The Dapper Difference
Ubuntu & You - Part 7: An Ugly Upgrade
Ubuntu & You, Part 5: Be a Dapper Dude (or Dude-ette)
by Thomas Pletcher - 10-Jul-06
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There's a new version of Ubuntu, the world's most popular Linux distribution, and it's better than ever! This article will show you how to take the new "Dapper" distribution for a test run. It will also provide an overview of the different versions of Ubuntu so you can select the one that's right for you. Finally, the article will provide a review of Ubuntu installation options, including a brand-new install, a dual-boot scenario or an upgrade.
The Ubuntu & You Series:
Ubuntu & You - Part 1: Trying Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 2: Using Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 3: Breezy is Easy
Ubuntu & You - Part 4: Breezy is Better
Ubuntu & You - Part 5: Be A Dapper Dude (or Dudette)
Ubuntu & You - Part 6: The Dapper Difference
Ubuntu & You - Part 7: An Ugly Upgrade
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 30-May-06
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Once more we review some Firefox extensions and some standalone applications, this time dealing with color issues in web design. It's a pretty big and important subject, and we can use all the help we can get, so check out these neat gadgets (EyeDropper, ColorPic, Colour Contrast Analyser, and Colorzilla) that pick, find, and otherwise manipulate the colors our viewers will be seeing.
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 17-May-06
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In Part Six of our series we look at four more Firefox extensions that let us zoom images individually or with text within a browser page, go up through the levels in a site in case you've landed on a deeply nested page, open long URLs without worrying about wrapping or copy and paste problems and add functionality to the regular computer clipboard. Join us as we look at Image Zoom, Go Up, Open Long Urls, and Clippings for the Firefox browser.
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Transferring Emails, Email Account Settings and Bookmarks From Mozilla Applications
by Adrian Senior - 16-May-06
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I recently bought a new laptop and wanted to transfer all my emails and my email settings from Thunderbird to the new machine. Along with these settings I also wanted to export and re-import my bookmarks from Firefox.
With this in mind, rather than doing it all manually I had a quick Google to see if there were any applications out there that would automate the task for me. There was, and what a neat little application it is too; better still it is freeware and works a treat.
A Parallels Universe
by Thomas Pletcher - 10-May-06
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Parallels Workstation is an inexpensive desktop virtualization solution that has been generating a lot of buzz lately. This review puts the software through its paces and lets you see how it stacks up against its competition. You'll see how to install a Linux virtual machine on your Windows workstation, so you can develop and test on both operating systems and have the best of both worlds.
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 28-Apr-06
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In Part 5 of our series on Low Cost Developer Tools, we leave the Firefox extensions alone, and instead cover some standalone freeware applications, mostly for the PC. There are gadgets that make Windows work better (a clipboard viewer), site handling tools, and a scripting trainer too. All good stuff for Web developers!
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 17-Apr-06
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Have you ever wished you could see the source code for a web page without actually viewing the source? Or perhaps you've wanted to be able to expand or collapse parts of a source code so you could get them out of your way while you deal with other parts? Maybe you've even wanted a visual display of how the source code of your page is nested (or not) without having to go to the CSS and put in background colors or borders?
If any of these things are options you've longed for, or even if you haven't yet, you'll want to follow along as we review three Firefox extensions that provide just these types of source views. In Part 4 of our series, we'll look at the X-Ray Firefox extension, the View Formatted Source extension, and the View Source Chart extension. Come check them out for yourself!
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Mixed Thoughts on Microsoft Mix 06
by Robert Reinhardt - 31-Mar-06
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From March 20th to 22nd, the Microsoft Mix 06 conference was held in Las Vegas. The forthcoming Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and WinFX application layer were widely touted as the enablers for the next generation experience of Windows Vista, the successor to the Windows XP operating system.
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 28-Mar-06
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Time for more reviews of low cost developer tools. This time we will look at applications called 'screen rulers,' which are tools designed to measure spaces, objects, and angles that appear on the computer screen. These measured values are critical for many aspects of web design and everyone will need to measure something at some time. We'll check out five free and low-cost Pro versions of screen rulers for Windows operating systems. So join us as we check out some of the best rulers the web has to offer.
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Using SourceGear Vault for Source Control
by Joel Martinez - 23-Mar-06
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I was busy finishing up a feature on our company's intranet while the rest of the IT department scrambled
to do a full backup in anticipation of a hurricane.
I just had a few more lines of code to write before I could finish up and go home to prepare. As I typed the last few characters
and did some testing, I declared the feature done! Gushing with happiness that I was finally ready to go home, I checked the relevant files into
Visual SourceSafe.
But elation was not what the fates had planned for me. No, panic ... panic was the order of the day. The check-in
process threw some error which my brain has long since purged at this point. The check-in operation was a failure, along with
every subsequent attempt to try it again. As I went back into Visual Studio to look at my code, to bask in the warm glow of
success, I was horrified to find the files empty ... completely devoid of content.
Nooooooooooooo!
In desperation, I figured I would simply get the code from the repository again and re-implement my changes. Sadly, all history
for the files were nowhere to be found in SourceSafe. Turns out that at the exact moment that I tried to check-in my code, IT
was backing up that server. Because Visual SourceSafe is a file-based source control tool, it apparently was not happy about
trying to change the files while the backup was in process.
Needless to say, I suggested we migrate to another source control tool ASAP.
This is a review of SourceGear's Vault, a source control
tool designed to be a compelling replacement for Visual SourceSafe.
More Mozilla Mojo
by Thomas Pletcher - 21-Mar-06
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Many (actually, most) of today's most innovative and standards-compliant browsers have a family connection in common: Mozilla. This review will look at three of the most recent Mozilla descendants — Camino 1.0, Netscape 8.1 and SeaMonkey 1.0 — to see what they have to offer, both from a developer perspective and for end users.
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 20-Mar-06
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Our Low Cost Developer Tools series continues with a look at five 'toolbars' and a DOM Inspector available for Internet Explorer, Mozilla/Firefox and Opera. These web developer tools are like Swiss Army knives for web pages, letting you experiment on, dissect, and partially disable pages with ease. In short, dozens of developer-related functions are available at the click of a mouse! Let's check them out.
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
by John Gallant,Holly Bergevin - 06-Mar-06
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This article starts a new review series dedicated to low cost developer tools, both as extensions to browsers and as standalone applications. In Part One we'll discuss the details of the Firefox extension system, and start off with the Web Developer Toolbar. We'll be covering a large number of applications and extensions for you as the series progresses, so be sure to stay tuned. Let's go!
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Seven - Choosing and Using Color
Opera Hits the High Notes
by Thomas Pletcher - 02-Mar-06
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The latest Technology Preview of Opera 9 looks to be outstanding. Here's an overview of what makes this new version of Opera so great, and why Opera should become part of your development workflow, if it isn't already. You might even find that Opera gives Firefox a run for the money.
WordPress 2.0: Wonderful As Ever
by Thomas Pletcher - 23-Jan-06
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WordPress has always been both powerful and empowering, and the new 2.0 ("Duke") release is no exception. This review discusses the new features in the latest edition of WordPress, and offers tips on installation and/or upgrading.
Getting Movies onto Your iPod
by Paul Newman - 18-Jan-06
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In this article, you'll learn how to rip your DVDs to MPEG-4 format for playback on the fifth-generation iPod Video. You'll also learn how to view your iPod videos on a computer or television.
An Adobe Lightroom Review
by Kim Dudley - 17-Jan-06
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Adobe's latest addition to its product line is a brand new application called Lightroom. Even though Lightroom has only been released as a beta, the buzz around it has been quite amazing.
According to Adobe, the theory behind Lightroom is to provide a single environment that has all of the functions photographers most commonly need to perform on their images. Lightbox includes tools for importing, organizing, correcting, printing and showcasing large volumes of digital images.
Targeted specifically at professional photographers, Adobe has worked closely with industry active photographers to ensure they deliver an application that works and adapts to a photographers real world work flow.
In this review I have outlined some of the features that really impressed me and mentioned some of the tools I hope will be added to the final product. It is an exciting new application and worth being checked out by anyone who works with large numbers of digital images.
Introduction to Captionate 2.0
by Tim O'Hare - 06-Jan-06
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Flash Video combined with simple ActionScript gives you, the developer, the ability to synchronize video content with additional data such as text, images and even links. This functionality has been enabled since Flash Video started with Flash 6, but is now easier to implement with tools like Captionate and the Flash 8 Video Encoder. This article focuses on the basics of Captionate 2.0 and its ability to synchronize video content with persistent data. I will not go in to detail of any feature; however I will try to cover Captionate from a broad spectrum. I will assume you have never used the application and will explain not only what's new, but also the existing features from Captionate 1.0.
Does Flock Rock?
by Thomas Pletcher - 10-Nov-05
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Flock, the "social browser" based on Firefox, incorporates a number of web services, including blogging and photo sharing. Is this what Web 2.0 will look like? This article introduces Flock, explains why it's different and takes a look at its major capabilities.
Previewing Deer Park/Firefox 1.5
by Thomas Pletcher - 21-Oct-05
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With built-in SVG support and new support for CSS3—not to mention a host of other improvements—Firefox 1.5 is going to raise the bar for web developers everywhere. The "Deer Park" beta is very stable, so now's the time to install it and get in on the excitement. This article shows you how, and walks you through the new features in Firefox 1.5.
Making Flash Remoting Development Easier with Service Capture
by Danny Patterson - 17-Oct-05
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There are few tools available to Flash developers for debugging their applications. This becomes increasingly complex when developing Flash applications with server integration. Service Capture, written by Kevin Langdon, is one of the few tools to break into this market. It works as a proxy on your local computer and inspects Remoting (AMF), Web Service (SAOP) and XML data. It also captures other data not directly relevant to Flash development. In this article we will examine the various feature
Comparing Files in Dreamweaver 8
by Heidi Bautista - 13-Oct-05
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Comparing a pair of files to check for differences is a task most designers and developers face at some point. Prior to Dreamweaver 8, this task had to be performed outside of the Dreamweaver environment. Macromedia has simplified this job by allowing us to launch a file comparison tool from within Dreamweaver. Now we can compare a local file against the remote version; or compare two local files or two remote files. It'll even display a warning message if you attempt to put a file to the remote server and it has changed since you last put it.
Quick and Slick: Some Speedy (and Capable) Web Dev Alternatives
by Thomas Pletcher - 03-Oct-05
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We all have favorite programs for day-to-day web development work. But when speed counts most, the fast and capable replacement apps described in this review (examples are provided for all platforms) can make a real difference.
Better Coder Tools in Dreamweaver 8
by Heidi Bautista - 30-Sep-05
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As an ASP.NET developer, one of my pet peeves with Dreamweaver MX 2004 (and earlier) was lack of a great code editor. Dreamweaver 8 goes a long way towards rectifying that deficiency. In this article, we'll explore some of the enhancements that are going to make your (coding) life easier.
The best part (in my opinion) is the code collapsing/expansion functionality in the Coder toolbar. Read on to learn about more handy improvements.
Image Editing Panel - Fireworks 8 Sneak Peek
by Jim Babbage - 09-Sep-05
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There are many new goodies awaiting you in Fireworks 8. If you are new to Fireworks, Macromedia has added some features to help you get "up to speed" very quickly. One of these new features is the Image Editing Panel. Its purpose is to quickly expose new users to some (not all) of the most common image editing functions in Fireworks.
This brief overview details will give you a basic grasp of what the Image Editing Panel can do
Ubuntu & You, Part 2: Using Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
by Thomas Pletcher - 25-Aug-05
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Ubuntu has quickly taken its place as the most popular Linux distribution by offering an unmatched combination of power, polish and ease-of-use. This article will walk you through setting up a LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) developer's installation on Ubuntu. We'll also show you how to install Java and the excellent open source JEdit programmer's text editor, and how to enable MP3 and DVD playback.
The Ubuntu & You Series:
Ubuntu & You - Part 1: Trying Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 2: Using Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 3: Breezy is Easy
Ubuntu & You - Part 4: Breezy is Better
Ubuntu & You - Part 5: Be A Dapper Dude (or Dudette)
Ubuntu & You - Part 6: The Dapper Difference
Ubuntu & You - Part 7: An Ugly Upgrade
Ubuntu & You, Part 1: Trying Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
by Thomas Pletcher - 15-Aug-05
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Ubuntu has become the world's most popular Linux distribution over the past year. This article explains why, and reviews the benefits you can realize by trying it. The article also provides an overview of Ubuntu installation options, along with an account of those (in)famous desktop photos.
The Ubuntu & You Series:
Ubuntu & You - Part 1: Trying Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 2: Using Today's Most Popular Linux Distribution
Ubuntu & You - Part 3: Breezy is Easy
Ubuntu & You - Part 4: Breezy is Better
Ubuntu & You - Part 5: Be A Dapper Dude (or Dudette)
Ubuntu & You - Part 6: The Dapper Difference
Ubuntu & You - Part 7: An Ugly Upgrade
Fireworks 8: We Have Convert Marquee to Path!
by Linda Rathgeber-Stewart - 12-Aug-05
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In five years of answering question on the Macromedia Fireworks forum, I can't begin to tell you how many times I've read the questions, "How do I convert a selection to a Path in Fireworks?" and "How do I convert a path to a selection in Fireworks?" The Fireworks engineers have been listening, folks. And I'm going to show and tell how they've responded.
Only the Shadow Knows - New Shadow Features of Fireworks 8 - A Sneak Peek
by Jim Babbage - 11-Aug-05
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For a long time, faithful users of Fireworks have been pining for ways to add shadows to objects – other than the drop shadow effect. Fireworks 8 introduces two new shadow features: Add Shadow command and Solid Shadow Live Filter.
In Section 1 of this article, we will look at the new Add Shadow Command. Section 2 will delve into the Solid Shadow Live Filter. We'll then wrap things up with some ideas on using these two new features of Fireworks 8.
Dreamweaver 8 Style Rendering Toolbar - A Sneak Peek
by Adrian Senior - 10-Aug-05
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Dreamweaver 8 has a very interesting and very cool new feature, the Style Rendering tool bar. The style rendering toolbar allows you to easily design for various media types, such as screen, handheld and print which we will look at in this preview. Other media types that are catered for are Projection, TTY - Television Type Devices, and TV media types. Dreamweaver 8 also provides the ability to toggle on and off all CSS rendering via the toggle CSS display button.
A Programmer's Look at Flash 8
by Danny Patterson - 08-Aug-05
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Flash 8 was announced today (August 8, 2005) and that always means two things. There is not only a new version of the Flash authoring environment but also a new version of Flash Player. This article will examine many of the new features available to programmers in Flash Player 8.
Fireworks 8 - A Power Blender for Graphics
by Jim Babbage - 08-Aug-05
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Fireworks 8 is packed full of neat things, but in my opinion, one of the coolest is the addition of 26 different Blend Modes. Adding to the Blend Modes opens up a world of creative potential. I admit it; I’m a Fireworks junkie. I do a great deal of my image work in FW, but I also like to play around in it, experiment and create. The new Blend Modes make Fireworks a much bigger playground.
Blend Modes can be applied to Layers or Objects in Fireworks. The impact of a blend mode is controlled primarily by the colors in the images being blended, but also by the Opacity of the Layer or Object.
So come along with me and explore this truly enhanced feature set of Fireworks 8.
Nvu: An Open Source WYSIWYG HTML Editor
by Thomas Pletcher - 11-Jul-05
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An open source Dreamweaver? Well, not quite. But Nvu does offer WYSIWYG HTML page building, a capable style sheet editor, and clean output. Plus, it's available for all platforms and you can't beat the price. Read on for a review of the latest Nvu.
Announcing the Flash Platform
by Joey Lott - 06-Jun-05
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Read about the "State of Flash" in this discussion of Macromedia's announcement of the Flash Platform. Learn about where the Flash Player can be found, and how the Flash Player is supported by an entire platform of related technologies. Additionally, read a brief overview of some of the new features in the pending Flash Player, code named Maelstrom.
Breeze Gets an Update
by Tom Green - 09-May-05
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Macromedia shines up its brass knuckles and goes into "Street Fighter" mode with the release of Breeze 5. In this article, I review some of the major features of the Breeze Meeting 5 which, in many respects, is the "Crown Jewel" of the release.
A First Look at Tiger
by Thomas Pletcher - 04-May-05
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Mac OS 10.4 Tiger has been eagerly awaited and heavily hyped. Now that it's here, should you upgrade? In a word, yes.
ColdFusion MX 7: The Newest Version of ColdFusion
by Arman Danesh - 07-Feb-05
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Macromedia has released ColdFusion MX 7. This is a major upgrade to ColdFusion with lots of new features bound to enhance most developer's applications. This article provides an introduction to the new ColdFusion and its many exciting features.
JEdit 4.2: Cross-Platform Perfection
by Thomas Pletcher - 11-Jan-05
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If you program on more than one platform, you probably already know about JEdit--the free, open source, Java-based programmer's text editor that gives you the same great interface and functionality on every platform. If not, now's the time to find out (even if you're on just one platform)!
Fireworks Piece By Piece - The Assets Panel Group
by Jim Babbage - 10-Jan-05
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Welcome to another article in the "Fireworks MX 2004 Piece by Piece" series. We think you will find that this series offers a more comprehensive reference to the details of the Fireworks interface and functionality set, than what is available in any other single place. Even in the most basic of articles, we hope you will find something that makes Fireworks more useful to you.
The purpose of this article is to give you an in-depth look at the Assets Panel Group in Fireworks MX 2004. The panels and panel groups are there to improve your workflow, and help you concentrate more on creation, and less on procedure.
A Critique of FCS 2.0 Sneak Peek at MAX
by Robert Reinhardt - 10-Nov-04
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During the Macromedia MAX 2004 conference in New Orleans, members of the Flash Communication Server product team hosted a group discussion about possible features for the next major release of the product. In this article, I'll be describing Comm Server's current role in the Macromedia product line and outline a list of features that I'd like to see implemented in the next release.
Macromedia Contribute + eBay = Easy Storefront Solutions
by Kim Cavanaugh - 01-Nov-04
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Macromedia today announced a customized version of Macromedia Contribute 3 that simplifies online store creation and customization for eBay Store sellers. This special version of Contribute provides eBay Store sellers with a powerful way to create and customize their eBay Store without requiring technical knowledge. The results are impressive, and Macromedia appears to have pulled off a major marketing coup in finding a way to tap into the huge market that eBay represents.
BBEdit 8: Better Than Ever
by Thomas Pletcher - 19-Oct-04
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The last version of BBEdit was a tough act to follow. This world-class, Mac-only text editor excelled at web development tasks and Unix command line scripting alike. But the new BBEdit 8 looks even better. It's packed with over 100 new features, including some major productivity enhancers. This review will take a look at the major new features offered in this release, so you can determine whether to upgrade (or switch!).
What's New in Flex 1.5
by Paul Newman,Joey Lott - 18-Oct-04
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Today, October 18, 2004, Macromedia announced the upcoming release of Flex version 1.5, the presentation server and application framework that enables enterprise developers to easily create Rich Internet Applications.
Macromedia Introduces Captivate
by Jim Babbage - 05-Oct-04
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Macromedia has a put a fresh face on the latest version of RoboDemo. Now called Macromedia Captivate, this training tool makes it incredibly easy to record software demos and make interactive software simulations. It's easy, fast and fun to create training material.
How easy? Put it this way. I've never used RoboDemo, and I was able to create my first Captivate project without opening a single help file. Notice I didn't say "perfect Captivate project," but that's ok; editing a project is dead-easy, too.
So take a few moments and get a heads up on this new iteration of a favorite training tool.
Please note, currently, Captivate is only available for the Windows Platform.
Capturing Screenshots with SnagIt 7.1
by Paul Newman - 25-Aug-04
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The latest version of TechSmith's SnagIt may be the best screen capture utility available. In this video tutorial, learn how to configure SnagIt 7.1 to send screenshots to Microsoft Outlook, MSN Messenger, and external applications such as Fireworks MX 2004.
BBEdit: The Basics and Beyond - Part 2
by Thomas Pletcher - 11-Aug-04
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In Part 1 of this article, we toured BBEdit's basic setup and core capabilities and learned why it's widely regarded as a great HTML editor. Part 2 takes BBEdit to the next level, showing you how to leverage its extensibility with AppleScript to create a lean, mean PHP-coding machine, and a perfect partner for Dreamweaver on the Mac.
BBEdit: The Basics and Beyond - Part 1
by Thomas Pletcher - 28-Jul-04
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Everyone knows BBEdit is a great HTML editor, and a long-time favorite on the Mac platform. But did you know that BBEdit can be extensively customized to work with various web programming languages? Or that BBEdit is thoroughly integrated with Unix, Perl and Python? Part 1 of this two-part article walks you through BBEdit's basic set-up and core capabilities. In Part 2, you'll learn how to use AppleScript and Unix to turn BBEdit into a lean, mean PHP-coding machine (with techniques you can apply to other languages as well).
What's New in Flash MX 2004 7.2
by Paul Newman - 27-Jul-04
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Today, Macromedia released the Flash MX 2004 7.2 updater. This updater includes over 120 fixes and changes, making Flash the Lee Majors of software: better, faster, stronger.
In addition, the Flash team added over 400 new code examples to the documentation, increasing the percentage of entries with examples from 43% to 98%. Read on to learn more about what's new in Flash 7.2, and how to obtain and install the updater.
Macromedia Introduces New Web Publishing System
by Ray West - 20-Jul-04
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Macromedia has just announced the upcoming release of Contribute 3 and Flash Paper 2. In addition, they have unveiled their new "Web Publishing System", which in Macromedia's own words is "...a complete, scalable solution that empowers businesses to build, manage, and publish to enterprise websites within a centrally controlled, standards-based environment." With over 300 feature updates in Contribute 3 alone, this latest offering has the potential to have a major impact on the way that large organizations manage their web content efforts.
Using Flash Resource Manager
by Paul Newman - 17-Jun-04
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How to install and customize Mike Chambers' Flash Resource Manager to view and search Macromedia documentation, web sites, and more.
DW MX 2004 Updater - Expect Better Performance!
by Heidi Bautista - 12-Mar-04
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To counter criticism over last September's poorly received release of Dreamweaver MX 2004, Macromedia decided to pour resources into performance improvements for this updater. Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at what the engineers have to say about the effort.
Fireworks MX 2004 Piece by Piece - Bitmap Tools: Part 1
by Jim Babbage - 12-Jan-04
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This article, and the one quickly following it, will deal with the next section of the Toolbar: the Bitmap Tools. This is the largest section of the Toolbar, and I felt it best to break things up into two sections. Many of these tools are the same in Fireworks MX and even Fireworks 4, but that doesn't mean they'll escape our scrutiny in this article. The Bitmap Section is also the area that received the greatest "revamp" in FWMX 04, with new tools to help you work better, faster and smarter with bitmap images.
Macromedia Announces Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS)
by Robert Hoekman Jr - 16-Dec-03
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Macromedia and VitalStream team up to offer a Flash video delivery solution to the rest of us. No FlashComm required.
Macromedia Announces Flex
by Ray West - 17-Nov-03
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Not going to MAX? We have the lowdown on the latest announcement from Macromedia. Learn the early scoop on Macromedia Flex (previously Royale).
Macromedia Flash MX 2004...7.1
by Joey Lott - 10-Nov-03
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Macromedia will be releasing an updater for Flash MX shortly. Get the inside scoop on the 7.1 updater for Flash MX 2004 and what you can expect.
Overview of Flash MX 2004 Professional
by Mustafa Basgun - 02-Sep-03
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I was very lucky to have a chance to preview the latest version of Flash, Flash MX 2004 Professional. In this article I'll go over some of the new features that the folks at Macromedia have cooked up for us in this version. Let's get started! But, please keep in mind that I am going to walk through generally from the developer's perspective; focusing on the professional version.
Headless Fireworks in Dreamweaver MX 2004
by Adrian Senior - 01-Sep-03
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Dreamweaver MX 2004 has added the new "Headless Fireworks" option. This option allows you to perform edits on images from directly within the Dreamweaver MX 2004 design area.
The New Dreamweaver MX 2004 Behaviors Panel
by Adrian Senior - 28-Aug-03
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A look at the new Dreamweaver MX 2004 behaviours panel and how it differs from the existing version of Dreamweaver MX.
New Property Inspectors for the ASP.NET form controls
by Heidi Bautista - 27-Aug-03
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Here's a sneak preview of the new property inspectors for the ASP.NET form controls in Dreamweaver MX 2004, and some of their more interesting features.
Overview of the New Dreamweaver MX 2004 Workspace
by Adrian Senior - 26-Aug-03
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A sneak preview of the forthcoming release of Dreamweaver MX 2004
Weaving a Web Dream, with Dreamweaver
by Jim Babbage - 24-Jul-03
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Are you new to Dreamweaver? Do you believe you can always learn something new, no matter how much experience you have? This article is just for you, then. This introductory article is about some of DMX's features and some general web common sense. Read on . . you never know what you'll discover!
