design and development

Macromedia Studio MX All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies is definately a value-packed, thick, useful book. There is good reference material and getting-started info on Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, Freehand 10, Macromedia Vlash MX, & Cold Fusion MX along with two sections on design basics and integration of studio components.

As I said, with such a breadth of information the book is definately a bargain. However, that advantage is also the book's primary downfall I feel. It says 7 books in one, but if that is true it is SEVEN SHORT BOOKS. Each book is definately not the standard "For Dummies" length. This lends itself to make it 7 abridged-sized books. The adbridgement comes by removing all of the discussion on the more advanced features of the program. Unfortunately the extreme basics are also belabored.

All of that means that the book will be useful to help you get started in Macromedia Studio, but after you have a little more than a few hours of experience in the software suite you will find the book increasingly useless. Because the features which a mildly seasoned user will find difficult to master are not covered, this book is not such a great value if the purchaser already has mild to moderate background experience with MX software.

So with that review in mind take it or leave according to your lot. If you are new to Macromedia Studio MX and want some help for the first month or so getting up and running, this is a great resource. But if you have already pushed through the growing pains of climbing the learning curve, you may want to pass on this one for a more advanced text.

Great for those new to Macromedia Studio. This book will teach you all the basics to get up and running in minimal time. After this book you will be ready to explore any portion of Studio MX in greater depth as you will have a good grounding in the basics. Well worth the price of admission.

Yip, worth the pennies you're going to spend on it. It has a no-nonsense approach and gets you up and running in no time at all. It doesn't include the typical html-this-and-html-that intro chapters (that are included in virtually all the other web development-related books) and jumps away with the cardinals immediately.

It is obviously not a topical alpha-to-omega subject matter type of book - for this buy separate titles specialising in the Macromedia component you're interested in.

But if you are a hit-the-ground-running type of being, this will show you how all the Macromedia components integrate with each other and beyond. The book is definitely worth the odd 8550 square millimeters (footprint that is!) on your bookshelf. Enjoy!