Macromedia Studio MX-Mac Upgrade from 2+ Macromedia product

Dreamweaver MX is a visual Web editor that generates highly compatible code while also including useful site-management features. Flash MX is the de facto standard for Web animation, containing rich multimedia content in remarkably compact files. Fireworks is a great tool for putting the finishing touches on existing graphics, adding text effects or other elements, and optimizing the results for Web display. These three are the core Studio MX products, and the suite offers excellent value for these alone.

Integration between the individual products is generally very good. It begins with the interface, which uses common elements such as dockable, collapsible panels and a dynamic property inspector, so that you can switch comfortably between products. On a technical level, the key feature is roundtrip support. You can embed Fireworks graphics and Flash movies in Dreamweaver pages without losing any information, letting you later reopen an element in its original application with all its features intact.

Application development is not just a matter of server-side scripting. Flash MX also has potential as a rich client, with an interface driven by embedded JavaScript. Through a technology called Flash Remoting, Flash MX offers support for Web services. While it may seem strange to think of Flash as a rich client moving beyond the Web page, it does make some sense when you consider that it is cross-platform and very widely deployed.

Taking everything together, Studio MX is an essential development tool, as well as a great bundle for any Web designer. --Tim Anderson

Amazon.com Product Description
Macromedia Studio MX is an integrated suite of software tools for creating rich Internet applications delivered across major platforms and devices. The collection includes Macromedia Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, FreeHand, a developer edition of ColdFusion MX Server, and Flash Player 6.

Work in a familiar, customizable environment with consistent user interface elements, including color management, drawing tools, code editing, a common Property Inspector, and panel management, all making it easy to move between the applications. Create each element of the Web production process, including developing graphics, laying out HTML pages, coding application logic, building rich user interfaces, and assembling complete solutions--all in one suite.

Take advantage of drag-and-drop visual tools and components, code libraries, and extensive code editing support for developing applications using HTML, XHTML, XML, ColdFusion, ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, or PHP. Use precoded HTML objects, Flash components, and complete templates to create or customize the Web solution that best suits your needs. Download additional templates, components, and extensions, or write your own to increase functionality. You can even install third-party add-ons and a full documented set of APIs, letting you customize and enhance all the products in Macromedia Studio MX.

Note: This is an upgrade version for owners of Dreamweaver/Fireworks Studio, Flash/FreeHand Studio, UltraDev, ColdFusion Studio 4.5 or later, UltraDev/Fireworks Studio, UltraDev 4/ColdFusion 5 Studio, JRun Studio, or any two distinct combinations of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash versions 2 through 5, or FreeHand 7 or later.

Some of the more annoying Fireworks MX bugs:

Eyedropper - when selecting a color, selects the inverse of that color, so you have to select the color, then select it again to get the correct color.

Crop - If you set up your canvas to delete objects when cropping and then crop your document, it won't delete objects.

Text - You cannot copy and/or paste text into or out of the program

Those are all I can think of right now... but these are not all the bugs, I run into more and more every day.

DO NOT BUY THIS PROGRAM. It's not worth it.


Very buggy software, but does the job   July 6, 2002
Arryman (San Francisco, CA United States)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

Another half-baked update. Macromedia really needs to go back to the drawing board and put out some maintenance updates. On the good side, we have OS X versions of these web design mainstay apps (Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash); on the bad side, they are so buggy that one wonders if OS 9 was really that bad at all. Overall, DW on my G4/733 feels slower than 4.01 did on a G3/333.

For example, the behavior of dragging the panels on the right side is very inconsistant. E.g., when attempting to resize the CSS panel to be longer to show more styles in my file, the cursor often does not turn into the double-headed arrow to indicate dragability; or the cursor disappears completely; dragging sometimes works, but more often doesn't. Or, when in code view, dragging across text to select results in a nasty redraw problem, with the code flashing on and off in rapid succession until you've stopped dragging. It's like the document is having an epilectic seizure.

And why haven't they put in a simple window split function? BBEdit has had this for years. They boast about how bit-chin' their HTML code view is, but jeeze, it leaves a lot to be desired (and no, I don't think switching to BBEdit should be a solution to that; I think Macromedia should do more than a half-baked job on the code editor, and then most of us wouln't need to bother with BBEdit). Additionally, some of the other bugs were extant in version 4.01. Some things in 4.01 were slow as heck (templates). What I'm seeing so far in MX doesn't bode well.


Too Good To Be Called an "Upgrade..."   June 18, 2002
Joel Cranford (La Vergne, TN)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

MacroMedia has exceeded expectations with Studio MX! The newest items -- DreamWeaver MX, FireWorks MX, and Flash MX -- have been renovated to feature a much more consistent, intuitive user experience, slick graphical interface (at least under Mac OSX), and expanded capabilities and features.

So much has been added in features and experience that to call this a mere 'upgrade' is short changing the work done here. DW features all of the features from UltraDev, plus support for the free PHP, demonstrating their renewed confidence in the power of ColdFusion (dev version included w/Windows version of Studio MX), not to mention added support for ASP.NET. Those who loved Allaire's HomeSite will appreciate its integreation into the DW interface itself.

FireWorks is a beautiful application that makes PhotoShop pros feel more at home without feeling like they're using a 2nd rate knock off (like older versions of FW). Creating interacive images is much easier than ever -- some of this stuff you can just 'figure out', perhaps with a bit of guidance from the extensive online help system.

Flash: Wow! It has no competition now, and its intergration with FH10 is fabulous. These two pieces alone make for the most powerful vector-based dev environment on the planet. Crucial, considering the exodus from Raster/bit map images on the web.

Bravo MacroMedia! This stuff is so good, I have no idea what you'll do next! (But, please, may I suggest ColdFusion MX for Mac OSX?)