Microsoft has officially announced it will be releasing FIVE versions of Windows 7:  Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate, and only Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional will be sold in retail.  Apparently this is to remove confusion caused by all the versions of Windows Vista.  They’ll be selling Home Premium to basic users, and Professional to businesses.

Microsoft, I think  the confusion came from having a billion versions of an operating system, and you’re doing it again?!  *Smacks forehead*

To top it off, the Windows 7 beta that 2.5 million or more of us are testing is Ultimate – but will only be offered as an upgrade.  This means we’ll be forced to buy Home Premium or Professional, and then pay even more for “Ultimate.”

Windows 7 Ultimate beta 7000 is nice, so why don’t you just sell what you’ve been having us beta test – and leave it at that!

Microsoft: this is blatant stupidity, and it’s moves like this that are going to make more and more people convert to OS X and become a “Mac.”

I JUST downloaded Windows 7 beta 7000 and installed it as a second operating system on my machine.  I know what you’re thinking “does it suck as much as Vista?”

Drum roll please….No!  In fact, I think Windows 7 will be a good solid upgrade from Windows Vista and even Windows XP, believe it or not!  There are a TON of new features and improvements from Windows Vista, and I will be sharing them with you!

I’ll be sharing problems I’ve encountered as well as fixes to those problems, as many new features as I can – good and not so good, features I’d like to see, and my thoughts on Windows 7 as a whole.

I haven’t had too much time to spend with it, just 2 hours tops, so I have a lot more to discover.  Even in this short amount of time, I’ve discovered a lot of fantastic features.

Why take my word for it, though, when you can download beta yourself and try it out for free?  It’s really not that hard, and there are many ways to do it.  You run it on a Virtual Machine (Microsoft makes a free one, google it), replace an existing operating system on a computer you don’t really ever use, or install it on a second hard drive or second partition on your existing hard drive.

I’ll give you a VERY quick walk-through on how to download and get Windows 7 Beta running the way I did.

First, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx
and download the beta.  It will have you fill out a few things, but it doesn’t take that long.

The beta comes in ISO (a disk image file) format which you will have to burn to a DVD with a program that will burn them properly.  Roxio does this, but you can google “Free ISO DVD Burner” and find yourself something different if you don’t have a Roxio disc burner.  (If you do not have a DVD burner, you can still try Windows 7 beta out using a virtual machine; search for Microsoft’s free virtual machine.)

Once you have successfully downloaded the .ISO file and burned it to a DVD, you may be ready to install – unless you’re like me and you wanted to keep your previous operating system.  If that is your case, you will need to either install a new, blank hard drive, or create a partition on your existing hard drive.

To do this, follow the tutorials here in this order:

1: http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/f2e9a502-e63c-413d-8804-87326ef4f4cc1033.mspx  (when doing this, make sure you shrink volume by at least 20 GB; this will leave you 20 GB worth of space to install and run Windows 7, which requires at least 10 GB – I reccomend using more than 20 GB, because by the time you’re through testing software on it, you’ll be almost full.)

2.  http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/8572be9b-8580-49f7-9719-b3a4c42749fe1033.mspx

After following these 2 tutorials, insert the DVD you burned into your DVD drive and run the install.  It will ask you where you would like to install Windows 7, so choose the new partition you made.

From there, follow the instructions and you should be all set.  Now, there is a common issue I encountered when installing Windows 7 which I will cover in the next post, so stay in touch!

Take it easy,
David

Hello everyone!  A common problem for Vista users with Dreamweaver MX is the “Insert>Tables” function; it simply will not work.  I have already posted two articles on this issue providing some fixes for the issue.  In the first article, I show how to make the “Insert Table” function actually do something and that is insert a table.  The only problem with THIS fix is that it doesn’t allow you to change the specs before the table is inserted into your Document.  The second fix is a tip given by a user, and another tip given by me which has worked for a decent ammount of people, but not all (for some it only worked temporarily, then the problem occured again.)  In this tutorial, I will be giving a new fix which will make the “Insert Tables” function work like a charm.

1.  First thing is first, download, save, and extract this ZIP file:  newtable1.zip

2.  Right click and copy the “table.htm” file  (The code in this file was taken from an extension called “etable” that you can download from http://www.idest.com/dreamweaver/objects-fr.htm)

3.  Go to C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common  (NOTE:  Some users may have to go there AND C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common and repeat the following steps in both locations.  This location is “Hidden” so either enable windows explorer to view hidden files and navigate to this location, OR copy and paste the filepath into the address bar in windows explorer and replace “YOUR USER NAME” with an appropriate username.)

4.  In this folder, rename “Table.htm” to “Tableold.htm” so you can reuse this file as a backup.

5.  Now, press CTRL+V to paste the recently downloaded “Table.htm” file.

6.  Open up Dreamweaver MX and insert a table

Now, the customization feature won’t look exactly like the original, but it has all the functions – plus a little more!  If you want, you can even tweak this “Table.htm” file to do whatever you’d like.

For me, this is the best way to get Dreamweaver MX to insert tables on Windows Vista.

What Do You Think?
Did this help you?  Have you tweaked the Table.htm file to do something really cool?  Send your thoughts to david@funkytower or leave a comment below.  I look forward to hearing from you. 

Take it easy,
David Crandall

UPDATE:
I received this e-mail from Dave who has some useful information for those who may have trouble using this fix.

Just a heads up I had to change the file in all of these location in order to get it to work. Thought I would let you know in case anyone else had trouble with it. So thank you for pointing me in the right direction. The tables not working has been a huge frustration since switching to vista.

Thanks again!

C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common

C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration-1\Objects\Common

C:\Users\David\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Common

C:\Users\David\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common

In Dave’s case, there are 4 file paths in which he had to paste the “Table.htm” file.  This situation is pretty uncommon, but if you find yourself STILL not being able to get the ‘Insert Table” function to work, search out some new file paths that are in relation to Dreamweaver MX.

Please note, typically, when you need to paste this file in more than the two file paths is when you’ve uninstalled and reinstalled Dreamweaver MX multiple times.  When uninstalling Dreamweaver MX, Vista leaves behind the hidden “Configuration” files, thus, when reinstalling, a second Configuration folder is created.  I hope this makes sense.  Thank you, Dave, for sharing your new info with us!

Internet Explorer 7 is fast. Especially on the Vista machine as it was made to match and work with Vista.  Each and every feature, at least with my experience, has responded very quickly.  So its performance has been great.

Internet Explorer 7 is safe. By safe, I mean it does indeed help prevent you from spyware, adware, and phishing websites.  Built in to IE7 is a pop-up blocker and phishing filter.

Internet Explorer 7 now has tabbed browsing. I LOVE tabbed browsing – in fact, I love IE7′s tabbed browsing feature more than Firefox’s.  IE7′s “New Tab” button is already on the toolbar, while with Firefox (at least when I got it) you had to browse the menu’s or use a keyboard shortcut to create a new tab.  Now with Firefox, there IS a button you can add, but you have to do the work in finding it and adding it yourself.  Having the button there automatically, like IE7, is just common sense.

Internet Explorer 7 is stylish. If you want a taste of the way Windows Vista looks and feels, Internet Explorer 7 is a good start.  The design of this browser is beautiful and elegant.  The great thing is that the beautiful looks of IE7 does not inhibit IE7′s performance and speed.

Internet Explorer 7 is free….enough said about that.

So which is it?  IE7 or Firefox?

And the winner is……FIREFOX!  Firefox is safe, fast, customizable in appearance and functionality, and its security measures are NOT annoying!  Sorry, IE7 just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.  Getting IE7 to test websites with Flash documents was a difficult process.  It usually gives me some warning that the web page I’m trying to access is attempting to use some sort of ActiveX control that could harm my computer….IT’S JUST AN SWF FLASH DOCUMENT!  Anyways, besides that annoyance, the pop-up blocker can also be annoying – Firefox’s utilities are just much more functional and tolerable.

I love almost more than anything that you can literally change Firefox’s interface.  You can make it look like anything by downloading themes from Firefox’s website.

Firefox is undoubtabley the best web browser I use, and I MUST reccomend it to you.  If you’re afraid that it’s going to be too different than the Internet Explorer you’re used to – don’t worry about it.  Firefox is SUPER simple and has a similar layout to Internet Explorer.

So do yourself a favor and download Firefox.

What Do you Think?
What is your favorite web browser?  Send in all your thoughts to david@funkytower.com OR leave a comment below!

Take it easy,
David Crandall

Firstly, Firefox is simple.  Many ISP (internet service providers) like AT&T/SBC, Comcast, and others love to give you a new browser that is full of complicated tools, toolbars, and features that crowd up the screen and ultimately make your web browsing experience cluttered, slow, and enjoyable.  Firefox is sleek and simple and has all that you need to browse the internet.  It’s simplicity calls for a faster, more enjoyable experience online which could cause anyone to make it their default browser.

Secondly, Firefox is safe.  Firefox has a built-in pop-up blocker and security tools which, much unlike IExplorer 7, are easy to customize and even disable.  It lets you know when you may be entering a malicious site that could infect your PC with viruses, spyware, and/or adware.  IE7 tends to block WANTED popup windows that you click on, which is an annoyance if you need to access that webpage – Firefox simply adds a new tab with it’s built in tab-browsing for links that lead to a needed/wanted popup.  This will save space on your taskbar.

Thirdly, Forefox has useful features.  Alongside tabbed browsing, Firefox reads websites the way they should be read.  This is great for web developers who need cross-browser testing utilities.  It has a “safe-mode” that removes any and all add-ons, and has a “No Page Style” option that removes all CSS and some other scripts.  This is great for security purposes.

If this isn’t enough, Firefox is customizable.  I love customizing the way things look on my computer, and knowing that Firefox has this feature makes it a winner in my opinion.  You can download themes at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:2 to have a totally custom webrowser.  On top of changing the look, there are other “add-ons” that you can download at https://addons.mozilla.org/  There are add ons that are useful for anyone and everyone.  Just go there and see what they have to offer!

Another great thing is that Firefox is Free…enough said.

Now there is alot more to Firefox that I just don’t have all the time to write about.  If you want to read about all that Firefox has to offer, go here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/features/

What Do You Think?
Do you use Firefox?  What do you like/dislike about Firefox?  What is your favorite web browser?  Let me know what you think.  Send me an e-mail at david@funkytower.com, or discuss it with the public by leaving a comment!  I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Take it easy
David Crandall

Recently, I have posted the article “Dreamweaver MX and Vista: Inserting Tables Fix” which has become one of the most popular recent posts I’ve written thus far.  This post shows how to get the Insert>Tables function in Dreamweaver MX to work in Vista – specifically Vista Premium (but should work with other versions.)  This has been a huge help to readers across the globe and I am thankful that I have been able to help so many people.

As you may know, FunkyTower.Com is not just about me helping you – the goal is to get you involved by offering ideas for content, solutions to problems, etc., that are all submitted or asked about by you.  This happened recently, thanks to Phil Chave.  Phil sent me this e-mail which may solve the ever so frustrating Inserting Tables problem in its entirety:

“Hi Dave…

Thank you immensely for publishing the fix for the DreamweaverMX – Vista, inserting tables problem.

You might like to add these details into your fix sheet at some stage.

For Vista Home Premium.  Follow the locations to both files as you suggest in item 1.

In the ‘UserName’ route, the table.htm file may be empty.  If this is true, it is probably true that this is the location that Dreamweaver is searching for the location of the table data, and finding nothing to use.

Rename this file to tableOLD.htm.

Go to the other location (the program files route location) and find the table.htm and the Java file also called table.

This is where the table data is stored.  Confirm this by hovering over the file and note that it is about 4kb and 2kb respectively, and therefore has some data.

Copy both files and paste them into the Common folder at the end of the UserName route.

Open DreamweaverMX and click the insert table button.

Beautiful, it works!

Hope this helps people with Vista Home Premium.

All the best

Phil Chave

www.antiquecollector.uk.com“

I have yet to test this out, but would love to know how this suggestion went for you!  Please let me know.

The other solution in which I have come up with, which is really quite simple is this: removing and reinstalling Dreamweaver MX.  You may have already tried this – but let me propose to you an extra step.
First, uninstall Dreamweaver MX by going Start>Control Panel>Programs and Features, then right clicking on the Dreamweaver icon and clicking “Uninstall”  It may ask if you would like to “repair” Dreamweaver, but choose to completely remove it.

Secondly, remove extra data manually.  That’s right, because Dreamweaver MX is not fully compatible with Vista, it leaves behind data which is not overwritten on the next reinstall.  Click the start button and select “My Computer.”
In the address bar, type in C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia making sure to replace “YOUR USER NAME” with the actual username of your PC’s account.  Delete the Dreamweaver or Dreamweaver MX Folder.

Thirdly, be safe and restart your computer.  Upon, restarting, reinstall Dreamweaver MX.  Hooray, it’s working again!  This is what I did today, which has worked for me and have yet to encounter any problems.

So, please try Phil Chave’s suggestion before taking the measures I did.  I wish I had received his e-mail before I reinstalled Dreamweaver MX, as it seems like it would have saved a significant ammount of time.

So, I challenge all who read this to take Phil’s suggestion on a test drive and let me know how it works out.  This would be a GREAT help to me and users across the globe who just can’t afford to upgrade from MX to CS3 right now.

You can send me your feedback as a comment, or send an e-mail to david@funkytower.com
I look forward to hearing from you

Take care,
David Crandall

It’s a company called Stardock.  These people have come up with possibly the most wonderful programs I have ever used.  Using their products, you can change virtually anything on your XP/Vista machine.  Allow me to show you a few that I thoroughly enjoy.

Firstly, CursorFX.  This Product comes in two versions, a demo and a full version.  The demo alone, however, lasts forever and comes with alot of features.  What this software does is allow you to create or download animated, 3D/2D, just-plain-awesome mouse cursors.  You can choose virtually an unlimited ammount of cursors, and with the full version, you can add effects and sounds to them for any action they perform such as clicking sounds and trail effects.  My personal favorite cursor is the Finger.  No not the middle one, the pointer one.  It is a 3D hand with it’s finger pointing outwardly; when you click, the finger moves down as if it were pushing a button; in place of an hourglass, the hand roll taps its fingers from pinky to pointer; when hovering over a link, the finger points upward and “taps” the link repeatedly.  That’s right, it’s 3D and animated!  There are many others like this, and if you are a graphic artist or have pictures you’d like to make as cursors, you can do it with CursorFX!

Second is ObjectDock – This unique little gadget has taken the place of the common taskbar.  It is a nice dock that has animated effects and beautiful icons for various items.  It’s something that is difficult to explain, so you should just go and visit Stardock and see for yourself what it can do.  It makes accessing programs alot easier AND has a great look and feel to it.

Next is ObjectDesktop – this comes with ALOT if you buy the full $70 version.  This is a great deal because ObjectDesktop comes with alot of separate programs and allows you to use each one to their full capacity.  Now, I don’t have all of these programs, so I’ll show you a few that really catch my eye and are fun to use.

1.  WindowBlinds – This program allows you to completely redo the look of nearly every aspect of Windows.  You can do this by downloading skins for free from WinCustomize.com OR by creating your own if you have the “Bundle” version which comes with SkinStudio.  You can change your taskbar, start menu, scrollbars, and much much more with this handy little program. 

2.  IconPackager – I really like this one.  The full version is only about $10 but there is a free shareware version available.  It allows you to replace hundreds of common icons with new, sleek, amazing icons.  Trust me, the icon packages you can download are amazing.  If you get the IconDeveloper program, you can even make your very own!

3.  ObjectBar – If you have Vista, you know about the sidebar it comes with, well why settle for just that one look?  Why can’t XP users have the same bar or an even cooler one?  Well they can now!  And why just have one when you can have 2, 3, 4, or a billion?!  That’s right, you can have your own custom bars where ever you want on your desktop, each with a beautiful, sleek design.

4.  LogonStudio – This is a FREE program, but it also comes with ObjectDesktop.  This allows you to customize your Windows Logon experience.  You can download skins for your logon screen at WinCustomize.Com, OR use the included editor and make your own!

ObjectDesktop has ALOT more to offer than just the above 4; each program comes with several skins/presets to choose from, but you can always visit www.wincustomize.com and download as many as you’d like.  And, if you buy the full versions, you can always create your own!

So why wait any longer?  Make your computer’s look and feel reflect YOU, get your custom cursors, icons, sounds, docks, logon screens, and more at www.stardock.com

What Do You Think?
What do you do to customize your OS?  Is there another set of programs like the ones Stardock has to offer for Mac Users as well?  Have you designed your own skins/cursors/icon packages and would like to share them with me?  I would love to hear from each and every one of you!  My e-mail is david@funkytower.com and I look forward to hearing from you!

Take it easy,
David Crandall

1. PixelToolbox

PixelToolbox is an 8-bit image editor for creating small 8-bit images, icons, patterns, and cursors. Now, the images you use do not have to be 8-bit; PixelToolbox converts them for you. To top it off, it’s got the option to have a transparent background. If you miss this feature, you’ll wind up with a cursor or icon with an ugly, square, white background – and who wants that?! If you don’t mind 8-bit graphics for your icons and cursors, this is a great product, and REALLY easy to use! You can use existing images that you may have – OR – you can draw your own as if you were using Paint. It’s really fun!

2. @icon sushi

I’ve been looking for a program like this for a long time. It creates high quality 32-bit icons with or without a transparent background. All you need to do is save your image as a jpg, png, bmp, psd, exe, icl, or dll file with an image size no greater than 256×256 pixels and it will do the rest. You have to import more than one image, for some odd reason – but the feature I find quite great is you can make an icon set. So, say you had a folder somewhere on your computer designated for each member of the family – you could literally design a custom icon for each folder and save that set as one .ico file. I was amazed at how easy it is to use – and honestly, when it comes to making icons, I prefer it over PixelToolbox by far. Use this to make desktop icons or your favicon.ico icon for your website – and it will have a great quality look.

So, below are the links to get to these great, free programs:

PixelToolbox

@icon sushi

Be sure to download these free programs right away, they’ll help you customize the look and feel of your PC!  I’m on vacation in Oregon right now, so me writing this article for you means these MUST be awesome programs.

What Do You Think?

Do you like these programs?  Got any questions about how to use these programs?  Know any other cool, free programs like these?  Whatever you have on your mind, let me know about it!  My e-mail is david@funkytower.com and I look forward to hearing from you!

Take it easy,
David Crandall

If you’ve upgraded to Windows Vista and have installed your old Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, you are bound to  run into some compatibility issues.  For many web designers, using tables is a huge asset for designing a web page.  Though you can do many of the same things using <div>, tables is fairly easy to use.  The only problem is, Dreamweaver MX and Vista = no inserting tables.  Is there a fix to this problem?  Why, yes there is.

Though, not the fix one would hope for, if you want to use the Insert>Table function in Dreamweaver MX on Vista, this tutorial will help you to use the function.  The only minor setback is this: you won’t be able to customize your table until after it is inserted into your document.  Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.  So if you’re ready to get SOME functionality into your software, here’s what you do:

1.  Locate the Tables.htm file located in the configuration folder of the program root.  This can be one of two places in Vista.

Try first THIS location:
C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common

If there is no Table.htm document in this folder, try this location:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common

In some cases, there will be a Table.htm file in BOTH folders.  If that is the case, do the following steps 2-5 to bothfiles to be sure – OR – you can delete the Table.htm in the first folder location mentioned above – I deleted mine and this method still worked fine.

2.  Make a backup copy of the Table.htm file and save it somewhere like your desktop.  You can do this simply by right-clicking the document, then click copy, right click on your desktop, and click paste.

3.  Return to the original Table.htm file and open it in notepad

4.  This file is probably empty, but if not, delete all code within it.  Now, type a basic table code inside the document like this

<table width=”100″ height=”50″ border=”0″ cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″><tr>
<td align=”center” valign=”top”>
<div align=”center”></div></td></tr></table>

You may change the dimensions and text alignment in this table to a size more suitable.  Choosing low width/height dimensions usually work best for me.

5.  Click File>Save, and then close the document.

6.  Open up Dreamweaver MX and test it.  When clicking Insert>Table, a table matching the table you coded in the Table.htm file should appear.  You can customize the dimensions of this table as you would normally after inserting it into your document.

There you have it!  Though not a perfect fix, it certainly is an alternative so that you may continue using Dreamweaver MX until you upgrade to Dreamweaver CS3.  This definately worked for me, and it should definately work for you.

What Do You Think?
Did this help you?  Did this method, for some reason, not work for you?  Have any other tips or tricks regarding Dreamweaver MX+?  Let me know!  I would love to hear about it!  Leave a comment or kindly send your thoughts to david@funkytower.com – I would love to share your ideas with the world!  I hope to hear from you all soon

Take it easy,
David Crandall

AVG Free:  AVG is a free antivirus protection software that frequently updates their systems.  I have used AVG before, and it has always been up to date with the latest threats out there.  If you are a windows user and just can’t afford good antivirus protection, AVG Free is the way to go.  (You can also buy AVG Internet Security which includes antivirus AND antispam protection, firewall, and phishing and email scam protection for about $55 for 1 year, or about $80 for 2 yeaers.)

SpyBot Search&Destroy:  Tired of pop ups, the ones that come up even when you’re not browsing the internet?  Well, it’s time to get rid of it using SpyBot Search&Destroy.  This is a great, free spyware/adware removal tool who’s systems are also frequently updated to fight against the latest threats.

IExplorer 7 or FireFox:  Did I just mention a web browser?  Yes I did, 2 infact.  Firefox is great for ridding of ads on pages that could potentially expose pop ups and feed you spyware/adware by using the built in pop-up blocker and the No-Script add on.  IExplorer 7 has some neat new features that help improve your security as well, such as a customizable pop-up blocker and phishing filter.   These are essential to protect you from spyware and adware that could potentially steal your information and identity. 

What’s cool about the customizeable pop-up blocker built into IExplorer is you can choose when you want IExplorer to block pop-ups.  This is great, because sometimes, we click things that we need to access that appear in pop-up windows.  With IExplorer 7, you can choose to allow pop-ups from websites you choose, and block all others.  You can customize the popup blocker in FireFox as well.

Google Toolbar:  If you don’t want to go through the hassle of downloading and installing a new web browser, snag the google toolbar for IExplorer or Firefox.  It has a built in pop-up blocker as well as Google search built right into it. 

There you have it, some great tools to help you have a safer experience on the world wide web in the best way possible – for free!

What do you think?
Know of any cool software, programs, or different ways to stay safe from spyware, adware, phishing, and viruses on the internet for free?  What do you do to stay safe online?  Was this a big help to you?  Whatever you have on your mind, please share it with me!  Feel free to respond via the comment form below, or send me an e-mail at david@funkytower.com.  I hope to hear from you soon

Take it easy,
David

Adobe is now the number 1 source for just about any type of visual software.  Whether you’re a web designer, filmmaker, photographer, recording artist, animator, cartoonist…Adobe has software that could be essential to you.  Sadly, the prices are so darn expensive!!  But because I’m a web designer, I just had to try the new Dreamweaver CS3, so here are my thoughts:

I downloaded and installed the trial of Dreamweaver on my Vista machine nearly two weeks ago.  I was pleasantly surprised that I had no issues during installation.  I read some people who had problems during installations, but I believe this problem was simply because they didn’t run any updates for Vista.  I began to use it and I have to say, workflow was alot easier than previous versions such as Macromedia’s Dreamweaver MX.

It has a neat function which I thought had potential, but really botched up the design.  This function is a command to “Clean Up HTML.”  It’s supposed to “clean up” your HTML so that it will be valid.  Unfortunately, it really messed up the design.  If you want to clean up your HTML, have your HTML and CSS validated at the W3 website.  It will show you what all is wrong with your document, then you can go back and fix it by hand and not mess up the design of your web page.

Having said that, Dreamweaver CS3 is better as far as posting Valid HTML/XHTML on your web pages, though, it’s still not perfect.  If you hand type the code and make a mistake, it underlines the improper code in green – much like a grammar error in MS Word or any other common word processor.  I liked this function, and it seemed to work really well.

On the other hand, if you use the design area, and you make a mistake – it won’t always let you know.  Regaurdless of this, you should still always overview your code, no matter what editor you are using, making sure that your code is properly written and that there are no errors.

Another GOOD thing about Dreamweaver is now, it automatically sets your pages color properties in CSS, not in HTML <body> tags.  I noticed when using it, the CSS it generates was always 100% valid.

The other thing I noticed that I didn’t exactly like, is it displays the web pages in the design view as they would appear in IExplorer – Not Good.  For example – say you accidentally set a table’s position to “fixed” in CSS – in IExploer 7, your table will be normal, and act as a normal table…in Firefox, your table will be fixed in one position on your screen, causing it to overlap content when scrolling up and down a web page.

I would much rather have Dreamweaver display pages as FireFox would than IExplorer would, just so that you can be sure that your web page is compatible and looks proper with all the major web browsers like FireFox, Safari, AND IExplorer combined.

The Dreamweaver Developer toolbox is neat.  I really didn’t get to use it all that much, but I liked that it allowed me to access my MySQL database from my local machine.  This could come in handy quite a bit.

So, overall, I honestly have to give Dreamweaver CS3 for Windows a good 8/10 for…

• Great work flow
• Comfortable work environment
• Replacing <body> tags with CSS for design
• Developer Toolbox was neat
• It was good in finding my HTML/XHTML errors in code view, but not in design view
• HTML Clean up was botchy
• Design View displays more of what IExplorer sees, not what other browsers would see

So now I’m saving up for the Adobe Web Premium CS3 package.  It’s roughly $1600, but I do accept donations

I have to say, I’ve been a fan of Dreamweaver for awhile.  I’ve used 3rd party alternatives and they just don’t come up to par for me.

What Do You Think?
Have you used any of Adobe’s CS3 software?  Do you know of any good 3rd party alternatives that match/surpass the quality and functionality of Adobe’s CS3 software?  Have any questions about web design?  What ever is on your mind, what ever information you may have, tell me about it.  My e-mail is david@funkytower.com and I want to hear everything you have to say.

Take it easy,
David Crandall