Jeffrey Bardzell, Ph.D. is the author of Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 with ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP, and Macromedia Studio MX 2004: Training From theSource, co-authored with his wife, Shaowen Bardzell, Ph.D. (both from Macromedia Press). He’s also an Assistant Professor at the School of Informatics at Indiana University, where he earned his Ph.D. He Specializes in e-learning and multimedia instructional design, and is part owner of Allecto Media. He took some time to talk with us about Dreamweaver, and why it’s such a great tool for start up and professional designers alike. So without further ado, let’s see what the good doctor has to say!

Geoff: Hi Jeff, thanks for joining us for Ten Ton Dreamweaver!

Jeffrey: Thanks for inviting me!
 
Geoff: So what would you say Dreamweaver has over other web design tools?

Jeffrey: Dreamweaver boasts an unparalleled combination of ease-of-use and an unmatched set of features. Dreamweaver makes it easy for anyone to start building Web sites, and yet it contains features indispensable to the productivity of veteran professionals. In other words, it empowers all users, regardless of skill level, to produce sites and applications that exceed expectations.
 
Geoff: Nicely said, Jeff. So how would Dreamweaver be the right tool for both expert web designers, and those just starting out in the field?

Jeffrey: When Dreamweaver 1 was released, its killer feature was that it was the first commercial HTML editor that gave users both a visual environment and a code editor to work in, and that you could switch back and forth and Dreamweaver wouldn't rewrite (and screw up) your code. It was possible to mock up your ideas visually, and yet also possible to tweak them to perfection in the code. This is the philosophy that drives Dreamweaver even today. One of the most unsung benefits of this philosophy is that the program not only accommodates new users and pros, but more importantly, it helps turn new users into pros. As your skills grow, Dreamweaver seems to grow with you. It's a deep program.

Geoff: I think all experienced Dreamweaver users would agree with you there. And you yourself get into the back-end sort of things—databasing and so on. Is Dreamweaver the right choice for that work?

Jeffrey: Absolutely. Dreamweaver is particularly strong in this area, because it makes what is often a very complicated task—getting scripts in the HTML files on your server to communicate with a database—easy. Simple dialogs also help you create the most common scripts, such as displaying live database data on a page (like product information), capturing user-entered data from Web forms, and adding site registration and login systems. Dreamweaver writes the code, and you can often get

by without even seeing it. Of course, when you are ready to code your own scripts in languages such as ColdFusion or PHP, Dreamweaver's code editor is ready with code coloring and hints, and of course, it won't ever rewrite or screw up your code.

Geoff: Amazing! I think as readers make their way through Ten Ton, the power and flexibility of the program will really start to show. Well thanks a lot for joining us, Jeff. Where can we find you online?

Jeffrey: My company site is Allecto Media (www.allectomedia.com), but I spend most of my time researching and teaching within the Indiana University School of Informatics' Human-Computer Interaction Design program (http://hcid.informatics.indiana.edu/).

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