Software

On the surface, Dreamweaver is an easy-to-use Web-page editor and site design tool, supporting all basic page elements. However, it has enough depth to build sophisticated sites with features such as forms, Flash files, frames, cascading style sheets, and ActiveX and Java controls, just to name a few. It offers WYSIWYG editing as well as access to HTML source code.

In version 3.0, editing HTML files has been improved with added support for styles, and an HTML source code inspector, which can be docked (like a Window palette). HTML code can be block-edited in this window as well, by selecting entire lines and dragging them to a new destination.

URLs in imported Flash movie files can now be edited in Dreamweaver 3.0, making it easier for a site administrator to change links in Flash files. Synchronizing local and remote site files works in both directions, ensuring that the latest version of a file is saved on both local hard drives and remote servers.

A history palette has been added as well, and all file editing is recorded and listed. Actions can be undone (like multiple undo) and saved as an action for reuse on other files.

There are more changes and additions that let Dreamweaver work more closely with other Macromedia tools (Flash and Fireworks) and additional HTML-generation tools. We also noticed an improved handling of imported elements. Group-project manageability has been improved via the check-in/check-out file system, and most of Dreamweaver's menus and shortcuts are customizable, making for a better user experience. --Mike Caputo

Split text: Headline Studio has the ability to split animated text into individual words, characters, or lines. You can also determine how much overlap from word to word, or letter to letter, happens with these animated parameters. And splitting text is a simple click once the entire animation has been created.

Color palettes: Choose from different color palettes, such as the built-in Web-safe colors. You also can import color palettes from Painter or PhotoShop, or create custom GIF palettes.

Real-time animation previews: Headline Studio gives you the ability to see your key-point animation and make changes on the fly. You can preview the GIF file instantly and see how it will look with a specified frame rate and color palette. If the file size is too large, simply adjust the frames and colors, then render the file again instantly.

Bandwidt preview: Preview how your animation will look when viewed from a 28.8 Kbps modem, an ISDN line, even a cable modem. Instant bandwidth previews let you tailor your animation to every viewing audience easily.

Import-export index: Headline Studio 1.0 imports GIF, TIFF, and JPEG files natively. Additionally, it supports PhotoShop file-format plug-ins within its plug-ins folder. Headline Studio exports standard GIF89a files, compatible with all standard Web browsers.

The main working area of the program deliberately looks much like other Adobe applications, making it easy to move between them. The main editing windows float on the GoLive worktop, with palettes of functions controlling the tools. Users can now drag and stash palette tabs individually at the edge of the screen.

The key new features of GoLive 6.0 can be divided into three areas. Under the design-and-develop category comes greatly improved table handling, with new editing features--particularly selection--and increased control of HTML code. Adobe has also integrated GoLive more closely with Photoshop, Illustrator, and LiveMotion.

Manage functions govern how several people working on same aspect of a site handle different versions and revisions. The revision list is a good example, as it offers full details of who made certain changes to what, along with the time the changes were entered.

Finally, there's the deploy function, for when you finally launch your site. This feature offers new and improved support for WML authoring, writing for display on WAP devices, XML, QuickTime, and more of the growing family of Web standards.

Overall, GoLive is a worthwhile improvement if you're thinking about upgrading from a previous version. For newbies, make sure you're serious about Web site management, as this is a heavyweight tool. --Simon Williams

Product Description:
Adboe GoLive 6.0 for Mac lets you quickly design, build, manage, and deploy dynamic content for the Web and wireless devices. With its built-in Web authoring and dynamic database tools, you can now move rapidly from concept to site deployment.

First, it includes Sun's commercial quality StarOffice 6.0 office suite, which provides word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, Web-page editing and vector drawing applications along with remarkably complete support for MS Office file formats--which means you can continue to use your existing files. StarOffice's native file formats are all XML based for compatibility with any XML-based applications.

The second string to SuSE Linux Office Desktop's bow is Codeweaver's Crossover Office, which enables you to install and run MS Office under Linux (apart from FrontPage) along with other Windows programs. This is impressively efficient.

To further make migration easy for end users and companies SuSE includes new software assistants that make networking a breeze. Installation on either a clean PC or alongside Windows is simple. On a Windows machine you can resize partitions--including under XP--without losing data.

Internet setup via modem, ISDN, DSL, and LAN is part of the installation process along with establishing network connections, or, as with everything, you can do it at any time using Yast2. KDE 3 is the default desktop, but the Gnome implementation is also excellent.

SuSE Linux Office Desktop isn't quite as polished as Windows, but most PC users could make the swap with little trouble. If you're one of the vast majority of word-processing, Internet-accessing PC users you can do more for less with SuSE Linux Office Desktop than with a basic Windows system. --Steve Patient

The visual NetObjects Fusion 5.0 environment makes building Web sites faster and easier. Map a site in minutes. Build or update a site by dragging and dropping text, graphics, and multimedia. It's also easy to import HTML from any editor, or add custom tags and scripts with the enhanced HTML Source View. Additionally, you can select a predesigned SiteStyle, or create your own. Wizards make it easy to connect databases and sites for providing up-to-the-minute information, collecting visitor information, and incorporating scheduling, inventory, and other applications. Wizards also guide you through setting up a full online store and other e-commerce capabilities with a variety of solution providers, including PDG Shopping Cart, QuickBuy Builder, Shop@ssistant, Components, ShopZone, NetStores, and iCOMS MerchantTrax.

NetObjects Fusion 5.0 allows your Web site and its capabilities to expand as your business grows. A robust tutorial and user guide are included with this product. Follow the easy instructions to build a dynamic site in about an hour.

Adobe GoLive 4.0 enables professional Web designers to create, produce, and maintain dynamic Web sites. Its visual design tools let you lay out pages with pixel-level control, while the flexible source-code editor helps you write, edit, and check your HTML. With easy-to-use Dynamic HTML, cascading style sheets, QuickTime editing, ready-to-use JavaScript actions, and advanced site-management capabilities, Adobe GoLive 4.0 is part of an essential toolkit for professional Web designers and is fully compatible with other Adobe products.