Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7060 in Software
• Brand: Macromedia
• Released on: 2003-05-23
• Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP

Amazon.co.uk Review
Studio MX is the ideal bundle for professional Web designers, bringing together Dreamweaver MX for page design, Flash MX for animation and interactivity, and Fireworks MX for editing and optimising graphics. You also get FreeHand 10, a full-featured vector image editor, and on Windows ColdFusion MX for dynamic Web applications. There is no doubting the quality of the individual products. Dreamweaver MX is a visual Web editor that generates highly compatible code, and also includes 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 to existing graphics, adding text effects or other elements, and optimising the results for Web display. These three are the core Studio MX products and the suite is 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 round-trip support. You can embed Fireworks graphics and Flash movies in Dreamweaver pages without losing any information, so that you can later reopen an element in its original application with all its features intact.

The MX range differs from earlier Macromedia products by targeting application development as well as design. For this you need to build on a Web application server, such as the bundled ColdFusion MX, or one of the other supported platforms including ASP, ASP .Net, PHP or any Java Enterprise Edition server. You can connect to databases through JDBC, OLEDB, or .Net data providers, depending on the server platform being used. Dreamweaver MX is more developer-friendly than previous versions, with an enhanced code editor incorporating many of the features of HomeSite, Macromedia's code-centric Web page designer. Although ColdFusion MX has its own tag language, called ColdFusion Markup Language, it generates Java code that can be deployed on any of the leading Java application servers. This also enables Java developers to extend ColdFusion with custom tags and components. In effect, the combination of Dreamweaver and ColdFusion provides an easy way into dynamic, Java-based Web development. As an alternative to ColdFusion, support for Microsoft .Net is a little less comprehensive but still good, and includes visual designers for the key ASP .Net server-side controls.

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 has support for Web services and the Studio bundle makes it relatively easy to set up ColdFusion to supply Web services, and Flash to consume them. 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. In addition, ColdFusion itself can consume Web services hosted on other platforms. Taking everything together, Studio MX is an essential development tool for ColdFusion as well as a great bundle for any Web designer. --Tim Anderson

Manufacturer's Description
People expect more from the Internet now - richer content and more dynamic applications. Whether you're a designer or developer, you need tools that allow you to streamline your development process and more easily deliver the intuitive, effective experiences your users demand. With Macromedia Studio MX Plus, you can create responsive applications that combine the functionality of traditional client/server solutions with the broad reach and low-cost deployment of web applications.Macromedia Studio MX Plus is an integrated suite of easy-to-use, powerful, and open development tools that includes Macromedia Flash MX, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Macromedia Fireworks MX, Macromedia FreeHand MX, Macromedia ColdFusion MX Developer Edition, Macromedia Contribute, and a special edition of the Macromedia DevNet Resource Kit. Macromedia Studio MX Plus streamlines each stage of the web production process - from creating graphics to laying out HTML pages, coding application logic, building rich-user interfaces, and assembling complete solutions.Get results fast with Macromedia Studio MX Plus. Work in a familiar, customizable environment that's easy to learn, offers a seamless workflow, and provides building blocks for rapid development. Studio MX Plus is a professional suite of tools for creating effective user experiences. Find everything you need to create interactive graphics and animation, professional-quality code, rich user interfaces and robust applications. Unlock the power of emerging Internet standards and develop accessible content for people with disabilities. Build the site you want, from static pages to Rich Internet Applications, and deploy it on multiple platforms and devices.

Customer Reviews

Great Value
Studio MX contains two of the best web applications that are used today. Dreamweaver MX and Flash MX are worth the money alone. This makes the contents of this package even more great value because it also contains Fireworks MX, Freehand MX and a developer version of ColdFusion MX server.

This could cause the problem of 'program information overload' if you are new to new web development. The package comes with a getting started manual on each program for those who find they have this problem. Although still expect a sharp learning curve.

To my surprise the package came with the CD, unlike many educational versions where you have to send away, with no forms to fill in your can start designing webpages straight away. There are strict licensing rules, the main one being you can't upgrade any single program on its own. However, the programs such last you a good few years without the need to upgrade.

With the new low price (grrrrr) at Amazon this offers great value for students and those working in the educational sector.

My GOD you have not bought this yet!
When ever I write a web page i always use this! it is the ultimate package.
dreamwaver, this is a complex program with a very easy to use interface. the interface makes this program easy to use. when I created my web site i used ASP. So in dreamweaver i created a template using the wysiwyg view, then when i creat a new page i pull up the template add me ASP code in the code view. the code view high lights the code in cirtain colours even the ASP code!! making it easier to read whats there.

FireWorks, for altering your graphics. i have o admit i am not a graphical person, but i was able to use this program t edit some good pics for my site
I only really use these 2 tool but it also includes
Flash, allows you to create some cool looking web site, with animation and sound. it also has its own scripting langauge to allow the site to react to the person browsing it
FreeHand, this is an another graphics editotr, but i have not touched this at all