Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Supports CSS

Macromedia Announces Dreamweaver MX 2004

New Version Builds Foundation for Widespread Adoption of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

San Francisco, CA, USA. August 25, 2003.

Macromedia, Inc. today announced Dreamweaver MX 2004, the professional choice for building web sites and applications. Dreamweaver MX 2004 continues the product's tradition of innovation by providing a solid foundation for widespread adoption of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a well respected, but previously difficult to implement web standard. Because CSS helps developers separate presentation and style from content, websites built with CSS require less bandwidth, are easier to maintain, and give developers and end users precise design control. Dreamweaver MX 2004 is the only comprehensive tool to deliver deep CSS support in a visual development environment, removing the learning curve and enabling developers to use this standard to cost-effectively deliver great experiences on their web sites and applications.

Dreamweaver MX 2004 builds on the success of Dreamweaver MX by further integrating visual layout tools, application development features, and code editing support within a technology-agnostic, platform-independent environment. By supporting all major HTML and server technologies, Dreamweaver MX 2004 unlocks the power of open, standards-based development for the web community while enhancing the basic tools that professionals need. Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes SecureFTP, dynamic cross-browser validation functionality, built-in graphics editing, seamless integration with Microsoft Word and Excel, and updated support for ASP.NET, PHP, and ColdFusion server technologies. For more information on Dreamweaver MX 2004, which is expected to ship in September, visit www.macromedia.com/go/dmx2004/.

"Dreamweaver is not only the most sophisticated and extensible web design and development environment, it is also by far the most accessible and standards-friendly," said Jeffrey Zeldman, member emeritus of the Web Standards Project and author of Designing With Web Standards. "If you're a developer who wants the precision and power of CSS, you have two choices: code by hand or use Dreamweaver MX 2004."

"Macromedia Dreamweaver was built to reflect the way our customers told us that they want to code, design, and develop web sites and applications," said Sho Kuwamoto, vice president of product development, Macromedia. "Dreamweaver MX 2004 stays true to our roots of following our customers' lead by delivering what they asked for: support for standards like CSS and SecureFTP, more support for leading server technologies, and increased integration with our products and other leading tools."

Dreamweaver MX 2004 includes state of the art, standards-based design controls to ensure high-quality design. The entire design environment is built around CSS to enable fast, more efficient development of clean-coded, professional sites with sophisticated designs. Dynamic multi-browser validation automatically checks tags and CSS rules for design compatibility across leading browsers, the most common headache for developers. A built-in graphics editor using Macromedia Fireworks technology enables users to crop, resize, and edit graphics without leaving the Dreamweaver environment.

"When ESPN.com recently transformed its website by using CSS, they discovered they could save over two terabytes of bandwidth a day," said Eric Meyer, author, Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide. "The rebuilding of Dreamweaver to support CSS-driven design has the potential to revolutionize the way websites are developed. Improved accessibility, reduced bandwidth consumption, and faster page rendering are just some of the user benefits of the new CSS-centric approach of Dreamweaver."

The open, technology-agnostic nature of Dreamweaver MX 2004 allows developers to work with their technologies of choice. Its platform-independent development environment supports all major server technologies, including Macromedia ColdFusion, ASP.NET, JSP, and PHP. SecureFTP encrypts all file transfers and prevents unauthorized access to data, file contents, user names, and passwords. Seamless integration with Microsoft Word and Excel enables users to preserve formatting as CSS when cutting and pasting into Dreamweaver. The product also includes tighter integration with Macromedia Flash, Fireworks, and other design and development tools in Macromedia Studio MX 2004.

"CSS is emerging as a critical building block for next-generation web sites and applications," said Rob Lancaster, senior analyst, Yankee Group. "It is important that design and development tools provide the ability to merge rich standards support within a visual development environment without inhibiting the developer's expression or trampling their code."

Dreamweaver MX 2004 also incorporates a streamlined design and development environment to help web professionals find what they need faster, increasing their performance, productivity, and quality of work. Core feature improvements, such as enhanced table editing and a streamlined file editing process, all help users better manage the basics. Users can code more efficiently with right-click coding tools, revamped find and replace, and an improved tag inspector that enables quick, comprehensive property editing. Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes advanced integration with Macromedia Contribute 2, a new tool that allows Dreamweaver users to delegate web content updates to content owners without giving up control of their site. Dreamweaver MX 2004 is "Designed for Windows XP" and "Built for Mac OS X." For more information on new features in Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, visit www.macromedia.com/go/dmx2004new/.

"At Southern California Edison, we use Dreamweaver to build an internal knowledge base to house support documentation for more than 700 in-house applications, as well as our standard package software," said Jason Shea, IT specialist, Southern California Edison. "We are currently updating our knowledge base and one of our major goals is to eliminate tables for design and layout. The improved CSS support will save us a tremendous amount of time as we implement CSS positioning."

Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes the MX Elements for HTML, application building blocks that enable developers to rapidly deliver great experiences with a consistent look and feel. The MX Elements for HTML include style sheets, sample content, and templates. The style sheets are easy starting points for sophisticated use of CSS for positioning, with templates for common page layouts. The MX Elements have the distinctive Halo look and feel.

Dreamweaver MX 2004 joins other products announced today in the MX 2004 family, which share core new features including site definitions, file management, and Property Inspectors.

Pricing and Availability

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, available for Windows and Mac OS X v10.2.6, is expected to ship in September. Pricing is $399 for new users, $199 for upgrades from Dreamweaver MX and Dreamweaver 4, and $99 for education customers. The product will also be available as part of Macromedia Studio MX 2004, which costs $899 for new users, $399 for upgrades from Studio MX, $499 for upgrades from any eligible product, and $199 for education customers. Macromedia DevNet Professional members will receive Dreamweaver MX 2004 automatically as part of their annual subscription. Education, corporate, and government volume licensing will also be available. The product is expected to be available in English in September, with Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish expected to ship shortly thereafter.

About Macromedia

Experience matters. Macromedia is motivated by the belief that great experiences build great businesses. Our software empowers millions of business users, developers, and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling, and memorable experiences - on the Internet, on fixed media, on wireless, and on digital devices.

[Source: http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2003/dreamweaver_mx_2004.html]

Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. See related references in See "W3C Cascading Style Sheets."

SEARCH Advanced Search ABOUT Site Map CP RSS Channel Contact Us Sponsoring CP About Our Sponsors NEWS Cover Stories Articles & Papers Press Releases CORE STANDARDS XML SGML Schemas XSL/XSLT/XPath XLink XML Query CSS SVG TECHNOLOGY REPORTS XML Applications General Apps Government Apps Academic Apps EVENTS LIBRARY Introductions FAQs Bibliography Technology and Society Semantics Tech Topics Software Related Standards Historic	Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Supports CSS Macromedia Announces Dreamweaver MX 2004 New Version Builds Foundation for Widespread Adoption of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) San Francisco, CA, USA. August 25, 2003. Macromedia, Inc. today announced Dreamweaver MX 2004, the professional choice for building web sites and applications. Dreamweaver MX 2004 continues the product's tradition of innovation by providing a solid foundation for widespread adoption of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a well respected, but previously difficult to implement web standard. Because CSS helps developers separate presentation and style from content, websites built with CSS require less bandwidth, are easier to maintain, and give developers and end users precise design control. Dreamweaver MX 2004 is the only comprehensive tool to deliver deep CSS support in a visual development environment, removing the learning curve and enabling developers to use this standard to cost-effectively deliver great experiences on their web sites and applications. Dreamweaver MX 2004 builds on the success of Dreamweaver MX by further integrating visual layout tools, application development features, and code editing support within a technology-agnostic, platform-independent environment. By supporting all major HTML and server technologies, Dreamweaver MX 2004 unlocks the power of open, standards-based development for the web community while enhancing the basic tools that professionals need. Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes SecureFTP, dynamic cross-browser validation functionality, built-in graphics editing, seamless integration with Microsoft Word and Excel, and updated support for ASP.NET, PHP, and ColdFusion server technologies. For more information on Dreamweaver MX 2004, which is expected to ship in September, visit www.macromedia.com/go/dmx2004/. "Dreamweaver is not only the most sophisticated and extensible web design and development environment, it is also by far the most accessible and standards-friendly," said Jeffrey Zeldman, member emeritus of the Web Standards Project and author of Designing With Web Standards. "If you're a developer who wants the precision and power of CSS, you have two choices: code by hand or use Dreamweaver MX 2004." "Macromedia Dreamweaver was built to reflect the way our customers told us that they want to code, design, and develop web sites and applications," said Sho Kuwamoto, vice president of product development, Macromedia. "Dreamweaver MX 2004 stays true to our roots of following our customers' lead by delivering what they asked for: support for standards like CSS and SecureFTP, more support for leading server technologies, and increased integration with our products and other leading tools." Dreamweaver MX 2004 includes state of the art, standards-based design controls to ensure high-quality design. The entire design environment is built around CSS to enable fast, more efficient development of clean-coded, professional sites with sophisticated designs. Dynamic multi-browser validation automatically checks tags and CSS rules for design compatibility across leading browsers, the most common headache for developers. A built-in graphics editor using Macromedia Fireworks technology enables users to crop, resize, and edit graphics without leaving the Dreamweaver environment. "When ESPN.com recently transformed its website by using CSS, they discovered they could save over two terabytes of bandwidth a day," said Eric Meyer, author, Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide. "The rebuilding of Dreamweaver to support CSS-driven design has the potential to revolutionize the way websites are developed. Improved accessibility, reduced bandwidth consumption, and faster page rendering are just some of the user benefits of the new CSS-centric approach of Dreamweaver." The open, technology-agnostic nature of Dreamweaver MX 2004 allows developers to work with their technologies of choice. Its platform-independent development environment supports all major server technologies, including Macromedia ColdFusion, ASP.NET, JSP, and PHP. SecureFTP encrypts all file transfers and prevents unauthorized access to data, file contents, user names, and passwords. Seamless integration with Microsoft Word and Excel enables users to preserve formatting as CSS when cutting and pasting into Dreamweaver. The product also includes tighter integration with Macromedia Flash, Fireworks, and other design and development tools in Macromedia Studio MX 2004. "CSS is emerging as a critical building block for next-generation web sites and applications," said Rob Lancaster, senior analyst, Yankee Group. "It is important that design and development tools provide the ability to merge rich standards support within a visual development environment without inhibiting the developer's expression or trampling their code." Dreamweaver MX 2004 also incorporates a streamlined design and development environment to help web professionals find what they need faster, increasing their performance, productivity, and quality of work. Core feature improvements, such as enhanced table editing and a streamlined file editing process, all help users better manage the basics. Users can code more efficiently with right-click coding tools, revamped find and replace, and an improved tag inspector that enables quick, comprehensive property editing. Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes advanced integration with Macromedia Contribute 2, a new tool that allows Dreamweaver users to delegate web content updates to content owners without giving up control of their site. Dreamweaver MX 2004 is "Designed for Windows XP" and "Built for Mac OS X." For more information on new features in Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, visit www.macromedia.com/go/dmx2004new/. "At Southern California Edison, we use Dreamweaver to build an internal knowledge base to house support documentation for more than 700 in-house applications, as well as our standard package software," said Jason Shea, IT specialist, Southern California Edison. "We are currently updating our knowledge base and one of our major goals is to eliminate tables for design and layout. The improved CSS support will save us a tremendous amount of time as we implement CSS positioning." Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes the MX Elements for HTML, application building blocks that enable developers to rapidly deliver great experiences with a consistent look and feel. The MX Elements for HTML include style sheets, sample content, and templates. The style sheets are easy starting points for sophisticated use of CSS for positioning, with templates for common page layouts. The MX Elements have the distinctive Halo look and feel. Dreamweaver MX 2004 joins other products announced today in the MX 2004 family, which share core new features including site definitions, file management, and Property Inspectors. Pricing and Availability Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, available for Windows and Mac OS X v10.2.6, is expected to ship in September. Pricing is $399 for new users, $199 for upgrades from Dreamweaver MX and Dreamweaver 4, and $99 for education customers. The product will also be available as part of Macromedia Studio MX 2004, which costs $899 for new users, $399 for upgrades from Studio MX, $499 for upgrades from any eligible product, and $199 for education customers. Macromedia DevNet Professional members will receive Dreamweaver MX 2004 automatically as part of their annual subscription. Education, corporate, and government volume licensing will also be available. The product is expected to be available in English in September, with Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish expected to ship shortly thereafter. About Macromedia Experience matters. Macromedia is motivated by the belief that great experiences build great businesses. Our software empowers millions of business users, developers, and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling, and memorable experiences - on the Internet, on fixed media, on wireless, and on digital devices. [Source: http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2003/dreamweaver_mx_2004.html] Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. See related references in See "W3C Cascading Style Sheets."