[MW Forums]

With the release of Dreamweaver CS3 on Tuesday, Adobe tackled integration of the application on two fronts. First, the Spry framework for Ajax is integrated into the application and second, the integration of Dreamweaver with the rest of the Creative Suite has improved dramatically. more

[iron_chef]

Webstandards.org is already blasting the Spry features as not web standards compliant.

[whostolemyname]

Quote:

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Webstandards.org is already blasting the Spry features as not web standards compliant.

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um-- check the the date on the "blasting" page you refer to. It's May 12th, 2006, almost a year ago. That blast may no longer be relevant.
Jak

[iron_chef]

good catch. I stand corrected.

[machomanx]

I didn't check all but I ran W3C's html and css validators against half of the examples on Adobe's site and found they don't validate.

[joshuawait]

When I first heard that Adobe was throwing its hat into the ring with the Spry framework, I cheered because of general good feelings that I have towards Adobe, integration with Dreamweaver and possible integration with Flash.
That was nearly a year ago.
In that short period of time, I have seen a dozen Ajax, XML parsing and DHTML libraries for Javascript blossom. I've made a personal investment of time in prototype because of it's ease of use, popularity and excellent online documentation. Prototype has made my life so much easier for crossplatform Ajax and DHTML development that it's not even funny.
With great libraries like prototype is Spry too little, too late? Or is it just what the doctor ordered for web designers and developers alike?

[luckylindy]

uh, hi...hello there...just a GoLive user here...never mind me...I'll just sit and watch.

[lucentio]

Yeah, GoLive user here too. I guess I'll be doing all my new sites in DreamWeaver and old sites will stay in GoLive. I don't know what's going to happen to my workflow, though - I've gotten very used to Smart Objects and Components. Maybe Adobe will release some tool or tutorial to make the transition easier. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha...whooo...that was funny.

[mtoons]

Former GoLive user here. I have come to appreciate Dreamweaver more as I've used it more. I did enjoy GoLive, but the transition was worthwhile especially since I knew the day would come when GoLive would GoAway.
Still, I find that as I learn more about writing HTML and CSS, I use the "features" of these programs less; I find myself using Dreamweaver to fill in the rest of the words so I don't have to type as much.

[machomanx]

I kind of see the Spry framework in DW as some of the other DHTML and such behaviors that have been in DW for some time. I've used Dreamweaver since version one and still do on a day to day basis because of its great site management and html/css editing features. For a while I relied too heavily on the extensions and it just dumbed my growth of internet technologies I feel. Too much proprietary code. Too much point and click. Now, don't get me wrong...it really depends on your current knowledge/expertise as to whether that's the right thing for you or not. If it is, then nobody should look down on you. We all have to start somewhere. But where I feel Adobe could have stepped up to the plate is perhaps seeing what's developing in the application development landscape. There are already some top notch frameworks that would have been great to build upon. Imagine Adobe integrating mootools, prototype, etc. within DW's point-and-click interface and doing so with non-proprietary code. What a blessing. Now, I'm no programmer but if Adobe can conceive and constantly deliver print applications that the industry relies on for exceptional features, surely they could make DW a better web application for developers of all levels.

[whitedog]

I'm not convinced cramming every possible coding and development tool into Dreamweaver is a good idea. For many years Cold Fusion was Macromedia's answer to that question. It provided a development environment for those who needed it without bogging down (and complicating) Dreamweaver with all those high-end technologies. The last few versions of Dreamweaver under Macromedia began to include more of these web development tools, but they did not replace Cold Fusion. Still, as SSI, CSS, XML and now Ajax become more pervasive, I suppose it's inevitable that Dreamweaver will have to support more of these previously ancillary technologies. And Cold Fusion appears to be no longer in development - though you can still buy it from Adobe, along with a number of other moribund Macromedia applications, including FreeHand.
Interestingly, it appears that several Adobe products will be falling by the wayside along with those from Macromedia, as a result of the merger. Live Motion is long dead and GoLive soon will be. With the return of Premier to the Mac (Intel Mac only) the full compliment of Adobe programs available is quite impressive - as in the CS3 Master Collection, which has thirteen mainline applications and numerous supporting technologies, like Version Cue and Device Central.
As all these programs become well integrated into the Adobe Zeitgeist, I suspect that Microsoft's recent attempts to encroach into Adobe territory will wither and die. It takes more than money to make a good product. It also requires an understanding of the user experience that is totally beyond Microsoft's grasp. MS may have plenty of high-grade propeller heads to engineer their products, but they seem to have few if any who understand what a decent user interface should be. Vista, anyone?