Dreamweaver CS5 just popped its head out of the box and dropped a jewel on web designers. Content Management System support and better WordPress compatibility. Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 software empowers designers and developers to build standards-based websites with confidence. Design visually or directly in code, develop pages with content management systems, and accurately test browser compatibility thanks to integration with Adobe BrowserLab, a new Adobe CS Live online service. Here’s a look at some of the cool new stuff:

Integrated CMS support

Enjoy authoring and testing support for content management system frameworks like WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal.

 

CSS inspection

Visually display the CSS box model in detail, and easily toggle CSS properties without reading code or needing to use a separate utility.

 

Integration with Adobe BrowserLab
Preview dynamic web pages and local content with multiple viewing, diagnostic, and comparison tools.

 

PHP custom class code hinting
Display proper syntax for custom PHP functions to help you write code more accurately.

 

Integration with Business Catalyst
Leverage integration between Dreamweaver and the Adobe Business Catalyst® service (available separately) to deliver powerful online businesses without programming.

 

Maintain consistency across media
Insert any native Adobe Photoshop® or Illustrator file® in Dreamweaver to create an image Smart Object. Make changes to the source image, and then update your image quickly and easily.

 

Subversion support (enhanced)
Manage site files more effectively in collaborative, version-controlled environments with enhanced support for Subversion® software.

 

Site-specific code hinting
Benefit from code hinting on nonstandard files and directories in Dreamweaver.

With all due respect to the Who, this is probably the perfect song to announce the unveiling of Steve’s latest baby, the iPad. I could rattle on about all the cool features, but why keep you from the video? Enjoy, my friends!

As an instructor, you try to be as clear as possible when asking for files to be saved in a compatible format for grading. This task can sometimes stump the best of us. Fear not, my friends, for you’re in good company. Here’s what’s up:

Most browsers have the necessary powers to view the most common formats. For example, the MPEG format (Motion Pictures Expert Group),is a good choice for quality video. However, there are many options. The point is to be sure it’s compatible, and the necessary plugins are clearly available if not previously installed. If you’re going to be watching any video (which of course you are) on your computer, you should definitely be prepared to play/accept WMV, FLV, MP4, MOV and SWF. Confused? Check out the list below for brief definitions:

• .3gp – the most common video format for mobile phones
• .asf – (ASF is a shell, which enables any form of compression to be used; MPEG-4 is common. Video in ASF-containers is also called Windows Media Video (WMV))
• .avi – Audio Video Interleave – a shell that enables any form of compression to be used; MPEG-1 and a variant of MPEG-4 are common)
• .flv – Flash video played through a .swf file.
• .m2v – MPEG-2 Video file
• .mov – Quicktime video; enables any form of compression to be used; Sorenson codec is the most common.
• .mp3 – MPEG layer 3 audio;
• .mp4 – MPEG-4 Part 14. Most commonly used to store digital video and digital audio streams
• .mpeg, .mpg, .mpe – Moving Picture Experts Group
• .ra – Real Audio

Even if you haven‘t figured it all out yet, lighten up. You can actually upload almost any video, as long as it’s in a compatible format. Many players will accept multiple file formats, so you can use one app for all video. But no one expects you to know everything at anytime. Just what’s best for that particular file. Do your homework.

Now that I’ve completely confused the crap out of you, don’t sweat it. Have a cookie. The oracle says as soon as you leave this post, you’ll feel right as rain. But just in case you got a stale cookie, this will surely lift your spirits. Have a better one.

That’s right. Adobe’s at it again. It’s upgrade time! You may wanna rethink that Christmas list. Feel like screaming? You better scream! This is so wrong! It’s too soon! Most of us are still working the kinks outta CS4! Hell, I know a dozen people who are still learning CS3! Somebody should do something! We gotta stop these maniacs!!!

Wait..

This Photoshop CS5 video… its… so… COOOOOOOOL! Look at those FEATURES!!

April is too far away! I want it NOW! Where’s the Beta? WHERE IS IT?!!!

I’m not a big Powerpoint fan (Keynote is my app of choice) , but I’ve discovered that without design discipline, any product, including a PPT file, can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing kills a buzz like a poorly designed slide with too much crap in it. To help a fellow colleague, I’ve posted some info that may help “would-be speakers” avoid the common pitfalls of a slideshow that sucks. Here are a few scary examples of PowerPoint design gone awry:

And, finally, the man himself, Mr. Bill, wins my award for Worst PowerPoint Presentation EVER. Not very comforting from the company that actually invented the product! Check out THESE puppies:

Still holding down your lunch? Good for you! Now let’s get down to brass tacks. You need to recognize the problem before you get caught up in it. Watch this slideshow from Ham Diyon for the “DON’TS” of a Powerpoint prez. Hope it helps!

The unthinkable just happened. The Walt Disney Co. snatched up Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in a 60% cash and 40% stock transaction, a deal so huge that it stunned Wall Street, instantly putting Disney in the “superhero” business overnight. This move gives Disney access (and control) of Marvel’s most popular characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Iron Man. Plans to use these characters on rides at its theme park and in a variety of consumer products, will be limited only by any existing agreements approved before the merger.

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Here’s a heads-up for all “pre-Intel” Mac owners. Adobe yesterday put PowerPC users on notice: in a newly published FAQ, the company confirms that future versions of the Creative Suite will run only on Intel-based Macs.

In explaining the move, Adobe cited Apple’s announcement that the forthcoming release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) will not support the PowerPC chip set.

From their press release: “With Apple’s future development focused on Intel Macs, Adobe is aligning its resources accordingly. Customers are being notified to provide fair notice of any changes regarding the operating systems and hardware supported by Adobe solutions. By announcing these changes now, Adobe customers will have time to plan their migration strategy accordingly.”

According to the FAQ document, Creative Suite 4 and Creative Suite 3 will continue to run on both PowerPC and Intel machines, but Adobe will limit all future updates to the programs to fixing “critical issues.” Hmm.. where have I heard THAT before?

It has happened every September since 2005, and in a few short weeks it will happen once again. Apple is indeed planning a keynote event for the week of Sept. 7. And according to sources close to the company, the date is Wednesday, Sept. 9. Sadly, it will not feature the tablet device the company is rumored to be developing.

The event will be held in San Francisco–most likely at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where it has occurred in years past–and is expected to showcase upgrades to the iPod line and an update to iTunes that may involve some sort of social element. Our sources insist it will not involve any discussion whatsoever of the tablet Apple is reportedly developing.

Too bad. It’s looking more and more like we’ll have to wait until 2010 for that.

No word yet on who’s to preside over the event. There’s been speculation that it will mark the first public appearance by CEO Steve Jobs since returning from medical leave earlier this year. Sources have no information on whether or not that will prove true.

I know many of you are hoping to someday give every client the website of their dreams. But this client-driven vision is often skewered by the largest of companies with the best of intentions. So how come it still gets screwed up? Too much red tape? Too many cooks in the kitchen? Too much money?

None of the above. It’s not about size. It’s about paying attention. Sometimes a yellow legal pad, a no.2 pencil, and a 1-on-1 conversation is more productive than a conference call involving 30 people in 4 time zones.

So the key is to bring your ears to the meeting (your Good ears). Still don’t understand what I mean? This may help. I’ve seen this cartoon (below) off and on for years. Engineers don’t think it’s funny, but it always makes ME laugh. Hope it keeps your dream alive too.

Apple recently released OS X 10.5.8 onto Macs everywhere via Software Update. Buas common as this milestone sounds, it carries some good news with it. The next patch will be 10.5.9, placing us only one update away from OS X 10.6, aptly titled Snow Leopard.

This next update to the Mac OS X family brings a plethora of minor changes to your Mac, including Safari 4 upgrades, better iCal reliability and improved history search in your browser.

It’s not that we’re unhappy with the current OS. Far from it. Leopard has been highly reliable, stable and filled with useful features. However, the fact that only 10.5.9 is left before we can get out hands on Snow Leopard has us wringing our hands like kids trying to survive the 24 hours before Christmas morning. If there’s one thing more fun than ordering software it’s pre-ordering software. I don’t have a hard release date for Snow Leopard (Apple said it would be available some time in September), but that’s not about to stop stores like Amazon, which began offering pre-orders of the forthcoming Mac OS X release last week.

Open CL technology will utilize your Mac’s graphics chip to boost it’s power, provide battery age alert, and the new OS was clocked 2.3x faster than Leopard. It’s due to cost a mere $29 to upgrade, so start “brown bagging” it for the next 30 days. I recommend upgrading.