Real World Adobe(R) GoLive(R) 5

Rating:
Summary: A convoluted pile of mush
Review: ... This book is 930 pages of woven technical mush, with no structure
or guide on how to use goLive5. There are no real examples or
functional steps on achieving a desired result, so if your looking to
"learn" something about the software you've spent a good
chunk of change on, this book will not satisfy your needs.


Rating:
Summary: Probably the BEST GoLive 5 Book !!
Review: Everything about this book is GREAT: * presents a very thorough coverage of the GoLive 5 interface * HIGHLIGHTS new features of GoLive 5 * illustrations are used wisely and appropriately (no wastage of paper) * points out possible pitfalls and problems with different browser versions * gives me the feeling that the authors are sharing their experiences --- a no-holds barred. Truly commendable.

Every GoLive 5 user should get this impressive book if they want to do serious things with GoLive 5. Get it, read it! It is truly a book that makes one realize the true power of GoLive 5. Deserve more than 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely necessary!
Review: I am not a programmer or graphic designer, and fell into writing a web-site through the backdoor. I have been using GoLive for about a year, and thought I was doing pretty well with it (when I compared my site to the design books recommendations, we were doing pretty good). I was overwhelmed, however, with the number of palettes when I upgraded to 5.0, and so bought the book. I can't believe how little of GoLive's capabilities I was using, even though I had read the manual! My web-site is now orders of magnitude easier to manage, and more streamlined. I both read the book cover-to-cover (it really didn't take that long, and I didn't fall asleep while reading even once!), and I keep it by my computer for quick reference.

I've read a lot of good books on computers, graphics, etc., in order to learn what the heck I'm doing. But none of them have been indispensable, and I would readily loan the others to friends. This one, however, is MINE, MINE, MINE!

Rating:
Summary: Lots of good info, but no step by step help or instruction.
Review: I've been using GoLive since version 2.0 when it was called CyberStudio. Though I haven't become super-savvy with the program, I've known a enough to get by and make many high-impact websites. When I visit a new website with a feature I like, I try to figure out how they do it. That's why I bought this book.

I wanted to learn more about CSS (cascading style sheets), but this book DID NOT teach me how to make them. It explained what they were, where they came from, what the different types were, how they get used, what they can do, ways to use them, etc, etc., but it did not include simple step-by-step directions for creating them. It EXPLAINED how to make them in a series of short paragraphs, but that isn't much use at all.

They should have had a mini tutorial for it such as: Step 1. Create a new page Step 2. Type some text Step 3. Open the CSS Inspector Step 4. Highlight some of the text you wrote Step 5. Select options X,Y, and Z in the CSS Inspector Step 6. blah, blah, blah

That would have made this book so much better. Perhaps some people can learn by means of explanation without diagrams or specific instruction, but I'm not one of them. I prefer step-by-step help.

Imagine if you wanted to rebuild the engine on your car, and your only instructions were this: "The trick to rebuilding your engine is to remove it from your vehicle. Once removed from your vehicle you can put it on the floor or on a bench to take it apart. Once you've taken it apart, put it back together with all new parts and then put it back in your car."

Would you attempt to rebuild yor car if the instructions were phrased like that? Probably not, which is why I won't recommend this book to anybody except experts wanting to further their already savvy GoLive skills. Don't get me wrong, the book is crammed full of info and tips on a mountain of topics, but unless you know how to use all or most of GoLive's features, it won't serve you much help.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book required basic knowledge of golive
Review: If you are new and want to make a website this book is not for you. I t gives you the details and explanations of the commands and features, but will not teach you that where you should use grids or tables. If you are an intermediate user and want to have a complete control on golive this is for you. Sorry to say this book does not include any real life project so user will get an idea how to work. It is just like a manual. you have to read the book a-z to make a site.

Rating:
Summary: golive real sometimes you get lost
Review: It is good book but not for the novice web builder. Authors do a good job of highlighting the command structures, provide tips and tell how to use the many features of the program. However in some places, commands are refered to but there is no visual of the icon nor does it tell specifically where on the toolbar it is. This happens when trying also to figure how to design and set up sites and more. It is complicated program but more intuitive then dreamweaver and the authors point out the powerful features Sometimes you can do things with more then 1 set of commands and the authors talk about this. Pros and cons of using tables versus grids and how using certain functions will lock out certain users using versions of certain browsers. They need to provide a card or listing to the commands and a picture of each. It would have saved me a lot of time. This is a reference for GL5 and not a good manual for building a site with GL. If they did that I'd rate it 5 or at least a 4.

Also the authors have listserve board where gl5 users can post their questions, about the book and using gl5. They answer you which is good. This book and GL5 are not for the most novice web builders.

Rating:
Summary: Not Well Written
Review: Real World GoLive is not well written or edited. The text is laborious to read.

Rating:
Summary: RealWorld GoLive 5 is REAL technical and leaves you spinning
Review: The problem with Real World GoLive 5 (RWGL5) is that it is too technical (emphasis on the too). The first two chapters alone are dedicated to the myriad of inspectors found inside GL5. The remaining 30 chapters have a lot if not too much information crammed into them. You should see my RWGL5 book plastered with at least 200 sticky notes for futue reference. I wish there was a brief book to summarize my sticky notes.

RWGL5 or any book you find on GL5 should contain a CD tutorial that visually walks the user through the complex maze of inspectors and palettes. Adults learn by doing, not by reading.

A final thumbs down to the author's website dedicated to RWGL5 that promises to offer much more information, tutorials, tips and tricks (etc., not found in the book). Its nothing more than a promotional website hawking the book.

I advise anyone seriously interested in buying this book to stop by B&Ns and thumb through the book before buying. I wish I had.

Casey

Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS BOOK. It's all you're looking for (and more!)
Review: This book is awesome!

I highly recommend Real World Adobe GoLive 5 to anyone serious about building web sites with Adobe GoLive. Whereas the Adobe User Guide just scratches the surface on most subjects, this book digs deep and delivers nuggets of pure gold. Finding detailed explanations of all the advanced features that makes GoLive the premier web editing tool are easily referenced (and cross-referenced.) Topics are covered in depth with step-by-step, "how to" instructions rather than dry, technical data only of interest to programers.

This book is definitely the main reference tool for the GoLive 5 power user. Users of the previous incarnations of GoLive, (Cyberstudio and GoLive 4,) will find the chapter covering the new features especially useful by quickly and easily bringing them up to date with the new version. New users of GoLive can learn how to apply the powerful, site-wide features of the application by following the clear, concise explanations provided by the book, thereby rapidly advancing them to a higher level of web site design and construction. Since the authors of the book, Glenn Fleishman and Jeff Carlson, are not affiliated with Adobe their candid, reliable comments about the strengths and weakness of the application are invaluable.

The authors are well aware of the problems encountered by daily users of GoLive because they moderate an email forum focusing on the subject of GoLive. RWGL5 takes full advantage of this communication between users who have had problems and others who have found solutions to these problems. The amalgamation of this vast store of advanced techniques and real world (pun intended) solutions gives the book a depth that no other book on the subject could possibly hope to match.

As a teacher of web site editing classes, I know that I can only expect my students to absorb so much of my explanations of the features of GoLive that are not covered in the Adobe User Guide. I will encourage each of my students to get the Real World Adobe GoLive book, not just to supplement what I have taught them, but also as a ready reference to reiterate the lessons they have already learned. I myself learn something new every time I pick up the book.

In short, to learn how to quickly and easily build large, complex, and powerful web sites, Real World Adobe GoLive 5 is the first, (and perhaps only,) instructional manual you will need.