Downgrading from Adobe CS3
I’ve written about Flash CS3 wasting screen space and Flash CS3 dropping PDF file import features but my humble little articles didn’t receive much attention. Well, today I read that the creator of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, (i.e. a bigshot) has abandoned DreamWeaver CS3 and gone back to using DreamWeaver 8. Not only that, but many of his blog readers have done or will do the same.
Of course I realize that one other blog post doesn’t necessarily validate all my criticisms of CS3 but I find it consoling to know I’m not the only one to balk at the latest incarnation of Adobe’s CS3 tools.
Why do I think this is important? This is similar to recent stories regarding Microsoft Windows users who have downgraded from *New Improved* Vista to *Old Reliable* XP. It’s a sign that a big company is losing touch with the needs of their clients and may be accelerating their own obsolescence.
It’s no secret that I feel Adobe has left its vast “little guy” user base to pursue a smaller pool of “big fish” developers but what will happen if Adobe doesn’t make a product to satisfy either type of user? Will it open the door for competing technologies? What’s your opinion?
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Dreamweaver has been lately my personal goto program for a long time. I really do not know what I would do with out it. There were occasions when I initially started out working with the software, and I believed it was way too difficult. Now I fly around it, and it has become an asset in my personal tool box. Anyway thanks for the posting.
LOL I just found this.
I never embraced Dreamweaver, I still use Homesite the HTML editor Macromedia bought from Allaire so they could bury it.
WYSIWYG is for sissies & should have never been part of Dreamweaver.
Hi Stephen (Red), I’m all for AS3, but can you honestly say Flash CS3 is a “good” place to write it? It’ll do, it’s not great, it’s outdone by nearly all other code editors. If I’m not mistaken, DreamWeaver is even supposed to be better for writing script than Flash. And coincidentally, the guy mentioned in the above article, Matt Mullenweg, liked coding in DreamWeaver until CS3 came out and he dropped it for the code editor in DW8.
I don’t know what CS4 will be like, I hope it’s interface makes some major improvements rather than just making things look different.
The bad interface of MX04 (my ~opinion~ but I’m not alone) was blamed on Adobe and their Tabbed Palette patent. Now that they (Adobe Macromedia) are together, I really expect something decent.
I couldn’t imagine having to go back to AS2 and not use AS3. The improvements in the language alone and what with CS4 UI redesign to be more a part of the Adobe family I’m looking forward to ditching CS3 for that!
KRDR, I actually thought the documentation for ActionScript was getting better.
Senocular, I’m not sure what question you’re answering “yes” to, but I am pretty sure you’re mocking me. 😉
Yes… because FL8 wastes less space…
Actually, I like cs3 UI. Somehow it fits to me. But, for long time, each new version of Adobe or MM software was slower and bloater. I even remember time when Flash was smaller than DW in size, including all samples, and samples weren’t deep in directory structure. I also remember Flash 5 had nice interactive tutorial.
Now, I’m struggling with AS3 bugs, lack of docs and useful examples (php docs anyone?)