Adobe Dreamweaver is one of the leading applications for the creation and design of both individual web pages and entire web sites. The application software is based around the concept of creating web pages using a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) development environment, but also supports other Web technologies too. These include CSS and JavaScript, as well as server-side scripting languages including ASP.NET, ColdFusion, Java Server Pages (JSP a)nd PHP.

Dreamweaver was originally created by Macromedia, who in turn were eventually purchased by, and merged into Adobe Systems Incorporated in December 2005. Versions of the software are available for PCs using the Microsoft Windows operating systems, and Apple Macintosh computers. It is probably fair to say that many web designers consider Adobe Dreamweaver to be one of the essential tools in their arsenal.

Dreamweaver can be used as a stand-alone program but also interoperates well with other programs, especially other Adobe software, including former Macromedia software such as Adobe Fireworks. Additionally, templates created in Dreamweaver can also be used with Adobe Contribute, which is an application designed to allow multiple non-technical users to simultaneously maintain a web site’s content.

The software is well designed and once you are familiar with it, quite easy to use. That does not mean however, that no learning is necessary in order to get the best out of Dreamweaver. As with any sophisticated tool, proper training will allow you to achieve the best results. The good news is that there are many resources that can help you learn the program, including Dreamweaver tutorial web sites, and software training packages, as well as books.