If you’re like me, your screen is never big enough. When I’m working in Dreamweaver, I want to see my code, my design (in Live View) and my CSS panel. The first time I fired up CS5, I created my own customized workspace which you can see below. Basically, it’s just my CSS panel that I have left open. The other couple of panels that I use on a regular basis (Files, Snippets and Insert) I’ve collapsed to their button state.

I’ve been using this workspace so long now, that I tend to forget what the default DW workspace even looks like! The only issue that I’ve had is that I still find myself toggling the panels on/off using the F4 keyboard shortcut so that I can see more of the design.

Well, I just found out, that I can keep them toggled close – and still get to what I need quickly! (Head slap here) First, use F4 to toggle your panels off. Now, when you need them, simply move your mouse all the way to the edge of the screen that you’ve hidden the panels – and, viola, there they are! Click back in your page and they hide themselves again.

I actually had this post written right before my vacation this summer (the reason for not posting here for 6 weeks!), but somehow managed to lose it. But oh well, the topic is just as hot as ever, as witnessed by several blogposts recently from the likes of the BBC and YouTube. My favorite quote from the YouTube article is “Today, Adobe Flash provides the best platform for YouTube’s video distribution requirements, which is why our primary video player is built with it.” I think that basically sums it up.

For all the excitement surrounding HTML5, it seems that the idea of “replacing Flash” for video delivery is the one that gets everyone going. But, as is pointed out in those two articles (and numerous others), it’s just not that simple – especially as long as there is a hefty majority of users on Internet Explorer 8 and below. If history is any indication, it will be many, many years before those browsers will disappear. (more…)

You might have noticed that the blog has been quiet this summer. The reason? I finally took some time off – a lot of time, as a matter of fact. But it’s back to work time now, both on the blog front and on the live events front.

In about two weeks, I will be headed back to one of my favorite places in the whole world, South Africa, where I will be joined by my colleagues Terry White and Jason Levine. We’ll be loaded up with enough Creative Suite 5 tips and tricks to fill an entire day – literally! So, if you’re in Johannesburg on the 26th of August, be sure to join us. My colleagues in South Africa have the agenda and registration info posted, and they’ve even created an AIR application to keep you up-to-date with all things creative in South Africa – check it out.

Then it’s September – and of course, anyone who knows me knows that that means only one thing – Oktoberfest! Um, I mean, a Creative Suite Masters Tour in Germany! Jason and I have the lederhosen out and we’re ready to take a tour through my “alte Heimat” with stops in Munich, Düsseldorf, Vienna, Hamburg (or Berlin) and Switzerland. We’re going to see if we can get Terry to put on the suspenders with us as we dive deep into Creative Suite goodness this year. More details and registration information will be available shortly. Wenn Sie noch nicht CS5 gesehen haben, oder vielleicht immer noch nicht überzeugt sind, machen Sie mit! (Der Vortrag wird teilweise auf Englisch und teilweise auf Deutsch ausgeführt.)

As always, you can keep an eye on the list of events in the right hand column of this page to find out where I will be speaking. Travel safe, and hope to see you soon!