Let me paint a hypothetical situation. There will never be another update of any software package again! All software companies feel they have gone as far as they can go!

 Ok, let me give you a chance to restore your heart rhythms.

Each year I see a recurring situation. Software Company "A" releases a major upgrade to their package. Everyone is excited about the new features. Then, usually within a month, you start seeing postings about what should be put into the next update. Are we ever happy?

Now, let's go back to our opening scenario. Stop and look at your own workflow. How much of Flash's firepower do you use? Do you use all of the features of Dreamweaver? Are you using, perhaps, only 25% of Fireworks' capability?

Why do we constantly clamor for newer features when we are barely using what we have now?

As an MM Certified Instructor, I see how underutilized by most people our present tools are. I see many people still doing simple, static websites in Dreamweaver and some basic animations in Flash. As a matter of fact, in a class last week, I had a student say that they had not realized that Flash could do anything more than merely a few animations.

As I am writing this editorial, I am sitting in EPCOT center at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. If you read Disney's biography, you would see that as early as 1936, he was experimenting with surround-sound systems in movie theatres for the animated movie Fantasia. He certainly pushed the animation process light-years ahead.

I admire people, such as Disney, who can take very little and yet create it into something new and innovative. But, if you think about it, the present state of our software tools exceeds anything we dreamed of just a few years ago. Yet, despite that fact, we are constantly clamoring for more. Is it because our creative visions exceed the tools that we have? Or is it because we want the software to give us creative ideas?

I don't think I am going too far out on a limb in saying that the Macromedia-Adobe combo will give us very powerful tools. I can only imagine the capabilities of Flash and After Effects coming together. But are we ready for it?

We need, as a community, to sit down and take a hard look at ourselves and our creative capabilities. I firmly feel that education will play an increasingly important role in this process. To that end, I very much applaud Macromedia's Jon Lloyd and Sue Hove. Jon is running the certified instructor program and Sue works ceaselessly to constantly improve the certified educational material. People like them will help match the skills of the community with the capabilities of the software. I only hope that they will be given the opportunity to continue their fine work after the merger is completed. To that end, I will lobby hard.

While we are speaking about education, I strongly recommend that everyone consider attending the annual MAX conference. This year's conference is in Anaheim, CA (home of the original Disney park) and will be October 16th - 19th.

If you examine the events at www.macromedia.com/macromedia/events/max/, you will quickly see that there are workshops for every skill level. Whether you are a beginner or advanced, plan on coming to the conference.

We had a great time last year in New Orleans. I, for one, found it invigorating and I picked up a LOT of new ideas. Also, plan on bringing tons of business cards. This is a great chance to network.

On a final note, keep an eye open for the August issue. It will be loaded with surprises!