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Is it the end of Iweb?

If that is true, then is bad news for some of us Iweb-users. I hope that Apple will not leave us empty handed and will come up with a solution such a substitute software. It's a great software for people with little web design knowledge and new learners. I wish to know Apple's answer in regards to this issue.


Regards from a very concerned user

Iweb-OTHER

Posted on Sep 25, 2011 11:19 AM

Reply
15 replies

Sep 25, 2011 11:44 AM in response to rociofrombarcelona

That's not necessarily so. It is now generally acknowledged that iWeb, and iDVD, has been discontinued by Apple. This is evidenced by the fact that new Macs are shipping with iLife 11 installed but without iWeb and iDVD.


However, iWeb will still continue to work but without the following:


Features No Longer Available Once MobileMe is Discontinued:


◼ Password protection

◼ Blog and photo comments

◼ Blog search

◼ Hit counter


All of these issues can be solved with 3rd party options.


I found that if I published my site to a folder on my hard drive and then uploaded with a 3rd party FTP client subscriptions to slideshows and the RSS feed were broken. If I published directly from iWeb to the FPT server those two features continued to work correctly.


There's another problem and that's with iWeb's popup slideshows. Once the MMe servers are no longer online the popup slideshow buttons will not display their images.


User uploaded file

Click to view full size


However, Roddy McKay and I have figured out a way to modify existing sites with those slideshows and iWeb itself so that those images will display as expected once MobileMe servers are gone. How to is described in this tutorial: #26 - How to Modify iWeb So Popup Slideshows Will Work After MobileMe is Discontinued.


It now appears that the iLife suite of applications offered on disc is now a discontinued product and the remaining supported iApps will only be available thru the App Store from now on. However, the boxed iLife 11 still available at the online Apple Store (Store button at the top of the page) and those still on the shelves of retailers will include iWeb and iDVD. Those two apps were listed in small, gray text on the iLife 11 box that I bought.


Personally, if I already didn't have a copy I would purchase one to have it for reinstallation purposes if ever needed.


This might be of some interest to you at this time: Life After MobileMe.


OT

Nov 3, 2011 5:44 AM in response to Old Toad

Hello, I just read your reply regarding iWeb. I have some big concerns here because I have a huge website in iWeb. I am an artist who sells my work nationally and I also teach. I have a lot of photos of my work, articles about art, and lots and lots of photos of my students with their artwork.


I think I have a pretty nice website. It took me around 80 hours to completely overhaul it about 10 months ago.

I called Apple the other day to confirm that there will be no more support for iWeb and and learned it is true.


They said that I should think about purchasing Rapid Weaver. They said it is similar to i-Web. I want to know what you think of this. I am not a tech person, I don't understand HTML. I have loved i-Web and I'm kind of intimidated right now. I know I can learn to upload my website in a file to GoDaddy and they will host the entire site. I already use domain forwarding with them. I'm just concerned about Apple not continuing to come out with i-Web on their new computers and with no ore updates or support with them.


As a business owner, do you think I should expore Rapid Weaver? Your help is very much appreciated!

Nov 3, 2011 8:50 AM in response to Jill Saur

While iWeb is somewhat dysfunctional in Lion and is becoming incompatible with Facebook, it should be viable for maintaining your website for some time.


Its difficult to predict what other problems may arise from MobileMe closing down apart from the slideshow issue mentioned by OT above.


Applications like RapidWeaver and Sandvox are no better and will require you to completely rebuild your site since they can't import existing one.


I decided a while back to change to WYSIWYG code entry style software - Rage WebDesign. This requires a little understanding of HTML and CSS but is a far more versatile way to build websites efficiently.


The only software using drag and drop that I considered was Flux 3. It has a lot of functionality but the learning curve is fairly steep. On the other hand it can product websites that Sandvox and RapidWeaver users can only dream about. Forget DreamWeaver and try this one.

Nov 3, 2011 10:04 AM in response to Jill Saur

As Roody said you should be able to maintain your website for quite a while as long in its current configuration. All you will need to do is get the slideshow button issue fixed as I desciribed above and in tutorial #26 - How to Modify iWeb So Popup Slideshows Will Work After MobileMe is Discontinued.


I'm currently trying out the 30 day demo of Flux and beginning to like it more than the others. If offers drag and drop. There's a 3rd party distributor of the application MacFlux which offers a manual in pdf format for downloading - Download Manual. That and the excellent video tutorials at the Flux site help get users up the learning curve.


OT

Nov 3, 2011 11:48 AM in response to Jill Saur

Jill...


You probably won't find the simplicity and ease-of-use of iWeb in any other software. I still use iWeb, but also use RapidWeaver and more advanced web design apps.


If iWeb is a tricycle, RapidWeaver is your first bike with training wheels. It gives you the option of deciding whether you want to use advanced HTML coding or just stick with galleries, simple blogs and text plus photo pages.


The free RW templates provided are pretty limited, but lots of third-parties will sell you themes, templates and other add-ins. However, that can turn the basic relatively inexpensive RapidWeaver app into something more expensive.


You also have to keep in mind that you'll still have to find your own hosting solution. You won't be able to publish to MobileMe or iCloud as far as I can tell. That will be true of most web design software I suspect. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here. I currently can't see how iCloud can be used as a hosting service for anything other than your basic personal info from Address Book, Mail, Calendar, iWork apps.)


No matter what you do, you will still have to rebuild your site.


...Charles

Nov 4, 2011 1:38 AM in response to cp_whaley

iCloud is not designed to host websites, so you are correct.


If you already have a MobileMe account, then you can use it to publish up until June next year, but after that you will have to look for new hosting and also register a domain name if you don't already have one.


Well no, she does not need to re-build her site if iWeb is still functional. No need - iWeb still works in both Snow Leopard and Lion and will do so for quite some time yet. All she needs do is look for alternative hosting and that is it.

Jan 1, 2012 6:04 PM in response to rociofrombarcelona

I have only ever used iWeb on my own hosting service and it works quite well. I am disappointed to hear iWeb is no longer available.


I have never had any problems with slide-shows etc. and the app remained solid thru my upgrade to Lion.


Also, I am using an app called Multi-site for iweb which seperates all my sites so there is just one site on the left pane. This is a big time-saver.


In reference to using RapidWeaver I have this to say: I paid quite a price ($80) and found it next to useless as a WYSIWYG web designer. Not even close! Maybe I don't know how to use it? All I could enter was plain text in a window and then find out what it looked like later applying a theme. There was no control over placing pictures or formatting the text. I should go to their support site and forums to find out more.

Jan 2, 2012 1:16 AM in response to bruce232

RapidWeaver, although reasonably cheap, can become very expensive in the long run because of all the add ons that you'll need to purchase. You do not have the option of starting with a blank template and will need to use one of theirs.


If I were you, I would look elswhere and perhaps consider Flux - I have just downloaded the 30 day free trial of it from their website along with the free pdf get started guide. If I like it, then I will consider purchasing it from their website - Flux is available from the Mac App store, but appears to be more expensive to purchase from there.

Jan 2, 2012 2:18 PM in response to AspenArtist

I downloaded several of the alternatives to take a look. I finally decided on Sandvox, as well. I have found their online support guides, manuals, etc quite helpful, and I've found that really taking the time to look at their user forums, view the sites of others, etc to be very helpful. What was hard for me was to stop trying to duplicate my iWeb site, but to take this as a chance to make some needed adjustments, and to do things a little differently, while keeping the same "feell" that I've liked for my site.


I've finally finished "playing" and am now in the process of figuring out how I want it to finally look, and how to get there. I think this willl go pretty easily now that I've gotten through the learning curve. My hope is to get it finished and published in the next couple of weeks.

Is it the end of Iweb?

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