Hi all,

I'm looking at building a nice website to host scripts, programs, mini-tutorials, interesting links, etc. The purple one will also want to build a website which has a gallery and pages about her and her work. I'd like them to be sort 'web 2.0', i.e. slidey menus and things like that.

My current web skills are basic CSS, XHTML and some PHP. ECMAscript (javascript) is unknown and frightening territory for me...

Would Freeway be overkill for such things? I'm not doing this for a living, just creating a couple of sites and then maintaining them. Is it fool proof and user friendly? I'm a fool and the purple one is a user I'll get frustrated at a poorly made app whereas she will get frustrated with an overly complicated experience...
We want something that works and requires very little learning.

Thanks all
Ben

iWeb would most probably be simpler and is cheaper. Freeway will offer more flexibility but could be overkill. If you have a spare iLife licence, see if she gets on with iWeb and if it's powerful enough etc. If it's too limited, go for Freeway. A trial of Freeway is also available for the "Purple one" to check out (please see here). Maybe you should try the trial of Freeway and compare it to iWeb before making a decision.

I'll be taking the plunge with iLife at some point anyway, perhaps the bundle with iWork...I may order it this weekend and see...
I want something that is flexible in as much as it has templates, or it has templates of components...
Let me explain what I mean:
First one is simple, a whole site template, which iWeb will do.
The second would be nice: A blank page with dragable menu's, headers, picture placements...All outputting standard complaint code of course!

Not sure if Freeway would do that...I may look at their trial again actually and see, I forgot about that!

Cheers Dan

Freeway will be better in the long run than iWeb. Freeway does output compliant code, every time. There’s a whole bunch of really helpful folk over at http://www.freewaytalk.net who range from high-flying pros to hobbyists, and you will get decent answers, and no one will call you a “noob”.

Edit: I forgot to add - Freeway Pro may well be better for you if you want to roll your own scripts or start using third party Actions for Scriptaculous goodness, including PHP etc. etc..

Disclosure: I work a lot for Softpress, I run their site and produce a lot of their training material, including the “Freeway Moments”. I’ve been associated with Softpress for well over a decade now, so there is some bias to my enthusiasm.

Thanks Paul,

I can't stretch to Freeway Pro, I presume I could upgrade in the future though?

Yes - there are upgrades. There are also discounts if you are in education or are a senior citizen.

As I’ve said here before, Freeway is one of the outstanding Mac apps. iWeb just pales by comparison.

I presume you're the Paul who created the three tutorial videos? I've only watched and followed the first one so far, but I'm very impressed with Freeway Express (Trial). I tried having a play myself, but couldn't figure it out, having listened to the tutorial it's a lot more clear. I'll follow the other two to see what I can do, and I may be emptying my wallet tomorrow when I get paid

For something more code-centric, consider Coda, but it sounds like Freeway is more like what you want.

Edd

I've gone past the point of writing code to be honest. I've done it, it's been fun, but I don't want the hassle if I don't have to...I'm also a naff coder and naff at anything remotely creative, which doesn't owe itself to web development...Hopefully something a bit more drag and drop will make me concentrate more on design, rather than wondering how to do XYZ, or why LMN doesn't work as I thought it should.

Although Panic's software is great, for coding sites I've always used TextMate because of it's code bundles in XHTML/HTML/JavaScript/CSS plus other languages that I often use, e.g. Java.

I use Textmate as well, but prefer Coda for web stuff, now it has its own plug-in system, just because everything is so neatly integrated. I really want to get Textmate's Blackboard theme for Coda's SubEthaEdit. TextMate for code, \LaTeX and everything else though.

Edd

Yup, I am that one.

I also did this lot too:
http://www.softpress.com/support/freewaymoments/

And now the heat is off me rebuilding the web site, there will no doubt be a list of new ones to be done on its way.

One question about pro:
Out of the box, or with free add-ons, will it make creating a gallery easier or/and more automated? Linking a few hundred images would probably make the purple one make me sit in the driving seat to make edits to her gallery...Ideally, some way of pointing to a folder and going "That. Gallery. Now!"

The tutorials were really helpful though, I loved the finished thing, gave me hope that I could create something that I would call my '[LIFTED]'.



Just thought I'd best clear this one up, I call her as such on here because of her hair:

I knew that!

Edd

I was under the impression that people might have been confused when Dan put it in quotes...