Our JS Book

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Macintosh Web Software on a Budget

The FAQ

Why didn't you include <name of product here>?
Why didn't you include Muwse?
Why didn't you include Cobwebber?
Why didn't you include SimpleText?
Why didn't you include iTools?
Why didn't you include The GIMP?
Why didn't you include tools such as Tidy?
Why didn't you include weblog software?
Didn't you predict several years ago that this category of software would die out?
Do real professionals use these applications?
Is there an equvalent page for Windows applications?
You're not a very good designer.
Why do you say my browser doesn't support standards?
How do you differentiate between semi-WYSIWYG and text editors?
Where can I read comparative reviews of these products?

Why didn't you include <name of product here>?

Probably because I don't know about it. If it's not mentioned on this page or the list, and it fits in the description on the list page, drop me a line with a URL describing the application.

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Why didn't you include Muwse?

Muwse looked like a good candidate for this site except for the price. I had to draw the line somewhere, and increasing it by 40% ($50 to $70) solely in order to add one application didn't make sense. If more applications show up in that price range, I'll consider adding them all in.

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Why didn't you include Cobwebber?

Cobwebber is another application that looked promising, but it doesn't appear to have changed since 1998. Similarly, Wallaby doesn't appear to have been updated since early 1999, and HTML Web Weaver Lite hasn't been updated since 1996! If a new version of any of these is released, I'll add them on.

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Why didn't you include SimpleText?

Yes, it's free. Yes, it's on every Mac. But no, it doesn't really help you write HTML in any way. If you're on a budget, the list has a number of freeware apps that are considerably better at helping you write HTML than SimpleText.

This also applies to OS X's TextEdit.

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Why didn't you include iTools?

To the best of my knowledge, you cannot create standalone web pages with iTools that can be FTP'd to other servers. If I included iTools, I'd have to include other online services' page building software, such as that at Yahoo's GeoCities. All of that is outside the scope of this list.

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Why didn't you include The GIMP?

According to the MacGIMP Web site, the only way to run the GIMP in OS X is via X Window. There's a project to create a Cocoa version; when that's done, I'll add it to this site.

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Why didn't you include tools such as Tidy?

In general, I've been considering including another table just for tools, and my email is telling me that I should. That's a project for another day, although if someone wants to take the time to collect info on all of them, I'd appreciate it. Regarding Tidy specifically, though, it'd be included when it's out of beta.

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Why didn't you include weblog software?

The goal of this list is to show folks that there is Web design software out there that's competitive with Macromedia and Adobe's commercial products. To the best of my knowledge, no one has said that there's a shortage of Mac weblog software out there that costs under $300. I've also never seen anyone use weblog software to design a Web site. If either time ever comes, I'll start keeping track of all the low-cost weblog software, too. Until then, just about any roundup of weblog software (anyone have a link?) will cover the usual suspects.

Didn't you predict several years ago that this category of software would die out?

Sort of (see the article here). For the most part, what I predicted has come to pass, but I wasn't happy about the prospect then and I'm not now. Creating these pages is another attempt to bring this market back to life.

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You're not a very good designer.

That's not a question; that's a (fairly obvious) statement of fact. If you're a designer and would like to make these pages more attractive in return for a link, make a mockup and send me a URL--thanks!

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Do real professionals use these applications?

Well, I consider these folks to be real professionals:

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Is there an equivalent page for Windows applications?

Not that I know of. If you know of one, please let me know and I'll link to it.

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Why do you say my browser doesn't support standards?

If you see that message (on the top of this page and others), it means that you either have JavaScript turned off and/or you have a browser that doesn't support the level 1 DOM. The W3C released this recommendation in October 1998. If your browser doesn't support recommendations from 1998, it's time for you to get a new browser. For info about what browsers do support standards, check out The Web Standards Project Browser Upgrade Campaign.

You should still be able to see all the information on the page, though, it just won't look as good.

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How do you differentiate between semi-WYSIWYG and text editors?

In general, I've gone by what the Web site for the product says. If I've misclassified anything, please let me know.

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Where can I read comparative reviews of these products?

That's a darn good question. The last one that I know of that even tried was The Web Publisher's Essential Tool Kit, published in Macworld in 1998, written by Tonya Engst. Many of the applications on my list didn't exist then, and many of the ones she covered then don't exist now. It's well past time for an update.

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Last modified 23 August 2001. Contents of this page © 2001 Dori Smith.