OxMUG meeting 11 March 2008

Web applications and Softpress Freeway

Nuclear Physics Lab, Keble Road, Oxford
 

Door prize:

BareBones t-shirt

Copy of Freeway Pro

Copy of BBEdit

As well as Freeway-supplied pens and badges!
 

Softpress Freeway 5 by Joe Billings and Richard Logan from Softpress

FreewayPro v5 and Freeway Express v5, launched at the end of March: “stabler, faster, better than anything we’ve ever done.”

DTP-like web page / site authoring tool. Looks very similar to Quark or InDesign / PageMaker, if you’ve ever used those. What it does is vaguely similar to Apple’s own iWeb, but on a much more sophisticated levels. Essentially, uses a page-layout interface to lay out (web) pages. No HTML knowledge needed: ethos is “you supply the creativity, we supply the code.”

Previews of pages in various browsers.

In addition to authoring straightforward pages, Freeway also includes “actions” which enable more sophisticated behaviours – for example, to create pages that will work with Google Maps, Google AdSense, Blogger. CSS and javascript navigation is integrated and can be modified on the fly.

Drop shadows and rounded corners possible in CSS.

Integrated with iPhoto, like iWeb. Can optimise graphics for web as you go. Also allows HTML hand coding. Ties into online databases.

Lots of support:

Documentation / help files

Free support forums on the Softpress web site softpress.com

Quicktime demonstration movies (some available on iTunes)

Ecommerce integration:

I have to say I was particularly impressed: Freeway helps set up simple shopping sites and carts. Back-end functionality for the Freeway Shop is provided by Mal's E-Commerce: www.mals-e.com/.

Standards-compliant code with an accessibility checker.
Price: from about £70 new (Pro version costs more)

Ask us about a discount price offered to OxMUG members!
 

Web applications – Google goodies: Paul Heritage-Redpath

Google AdSense. Host Google ads on your web site. Make “money” (pennies!).

Google Office: online collection of Microsoft Office-type apps (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation app) which you can work on almost anywhere with a web connection. Free.

Zoho Office: good competitor. Free, and very few details required to register.

Editgrid: Excel-type spreadsheet. Now with an iPhone-able interface!
 

Web applications: Graham Lee

MarsEdit for writing your blog (even when you’re offline!)

Flickr Uploader: to batch-upload your photos from iPhoto to the web album site Flickr.

Google Office again: don’t forget that all your documents are stored online, and probably scanned by Google. Wide cross platform support (in many browsers) and you can collaborate on shared documents – different users can type in the same document at the same time.

Next meeting: 8 April: iLife and movie apps.