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TUAW and MacTech interview: Karelia Software
Karelia Software makes an excellent iWeb alternative called Sandvox (we reviewed version 2.0 here). In this video, Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) interviews Dan Wood of Karelia Software at WWDC 2012. Dan was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
Sandvox adds iWeb migration assistant to scrape your iWeb/MobileMe site
The June 30 sunset date for MobileMe is only a few short weeks away. If your website is built with iWeb and hosted on MobileMe, there's no time like the present to get it shifted over to more permanent hosting. To better serve iWeb users looking to move their existing sites into Sandvox, Karelia has introduced a new migration assistant in its version 2.6 update. This tool allows you to enter the URL for an iWeb-based site, and then it scans for key text and image elements as well as links and page structure. It's a make-do solution that works around the need to parse and process iWeb's proprietary project files. Instead of reverse-engineering Apple's format, Sandvox scrapes your site to recover key website content. It then provides a rough outline that you can then customize inside the app. The transfer is not perfect. You will need to inspect and correct fine details like page names, on occasion. But by preserving your content and site structure, you won't have to copy and paste those years of blog posts, or re-create those photo albums that you worked so hard on. A company spokesperson explained to TUAW that while they couldn't offer a native import feature, they wanted to reach out to iWeb users and offer the simplest possible transfer solution -- imperfect as it is -- so users could quickly get up to speed with Sandvox sites. Of course, the iWeb application itself will still keep working past June 30; if your site isn't hosted on MobileMe, it's not at risk right now. The new assistant is due to go live in the Mac App Store today, and is a free upgrade for existing purchasers.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me move on from iWeb and MobileMe
Dear Aunt TUAW, With the demise of MobileMe and [the corresponding decreased functionality of] iWeb the question has come up with myself and friends as to what to use instead. Looking for something along the lines of iWeb but with a bit more flexibility. Something like Adobe DreamWeaver is way too complex and I'd like to avoid web based applications that restrict you to their hosting services. I'd like to be able to simply build a web site and upload to my own host provider. Your loving nephew, Richard Dear Richard, Auntie took a look around at possible replacements. She feels comfortable recommending Karelia Software's Sandvox 2 as a well-rounded iWeb replacement. It offers great easy-to-use features that impressed Auntie, whose iWeb use was admittedly scattershot at best. It's not cheap -- US$80 -- but after some intensive hands-on testing, Auntie feels it's perfect for people looking for a simple, flexible, and friendly solution with lots of handy webpage designs. In Sandvox you'll find easy ways to create photo albums, blog posts, web pages and more -- most of what you'll be missing. And the interface will feel familiar and comfortable to anyone who has used iWeb, with the app's "what you see is what you get" live editing. "We've been taking care of people graduating from iWeb for years," a Sandvox spokesperson told TUAW. "We think people making the move should jump over sooner rather than later now." Karelia publishes a handy migration guide, too. You will, however, have to find your own website hosting plan, but Sandvox makes that easy too. You can select a remote provider and use FTP/SFTP/WebDav with an easy built-in "Publish" button. Uncle Steve covered some hosting options for the post-iWeb era here. Other quick and easy website design options recommended by far-flung members of the the TUAW clan include RapidWeaver, Freeway Express AS and Flux. Uncle Steve also pointed out that if you want to have the control of hosting your own site but still want the convenience and sophistication of a full content management system, you can install your own WordPress setup... but that may be more geek aggravation than you signed up for. Hugs, Auntie T.
Sandvox hits Mac App Store, on sale for limited time
We reviewed Sandvox earlier this year, the handy WYSIWYG web editor from Karelia Software. Those looking for very Mac-friendly web design software that requires no coding (or even an iWeb replacement) ought to consider Sandvox. The time is right, too, as version 2.1.10 is in the Mac App Store at a special price (aren't holiday sales great?). Typically priced at US$67, you can now grab a copy of the latest version for $49. Version 2.1.10 offers a few new features, like a new Blueprint design and a revamped SFTP publishing system which includes WebDAV subsystems. In our review, we pointed out the Objects Menu (introduced with version 2.0) which lets you add all manner of useful objects to your site, like a text box, raw HTML, Flickr thumbnails, Twitter tools, IM status, RSS tools and more. Again, no coding is required and the results look great. Consider a purchase if you're looking for a Mac-friendly web editor at a bargain price.
Sandvox 2 features major overhaul, Objects Menu, more
Sandvox by Kareila Software will celebrate its fifth birthday this year. The festivities begin with Sandvox 2.0, a major update to the WYSIWYG Web editor for the Mac. With more than 5 dozen new or improved features, such as the super-handy Objects Menu and full HTML5 compliance, Sandvox 2 is ready for weekend Web warriors and small business owners alike. Here's my look at Sandvox 2. UI Web editors like Sandvox are meant for those who wish to create websites without touching HTML. That's a large number of users, like new parents, baseball coaches and small business owners. The common thread among them is the need for simplicity. Fortunately, Sandvox 2 meets that need. The main UI window is familiar to anyone who's used iTunes, Pages or iWeb. On the left-hand side you'll find thumbnails of pages. On the right is the page you're currently working on. A customizable toolbar allows easy access to your favorite functions. Working on a page, be it a blog, gallery, form, etc. is as easy as editing text. Simply type (or paste rich text) and Sandvox handles the code for you. Adding interesting elements -- what Kareila calls Objects -- is also a breeze, as this article will point out later. Also, an inspector lets you fine-tune page elements. Adding YouTube videos, Amazon product links and more is drag-and-drop easy. As for looks, Sandvox 2 ships with about 60 themes, while third-party theme developers extend the options even further. In short, Sandvox 2 looks good, and the UI is simple enough for its intended audience.
WWDC Live: Dan Wood, Karelia Software
One of the first developers I got a chance to sit down with at WWDC was Dan Wood of Karelia Software, makers of the website-building app, Sandvox. I got his thoughts on the Keynote and the state of Mac software development. He's recently been blogging about marketing for developers and working to start a conversation about self-promotion in the Indy software community. Check out the interview after the jump, and be sure to check out the developer marketing tips offered at his blog.
Sandvox 1.5 is now available
Sandvox is the WYSIWYG web editor from Karelia that's won praises from users and the design community (including an Apple Design Award) alike. You can read our previous coverage here.This week, Karelia has released version 1.5, which offers a slew of changes. You can use Sandvox to publish to any webhost (including FTP, SFTP and MobileMe) or create a blog. The pro version lets you edit the HTML and both the pro and basic version include attractive templates that you'll actually want to use. Changes to version 1.5 include Major improvements to media processing, making it easier than ever to create and publish multimedia and media-intensive sites Improvements to all pagelets, including an enhanced Contact Form and a brand new YouTube pagelet Seven all-new designs, plus enhancements to other designs, bringing the total to 50 New blogging features, including a Collection Archives pagelet to better manage and display older entries, automatic navigation links between entries, and "continue reading" links to better manager longer entries There's much more, and you can read the full release notes here. As we said, Sandvox is a very nice tool for people who want to put up a page or site with no fuss. Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is a Universal Binary and comes in both pro ($79US) and standard ($49US) versions. Version 1.5 is a free upgrade for registered users.
Sandvox 1.2.8 adds MobileMe Compatibility
Karelia Software announced the availability of Sandvox 1.2.8 this week. If you're unfamiliar, Sandvox is a very nice and lightweight WYSIWYG web editor for Mac OS X (we've written about Sandvox before) that makes publishing easy. With iLife integration, attractive themes and more, you'll be happy to use it for that quick and easy site you want to publish with a minimum of fuss.Karelia has always offered .Mac integration, and version 1.2.8 offers compatibility with MobileMe. Other changes include an updated iMedia Browser which supports iPhoto Events and multiple Aperture libraries.Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is universal and comes in both pro ($79US) and standard ($49US) versions. Version 1.2.8 is a free upgrade for registered users.
iMedia Browser 1.1 is available
Karelia software released iMedia Browser 1.1 earlier this week, and it features some very nice changes. If you're unfamiliar, iMedia Browser is a stand alone application much like the media browser in Apple's iLife applications. It lets you browse your iPhoto library (photos and videos), iTunes library and web links, all without having to launch those applications. It's very handy and a time saver for anyone who needs to access these files frequently. Plus, it "flips over" like a Dashboard widget, which is fun.Changes to version 1.1 include The photos browser now includes Adobe Lightroom New Movies thumbnail generation and caching mechanism for improved stability Source lists now indicate that folders can be dragged in to be added Process of checking for updates and reporting problems has been improved iMedia Browser works with Tiger or Leopard and is free.
Sandvox 1.2 is available
We've written about Sandvox before. It's the WYSIWYG web editor from Karelia Software that makes site building and publication a breeze. It's nicely integrated with .Mac and iLife, and features attractive default templates you'll actually want to use. Changes in version 1.2 include: Easily change the banner image Many new templates New RSS feed "pagelet" IM status Page view counter Insert your own HTML, JavaScript, or PHP/Scripting code There's a lot more, of course. This looks like a good update to pick up. Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is universal and comes in both pro ($79US) and "regular" ($49US) versions.
Sandvox updated to 1.1
In the Mac-user make-Web-page so-very-pretty no-use-nasty-HTML market, the big kahunas are iWeb, RapidWeaver, and Karelia Sandvox -- guess which one just got revved to version 1.1? If you recall, Karelia came up with one of the most original utilities ever, the Web scraping and search tool Watson, which won it a spot in the "Wow, Apple's new seach app (Sherlock 3) looks... familiar" Hall of Fame. The fact that Karelia introduced an HTML editor not long before iWeb came out is both ironic and unfortunate, since Sandvox is a topnotch tool deserving of more attention.New in 1.1 (from karelia.com) -- 8 gorgeous new site designs New help system Localization to Italian and Simplified Chinese languages A snapshot feature to cleanly save your work in progress Greatly improved Flash file support Standard version $49, Pro version $79, and demo available.[via MacNN]
Sandvox 1.0.2 with new features, demo screencast, intro pricing ends soon
Karelia Software has updated Sandvox, their feature-packed WYSIWYG web design app, to version 1.0.2, bringing a few new features to the table such as a much-requested Format menu. Of course, other bug fixes and the like are included, so check out the release notes for the full details.In addition to a one-hundredth of a point update, Karelia Software has also created a demo screencast for Sandvox which takes (potential) users through the site creation process and demos the many features Sandvox has to offer, such as adding weblogs and photo albums, as well as the Pro feature lineup. Along with the screencast, Karelia Software has also updated their online documentation with "How do I?", troubleshooting and reference sections. Last on the Sandvox update is the impending doom of their introductory pricing offer. Presently, a single regular Sandvox license goes for $39 USD, while the Pro version is $69 USD - but only until Friday, June 16th. I couldn't track down what these prices will bump up to, but I'm sure they'll make these look like a good deal. Get it while it's hot.
Sandvox 1.0 official release
I'm really glad to see all this innovation in WYSIWYG web editing software, and from my experience, Sandvox from Karelia Software is poised to lead the pack. Yes, I've been going on about how excited I am about the iWeb 1.1 update, but after playing with Sandvox's beta editions, I'm going to give this official 1.0 release a good run-through, as it offers quite a bit of power and some nice tricks that other products like RapidWeaver and iWeb can't claim.The feature that impresses me the most about Sandvox is their innovative "Pagelets" feature. Pagelets are small chunks of rich content that you can simply drag and drop around your site's theme. Don't like where your blogroll is? Just drag its pagelet somewhere else. Pagelets in the pro version can also allow you to insert your own HTML and even PHP code into any portion of your site or sidebar. Speaking of site themes: Sandvox's are stellar, and a bit more creative than iWeb's. Sandvox comes with two dozen themes, with more available.Sandvox also does a lot of the, dare I say, 'standard' WYSIWYG web design-ish stuff that I've come to expect on the Apple platform. You can drag your audio podcasts into a Sandvox site and get them submitted to the iTMS, as well as drag images from iPhoto, etc.Overall, despite lightning striking twice for Karelia Software, Sandvox looks like a solid product that presents a strong array of features for the WYSIWYG designer that demands a little more from their web design app.
Sandvox beta updated, full version "this quarter"
Karelia Software has released beta 14 of Sandvox, their WYSIWYG web editor for the Mac. Sandvox makes drag-and-drop web assembly a snap, with photo galleries and blogging plus del.icio.us, Flickr and Digg integration. There's more, of course, and you can get the full run down here. Karelia has promised that a full version will be made available this quarter in both a basic and pro version. Pricing is yet to be announced. I'm looking forward to it.
Karelia: "Lightning has indeed struck twice"
This has got to be frustrating. In an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Watson/Sherlock debacle, the folks at Karelia Software made an earlier-than-originally-planned public beta release of Sandvox available. Sandvox is a super-simple, WYSIWYG web editor that makes web site construction easy and fun. Sound a little like iWeb? I realize that no one has the exclusive rights to web editors, but the timing here is really unfortunate. From the Sandvox blog:"...some of the biggest limitations of iWeb (.mac only, not pluggable, no ability for HTML content) can become strengths for Sandvox. As we move forward past version 1.0, we will be able to further distinguish Sandvox from iWeb by focusing on features that our users demand that will never be a part of the iLife suite." Competition of this sort usually drives the production of better products. I, for one, am looking forward to what Karelia has in store.
Sandvox public beta available
A few years ago, Karelia software released the great Watson, an internet search utility for Mac OS X. Many loved it, and I still use it all the time, in fact. Shortly after that successful release, Apple produced a version of its own Sherlock that bore a strikingly uncanny resemblance to Watson. Eventually, Karelia discontinued development of Watson and sold the technology to Sun Microsystems.More recently, Karelia has begun work on a WYSIWYG web editor for the Mac called Sandvox, and limited beta testing was begun in October. It really looks great and we've been watching its development for a while now. Today, however, the folks at Karelia are getting that sinking feeling all over again.With the rumor swirling that Steve will introduce a new application called "iWeb" at tomorrow's keynote, Karelia have made the public beta of Sandvox available today, a little earlier than they had initially planned. I've only played with it very briefly so far, but some of the templates really look great. Good luck to Karelia.
