With many web applications, such as Google Docs, emerging to form what we may know as 'web 2.0', there's a lot of interesting apps to check out.
One such app is SynthaSite, a free site creation system. You've likely seen things like it - there are many companies offering 'WYSIWYG' editors that use templates. Serious web developers such as myself often look at such applications, and sneer in disapproval.
Not so with SynthaSite. Well, okay, I did at first, but after taking it for a test drive, it just might be the program I'm looking for.
One thing I like about it is that I can work on my sites anywhere that I have web access. Just launch your web browser, log in to your SynthaSite account, and work away.
Currently all sites created with the app are stored on the SynthaSite servers, but when the app goes public (it's currently in limited beta), you'll be able to download your content to your PC (or Mac, if you prefer), then upload via FTP to your favorite host.
Of course, not everything is free. SynthaSite will be launching what they call the 'DIY superstore', which sells templates, widgets, etc.
Again the sneers. Who needs templates, right? Well, you can also start with a blank page and create from scratch, which is what I did for most of my hands-on time.
Adding images and other content is a breeze. Simply select a component from your toolkit, and drag it onto your page. Images work like this: you drag an image onto your page, then give it a source via the component options - source being the url the image is being pulled from. Hopefully the ability to use images stored on your computer will be supported soon.
I know I said 'drag', but this isn't exactly what you might think. As far as I know, currently you can't just 'drag and drop' anything wherever you please, but I hope this will become supported, as it's just what I need to position my images with ease.
Another feature I'd like is the ability to edit HTML. Most users likely won't even know what the term means, but I for one would like to use SynthaSite to do mostly everything, then customize it all with HTML, or even code my site in HTML then use SynthaSite to make it exactly the way I want.
People curious in SynthaSite can view a video demonstration below (click here for a high resolution), or sign up for the beta at http://www.synthasite.com/
One such app is SynthaSite, a free site creation system. You've likely seen things like it - there are many companies offering 'WYSIWYG' editors that use templates. Serious web developers such as myself often look at such applications, and sneer in disapproval.
Not so with SynthaSite. Well, okay, I did at first, but after taking it for a test drive, it just might be the program I'm looking for.
One thing I like about it is that I can work on my sites anywhere that I have web access. Just launch your web browser, log in to your SynthaSite account, and work away.
Currently all sites created with the app are stored on the SynthaSite servers, but when the app goes public (it's currently in limited beta), you'll be able to download your content to your PC (or Mac, if you prefer), then upload via FTP to your favorite host.
Of course, not everything is free. SynthaSite will be launching what they call the 'DIY superstore', which sells templates, widgets, etc.
Again the sneers. Who needs templates, right? Well, you can also start with a blank page and create from scratch, which is what I did for most of my hands-on time.
Adding images and other content is a breeze. Simply select a component from your toolkit, and drag it onto your page. Images work like this: you drag an image onto your page, then give it a source via the component options - source being the url the image is being pulled from. Hopefully the ability to use images stored on your computer will be supported soon.
I know I said 'drag', but this isn't exactly what you might think. As far as I know, currently you can't just 'drag and drop' anything wherever you please, but I hope this will become supported, as it's just what I need to position my images with ease.
Another feature I'd like is the ability to edit HTML. Most users likely won't even know what the term means, but I for one would like to use SynthaSite to do mostly everything, then customize it all with HTML, or even code my site in HTML then use SynthaSite to make it exactly the way I want.
People curious in SynthaSite can view a video demonstration below (click here for a high resolution), or sign up for the beta at http://www.synthasite.com/
5 comments:
Hmm, one things I've always sneered at with free site creation systems is not the fact that they don't do their job well enough, but rather that the resulting code is... Horrendous. That's the main reason I'll not use anything more than a very basic HTML editor or suchlike - though recently taht hasn't been working for me so I've been using Opera and its 'view source' option, lol.
So while it may be very nice for allowing you to do many, many things, I still think it's valuable to do it by hand (if only to know how to do such things manually, in case you don't /have/ an editor and want to make a web page, for example), and it's much easier on the coder side of me... I really /hate/ bloated source files, no matter what the end result may look like O_o
And on a side note, one reason I seriously dislike website builders (or just templates in general) is that they cheapen actual work. My site is my own, it's /completely/ mine, and I made every single portion of it, from scratch. People look at it and say 'oh, cool, that's almost as good as that one template I saw the other day' and suchlike. Drives me up the wall sometimes :P
Yeah, I agree with you, Kaboodle - especially the bit about templates. Which is the main reason why I've never used site builders myself, heh heh.
I'm thinking of trying it out as they add features, just to see if I can build the site I want, the way I want, as though I did it by hand.
how can i make it into a clan site like so ppl can join the site and post in forums and post on pics
im talking like a sign up or sign in
I'm not sure if such a thing's possible with it yet. You could ask in the support section: http://www.synthasite.com/support.
But I find most people use a combination of a forum and 'portal' for those sorts of things. An example is SMF (http://www.simplemachines.org) with TinyPortal (http://www.tinyportal.net/).
If you want, I can help you set up a site like that, and host it, completely for free. Drop by http://shadowserve.ath.cx and submit an application if you're interested.
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