Hi All,
This is probably a funny question to ask on this forum, because it almost certainly has a bias, but I'm at a bit of a crossroads, and find this forum to be helpful and honest and friendly. And we need some help figuring out how to transition to a hopefully better web model.

For starters, here's the website we have: www.glazegallery.com

This website has been done in 3 different generations using VSD for 3 years. By all rights, we've got our money's worth out of VSD. We're faced with new requirements, like mailing lists and the ability to take credit card information securely. My wife also wants to start modifying the site, which is a challenge because she's a Mac person, and I'm a PC person. Beyond that, we're pretty compatible. But we could use some help figuring out how to move forward in a way that allows us both to modify the site.

Also as a consideration, to be honest, I'm satisfied with VSD, but not really a fan. It's outdated, not kept updated, and not well maintained. To put in our new features, we'd need to add other components like Form Builder and Shopping Cart, and I'm not sure I want to spend money for those things, particularly because they seem poorly integrated with VSD.

So, starting with our base asset of VSD source and compiled html, here's what look like options to us:

1. Use 'pro' tools like Adobe Dreamweaver or Muse. I currently have a free 30 day version of Dreamweaver and think it's superb. And it's available on Windows or Mac. I would choose this option hands down were it not for the price. A license of Dreamweaver for Windows and the Mac runs into some real money. And we're artists, we can't really justify that, unless nothing else works.

2. Use freeware tools that are on both platforms, and utilize tooling from our hosting company (ipage) for mailing lists and shopping. We've looked at several, like SeaMonkey and Kompozer, but like Amaya the best. Coming from VSD, the interface and operation is very similar, and it seems to roundtrip html from the mac and the pc really well. It remains to be seen what issues might arise editing the whole website, but we have pulled pages in and they render and edit reasonably well. I so far have not figured out anything that VSD does that Amaya doesn't do, other than import templates, which doesn't matter to me.

3. Continue to use VSD, and run it in emulation mode on the mac. I've searched, but haven't seen any comments that say whether it works OK or not. Anyway, this would be the path of least resistance to maintain status quo, although we would need to figure out some process to hand the VSD source back and forth between computers. And we'd need to figure out the integration with forms and shopping cart packages. Would now be a good time to whine about the confusing and disjoint platform product plan that exists at coffee cup? No, we won't go there.....

So, this is a wordy question, but I would appreciate any thoughts and advice on which option might be best for us. And thanks for your help....

Mark

Stick with VSD and purchase the HTML editor to help you take your VSD site to the next level.

I've had Dreamweaver for a long time, I'd recommend CC's HTML Editor (for Mac or PC). I currently use VSD and the Editor, so am able to have any features, scripts, whatever within a VSD site.

I don't get the out-dated not up-dated gripe. And I've found the other CC programs, such as Form Builder, to be quite easy to add to VSD.

I especially like having everything on an SDrive account so it can be accessed from anywhere. Both VSD and the Editor (as well as the Shop. Cart and Form Builder load directly to SDrive. You could each have your own editions (PC and Mac) of the Editor (for example) and your site on an SDrive account. Host your forms, galleries and cart on SDrive as well, then you could maintain the site from a "neutral space".

Having all these programs as separate entities might seem disjointed, but it allows users to pick and choose just what they want or need. No matter if they're using other CC software, Wordpress, Dreamweaver.... SDrive or some other host.

Just did a quick check... If you got the Super Pack (all of the CC programs) and added an extra Editor (Mac version: $49) so you each could work on your own computers, it would be just $378. If you get one version of Dreamweaver (either PC or Mac), you're looking at $475.

That's my 2 cents

Dear Mark,

You are asking good, practical questions. I look forward to seeing the responses you receive. However, I think some of them you must pursue offline, since they represent deflection from the direction (as it appears to me) that CoffeeCup is taking.

Since you're considering Dreamweaver et. al., I hope you'll also consider moving your HTML base over to CoffeeCup's HTML Editor. It's not that big a deal (IMHO) to move from VSD to working with native HTML once you have a graphic style and a code base with which you are familiar.

I used Dreamweaver a few years ago, left it and never looked back. It may be much improved today, but I have no way of knowing. It was indispensable for coding in ColdFusion, but those days are over, now that there fine open-source freeware alternatives available, such as PHP and content management systems.

With regard to handing files back and forth between computers, please look into one of the new breed of "cloud-based" file synchronizers. I am partial to SpiderOak, which seemed the best choice for my multi-platform needs (Win XP Pro-64, Ubuntu Linux-64 and Win 7-64) when I investigated the competitors six months ago.

It is a snap to set up SpiderOak on any number of computers to share 2GB of no-cost storage (more available for a price, of course). Every time you commit a file update (by saving & closing or pressing ctrl-S, for instance), the SpiderOak client on your machine encrypts change information (not the whole file) and uploads it to the cloud server. The server synchronizes by pushing the change information down to other clients that are subscribed to the same sync set. Every subscriber automatically gets the latest version of every file and directory within the set.

The server retains the change increments on behalf of each subscriber, so backup is built into the process. Indeed, one hassle is clearing out the obsolete version info from time to time.

By no means is this a version-control system. I don't think it even enforces single-writer/multiple-reader file locking. I wouldn't try using this idea with more than three closely coordinated developers. I suppose you could build a proper version control system on top of SpiderOak, but I haven't tried it: I work alone, so that is not an issue for me.

It might work perfectly well for you and your wife. It costs nothing to try, and SpiderOak (wisely, IMHO) doesn't even ask for a credit card number as part of setting up an account.

My comments are these. I viewed your site and it is well laid out. All sites should be renewed on a regular basis , I like Paintbrush use both VSD and the Editor. Me VSD 60% Coffee 40% WFB 90%(used with both, 10% manually created)

I sell software and I use simple Paypal buy now buttons. If I had a lot of different product I would probably go with the Shopping Cart Creator. As far as the web pages I would advise stick with what you are doing. For your contact page the Web Form Builder would be a better option than what you have at present. Contact means repeat customers.

If it is better ranking you are after then check out the various tutorials available. Have a good look at competitors that are ranking better than you are, check their meta tags, descriptions etc. Check your sites bounce rate(length of visit).

A flashy site does not bring in the Bacon. Advising on forums like this does. Help others to achieve their goals and others will help with yours.

It won't happen unless you make it so, there are no magic bullets. But if you ask I am always prepared to rattle your cage. I don't bite, I have to be let out to do that.

Looking at your site again The Shopping Cart Creator would be how I would suggest you offer your products for sale.

I am going to have to do something like that with my paintings that are starting to accumulate

CC's HTML Editor. Learn it, love it, use it!

Thanks all for the superb comments! As hopefully I made clear in the original post, one of the best parts of being a coffee cup software user is the community, and the willingness that people have to help out.

I'm making progress in where I'm going. After using Dreamweaver, I do believe that I could use an html editor successfully, and I've downloaded the trial version from cc. However, I was optimistic that the OSX web editor would be effectively the same as the Windows html editor, but that appears not to be the case. All I can say is that cc has a very confusing product strategy if you're trying to do something cross platform.

So, our current plan, since we don't anticipate many changes over the next couple of months, is to use *a different software product* on the pc and mac, and I'll continue to play with the html editor, and how we might use the cc products effectively on both machines. With minor changes, I could always go back and update the vsd source, so I can go back as needed.

Halfnium, thanks for the pointer to SpiderOak! I was already working on model to use dropbox, and spideroak is heads and shoulders better for what we're trying to do.

Thanks again, all for your support!!!

Coffee cup is awful !!! dont waste your money, its a never ending pit of money grabbing, they promise you if you purchase xyz which only takes 30min you can set up something useful, well its nonsense because it takes hours then you need to purchase something else to make your xzy work and when you have done that then it still wont work and your told to purchase something else and basically all your money flushed down the toilet you ask for help from the support team who are rude and refuse to refund you and you lose at the end.

Wow one post and all you do is complain. If you had a legitimate grip you could state the actual problem your having instead of xyz. How about asking for help before you complain about something. 99% of user problems are operator error. This is just another example of the need for instant gratification with no effort applied.

Not to mention that CoffeeCup doesn't have many programs at all where you need "other" programs to make anything work. The Shopping Cart system is really the only software that has multiple programs that work together and that's only 2 so I think you are totally confused with some other defunct company (maybe yours) that you would come here and list such lies on the forums. Grow up and get your facts straight before spouting off garbage like that.