Flux Giveaway
A few weeks ago I reviewed Flux for MacApper. Flux is a website creation tool that is based on the WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) concept. The developers of Flux (The Escapers) have kindly given 3 licenses of Flux to be given to 3 of you lucky readers.
If you would like to be eligible for 1 of the 3 licenses, all you need to do is comment below with how Flux could be useful to you in creating a website, or what sort of features you would like to see implemented in the future. Flux is still a young application, and your feedback is invaluable to the developers.
Flux retails for $69 from The Escapers.
Looks like a promising tool for web-editors, i’ve tested it and the gorgeous interface makes working with CSS a pleasure.
I’d like it if there was a blog template included. I haven’t a lick of coding to my name, so making blogs would be impossible.
I just switched over to a Mac and any tool that will assist with rails will appreciated.
It’s great to see Ruby on Rails support in recent Flux release. I just wonder is there any chance to do same thing for Django?
RoR is still cool kid on the block, but well, it’s not the only one at the moment
I had downloaded this app after the MacApper review. It looked good, and the videos got me rethinking Ruby on Rails. While the app might be worth the $69, it’s not worth that much to me. So I figured I’d wait for some sort of “MacDeal.”
The Ruby on Rails support looks cool! I want django support also. That’d be a killer feature and I can use both RoR and django within a single designer, isn’t it ultra-cool?
Flux looks cool. I really like to automate building any websites – so Automator or AppleScript support would be great!
Does Flux come with forum and blog templates? If so – it would really be helpful. If it’s there, I think I’ll get myself a copy of it. iWeb just isn’t good enough.
I am not sure if this is already possible. If not it would be great if you could import an existing website (including CSS) and start modifying it with flux. I.e. you could use a great Lightroom export plugin, create your stunning slideshow and build your site around it.
I think Flux is a great visual approach for handling tasks that are not so visual. Not all designers like getting knee-deep in code, much less getting their feet wet. I think this is a great application for them.
That being said, I think that if Flux had a feature to visually design database/dynamic data, then a lot of designers would go crazy for this.
For example, Flux could connect to a database (MSSQL, ACCESS, MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc) and import the tables to a stage. From there, the relational database can be queried visually, similar to the Query Designer tool in Microsoft’s Visual Studio Express Edition. A SQL query validation tool would be nice as well, to make sure that everything is running smooth.
It is a wonderful application.
However, I think it is better when abundant templates are prepared for the beginner like me.
Let me add another vote for importing existing websites. Also handy would be the ability to import a plain html web page and “CSS-ifiy” it.
Flus seems to be a good start in Ruby on Rails.
Beautiful App, except for the splash screen, I can’t wait to finish my examination period to get started on this thing
This application is wonderful overall.
Especially,Ruby on Rails support is so cool!
I hope that Flux support django too.
I’ve been playing with the demo of Flux and though I haven’t figured it all out, really like what I’ve seen. I haven’t thought of any major improvements, just to keep slow and steady development.
If there’s CSS editing just like in CSS Edit that would be amazing
if it’s not possible then TextMate like-css-editing would be nice, not to mention code completion would be awesome.
Great App. What I really would like to do with it is creating templates for CMS — so my suggestion is to build an export tool for different CMS. Maybe an apple script with this functionality?
Very cool application! If an easy processing tool of the image is added, this application is perfect for Web site construction. This is my hope.
I have tried the Flux demo, and even though there are a few glitches, I think with time it will be a really great app.
It’s the perfect mix between WYSIWYG and HTML coding – I like being able to see exactly what I’m doing without having to load a preview, but traditional WYSIWYG editors are way too limited, and I prefer being able to modify the HTML and CSS manually if I need to. I absolutely love the image effects editor – what a timesaver to do all your image editing directly in Flux!
What I would like to see in Flux is the ability to make image placeholders, so that you can just drag the photos onto the placeholder to replace them (like in iWeb and Pages). It would also be great if Flux could open and edit PHP files, so I could create or edit Wordpress themes.
Flux could be useful in building sites for clients who need a WYSIWYG-like web site (i.e. the client that wants creative control)
Jason
Great application!!
I think it is more convenient when it is possible to edit it by opening existing HTML.
All of my websites use pure CSS for styling. Having this could really help in quickly building the appropriate CSS.
I use WordPress on my own domain, so Flux would be invaluable in modifying WordPress templates and creating extra pages.
Flux appears to be a premier tool for editing and customizing CSS pages.
I would really love to use this tool to improve my site.
I guess that I would want to see a better and more apparent workflow in the interface of the application. The app still doesn’t seem that intuitive to me. I will download the demo again and work with it–maybe it will feel a bit more comfortable this time around.
I think this product has great potential. Would be nice if you could integrate a WordPress blog easily.
Look like the layout functionality would be really useful.
I think the program looks really cool. I like the way you can better customize the look and layout of a site compared to iWeb.
I love the RoR functionality and would love to use it as a starting point for integrating some RoR goodness into my websites.
Hopefully more templates will become available for Flux e.g Blog, Photo gallery etc.
I’m still new at using a mac, so any program that helps me get going is appreciated! Flux seems great… it should really help me put together a nice website. Hope I win!!!
I tend to have troubles visualizing design as I’m working on things. Being able to move things around and edit things exactly as I see them will be great.
Being able to contextually search for creative commons pictures off of Flickr or something automatically would be great. It would also be helpful to do it under a keyword system as well.
For example, you have a website you are building on dolphins. You need some images to spice up your site, so you open up the dialog box, type dolphins, and it searches for CC images on flickr. You can then just drag and drop them into the image placeholder etc.
We are a small, family based media company and I’m (the Dad) trying to teach my kids how to design and how to work with customers. Our accountant told us that last year we lost $29 as a company, but I figure the lessons we learned together was priceless. We make sites for causes and we are learning not only how to design, work with clients, but also about great causes out there.
We have a hard time affording all the latest software (adobe) but we would love to use Flux to create css based sites. I hope my kids (ages 18, 16 and 14) can learn css, html and php while making great looking sites that have helpful features. Having a WYSIWYG tool like Flux will help us.
Comparing Flux with Coda is definitely apples to oranges. Coda makes me bang my head on the keyboard, but I am admittedly not much of a coder.
Flux looks much more promising, though it needs some kind of help function other than email and the user’s forum. I’m glad there is an option to kill the splash screen. It looks amateurish and could use some work if they want people to actually view it.
I am relatively new with Mac so it may be that I don’t know how to do this, but I found it frustrating that the main application always opens in a small screen. I’d like the option to have it always open to a full screen.
I think the price is quite competitive, especially compared to some of the alternative apps mentioned above. But a slightly lower price for such a new application might encourage more people to purchase it. I’ll have to work with it longer before I decide if it can be squeezed into my budget.
I like it and would love to have a copy to help build a couple of site that I have inmind.
As someone who is currently trying to get my feet wet with Ruby on Rails, this tool looks like it has everything I need to try to implement those kinds of builds in my websites. When I was first learning CSS, I used CSSEdit as a tool to not only build CSS, but to learn how to hand-write it. Now, as someone who’s always building several experimental sites at once, I think that the site management tools (Ã la Dreamweaver) would really help me keep my files straight. But mostly, it’ll help me to build RoR apps, and to improve my skills with building interactive web experiences.
It is a very strong application.
However, it is a little complex to me.
When the tutorial mode for and the beginner is added, I am glad.
I want you to add the following function to flux.
-Option non-to display splash screen.
I think that this application becomes better if it be able to customize the setting of the tool and the window by my favor.
It already has the option to turn off the splash screen. Go to Preferences > General and you will see the option towards the bottom.
Flux looks very nice, and I would like to see a function/shortcut to try a “massive CSS clean up” that could not only remove empties/unuseds CSS fields but also optimize it (for browsing speed or compatibility) after I’ve done some editing while looking for better ways to organize the page.
I manual coded XHTML/CSS and had constructed the Web site up to now. However, it seems to be able to work efficiently because the development environments of HTML and CSS have been integrated when this application is used.
excellent tool. It does a very well job at creating websites.. very useful tool.
This is an wonderful website creation application. If the optimization function of CSS is added, it is likely to become a more wonderful application.
It is an easy-to-use application.
I think that it becomes easy to use further if the shortcut key can be set.
What a cool application!!
I hope for an easy-to-use color picker to Flux to be added.
This looks pretty slick. Could help make some easy websites for myself and clients. I am REALLY looking forward to checking this out.
I think it is wonderful if the following function is added. function that it is possible to work with the person by way of the network.
Well, I´m webdesginer but some times I need to put the hands on the code (rails and php). A tool like Flux can help me in this times. Some video tutorials will be usefull for the newbies!
Love this app! I just uninstalled Dreamweaver as I think it is so awesome!
Would love to see it integrate into my workflow more – CSSEdit and Coda integration would be awesome, or (as has been mentioned) the ability to “CSS-ify” an existing, tables-based layout would be awesome.
Thanks for this great app!
I think the main attraction in Flux is the ability to move elements and get your CSS changed on the fly. Very promising.
I’m looking for a nice program like Flux for building a website with my own research contents (yes, I’m a scientist).
I’m looking for something with a bit more flexibility than iWeb or Sandvox. I like the templates offered by those programs but need to be able to do more customization for my photography work.
It is pretty neat, but some tutorial, even if it is tutorial/manual. It seems more dedicated to those who have some kind of html background. Having the ability to do tables for a shopping cart or something would be nice.
When doing websites in Europe (and probably other places as well) you often end up with at least two, often more, language versions of your site. A great feature in Flux would be some way of managing this. You often just change the text and sometimes an image or two between the language versions, so an easy way of switching between page P in language A and language B and the possibility to generate or set up a site structure to match this would be awesome.
I’m an old dog always looking to learn some new tricks. Started with iWeb and moved onto Shutterbug (great app) but wanted to take it further. Got myself a book on CSS (Simon Collison) and then CSSEdit. Had been watching Flux as an option to get something up and running while still in the CSS-learning mode. The developer has been active on the forums, has responded to several questions I’ve sent over, and updates have been coming at a pretty good clip. Recently discovered this article (www.it-enquirer.com/main/ite/more/1323/) by someone with a basis for comparison. Enough to convince me that Flux is worth an outlay, especially if it appeared on MacZot or MacUpdate. And here it is. Sold.
I’m currently trying to build a website for a nonprofit, and the screenshots I’ve seen have me convinced that this would be an ideal application, though the beta fact does scare me a little.
As a novice web designer, I can say the biggest impediment to my buying this software is the lack of a manual. I understand it’s in beta and that a manual is probably a low priority for the developers as they seek to add new features and fix bugs, but you just can’t say this offers web design for everyone unless there’s a users manual.
It’s a complicated program with a rich feature set. If you shell out $59 for software, you expect to get robust help support via a manual.
Thanks.
Would be nice if it worked better with existing sites. Not bad to start in flux for layout though, on a new project. But it fails miserably with my current endeavors that are near completion (but it’s preview renders it perfectly..)
Flux is definitely some kind of awesome. I like the way that the site manager organizes information, the ease with which a site can be quickly put together, and the visual cues that show you how the document’s put together. This + Coda makes a really great team.
Great first-ish release!
Flux looks to be a very good tool for working on and building sites. The way that you can show relationships will be very helpful in tweaking code to get things just right.
A nice feature to add would be a syntax checker so that you can easily clean up code from projects that you import into Flux. That would be a big plus in terms on me using Flux regularly.
I’m in, I’m sure this app can be an Hit with me on commands!
Looks like Flux is doing some pretty neat stuff. One thing I’d like to see is a more flexible and scalable method of handling a large number of assets. Give me more viewing options and make it friendlier to someone who has to deal with a large number of files.
I would like to see Flux add an interface for managing multiple sites.
Since I am getting into Drupal, it would be cool if Flux could open Drupal themes and allow me to adjust/update them with the results shown immediately.
This looks fantastic. I have been using RapidWeaver but find it can be limiting for those that want a but more control inside the program. Yeah I realize you can make your own templates, but sometimes you need to get down and dirty and alter the code of a page. If flux can do this well, then I would tell the world about my experience with it. License?
Starting points / templates help very much. The UI looks “Pages” like. I am always looking to make developing sites easier yet with css control.
Thanks for all the great comments guys and gals, winners will be announced soon.
well I hope winner Flux because I’m desesperated web designer creative ,one real artist talent and have brilliant ideas and dislike pain for doing my site be fine
The life is for be cool ,and with Flux I can do better way .No more pain for sensible person .I do my art and flux help me with hard works .
Oh now ,today has new FRES UPDATE : 1.3.4 Flux !!!
Yes! I’d like to second the motion for a visually-driven tool to assist in designing databases to create dynamic web pages.
I am setting up a non-profit to recycle no longer needed Macintosh technology for less fortunate organizations and both in the United States and third world countries. I have recently acquired a hundred iMacs from a school auction and need to set up a website to solicit parts to complete these computers, as well as working network hardware and the funds to ship these computers in multiples to their various destinations.
Most of the computers will be going to Christian missionaries, indigenous pastors, and bible college students, but are not limited to these recipients alone. Many will end up in the hands of needy non-profit organizations and families here in the United States as well.
I can build a pretty decent website in just about any piece of software, including iWeb or DreamWeaver, but I am always looking for something that will make my time more productive so that I can devote more of it to where I am needed the most. I really miss the days when I had Claris HomePage.