Nothing compares to CSB yet?

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Hi: I keep coming back to read all the info on what our next program is going to be and sooo far no one is real thrilled with anything out there. that is simply amazing! Globescape was not that expensive and was so great to work in. It is hard to beleive with all the comments about CSB that they wouldn't just creat a program compatable to the one they had to discontinue. After all they already are in the business to do just that...!!
Sam if you find anything would you post a huge I FOUND IT for us. Thanks Jean

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I bought a couple of the programs and will be getting Site Spinner this summer if everything goes as planned 

Starting to put together a chart to compare products but really have not had a lot of time to devote to it yet.
So far, I have seen quite impressive programs. Offer so much for so little.  Looking forward to working with the most talked about program: Site Spinner.

Theres one thing that will taint my view of all these programs.
My first day (24 hour period) of using Trellix!

My story: The day I opened that program, my boss had just informed me he was paying annually for a website name (domain name) and paying the phone company $$/mo for website services. This was going on for two years before I came to the company.  Yet we had no website!  Not even a COMING SOON notice!  The phone company had posted a white page that said domain sold sign!  A website builder in the area offered to put a 5 page FLASH website up for us at a cost of $8650, which included an annual contract to maintain. (His only other bid was for MORE). We were told it would be at least 3 months before the site was up. Reluctantly, my boss was ready to sign unless I could offer alternatives to him. I knew nothing nothing nothing nothing about websites, ftp, servers, domains, any of it. Didn't know if the price we were being quoted was high or low or if the site being proposed would fit our customers needs, etc. I was on a quest for information. Per my request, the phone company sent me an email with all kinds of information (I now know it was website settings) that made no sense. I called and discussed it with a tech and hearing for the first time ever about FTP programs, HTML code, HTML editors, etc, I was convinced I was WAY OVER MY HEAD.  But the tech said to check the software on my PC...I may already have web software on my machine that could have come with other software. Many programs can create HTML without being an editor....check it out. It doesn't have to be difficult!  He gave me hope that we did not have to pay that much for a website. Corel WordPerfect came with a web software...Trellix. Opened it and found myself in an office software similar to Word or WordPerfect. Hey this is something I could get my head around!  No coding, no wacko HTML stuff! Typed a COMING SOON notice and put on our picture, phone number and company name. The HELP files walked me through the basics of that single page. Found the Trellix Cafe and KW, Turtle and others that afternoon. They told me I had to upgrade to publish anywhere to get the page to our website. I upgraded (and went through several other steps) but within that afternoon, I had a single page on our domain and showed it to my boss.  He was amazed!!  It was our company colors and actually had a picture!! A cheap $69 upgrade made me look like a hero! He asked if I could make a product list and a contact page with names and phone numbers. The next day, I went back to Trellix file, added two pages and links to them automatically appeared on the page like magic.  Published again.  Though it was quite plain and not built with FLASH, my boss was so impressed that he assigned me the task of building our website!  I got recognition and a bonus for my work and saving the company money!

So you see....this tiny piece of software and the Trellix Cafe help site forever changed my job and the way I am seen at this company!  Changed my life in more ways than I can count.   Literally.  I was hooked.  No other program will hold the same spot in my heart. Trellix/CSB is special because it has had the same effect on other people too!

There are thousands of programs that can build websites.  Many with far better features than CSB has.
But I think for current CSB users that is not the most important thing.

I will be looking for that SPARK of recognition, looking for that "YES! I can use this program" "This program makes simple sense" factor that I found with Trellix. 
Then looking at the features of the programs.
Lots of people tried Dreamweaver and FrontPage. Then came to Trellix/CSB and stayed.
So in the end, features are fine, but if you don't feel comfortable in the program you won't stay with it!
I will be looking for comfortable fit first, then features.

AGREE/DISAGREE?

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Hi Sami...

Just read your posting about how you got started with Trellix - & then CSB...

It brought a HUGE smile to my face...

My situation was very, very similar (except I discovered Trellix via Tripod) - the only real difference being that my site was for my own business...

Now 8 years later, our site www.gorgeous-gear.com attracts around 80,000 visitors a month...   

I'd be absolutely lost without CSB...

regards

Ray

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I'm thinking you won't find another similar program because I have looked really well for one lol and two Cute needed to move on wards in some ways that most other programs already have. I think when you do get past the learning curve on what ever you pick you might be like me and think how much easier the new program is than cute.. shhhhh I didn't say that too loud did I? ...  The closest thing I found to it was maybe Coffee Cup.

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Coffecup is lightweight software. Ok but no match for the full abilities of other programs we are looking into.

think how much easier the new program is than cute.. shhhhh I didn't say that too loud did I? ... 

I am SHOCKED and DISMAYED!   CSB is EASY. A no brainer on so many functions and far more expandable than most people think.  Though I have tried several pieces of software, none have fully impressed me like CSB/Trellix, so far.  I am looking for specific criteria that none of the programs has met yet.

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awe sorry Sammy,  I knew that might not go over well after I typed it .. but left it in because it is true for me. Laying out a page and not needing tables to make things line up in nice straight rows saves me loads of time. And being able to place text, images, and other code items in random non linear areas of a page make layouts so much easier for me to create and get the effect I desire. Being able to clone, group and move objects, and create graphics right within a program are more convenient than the steps required with cute to sort of achieve the same results. Sorry!!! Didn't mean to dismay you!!! Cute was very easy!! I loved cute so please don't get me wrong. But I honestly now find building sites takes me far less time for the elements I most frequently want to incorporate into the most pages.

I was trying to be encouraging not put down cute. .. I think moving on can be at least in part liberating once a software is mastered. I at first thought I was going to leave some of my pages on Cute program but have since changed my mind and decided to just go full out with Spinner. Although now that I have spent time investigating the myspaces and related web sites and the support sites that offer things used in conjunction with those, my site has once again taken anouther turn .. and I've been back at the drawing board on that - but very excited about the new ideas and glad I didn't get that far yet.. see all things work out the way they are supposed to ..


    All that is a story for another day on a different topic.

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  I was only kidding.   No harm, no foul, no offense taked at your comments.
We all learn and integrate information in different manners.  What I find easy may be a real mess for someone else. 

I have not tested Site Spinner because I need something I can use Frames when necessary.  I don't use them often but some things just work better in framed page. I found NO INFORMATION about frames on the Spinner site.  Eventually I will take a good look at the program though.

Are you thinking of going to a CMS instead of Site Spinner now? Is that the direction your myspace is taking you?

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Hi Sammy, Here is a link with info on the use of iframes in spinner..

//virtualmechanics.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=search&reqWords=iframes

I think Brucee - a member there - has tutorials on it at his home page.. well one member does if not him but you might find enough from this page.

No I still want to use spinner.. my ideas are more related to what features to offer on the site and things that will keep people coming back. I have not seen anyone incorporate all of the things I have in mind on the type of site I want to grow to. And that is a good thing! lol I want my site to be really different than what people expect in a way that is better than what they expect.


So, Now knowing what directions I am growing in - there are changes and additions that need to be made before I get to far and its a big deal to make it flow properly.

Things that are apparent from having a myspace led to some of my revelations but also I came across things that were stumbled upon just because I was looking at things related to myspace. Although they were not related directly I figured out a way that they could be and was a bit surprised to realize no one had put it all together that way yet.. So if I want to be unique I better hurry right?? lol

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Hi Sammy, Here is a link with info on the use of iframes in spinner..

//virtualmechanics.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=search&reqWords=iframes

Yes.  I have read about their iframes.  That's terrific that iframes are included in the package. Iframes take a single line of code and are the easiest fancy thing you can add to your site. 
 
HOWEVER, IFRAMES are NOT THE SAME as a FIXED FRAMED PAGES.  TOTALLY DIFFERENT, especially for CSB users!
You can set your iframe to have similiar result VISUALLY, but CSB allows us the ability to have FRAMED pages that are fully readable by search engines, can be highly ranked and the CONTENT/MAIN BODY of the page is NEVER separated from the main page. With Iframes, you can actually have a visitor arrive at your CONTENT PAGE (the one that is supposed to be within a larger framed window). The harm here is that the CONTENT page does not contain menus, and other identifiable information.  I know HOW to force the CONTENT page to revert back to the main page but the CONTENT is not treated the same way as CSB's FRAMED PAGE!

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Regarding the iframes, I have been using iframes to eliminate the viewable space that can't be avoided in CSB tables, e.g. when one has to fill an entire cell with an image. Apart from a few of these small quirks, which I am sure any software will have, there is still nothing that compares to CSB.

Samantha, you referred to:

Are you thinking of going to a CMS instead of Site Spinner now?

Is CMS a Content Management System and is Joomla a CMS?

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Apart from a few of these small quirks, which I am sure any software will have, there is still nothing that compares to CSB.

So far, I feel the same.  Though I like several other pieces of software, each has its own limitations, some of which make it inappropriate for some of the things I do on sites.

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Unfortunately NO software does it all and I guess it depends on what type of sites you are building as to which one will be best to eventually migrate to. I looked at some Content Management Programs and they are interesting and might could be incorporated for some areas of my project.. still thinking on that. I know it will include a forum and other elements not built on Spinner. But I like Spinner for building the consistant content pages to maintain a solid look across the site at least on feature introduction pages that open to areas built with other software. Although I love SMF for forums .. I am back to considering Yabb board because it has the feature of allowing members to build their own page.

Oh Sammy sorry I misunderstood your comment about frames.. For sure CSB is very unique in that respect. One way I have seen people work around that is to include their nav links on the framed portion of contents. I don't use frames (yet - ?) lol but I think that someone has written the work arounds on that for spinner and again it might be Brucee. He is one of the most active knowlegable members of the forum. Have you asked them specifically yet if it is doable?