Existing users, 
...lack of development is disturbing.
I discovered a bug with the software involving it not launching properly if more than a certain limited number of fonts are active, which is often exceeded in a graphics design environment.
With my help and the responsive developers at SoftPress we narrowed and nailed the bug. Then came the illusion:
I asked when I could expect a patch addressing the bug, and I was told that there was no patch planned anytime soon, and that whatever bug fix would be rolled into the next release.
Well, that was over a year ago. Since then there hasn't been either a bug-fix patch or a significant update released.
At this point, I have to wonder if I wasted my money.
We need laws that companies must refund the money spent on software licensing if there are fundamental flaws to a program. A design oriented software package that dies on launch because there are many fonts active is IMO fundamentally flawed: many active fonts are a standard operating procedure in the design field and to have to invest in a font manager and waste time with activating and deactivating fonts to run a web layout software is certainly not my idea of a properly working software.
Also, the program's idea of a "page size" isn't an appropriate paradigm for how the web works. Pages need to be able to resize themselves depending on browser window size, and work on anything from cell phone browsers to 30" CinemaDisplay Kiosk views.
Also, to make proper use of the package, you really need to buy the Pro version with all the optional plug-in packages. That they are sold separately IMO is just to create a deceptively low entry price. All their software should be sold in a single package. Kind of deceptive, because you notice that it can't do all you need until you got all the extension packages...
Version:
Pretty decent, but...
Feedback Type: Review
Contributed by: rcfa Sunday, March 20 2005 @ 10:41 PM PST
Product Platform: MacOSX
Used Product For: Over One Year
Recommend Product: NO
Overall Rating:
Ease of Use:
Support:
Features:
Quality / Stability:
Price:
Comments
Pretty decent, but... - kleinbaum
I'm sorry to hear you are having problems with Freeway. There have been problems with fonts in the past as well and I believe some of it had to do with the way Apple kept changing the way fonts are handled in their OSs.If you are working in a design environment then I would strongly suggest that you do invest in a font management program...you'll be making your job much easier. If you are exceeding Freeway's font limit with active fonts, then I would say you are using way too much time scrolling through your font menus when working in other programs as well. Plus, font activation and deactivation is pretty automatic with some font management programs.
Freeway will allow you to use whatever font you like, for headlines and the like, that you convert to pictures--while still being fully editable inside Freeway.
If you are concerned with user friendly layouts that can resize with the page (which Freeway Pro has no trouble doing) then you won't be using masses of GIF texts anyway. You'll only be using a handful of fonts that you can be sure that your users will have installed.
The optional plug-in packages (FAST actions) are extremely useful, but they do cost some money...and are, optional. But, there is a whole sea of "actions" available, for free...and some are commercial (well...shareware type fees).
I do have to agree with you about the Pro vs Express versions...my thinking doesn't go along with that strategy...I like to go with pro versions (if I can afford them!) and have all the tools there as I learn to use them.
I've been using Freeway since version 1 and I'm waiting, with wallet in hand, for version 4...probably coming around the time of the OSX 10.4 release...depending on how much Apple's been informing developers.
Thursday, March 24 2005 @ 04:52 AM PST
Pretty decent, but... - Richard_Logan_526
Dear RonaldYour recent review of Freeway on VersionTracker has been brought to my attention. While I have no objection to your general criticism of Freeway (I believe in free speech even though I don't agree with what you say), I felt it was unfair not to mention that the font limitation was 400 active fonts. This is not actually all that unreasonable; most design professionals do employ (font) management software, and aside from any Freeway issues... your system will be adversely effected with this many active fonts. This problem with Freeway has only been reported twice ever (and then interestingly both times within a space of a week).
Had the number been mention, it would have put a totally different slant on 50% of the review's content.
I hope you are continuing to use Freeway - great things are coming. Whether you will be able to use unlimited numbers of active fonts in the future I cannot say. All I can tell you is that Freeway will continue to be the best tool for the creation and management of new Web content, and that it will remain an outstanding value for money (especially in comparison to the competition and in terms of the huge time savings it provides). Alongside the free and responsive technical support, I reckon Freeway's a bargain.
Thanks for your input, both in the review and in the past; we are listening.
Best regards,
Richard Logan
Managing Director
SoftPress Systems Ltd
http://www.softpress.com
"Freeway - Web Design for All"
Tuesday, March 29 2005 @ 01:00 AM PST
Pretty decent, but... - rcfa
Just a small side note regarding the recommendation to use font management programs:In my experience, they cause more trouble, than they solve, and many make my system slower than when I have a slew of fonts active. Of course, that may be a different issue on a memory starved machine (I happen to run on a PowerBook and G5, both with 2GB RAM).
Searching, finding fonts, with Apple's font panel (unlike with OS9-inspired font menus), is very fast, particularly if one properly uses font collections and the search field: usually a couple of key strokes and a click is all that's required to find a particular font.
While 400 fonts used to be a lot, in a time where e.g. the Warnock font family alone weighs in at 32 fonts, it's really not that much. Just think about a dozen or so fonts like that, plus the system fonts, and you're over. That's not what I would consider excessive font usage.
My main gripe, however, wasn't even the limitation on the number of fonts (there are other programs with that ailment), but that exceeding the limit would *crash* the app, rather than lead to an error message and consequently only a subset of the fonts being available, like most other software seems to handle similar limits.
These issues aside, Freeway has certainly a lot of strong points, and if anyone thinks I didn't acknowledge those enough, consider that done herewith.
Also, a 3-Star rating isn't bad, particularly with 4 stars given for features and ease-of-use. We need to get away from the eBay like A++++ hype rating system, if any sort of rating is still supposed to remain useful. I mean, some people get a C GPA and still make it into office...
There needs to be a difference between "good", "excellent" and "exceptionally outstanding". If I were to give 5-star ratings for good software, what's left for the others?
Wednesday, March 30 2005 @ 12:45 AM PST
This is the worst software . . . - junk32
I feel like I'm using my crappy old windows machine again . . .If I wanted software to crash and burn time after time, I'd call Bill Gates.But hey . . . I have Freeway 'Pro" to keep me going . . .
1. I have crash again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again again and again and again.
I get lots of promises from the company that things will be better, but the brand new update immediately crashed the second time I used it. I was simply formatting text.
2. The first set of crashing completely destroyed my work and I lost DAYS of work. I got lots of phone calls and blah blah blah from Softpress, and I'm still getting in up the @##!
How lovely.
Tuesday, January 03 2006 @ 05:43 PM PST
Pretty decent, but... - rcfa
Oh, and I should add: the "addresses all known issues" for the 3.5.12 release is a joke. They know AT LEAST about the font issue mentioned above, and it's NOT FIXED in that release.There is a rather high chance that there are other known issues not fixed in 3.5.12, so don't buy that line.
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Sunday, March 20 2005 @ 10:44 PM PST