Adobe Muse EOL announcement - Alternatives to Adobe Muse?

[Preran]

Hi all,

For those of you that haven't received the email around the Adobe Muse EOL, see the FAQ Product Announcement that tries to answer some the common questions around the announcement including the reasons behind the decision.

Before we proceed with discussing alternatives, the Muse application will continue to open on your computer. You will be able to continue to edit existing or create new websites with the application. Adobe Muse will continue to be supported until May 20, 2019 and will deliver compatibility updates with the Mac and Windows OS or fix any bugs that might crop up when publishing Muse sites to the web. However, it is quite possible that web standards and browsers will continue to change after Adobe stops support for the application.

While there is no 1:1 replacement for Adobe Muse at this stage, the FAQ link above provides some alternatives. Also, Adobe is making our own investment in DIY website creation and welcomes all Muse customers to join our upcoming pre-release program for a new format that will be introduced this year as part of Adobe Spark. Build a beautiful website—in minutes | Adobe Spark

That being said, I would like to open up this discussion for discussing other solutions and migration paths. It would be ideal if we could focus our efforts on the topic at hand.

Thanks,

Preran

[juchis2009]

BUT NOT THE END OF MUSE

Adobe announced that they will release a final build of Muse today, 26th of March 2018, and will stop the support for Muse by the 20th of May 2019.
Link of Adobe's Announcement ›


However, as you know, Muse is a static Website Code generator like many others. Based on common open Source Standards. Even if Adobe is not adding new Features to the Muse App, the Websites created within Muse remain compatible, even after May 20th 2019.

We at iVi will continue to evolve our Muse Widgets, as it is not dependant of Adobe's Support for Muse or a further Development of the Muse App.

WHAT SHALL I DO NOW?

Here are a few things you might consider:

• Don't panic and try to go after your business as usual.
  
• Don't fall for alternative Platforms, that are not proven for over a few years.
  
• Don't think that you can't use Muse to generate Website any more in the future.
  
• Don't host via BC, as this service is likely to be cancelled after Adobe's Muse support has stopped.
  
• Cancel your Subscriptions if your Muse Widgets Providers do not continue to produce Widgets for Muse.
  
• If your business is based on Muse and Widgets Providers only, rethink your strategy and try to make your work tool dependency redundant at all times.

[barbaras61379588]

It is the end what about OS compatibility. Yeah I see you are after your business But FOLKS THIS IS THE END OF ADOBE MUSE.....

[cloudninedesign]

Preran,

Your post's title and final question are most telling:

"Alternatives to Adobe Muse?" ... and ... "I would like to open up this discussion for discussing other solutions and migration paths."

It has obviously escaped you that you've thrown every Muse designer and their clients to the wolves and then you have the gall to start a forum WHERE WE, YOUR DEDICATED MUSE USERS, HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SAVE OURSELVES. TELLING. AND DISGUSTINGLY LOW DOWN.

[m_misztal]

I just wanted to take the time to reply and provide a widely different view on Muse.

I work for a very well known university. I actually used Muse as a tool to teach web content development. This is a crushing blow to my course. Students were able to see how to properly save media files, develop their writing for an online setting and utilize basic HTML coding to create a digital portfolio.

At the end of the semester they would have a great example of their work to show to employers upon graduation. I'm deeply saddened that no one was consulted before pulling the plug on the program. Maybe Adobe will hear our cries and change reverse their decision, although I highly doubt it.

[jack_ttcoms]

I'm finished with Adobe! As a student its already very expensive but the amount of other students i know that just used cracked versions is unbelievable but not me! I pay for Adobe, £21 /month and i always manage but hearing them release a statement regarding them discontinuing Muse really does irritate me seeing as its one of the best pieces of web design software on the market and yet Adobe gives up, now they are causing Muse-Themes to have a much more negative tone towards Adobe also so please change ur mind before it's too late! I pay every month because I thought Adobe were one of the best creative companies around that treats their customers with respect but ever since the announcement of EOL for Muse, my perception of Adobe has changed and for me Adobe has until April the 2nd to bring back Muse or some kind of program that does almost everything Muse does otherwise I am leaving Adobe forever!

#SAVEMUSE

https://www.change.org/p/adobe-systems-adobe-do-not-discontinue-muse/u/22571761

[rwharris1a]

This is very bad news for me.

I just bought CC so I could use MUSE to program a website I run.  I have ancient GoLive code (another product discontinued by Adobe) and Dreamweaver is not a very realistic solution for me.

Can XD be used to actually build a website and upload it a server? or is it just a design and prototyping tool?  I am confused.

Is Adobe committed to Dreamweaver if I struggle through with that in small steps?

Rob

[Illostraight]

I just received this announcement from MuseThemes about WOcode. Thought some might be interested.

[SammiMars]

Hey Illostraight thanks for sharing!

How did you receive this notice from WOcode (email) I didn't get it and I've signed up?  Awesome update by Steve.  He's very succinct and reassuring - exactly what we all need right now.

I think until he can confirm that WOcode will allow the code to be exported and hosted elsewhere (they're still working on it and he said the launch is weeks away?).  In my business, most Clients have their own hosting and just want me to redo their websites and publish to them.

I need to create sites now and I'm really concerned that I can't export the sites with WOcode, so if I wait the few weeks he needs and then they don't offer exporting - I'll have to go to WEBFLOW anyway.  Should I just go there anyway?

What do do????

#soconfused

[Illostraight]

@Sammi, it just popped up in my mailbox. I hear you on that issue. So far, the only ones I'm gravitating to are Webflow and Blocs and maybe Wappler. I don't like that you can't work with wocode offline, either. #soconfused with you. We should start a facebook group and chat about what's working or not. This is a bear for so many. I am still a bit numb and shocked.

[GARRogers]

@illostraight if you start a Facebook page on what you're trying and what is working for you, would you please publicize it here?

I would love to follow you through your decisions.

[JayneNBunting]

Love the tone of the communication from Steve at Muse Themes re Without Code. I’ve decided to take a step back and not jump ship until it’s launched and then I can compare against Bloc and Webflow as it sounds like it could be the best option for me. Hopefully it won’t be too long before it’s available. Sadly as my budget is very limited and I will no longer have free hosting and will also have to pay for a new web design software package I may have to look at other cheaper alternative options to the software I currently rely on in Creative Cloud. People have recommended the Affinity software for PS and ID, AI. Can anyone suggest a good cheap alternative to Adobe Premier Pro?  I would love to be able to afford Final Cut but it’s way out of my league

[bluedeker00]

I have Adobe Premier, but have been using DaVinci Resolve.  It's free and, for me, it's easier than Premier.

[Peter Villevoye]

Davinci Resolve is indeed another nail in Adobe CC's large but gradually closing coffin.

It might take long before routined users are capable and willing to jump ship, but I've heard many good things about Davinci Resolve, being faster, easier, more modern. A lot of competition is swirling around Adobe's conventionally stellar apps like Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere...

[Red Point]

@sstuart48: Thank you for taking the time to clear that up. Misunderstanding on my part...

@Peter Villevoye: Points well taken. Thank you for an interesting insides into your background. That makes you one of us.

@Webflow: Not convinced. I have a hunch I am migrating to another fiasco. First issue is the payment scheme. Second issue I have is the web-based solution which I see as a first step towards a cloud-based ASP slash Cloud or Closed System model down the road. I might be wrong, but I am not willing to take that risk. I want to be able to choose my provider and produce as many sites as I want without depending on someone payment model.

Not 100% decided but will most likely make the move towards Word Press. The eco-system seems very promising and firm. I belittled it years ago, but I have changed my opinion considerable since.

Lots of stuff available to customize your projects with many themes if you need to embark on a quicky; new promising in-app tools that can be used as a full-blown design & coding tool (like Oxygen). If you need to dive into PHP and Java script, it's all there in a text file for you to abuse.

Preliminary consideration: I see that the market is currently moving like quicksand and the final winner / new standard for visual design & development has not yet emerged. A winner might never emerge, maybe we are living in a post-block buster app era. Who knows. Even more so, Word Press is open source and developed by the whole world, just like block-chains are a decentralized approach for storing transactional data. It makes it trustworthy. Word Press is open source, has been around for a while, has an active and very lively community and is becoming more powerful by the day. ITS NOT CONTROLLED BY ANY ONE COMPANY. Yes, that's become hugely important for me since a few days ago. Although still at the beginning, the in-app Oxygen module looks promising. It's a small onetime fee with lifetime upgrades. Seems nice for designing websites / templates. And if they go bust, you move on to the next in-app design tool.

Main consideration #1: A very strong selling point for me is client acceptability. Word press has a proven track record and can pretty much be used as a CMS backend by anyone who can shoot of a web-based email like Gmail and the likes. Hence, I can sell it to me clients. Explaining Webflow to clients is possible, but obviously not that easy after breaking the news that Adobe's Muse was a failed bet on my part. You think my clients will trust my judgment on a much smaller company? Webflow who? Webblow when? Open Source will ring a bell. Webflow won't. I personally like what they are doing, but I am not sold on their model.

Main issue #2: Transition of my existing Muse generated code. Yes, Webflow seems to import HTML pages, but what about all the complex widget integrations I have. What about database query code I have integrated and so on. I can see a mess without end trying to tweak everything in a web based app. Endless hurdless to simply get the look and functionality of my status quo. I may be wrong. But I simply do not have the time and energy to go down that route and take another risk.

MusexPress CMS (for WordPress and Muse) looks like a very good bet. It provides you with all the Muse Widgets you need to seamlessly integrate & migrate your existing Muse Websites to WordPress, yes directly out of Muse! Best of all, it's free! If you need some more advanced integration, of say WooCommerce, you can do that with little investment. Wappler also looks very promising and compared to Webflow my preferred choice. But we will have to wait until it gets released.

We still have time for final decisions. If Adobe shapes up (and I am still hopeful & convinced they will come round), my number one app for web design will stay Muse. If not, I and many others will have a very busy year ahead of them.

[Peter Villevoye]

Good point, these WordPress conversions !

Some time ago, I also considered using tools like MuseToWordPress, or what are they called (there are about three of them). But what surprised me, is that two of them simply assimilated my Muse pages ! It wasn't really an integration, more a one-way conversion, no turning back. And waddayaknow, that's exactly what might come in handy at this very moment !

I have taken a sneak peek at that WOcode Wappler, but it seems quite nerdy to me. I think it's a good-looking tool for developers. But do developers ever care about the looks of their tools ? They take pride in hooking up 10 totally different tools together and toss in a lot of GitHub stuff, in stead of using one decently integrated application, especially if it costs them money. (Okay, I'm exaggerating here...)

I'm going to have a look at BLOCS too (Mac-only), which might become my own preferred tool, together with Tumult Hype. They'll remind me most of Adobe Muse and Edge Animate, but with lots of extras ! (Heck, BLOCS even look like Apple iWeb...)

For my courses, I must be platform agnostic.

[Peter Villevoye]

Sorry, I mistook WOcode for Wappler – corrected the previous post accordingly.

Names, names, all these new names...

[SammiMars]

Webflow: Design websites. Don’t code them. on Vimeo

This is GOLD!

[Red Point]

Oxygen - Visual Website Design Inside WordPress

[SammiMars]

Webflow CMS Concept Video on Vimeo

Honestly - these guys have some very slick marketing - and this was created 2 years ago...

Am I just being starstruck by all their awesome marketing and that amazing guy in their tutorials (he is soooo good).  Is WEBFLOW definitely the way forward for me?

I'm at this point - as a GD mainly offering branding/marketing services, also offering web design to ensure I can say YES to all prospective Clients and provide an entire GD solution (I use shopify for ecommerce sites).  Is webflow too much for me - or is the way forward to ensure I stay relevant in this digital age?

[Graham_Barr]

SammiMars  I've been playing with Webflow on and off over the past 24 hours and I'm really impressed.  I'm quite picky about getting spacing between elements looking 'just right'.  This was always an issue in Muse. (I used to use 50px rectangles as a ruler guide!)  Anyhow, with Webflow its so easy. You create a class (style) give it some padding and all the spacing instantly looks great. 

It's really not hard to pick up, and I reckon I'm gonna be building projects far quicker.  Granted, I have a lot to learn, but in a day I've been convinced that this is the way forward.

mcguirebrannon thanks for being so proactive on here. 

[W_J_T]

mcguirebrannon  wrote

Perhaps it'd be helpful to those on this forum if you cold describe this process

Can you describe the below process and what happens? That would likewise be helpful.

W_J_T  wrote

Are you from Webflow? Regardless, how do you handle when someone is working on a mission critical deadline and they lose their internet connection, can they keep working and save progress? Also in reviewing your status log history, your servers and service can have hiccups as well even if the user has internet stability.

Things to consider, regardless of frequency.

[mcguirebrannon]

Can you describe the below process and what happens? That would likewise be helpful.

Regardless, how do you handle when someone is working on a mission critical deadline and they lose their internet connection, can they keep working and save progress?

Want to make this 100% clear if it's not already: an internet connection is required when using the Webflow Designer or the Editor. If an internet connection drops while editing, Webflow attempts to reestablish the connection and notifies the user immediately so that work isn't lost.

Edit: To add on, Webflow runs on AWS (like Reddit, Netflix, Slack, etc.). Take a look at Bryant's article regarding the S3 outage last year and how Webflow has taken and is taking even stronger steps to reduce any downtime. https://webflow.com/blog/how-were-making-webflow-hosting-even-more-reliable

Having said that, there are different preferences for everyone — there's no right or wrong way to do this. For some people, hand-coding is the way to go. For others, it's a simpler drag-and-drop editor. There are a ton of options to explore — and a lot of this comes down to what works best for an individual.

[Peter Villevoye]

Let me give two educated guesses why so many users are  concerned about using tools and services which require to be online.

• Designers want to be responsible for their own mess-ups, not having to point to some factor they could and should control. Especially designers who have their roots in desktop publishing or even old school print media, have grown accustomed to the fact that Adobe PostScript offered an absolute fail-safe guarantee over their part of the job. If the PDF is finished, it's printable. It always scares them when they have to rely full-time on other services.
• Online tools often operate in the browser, so the application doesn't need to adhere to the interface guidelines of e.g. Mac OS  or Windows 10. They can deliver interfaces built on totally different paradigms, and that's what throws al lot of users off, big way. Even desktop apps sporting unusual interfaces like Cinema 4D and even Adobe XD (which was allowed to sail freely from Adobe's own interface guidelines) somewhat don't feel right to many Adobe users.

If a tool like Webflow would hypothetically be developed and available as a natively looking desktop app, feature-wise offering the same functionality, it would seem alright for them. Even being online 100% would probably become less of a worry...

[W_J_T]

mcguirebrannon  wrote

Regardless, how do you handle when someone is working on a mission critical deadline and they lose their internet connection, can they keep working and save progress?

Want to make this 100% clear if it's not already: an internet connection is required when using the Webflow Designer or the Editor. If an internet connection drops while editing, Webflow attempts to reestablish the connection and notifies the user immediately so that work isn't lost.

Thanks for confirming that in such an outage instance of an online based service regardless of the cause, that it could severely impact a deadline, project or even an entire client relationship.

The article you then reference was from April of 2017. Here is an instance from 1 month ago.

Designer is not loading - Bugs - Webflow Forums

Many more instances can be found in status history, etc. Certainly an aspect for Muse users to consider if people are moving their entire business and livelihood to your cloud dependent platform.

W_J_T  wrote

Are you from Webflow?

I see you are directly with Webflow ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=mcguire+brannon+webflow

How many other of your team members are posting here are as well, participating or masquerading in a veiled marketing campaign in this thread? Some conversations sure seem that way.

[mcguirebrannon]

I see you are directly with Webflow ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=mcguire+brannon+webflow

How many other of your team members are posting here are as well, participating or masquerading in a veiled marketing campaign in this thread? Some conversations sure seem that way.

If you check my post history in this thread, the first seven words were:

McGuire here — I run education at Webflow.

Re: Adobe Muse EOL announcement - Alternatives to Adobe Muse?​

Nelson from Webflow (pxlgk) jumped into the thread, too, who has repeatedly used clear language such as:

form data is passed to our server and saved there.

If that's masquerading in a veiled marketing campaign, I'm not sure it's very effective.

Nothing sinister going on — in the entirety of my posts in this thread, there was a single post linking to and describing Webflow as an alternative, and every single additional post has answered questions that have been asked about Webflow, which seems on-topic in a thread that's literally titled Adobe Muse EOL announcement - Alternatives to Adobe Muse?