Can Adobe Fix the Muse EOL Issue Before May 2019?

[Brian Stoppee]

We were sad to see the official announcement, last week, that Adobe Muse has ceased development.

Let’s be honest. This Adobe decision is going to create a hardship for Muse designers, who do not code. There’s been a great deal of anxiety already expressed about this Adobe announcement. Many users of Muse create great websites for clients. Those Muse designers are justified in feeling abandoned by Adobe.

Adobe will continue to support its very designer-friendly app, for web/mobile projects, into May 2019, but after that, it’s pretty much entering the history books of Adobe web/mobile EOL (end of life) apps.

It is our hope that over the next 14 months, before Muse support closes, Adobe will provide a solution, which allows Muse users to cleanly migrate their projects to another Adobe app.

Your Muse app won’t stop working, but will it be useful? What happens is that browser apps are improved and computers and mobile devices get OS (operating system) updates. Older Internet creation apps are then not equipped to keep up with the newer technology. So, using Muse, this time next year, might create something which has poor user experiences.

We’re not new to this Adobe EOL thing. When the Internet was young, Adobe created a PageMaker like app called PageMill, which we enjoyed. PageMill’s 1.0 version launched November 1 1994. Later, Adobe dropped PageMill and acquired GoLive. During the 2005 Macromedia acquisition, Adobe sent GoLive to the graveyard in favor of the far more popular Dreamweaver.

So, how many websites do we have out there which we designed with Muse?

Zero.

For us, and many web/mobile professionals, Muse was a great tool for doing fast prototypes of sites. We do the heavy lifting with Dreamweaver. One of the downsides to Muse was that it was not practical to drop that prototype work into Dreamweaver and finish the project. The code which Muse generated was not as sleek and elegant as what Dreamweaver creates. The Muse code was quite “verbose” and could cause very involved websites to load slower than they should.

However, we felt a certain ownership of Muse. When Adobe was pondering the development of Muse, we were the first people they interviewed about it, to get our feedback on the idea.

The Muse UI (user interface) grew out of InDesign. It would be our dream to have some of the Muse UI become a great new feature set in Dreamweaver. (We’re not holding our breath on that one, though.)

So, how will we prototype things, now?

Admittedly, we have not been big fans of Adobe XD. It needs more love. Fortunately, the captain of the Muse ship is joining the XD team, so we have a feeling some good things are about to happen for XD. If a XD prototype project could migrate right over to Dreamweaver, that would be a huge plus for designers and make the lives of coders much easier, too.

Without a doubt, Adobe has made a mess of things for its users of Muse. In our minds, Adobe has about a year to make it right (sooner than one year is better).

[Brad Lawryk]

I had many Muse sites and was a dedicated Muse user at one point as I saw great potential in it. So I used it for basic (low-budget) sites that weren't necessary to build in Dreamweaver or that I could 'build in a day'. It served well. However, about two years ago I started moving everything over to Bootstrap based sites as I found the responsive tools in Muse just to finicky to work with.

I have one Muse site left. It is in the works to be redone later this year anyways.

To me the biggest issue with Muse aside from no access to the code directly was the lack of dynamic content from database integration. That was the killer for me. 99% of everything I do contains database content such as blogs and secure zones.

So it saddens me to see Muse go, but I'm not surprised or put out at all about it. It does leave some lingering trust issues though.

[Kat Gilbert]

FYI- strangely the beta for Muse is still listed on prerelease. Someone should see that this is changed. Sadly that this is over but hopefully something positive will happen with XD!

[Nancy OShea]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Kat+Gilbert  wrote

FYI- strangely the beta for Muse is still listed on prerelease.

Right.  As I understand it, Muse will get one more update before going EOL.  Musers are invited to participate in this last ditch effort to fix all the bugs.   Although I doubt that it's possible to fix everything without re-programming the whole app from scratch. 

BTW Brian,  why is this discussion in the Lounge?  Shouldn't it be moved to Help with Using Muse forum?

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

BTW Brian,  why is this discussion in the Lounge?  Shouldn't it be moved to Help with using Adobe Muse CC ?

Janet & I enjoy putting things in the Lounge, especially when discussions involve multiple apps.

But, we never know where things will go, here.

That makes it fun.

[John T Smith]

My personal web page is old and simple, and I don't develop pages so don't use Muse

But I will say that companies dropping programs, with little or no warning, happens everywhere

I had MS Office 97 that worked great on WinXP... but when I moved to a Win7 computer it wouldn't work... wouldn't even install

So I had to buy a new MS Office, since Microsoft would not update the old version to run on their new operating system

Not the same as here, but another example of a company dropping a program

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/John+T+Smith  wrote

I had MS Office 97 that worked great on WinXP... but when I moved to a Win7 computer it wouldn't work... wouldn't even install

So I had to buy a new MS Office, since Microsoft would not update the old version to run on their new operating system

It is a different story. Microsoft provided an upgrade path and all your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint projects were accessible with the upgrade, correct?

In this case, there's no where to go with a Muse project.

That's why Janet & I were pondering ways Adobe could migrate Muse users to other Adobe CC apps. We hope the executive suite is listening.

[Ussnorway]

why do you feel this thread belongs here and not in the Muse forum?

[Brian Stoppee]

Ussnorway  wrote

why do you feel this thread belongs here and not in the Muse forum?

Please see the reply to Nancy OShea when she asked that question.

Thanks.

[Nancy OShea]

Muse and Business Catalyst alternatives are being discussed and compared at length in the product forums.  I see no point in re-hashing the same material here but since you insist...

See the Google Sheet.

Muse Alternatives - Google Sheets.

Discussions

• Muse users thinking about using Dreamweaver.
• MUSE Alternatives
• Muse Alternatives
• List of Possible Alternatives for Muse
• Re: Adobe Muse EOL announcement - Alternatives to Adobe Muse?

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

Muse and Business Catalyst alternatives are being discussed and compared at length in the product forums.

Thank you for these links. Some of them we've read and others we must investigate,

[Nancy OShea]

A forum search for Muse Alternatives will reveal many, many more .

In answer to your question about Adobe fixing this,  I don't think so.  There are too many competing options out there.   Why should Adobe amp up to reinvent the wheel when they don't have to?

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

There are too many competing options out there.   Why should Adobe amp up to reinvent the wheel when they don't have to?

I have not found the option which allows Muse users to take existing Muse projects and continue working on the sites the users of Muse have already created.

Could you please direct us to the link which opens Muse projects in the Muse format?

That sounds like an ideal solution for the users of Muse who need to continue to support their clients but cannot afford to lose all the time of starting over.

[Nancy OShea]

That's one of the pitfalls with using an app or service that relies on proprietary files.

Exporting MU projects to native HTML, CSS and JavaScript files allows Musers to take projects to other code editors.

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

Exporting MU projects to native HTML, CSS and JavaScript files allows Musers to take projects to other code editors.

Correct. That's an option.

Do you know many users of Muse who work in code?

If so, do they like working in the code Muse generates?

In all of your exploration of the links you shared, do many of the current Muse subscribers find the code editor solution to be the option they desire?

[Nancy OShea]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Brian+Stoppee  wrote

do many of the current Muse subscribers find the code editor solution to be the option they desire?

Some do;  some don't.    I won't get into the bitter designer vs developer debate here.   There's too much of that going on in other forums.  

Suffice it to say that eventually we all reap what we sow.   If non-coders want to jump from the frying pan into the fire with  click & drag ease in a locked eco-system, they have several options to choose from  -- each with various pros & cons.  

OTH. some users will take this as a wake-up call  & liberate themselves from relying on Muse or anything like it to generate code for them.   Incidentally, It's not that  hard to take a Muse prototype and rebuild it responsively (use any editor you like).  Tools are not talented.  People are.

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

If non-coders want to jump from the frying pan into the fire with  click & drag ease in a locked eco-system, they have several options to choose from  -- each with various pros & cons. 

Which options do you feel are best for Muse users who have zero capabilities with coding, which allow them to migrate their Muse projects without the need to recreate them?

[Nancy OShea]

Seriously?  If a Muser or anyone else has zero capabilities with code, they probably should NOT be creating websites for profit.    Instead, hand off the artwork to a skilled developer who can fix problems and add new features when the client requests them.

As for the hobbyists/amateurs who just need a personal web presence,  it all depends on the scope of their project.  Some options to consider might include:

• WordPress with visual designer plugins
• Webflow
• Dreamweaver with 3rd party extensions  from Project Seven, DMX Zone or WebAssist
• Xara Web Designer
• Sparkle App (Mac only)
• Blocs (Mac only)
• Adobe Portfolio
• Wix
• Squarespace
• GoDaddy Website Builder
• etc....

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

Seriously?  If a Muser or anyone else has zero capabilities with code, they probably should NOT be creating websites for profit.    Instead, hand off the artwork to a skilled developer who can fix problems and add new features when the client requests them.

I have interacted with many Muse subscribers who tell me they have hundreds of paying clients and do no coding.

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

There are too many competing options out there.   Why should Adobe amp up to reinvent the wheel when they don't have to?

So what options have you found for them which allow them to take the work of those paying clients and continue it without the need to start over?

[Ussnorway]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Brian+Stoppee  wrote

So what options have you found for them which allow them to take the work of those paying clients and continue it without the need to start over?

The capital market is a good way to legally steal from people

[Brian Stoppee]

Ussnorway  wrote

The capital market is a good way to legally steal from people

Pardon?

[Nancy OShea]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Brian+Stoppee  wrote

So what options have you found for them which allow them to take the work of those paying clients and continue it without the need to start over?

Only Muse can open Muse proprietary files.  

As I see it,  there are only 3 options.

1) Keep using Muse.  

2) Commit to learning code basics & working with native HTML files. 

3) Start over with  another web design app.

If the site isn't responsive & supporting retina-ready images,  it needs a rebuild anyway. 

[cmgap]

Every site that I have ever built on any platform has had a shelf life... the web / IoTs is an ever changing, evolving paradigm. While it would be nice to think that my Muse sites will last forever the truth is they will need to be refreshed, updated, redesigned in the natural order of web design. Static sites turned into ecommerce sites, ecommerce sites turned into responsive sites etc.

As each site ages out or has new requirements, it's an opportunity to find the best path forward for a given client based on their needs and expectations. There has never been a one-size fits all solution to web design. If you make a living designing for the web you need more skills than Muse. And if you did learn Muse - Awesome. I have a hard time thinking that there aren't useful concepts or other translatable skills... one should be confident with the ability to be adaptable. How many of us thrive on learning new skills versus remaining stagnant.

I am sympathetic to anyone caught in the cross hairs and am reminded that it's wise not to all of my eggs in one basket.

[Brian Stoppee]

cmgap  wrote

While it would be nice to think that my Muse sites will last forever the truth is they will need to be refreshed, updated, redesigned in the natural order of web design. Static sites turned into ecommerce sites, ecommerce sites turned into responsive sites etc.

Admittedly, it's been a little while since I checked out a variety of Muse projects which made me think, "Wished I thought of that!"

The majority of one I appreciated were static sites for mom & pop businesses who just needed a web presence. Visually. some of my favorites really rocked.

I never heard anyone say, "I lost a client today who is selling bunches of stuff online, now?" But they may have happened.

I recall seeing some visual excitement for a little bed & breakfast and a little restaurant kind of thing.

Better than ten years ago a one person, high dollar estate real estate agent talked to us about a website. We took his through all the possibilities and turned him off to doing anything. A few years later, I saw a Muse site for a similar real estate agency. It was pretty clumsy. So, your point is well-taken.

So, some Muse projects do make me think, "How do these things move forward?"

My only answer is, "They don't." The graphics might change out or more content gets added but many of them don't become robust active websites. (Just a guess).

[Brian Stoppee]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Brian+Stoppee  wrote

Adobe will continue to support its very designer-friendly app, for web/mobile projects, into May 2019…

In case you have not heard the news, elsewhere, Adobe will now support Muse through March 2020.