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Lindows Announces Nvu - Frontpage For Linux?

CmdrStone writes "Michael Robertson, the Lindows founder, has announced in his 'Michael's Minute' newsletter that Lindows has started the creation of a Frontpage-type program for Linux, called Nvu." Nvu promises to be "...a complete Web Authoring System for Linux Desktop users to rival programs like FrontPage and Dreamweaver", is "100% open source", and will be free to download when it launches.

14 of 643 comments (clear)

  1. Looks promising by r_glen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The fact that it's built from the Mozilla code base is encouraging...
    Unfortunately (according to the FAQ), it won't be available until the first quarter of 2004

    1. Re:Looks promising by dtfinch · · Score: 5, Informative

      If you want some sort of preview release, try the Mozilla Standalone Composer. It's a couple weeks old, and released by the same person who's now head of the Nvu project.

  2. Hopefully by skank · · Score: 5, Insightful

    it will be more like dreamweaver, and less like frontpage. I can handle a tool that takes out a lot of the headaches from doing rollovers, adding scripting, and flash files. Dreamweaver was always great at that (I haven't messed with web design in a few years). But if anyone tries something as stupid as frontpage extensions, I hope the whole community laughs in thier face. From what I've seen from him, he is not stupid, just trying to make it easier for non-tech geeks to get away from windows, and this could be a good thing. I have had many people tell me one of the reasons for shying away from linux is (besides lack of cutting edge games) no easy wysiwyg html editors. Not everyone wants to lookn at the code. Granted, even when I used to use dreamweaver, the code always got cleaned up in homesite or notepad (thank god I use linux now) before it ever saw the net. This should work out to be a good move.

  3. Frontpage?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    xmlns:w="ur n:schemas-nvu-com:nvu:editor"
    xmlns="http://www.w 3.org/TR/REC-html40">

    <head>
    <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
    <meta name=ProgId content=Nvu.Document>
    <meta name=Generator content="Nvu 1.0">
    <meta name=Originator content="Nvu 1.0">
    <link rel=File-List href="hello_html_files">
    <title>Slashdot Comment</title>
    <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
    <o:DocumentProperties>
    <o:Author>AC</o:Author>
    <o:LastAuthor>AC</o:LastAuthor>
    <o:Revision>1</o:Revision>
    <o:TotalTime>1</o:TotalTime>
    <o:Created>2003-10-30T03:05:00Z</o:Created&g t;
    <o:LastSaved>2003-10-30T03:06:00Z</o:LastSaved>
    <o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
    <o:Characters>5</o:Characters>
    <o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
    <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
    <o:CharactersWithSpaces>5</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
    <o:Version>10.2625</o:Version>
    </o:DocumentProperties>
    </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
    <w:NvuDocument>
    <w:GrammarState>Clean</w:GrammarState>
    <w:Compatibility>
    <w:BreakWrappedTables/>
    <w:SnapToGridInCell/>
    <w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
    <w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
    </w:Compatibility>
    <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:Brow serLevel>
    </w:WordDocument>
    </xml>
    </head>

    <body lang=EN-US style='tab-interval:.5in'>

    <div class=Section1>

    <p class=NvuoNormal>Like frontpage, huh?</p>

    </div>

    </body>

    </html>

    1. Re:Frontpage?? by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 5, Funny

      Frontpage 2003 infact has a function to clean word generated html

      Wouldn't it be better if Word had a function to clean Word-generated HTML?

  4. Re:Emacs by mlk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Emacs can work as a text editor? How do I enable that feature?

    --
    Wow, I should not post when knackered.
  5. What we really need... by rsilvergun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is a Quickbooks replacement. Give me that and I could have every office in town running Linux. I mean, with it you can have a $25,000/year secretary do your accounting instead of a $60,000+ CPA (at least for small to mid-sized businesses). That's the killer app Linux is missing.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  6. Re:Emacs by DShard · · Score: 5, Funny

    ctrl-meta-c k meta-p 1 1 ctrl-v shake it all about, you do the hockey pokey and turn yourself around. AFAIK that's what it's all about.

  7. Re:It's Mozilla Composer by tsmoke · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is *precisely* why this is cool. He's funded an existing open source project to make it better. According to the about section, they've contracted the lead Composer developer to extend and improve the existing code-base.

    If the rubric for giving props to a company is building entirely new applications and products (and introducing all the bugs and problems that suggests) rather than supporting (with money!) existing projects, then only the companies that make the worst decisions will be applauded.

  8. Actually a good thing by GarfBond · · Score: 5, Insightful
    For those of you who aren't aware, Mozilla Composer's component owner, Daniel Glazman, has been employed by Lindows.com to continue work on Composer++ (a very good thing), which in turn will serve as the codebase for this new product, nvu. For those of you not believing that Lindows.com is serious about this (and I agree, this is easy to believe), let me remind you of the following:

    • Lindows.com is *paying* a developer to continue working on a current OSS product, Mozilla, which in turn will add to their product
    • nvu claims to be fully open source, which they seem to have every intention of following up on.
    • Lindows.com is paying.
    This is a case of lindows putting their money where their mouth is. They're contributing to open source, while also trying to differentiate themselves in the market. Let's give em a chance here.
  9. Re:It doesnt look promising it looks EXACTLY like by muzza · · Score: 5, Informative

    Indeed the "Publish Settings" dialog shown in this image sitemanager.jpg still has the Mozilla icon on it.

  10. Looks iffy, actually (licensing) by ciaran_o_riordan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I smell a bad egg...
    The FAQ says Nvu will be "covered under the MPL".

    Mozilla is tri-licensed MPL/GPL/LGPL, so the user chooses which license they wish to use the software under.

    Lindows.com can't alter the licensing situation of existing mozilla code, but if they only make their improvements available under the MPL - it will be Free Software, but the mozilla folks won't be able to merge improvements into the mozilla codebase.

    So basically, Lindows.com are fulfilling the bare minimum legal requirement, and purposely blocking cooperation (so they can have the best version).

    Either that or the FAQ is wrong, but Lindows.com have a shakey record in terms of community spirit.

    Ciaran O'Riordan

  11. Re:It's Mozilla Composer by l810c · · Score: 5, Insightful
    take an existing open source project, change a few graphics, and call it a revolutionary new product which will change the world.

    Isn't this one of the main things we see in the Linux/Open Source arena? What is Mandrake? All of the Distros and other projects? The changes may have been minor to begin with, but eventually they grow into very different products. If he's putting resources and keeping it open source behind it might just turn into a nice editor.

  12. Re:It doesnt look promising it looks EXACTLY like by asciono · · Score: 5, Informative

    And this dialog has the Netscape logo.

    Lindows will be releasing it under the Mozilla license. And, they've contracted a ex-Netscape employee (Daniel Glazman) to be the lead developer.

    Read here for more and past information:
    Lindows.com Announces Mozilla-Based Nvu...
    Lindows.com Contracts Daniel Glazman to Develop...
    Daniel Glazman Starting Company to Develop Composer