Hi David -
I, too, am a NetObjects Fusion user, have been since version 1.
The release of Version 4 was, in my opinion, one of the biggest advances in the product's history. NetObjects completely refined and re-designed the "API" - (Application Programming Interface), allowing much greater access for third-party developers to write "components" to add functionality to the program (like Photoshop "Plug-ins").
Whilst many users were disappointed in the "look and feel" of the new version, as the user interface was basically unchanged, and there were only a few major enhancements (Word-style table tools being one), the real value of the product is beneath the surface.
I am not a programmer, just a professional web designer, and I do not have the faintest idea how the API works, but I do know that it has given third-party developers huge opportunities to provide added functionality to the product. Companies like BitMotion, Apollon and Coolmaps are producing new components for NOF on a regular basis.
Added to this, the "ASP Connector" and, more especially the "ColdFusion Connector", (developed by Fundere in association with Allaire, makers of ColdFusion), allows users to work with these products in the NetObjects Fusion environment, making development of live database websites easier and faster.
My guess is that we will see some exciting announcements from NETO soon, as they now have the funding to accelerate development of the product and, more especially, the API and connectivity to products like ColdFusion. In these fields, they really have no competition.
In conclusion, it seems to me that any company which has a product which can leverage the skills of third parties to improve its functionality, and which continues to improve this functionality, must be on a winner. Just look at Adobe Photoshop.
Simon Lister |
