Earlier this week, Karelia released Sandvox 1.2.7. If you're unfamiliar, Sandvox is a great WYSIWYG website development application. It's really fun to use, and features .Mac and iLife integration, templates you'll actually want to put up on your site and a great user interface (in fact, it was the runner up in Apple's 2007 Design Awards for Best Mac OS X User Experience).

Version 1.2.7 is a minor update, but includes some important changes, like

• Improvements to iMedia Browser, including new movie thumbnailing code
• Graphical Title Text replacement now works again under Leopard
• Updates to the Digg pagelet

There's more, of course, and you can get the full run down here. Once you've got your Sandvox site up, share it at Sandvoxed.

Sandvox now requires 10.4.11 or 10.5.x, is a Universal Binary and comes in both pro ($79US) and "regular" ($49US) versions. Version 1.2.7 is a free upgrade for registered users.

Karelia has released Sandvox version 1.2.4, with improvements for both Leopard and Tiger users (we've mentioned Sandvox several times). For the uninitiated, it's a WYSIWIG web editor that features iLife integration, .Mac support, beautiful default forms, and drag-and-drop ease. If you like iWeb and Rapidweaver, you'll like Sandvox.

This update includes the following changes:

• Leopard-ready.
• Improved compatibility with iPhoto '08
• Graphical title text size is consistent across all pages within a site.
• Improvements to many designs.
• Numerous bug fixes

Check Sandvox out if you haven't. Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is universal and comes in both pro ($79US) and "regular" ($49US) versions. Version 1.2.4 is a free upgrade for registered users.

RapidWeaver by Realmac Sofware is a WYSIWYG web editor that we like. If you're unfamiliar, it's a super-simple editor that features iLife and .Mac integration, flash photo galleries, an SDK and so on. Version 3.6.4 offers Leopard compatibility.

Realmac also announced today that Rapidweaver 4.0 is under development. It will be exclusive to Mac OS 10.5 and a free upgrade for registered users. Cool! In fact, you can get a sneak peek of of RapidWeaver 4.0 at London's MacLive Expo at the end of this week.

Realmac Software today released v3.6.2 of RapidWeaver, their popular WYSIWYG tool for creating websites, podcasts, blogs and more. Among the new features of this version are:

• Aperture Support in the iMedia Browser
• Dynamic PHP Sidebar option for the blog plugin
• Sidebar is now a fully features styled text area
• The link panel now supports linking to tags and categories from Blogs

Also included in their blog post announcing this update is a PDF manual for the new version and an all-new Help Desk area with links to tutorial videos, manuals, FAQs and more.

A demo of RapidWeaver is available, while full licenses costs $49.00 and upgrades from versions previous to 3.6.x are $25.

Fresh from receiving an Apple Design Award at WWDC '07 (runner up for "Best Mac OS X User Experience"), the folks at Karelia have released Sandvox 1.2.2 (we've written about Sandvox before). If you're unfamiliar, it's a WYSIWYG web editor that features drag-and-drop ease, iLife integration, simple publishing and several attractive templates.

Speaking of templates, they've all been tweaked in version 1.2.2 to look great on an iPhone. Other changes include squashed bugs and localization improvements.

Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is universal and comes in both pro ($79US) and "regular" ($49US) versions. Version 1.2.2 is a free upgrade for registered users.

Realmac Software today has released the much-anticipated new version of RapidWeaver, their powerful WYSIWYG software that does a great job of filling the gap between iWeb and Dreamweaver. This new v3.6 ushers in a significant list of new features, such as:

• Themes Styles - no more digging in HTML and CSS to customize your theme (unless you really want to)
• 6 completely new themes
• Snippets - manage chunks of frequently used code instead of copy/pasting or constantly re-typing
• New Flash Slideshow - completely rewritten and can now pull images from a Flickr feed
• Improved blog, including tags and inline comment support
• Easy creation of Lists
• Detailed Publishing
• And much, much more

Also, due to RapidWeaver's "skyrocketing" popularity, RealMac Software introduced a redesigned website today that includes a full-featured add-ons section where users can browse themes, plug-ins and code snippets, which of course also means 3rd parties nowhave one central RapidWeaver community where the can highlight their products.

With everything involved, I can completely understand Realmac Software's decision to make v3.6 a paid upgrade - current users (including MacHeist owners) can purchase a v3.6 license for $25, while a full license costs $49. A demo is of course available, so head over to the shiny new Realmac Software site to see everything RapidWeaver has to offer.

It's being billed as "One-window web development," and from what we can tell, it looks pretty awesome. I only played with the demo briefly, so there's obviously a lot more to this app then you'll find here (Steven's blog is a good place to go for the full scoop).

First of all, the UI is beautiful. When first launched, Coda offers to import your Transmit favorites, which it did perfectly for me. It then "taped" each project if found in my copy of Transmit to the main window. To work on a project, just double click it and it "flips" into view. One more click logs into the project's remote files and displays them in the left hand sidebar. Select any file to begin working on it. Super easy and fast.

One more thing that needs to be mentioned, and I'm only scratching the surface here, is the "Books" feature. One click and you're brought to a virtual bookshelf that houses volumes on HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP. Click any book to begin "reading" it, and quickly jump to any topic you are particularly interested in just by clicking a keyword. You can also order hardcopy versions of any of the books.

Coda retails for $99 (lower introductory rates are available for now) and requires 10.4 or later. Now if you'll excuse me, I really want to stop typing and return to playing with Coda.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

We've written about Sandvox before. It's the WYSIWYG web editor from Karelia Software that makes site building and publication a breeze. It's nicely integrated with .Mac and iLife, and features attractive default templates you'll actually want to use. Changes in version 1.2 include:

• Easily change the banner image
• Many new templates
• New RSS feed "pagelet"
• IM status
• Page view counter
• Insert your own HTML, JavaScript, or PHP/Scripting code

There's a lot more, of course. This looks like a good update to pick up. Sandvox requires Mac OS 10.4 or later, is universal and comes in both pro ($79US) and "regular" ($49US) versions.

RapidWeaver, arguably the 800 lb. gorilla of the WYSIWYG web design space on the Mac, is being sold for $27.97 on MacZOT - a 30% discount off its retail price of $39.95. The debate around sites like MacZOT aside, I view this simply as a killer sale on a rockin' app.

Now I honestly haven't checked in on a MacZOT deal in a while, but it appears RapidWeaver is up on the block only through tonight and tomorrow, so act fast.

We typically don't post about updates to WordPress (that's Download Squad's job), one of the most popular install-it-yourself blogging platforms available, but this latest v2.0.6 is a little different. Amidst some security updates and other goodies for plug-in and theme developers is HTML quicktag compatibility for post authoring in Safari. As you can see in the screenshot Safari users can now enjoy more powerful editing in WordPress post and page creation windows. Though this isn't quite full rich text/WYSIWYG editing, there are plenty out there who would make the argument that you shouldn't be blogging that way with WordPress in the first place.

Text formatting aside, this should offer the Safari-slinging WordPress users out there some browser-hopping relief when drafting their next diggable post.

Like me, there are probably a lot of fresh new TextMate users out there in the audience thanks at least in part to MacHeist, so I thought it would be pertinent to point out a few helpful resources Allan Odgaard (TM's developer) maintains at macromates.com. Of course the searchable mailing list and IRC channel are handy for getting your discussion on, over which TM user Brett Terpstra just shared a WordPress templating bundle he's created - quite possibly a good addition to that theming workflow we just blogged.

Another powerful resource is the TextMate wiki, which houses a plethora of learning tools and resources such as a bundle repository if you're looking for some features or a language not included by default, as well as an RSS feed for bundle changes. Of course, what text app would be complete without user submitted themes? Last on my resource roundup (but by no means the end of what's available) are a few TextMate plugins, including a WebMate plugin that turns TM's Web Preview into a full-fledged WYSIWYG HTML editor based on WebKit.

There's a lot more from where all this came from, so dive in or simply get your feet wet with this swiss army knife of text editors.

When it comes to software on the Mac platform it's a mixed bag. I don't mean like on Windows, where the bag is full of snakes, scorpions, rusty blades, and the occasional bit of peach. Software on the Mac has been in flux for a decade. When Apple bought NeXT, most of us figured Copland was dead in the water (and it was). Personally, I wish we'd seen OpenDoc come to fruition, but that comes from years of dealing with bloatware. OS X pushed the "Classic" Mac OS further and further into the shadows, until, with the advent of Intel Macs, it's pretty much dying off... Read the fine print on these Leopard features for developers, and you'll realize how dead "Classic" really is. Perhaps we should call it "Relic."

Now ask anyone (well, almost anyone) who's coded Cocoa apps and they'll tell you it's lovely. Shoot, Apple's so proud of the frameworks they provide for devs, they even touted a new one, Core Animation, as one of the 10 things coming in Leopard. But we're still living a dual-existence (triple or quadruple or more, if you get technical) in that you have Cocoa apps, and you have the non-Cocoa apps. Perhaps you know about Java, which is what Limewire uses. Or X11's ability to run apps like GIMP. Both of those have their quirks. Java apps can be all over the place, and X11 doesn't integrate the UI of OSX, among other issues. Carbon is a mix of old-skool API's (implemented in good ol' C if I recall), and permeates Mac apps like Office and Photoshop, where a teardown/rebuild would be too unwieldy. There's also the fact that key apps like Finder and QuickTime are Carbon enough to still have some legacy code from way back when, which might account for some of their quirks too... No holy wars about Cocoa vs. Carbon, OK? I'm with David Weiss on this one. So you have Cocoa, Carbon and everything else.

Getting granular for a moment, look at a tale of two browsers: Safari vs. Firefox. Safari is a Cocoa app, and it is tightly integrated with OS X tools. It maintains the ability to look up words in the Dictionary app with a right-click, and access the OS X Keychain. Firefox is not a (full) Cocoa app, and you can't niftily use a keyboard shortcut to look up a word, nor will it store passwords in Keychain. I've learned to use this "wall" to my advantage. Since the passwords are stored differently, I can automatically log in to systems (like gmail) using two accounts simultaneously. I use my business gmail on one browser, and personal on the other. Unfortunately, you're limited to 3, as all Firefox-based browsers will share their version of Keychain, and all Webkit-derived browsers use Keychain. I say three, because Opera stands alone (and doesn't always play nice with Gmail). There's the conundrum: to the average user, they don't care, but when little non-Cocoa quirks appear, they scratch their heads and wonder why the Mac doesn't just "do stuff" one standard way.

Keep reading for my take on shareware, freeware, and malware in OS X...

Woo, it's about time! It sure seemed like I've been using the public beta of version 3.5 for quite a long time. For the unfamiliar, Rapidweaver is the WYSIWYG web editor by Realmac Software that does, in fact, make things super easy. Create and maintain a blog (complete with podcast), photo and/or movie galleries, contact page and more with ease. No coding is necessary, but you're welcome to it if that's your thing. Changes in version 3.5 include:

• Universal
• A slew of new templates (I've complained bout Rapidweaver's base templates before. Some of the new ones are pretty nice).
• New UI
• Permalinks in the blog (Finally!)
• SFTP supports
  

There's more, of course, and you can get the full run-down here. This is a free update for registered users. Rapidweaver requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or later and costs $39.95US for a single license.

Karelia Software has updated Sandvox, their feature-packed WYSIWYG web design app, to version 1.0.2, bringing a few new features to the table such as a much-requested Format menu. Of course, other bug fixes and the like are included, so check out the release notes for the full details.

In addition to a one-hundredth of a point update, Karelia Software has also created a demo screencast for Sandvox which takes (potential) users through the site creation process and demos the many features Sandvox has to offer, such as adding weblogs and photo albums, as well as the Pro feature lineup. Along with the screencast, Karelia Software has also updated their online documentation with "How do I?", troubleshooting and reference sections.

Last on the Sandvox update is the impending doom of their introductory pricing offer. Presently, a single regular Sandvox license goes for $39 USD, while the Pro version is $69 USD - but only until Friday, June 16th. I couldn't track down what these prices will bump up to, but I'm sure they'll make these look like a good deal. Get it while it's hot.

I'm really glad to see all this innovation in WYSIWYG web editing software, and from my experience, Sandvox from Karelia Software is poised to lead the pack. Yes, I've been going on about how excited I am about the iWeb 1.1 update, but after playing with Sandvox's beta editions, I'm going to give this official 1.0 release a good run-through, as it offers quite a bit of power and some nice tricks that other products like RapidWeaver and iWeb can't claim.

The feature that impresses me the most about Sandvox is their innovative "Pagelets" feature. Pagelets are small chunks of rich content that you can simply drag and drop around your site's theme. Don't like where your blogroll is? Just drag its pagelet somewhere else. Pagelets in the pro version can also allow you to insert your own HTML and even PHP code into any portion of your site or sidebar. Speaking of site themes: Sandvox's are stellar, and a bit more creative than iWeb's. Sandvox comes with two dozen themes, with more available.

Sandvox also does a lot of the, dare I say, 'standard' WYSIWYG web design-ish stuff that I've come to expect on the Apple platform. You can drag your audio podcasts into a Sandvox site and get them submitted to the iTMS, as well as drag images from iPhoto, etc.

Overall, despite lightning striking twice for Karelia Software, Sandvox looks like a solid product that presents a strong array of features for the WYSIWYG designer that demands a little more from their web design app.