Xway

Guys…it’s coming: https://www.softpress.com

Do we expect Xway to open Freeway 7 Pro files seamlessly?

Very good news!!! Can’t wait to use it!

Hi Jim,

Do we expect Xway to open Freeway 7 Pro files seamlessly?

The first (beta) version of Xway won’t open Freeway 7 files.

We’re planning to add this in a future version.

Jeremy

Hi,

Just a couple of questions…

Will Xway support Freeway Actions, and will you be able to add your own code as you can in the last version of Freeway?

These are the two things that made Freeway so versatile!

Cheers,

Steve.

Hi Steve,

The first (beta) version of Xway doesn’t support Actions, but you can add your own code as JavaScript (or CSS) markup and as markup items.

Jeremy

—

On 7 Oct 2019, at 12:17, SteveB <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi,

Just a couple of questions…

Will Xway support Freeway Actions, and will you be able to add your own code as you can in the last version of Freeway?

These are the two things that made Freeway so versatile!

Cheers,

Steve.

Dear FreewayTalkers

Today we have posted two important announcements on our website;

The first is that Freeway will no longer run on the latest MacOS when Catalina is released (see our Freeway page on the Softpress website for further information),

And two, we will be releasing a public beta of Xway, our totally new visual design application which will eventually replace Freeway completely.

Again, check the website for details.

We are truly excited by the advent of Xway, we’re sure you’re going to Enjoy working with it.

With many thanks to all our users,

Richard Logan

Hi Jeremy,

That’s good to hear you will still be able to add extra code to your site. I use lots of php/javascript etc to add extra bits to the e-commerce site I developed and maintain. It has grown in complexity and size over the years and Freeway has been its backbone throughout!

Can you let us know what is the earliest version of Mac OS that Xway will support?

Looking forward to the future with Xway!

Thanks for all your hard work.

Cheers,

Steve.

On 7 Oct 2019, 11:58 am, Jeremy Hughes wrote:

Hi Steve,

The first (beta) version of Xway doesn’t support Actions, but you can add your own code as JavaScript (or CSS) markup and as markup items.

Jeremy

Hi Steve,

Xway will run on macOS 10.13 or later.

We plan to add support for general (non-JavaScript) markup in the near future.

Currently, the Page Inspector has a JavaScript markup section and a CSS markup section, and there are also markup items (which are pretty similar to Freeway markup items).

Jeremy

—

On 7 Oct 2019, at 15:58, SteveB <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Jeremy,

That’s good to hear you will still be able to add extra code to your site. I use lots of php/javascript etc to add extra bits to the e-commerce site I developed and maintain. It has grown in complexity and size over the years and Freeway has been its backbone throughout!

Can you let us know what is the earliest version of Mac OS that Xway will support?

Looking forward to the future with Xway!

Thanks for all your hard work.

Cheers,

Steve.

On 7 Oct 2019, 11:58 am, Jeremy Hughes wrote:

Hi Steve,

The first (beta) version of Xway doesn’t support Actions, but you can add your own code as JavaScript (or CSS) markup and as markup items.

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy! So, does that mean I don’t need to update to Catalina to use Xway and can use it in Mojave? This way I can have both, Freeway 7 and Xway until it gets finalized. Is that right?

Best, Marcus

On Oct 7, 2019, at 11:07 AM, Jeremy Hughes <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Steve,

Xway will run on macOS 10.13 or later.

We plan to add support for general (non-JavaScript) markup in the near future.

Currently, the Page Inspector has a JavaScript markup section and a CSS markup section, and there are also markup items (which are pretty similar to Freeway markup items).

Jeremy

—

On 7 Oct 2019, at 15:58, SteveB <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Jeremy,

That’s good to hear you will still be able to add extra code to your site. I use lots of php/javascript etc to add extra bits to the e-commerce site I developed and maintain. It has grown in complexity and size over the years and Freeway has been its backbone throughout!

Can you let us know what is the earliest version of Mac OS that Xway will support?

Looking forward to the future with Xway!

Thanks for all your hard work.

Cheers,

Steve.

On 7 Oct 2019, 11:58 am, Jeremy Hughes wrote:

Hi Steve,

The first (beta) version of Xway doesn’t support Actions, but you can add your own code as JavaScript (or CSS) markup and as markup items.

Jeremy

Okay, here’s today’s silly question - how do we properly pronounce “Xway”? Is it “ex-way”, “cross-way” or even the Apple-esque “ten-way”?

Gordon

Xway is a completely new program. It’s inspired by Freeway, but it doesn’t contain any Freeway code. Freeway was written in C++ and uses system APIs that Apple no longer support. Xway is written in Swift and uses Apple’s Cocoa framework. Our intention is that Xway should be a complete replacement for Freeway (and be able to read Freeway documents) but we haven’t got to that point yet.

Personally, I call it “ex-way” - which is similar to “Xcode” if you want an Apple analogy.

Jeremy

—

Excellent question, Gordon! I have been wondering that myself! I would think it may have been good for Jeremy to have gone out to the troops to solicit suggestions before picking a name. (Like others, I had just assumed it would be a new Freeway.)

Looking forward to the answer.

Stephen

On Oct 7, 2019, at 8:54 AM, Gordon Low <[email protected]> wrote:

Okay, here’s today’s silly question - how do we properly pronounce “Xway”? Is it “ex-way”, “cross-way” or even the Apple-esque “ten-way”?

Hi Jeremy, I have a question: Do I need to update to Catalina in order to use Xway or will it work with Mojave?

Thanks, Marcus

See this from Jeremy:

Xway will run on macOS 10.13 or later

This would mean that Xway can run on High Sierra (10.13), Mojave (10.14), and Catalina (10.15). If your day-to-day work relies on Freeway, and you don’t want to use a VM, your best bet would be to stay on Mojave, as it will run both Freeway and Xway.

Yes. It helps a lot

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 7, 2019, at 7:33 PM, Rene Daveluy via freewaytalk <[email protected]> wrote:

Wow ~ this is exciting! The prospect of running both FW7 and Xway on Mojave might help in transitioning.

On 7 Oct 2019, 10:26 am, Jeremy Hughes wrote:

Hi Jim,

Do we expect Xway to open Freeway 7 Pro files seamlessly?

The first (beta) version of Xway won’t open Freeway 7 files.

We’re planning to add this in a future version.

Jeremy

Yes, Jeremy, that future version that will open Freeway files will be a blessing to some (many?) of us who are relatively low-tech. At age 76 I’m not able to tackle a large learning curve. Hopefully, on the user side (us), Xway will be similar enough to Freeway that we can jump right into the Freeway-file-opening Xway with minimal learning curve. Thanks for all your work!

Freeway always had the flexibility to deploy a “Content Management / Database driven back end” using Freeway’s extended features and Walter’s Crowbar Action. I assume that flexibility will continue?

My weapon of choice… Perch CMS. Here’s a recent project using Freeway and Perch… https://www.starkeys.co.uk

David Owen { Freeway Friendly Web hosting and Domains }

http://www.ineedwebhosting.co.uk | http://www.davidowendesign.com

On 8 Oct 2019, at 10:23, Jane Davies via freewaytalk <[email protected]> wrote:

(Given it has been a really fundamental rebuild this time, I’m hoping that it will at least have the option to deploy some kind of Content Management / Database driven back end in the same way that things like Webflow do..?)

So, does that mean I don’t need to update to Catalina to use Xway and can use it in Mojave? This way I can have both, Freeway 7 and Xway until it gets finalized. Is that right?

Yes.

Jeremy

Will the beta of Xway create responsive websites?

Will the beta of Xway create responsive websites?

It will create flexible web sites.

It doesn’t have breakpoints yet, but everything is flexible by default.

Jeremy

Can breakpoints be added manually or will that need to wait for a later version?

Can breakpoints be added manually or will that need to wait for a later version?

You can add your own CSS markup - if that’s what you mean by “manually”.

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy. I believe that what Bert meant was if the breakpoints can be added like it is now in Freeway 7, without using markup, but I assume it can’t with the beta version and will be added on the final one. Is that correct?

Marcus

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 8, 2019, at 1:54 PM, Jeremy Hughes <[email protected]> wrote:



Can breakpoints be added manually or will that need to wait for a later version?

You can add your own CSS markup - if that’s what you mean by “manually”.

Jeremy

Yes, what Marcus said.

Just one question: I got my credit card ready, where can I pay…

Just one question: I got my credit card ready, where can I pay…

The public beta will be free.

Jeremy

Xway doesn’t have breakpoints yet - it’s on our list of things to do.

But flexible layout (which was difficult to do in Freeway) should mean that there is less need for breakpoints.

Jeremy

Amazing news, can’t wait to try it. Well done Jeremy :)

On 9 Oct 2019, 10:43 am, agallagher wrote:

Amazing news, can’t wait to try it. Well done Jeremy :)

I agree, I can’t wait to have Xway!

Umberto

Oh boy what timing.. thanks to the team for all the hard work.. Looking forward to learning how to use the new Xway and let us know when you need us to purchase as Im in…

Unfortunately you will be bombarded with a ton of emails now! thx Carla

Hi Carla,

Unfortunately you will be bombarded with a ton of emails now!

We’re planning to set up an Xway Talk discussion list, and we’re hoping that people will use that as a place to ask questions (other people may have the same questions, or may be able to answer before we do).

Jeremy

Hi Alan,

Ive just upgraded to Mac OS Catalina and says I have to upgrade my Freeway, sorry I’ve seen the XWay emails going back and for but didn’t understand it, or rather didn’t think it applied to me. What do I do? I tried downloading 7.1 and says it won’t open.

Freeway won’t run under Catalina because it’s a 32-bit application and Apple have dropped support for 32-bit applications.

What we recommend is that people keep a partition with Mojave for when they need to run Freeway (or other 32-bit applications).

If you don’t have a Mojave installer, there is a link to it on Apple’s Mojave support page:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT210190

Another option is to run Mojave inside a VM (such as VMware Fusion or Desktop Parallels). There is a TidBITS article on how to do this:

https://tidbits.com/2019/09/18/moving-to-catalina-keep-your-32-bit-mac-apps-running-with-parallels/

Jeremy

Hi Alun,

So XWay is ready when? Will it be an upgrade or will I have to re buy it, my Exhibeo 2 will have to be the same I suppose and I only bought it literally this week.

We are planning to release a public beta of Xway in the next few weeks. It will be free while it is a beta. When we start selling it, there will be an upgrade path for Freeway users.

Xway isn’t yet a complete replacement for Freeway, so we suggest that Freeway users continue using Mojave for a transitional period. There are three ways of doing that:

1. Don’t upgrade to Catalina. You can use Xway alongside Freeway: both programs will run under Mojave (and High Sierra for that matter).

2. Keep a separate partition with Mojave on it, and boot into it when you need to run Freeway.

3. Run Mojave within a VM within Catalina, and run Freeway from the VM.

VM stands for virtual machine and allows you to run a different system within your main system. Sometimes people use a VM to run Windows under macOS, but you can also run an earlier version of macOS. Developers often do this because it’s convenient to be able to test using older versions of macOS without having to reboot.

There are two commercial VMs that you could use: VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop. There is also a free VM called VirtualBox, but it’s probably easier to use a commercial VM.

Jeremy

Thx Jeremy! Speaking for myself this beta version will give us a chance to acclimate with the new software.. C

On 10 Oct 2019, 8:33 am, Jeremy Hughes wrote:

We’re planning to set up an Xway Talk discussion list, and we’re hoping that people will use that as a place to ask questions (other people may have the same questions, or may be able to answer before we do).

Just wanted to say how pleased I am to see you going this route, with a free beta and a discussion list. As I’ve mentioned in the past, this worked really well for Serif, with their Affinity Design and Photos apps. It’s a great way of getting people on board and eventually launching a solid working app.

GREAT news!!!!! i can’t wait to use and pay the bill.

Bravo, Richard Logan and Jeremy Hughes! I’m eager to give Xway a spin.

—James Wages

Thanks, Jeremy! I use Freeway since 2010. It allows me to write websites and web applications. There are some bugs in version 7, but they don’t stop me from working. Very await the a new version of. I’m not starting two new projects in anticipation of a new XWAY. I would like to see the new XWAY make full use of CSS3 and HTML5. I as download beta XRAY d test and write reviews. Thank you so much for continuing the FREEWAY project. I haven’t found a Freeway alternative for me.

Hi Jane,

1. There will be an upgrade price when we start selling Xway, but the public beta version will be free.

2. I’m using Catalina on a separate partition for testing purposes, but it will be a while before I use it as my main system. I’ve seen reports of serious bugs that are worrying (e.g. data loss in Apple Mail).

3. It will take a while before Xway is a complete replacement for Freeway. Our advice is to keep Mojave on a separate partition (or external drive), or run it in a VM, so that you can continue to use Freeway (and other 32-bit apps). See previous messages in this thread for more information.

4. Much of Xway should be familiar to Freeway users, but we’ve also redesigned it in places to reflect the fact that the web is different to how it was when Freeway was first written (over 20 years ago).

5. The public beta is just a starting point. Our plan is for Xway to develop rapidly over the coming months and years, matching its initial pace of development.

Jeremy

—

On 22 Oct 2019, at 12:12, Jane Davies via freewaytalk <[email protected]> wrote:

This is the news we have been waiting a LONG time to hear. Congratulations on all your hard work (and I haven’t even seen it yet!) Will there be an upgrade price for FreewayPro7 owners or is this such a fundamental rebuild that we’re all “starting again”?

Looking forward to trying it. And upgrading the MacOS we’ve dragging our heels over…and probably finally upgrading the hardware to boot.

Sure I’ll be delighted whatever it’s features are and I’m presuming that (speaking as a craftsman who needs a website rather than a web developer) most of my hard won Freeway-Learning-Curve will form the basis of tacitly understanding Xway?

Really didn’t want to be learning new software but have to admit I nearly abandoned you to Webflow before deciding to keep our old Mac/OS and hanging on in there. As a Lay User rather than an expert, I really liked the simple looking way Webflow integrate an easy-to-understand Content Management System inspector into their User Interface; many alternatives seem to trumpet this feature now and if you’ve built in something even vaguely similar then I’ll be delighted.

Will likely keep FW7 on a separate partition until I’m clear in my head how Xway works but this is still the best news I’ve heard in 2019. I know it has been a mammoth task (with more ahead) but Good For You and let’s see the Beta version as soon as possible. I’m feeling impatient now..!

I still have two web that were produced in freeway pro. I can’t access them or fix them since updating to Catalina. What can I do now?

Hi Mike,

I still have two web that were produced in freeway pro. I can’t access them or fix them since updating to Catalina. What can I do now?

Two options:

1. Install Mojave on a separate partition or external drive for when you need to run Freeway (or other 32-bit apps)

2. Run Mojave inside a VM (such as VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop). There is a TidBITS article that explains how to do this with Parallels:

https://tidbits.com/2019/09/18/moving-to-catalina-keep-your-32-bit-mac-apps-running-with-parallels/

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy, I hope all is well.

I am still considering which one of these options is more convenient for me. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Marcus

On Nov 20, 2019, at 9:53 AM, Jeremy Hughes <[email protected]> wrote:

Two options:

1. Install Mojave on a separate partition or external drive for when you need to run Freeway (or other 32-bit apps)

2. Run Mojave inside a VM (such as VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop). There is a TidBITS article that explains how to do this with Parallels:

I’ve steered clear of 10.15 so far but have got 10.11 set up with VMware Fusion for older apps. You can have the VM running on your machine whilst still working in the latest MacOS version at the same time. Using a partition would mean (for me) a lot of shutting down and restarting which the VM route avoids.

Gordon

Creating another partition is free, but requires rebooting as Gordon mentioned. Buying VM software costs money, but not a ton. However, you might have to subscribe to get updates that work with the latest macOS every year or pay to upgrade every year.

There are pros and cons to each method. I can’t say which will work better for you.

Hi Joe, thanks for your answer! I believe I will stick with the VM software since it allows me to run both Mac OS at the same time.

Best regards, Marcus

On Nov 21, 2019, at 7:14 AM, Joe Muscara <[email protected]> wrote:

Creating another partition is free, but requires rebooting as Gordon mentioned. Buying VM software costs money, but not a ton. However, you might have to subscribe to get updates that work with the latest macOS every year or pay to upgrade every year.

There are pros and cons to each method. I can’t say which will work better for you.

Sorry - I’ve only just seen this (Gmail puts some of my Freeway Talk messages into spam), but other people have given some good answers.

I’m waiting for Apple to fix some more bugs before I upgrade to Catalina (I have it running on a test partition), but I’m planning to use a VM when I do that.

Jeremy

Very excited about the developing Xway. What might be the approximate timescale until the full version is available?

Hi Nicholas,

Xway is currently at version 0.1, while Freeway was developed over many years (from 1992 onwards) and through many versions - so there are features that we haven’t yet implemented in Xway. We plan to release new beta versions, with more features, over the coming months.

What you can do with Xway is to create modern flexible websites that will display on different devices (computers, phones, tablets). It’s possible to do this in Freeway, but it’s not easy.

Our advice, in general, is to carry on using Freeway for existing sites, but to use Xway for new sites. There won’t be any new versions of Freeway, and it won’t run on new versions of macOS (from Catalina onwards) - but you can carry on using it as long as you keep an old version of macOS (e.g. Mojave) on a spare partition, or install it within a VM (virtual machine) such as VMWare or Parallels.

Jeremy

—

On 15 Feb 2020, at 14:03, Nicholas Robertson via freewaytalk <[email protected]> wrote:

I have just download Xway beta and at first general usage it would appear to be very lightweight. I thought it would have the same features as Freeway, but it has the feel of an ‘Entry Level’ program. I hope I am wrong and being premature, I have used Freeway for years with successful and creative good results. I am not sure I would be able to easily repeat something like www.nicholas-robertson.uk with Xway. I would be interested to now what other Freeway users think.

Dear Jeremy!

I feel thrilled and excited to start to use Xway asap! But is there a manual, “how to” texts around for me to read? I have also lost the URL.s to your sites….

If you could help me fill in the ”blanks”, I´d be more than happy!

/Arne

On 16 Feb 2020, at 15:39, Jeremy Hughes <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Nicholas,

Xway is currently at version 0.1, while Freeway was developed over many years (from 1992 onwards) and through many versions - so there are features that we haven’t yet implemented in Xway. We plan to release new beta versions, with more features, over the coming months.

What you can do with Xway is to create modern flexible websites that will display on different devices (computers, phones, tablets). It’s possible to do this in Freeway, but it’s not easy.

Our advice, in general, is to carry on using Freeway for existing sites, but to use Xway for new sites. There won’t be any new versions of Freeway, and it won’t run on new versions of macOS (from Catalina onwards) - but you can carry on using it as long as you keep an old version of macOS (e.g. Mojave) on a spare partition, or install it within a VM (virtual machine) such as VMWare or Parallels.

Jeremy

—

On 15 Feb 2020, at 14:03, Nicholas Robertson via freewaytalk <[email protected]> wrote:

I have just download Xway beta and at first general usage it would appear to be very lightweight. I thought it would have the same features as Freeway, but it has the feel of an ‘Entry Level’ program. I hope I am wrong and being premature, I have used Freeway for years with successful and creative good results. I am not sure I would be able to easily repeat something like www.nicholas-robertson.uk with Xway. I would be interested to now what other Freeway users think.

On 21 Feb 2020, 1:31 pm, Arne Gustafsson wrote:

I feel thrilled and excited to start to use Xway asap! But is there a manual, “how to” texts around for me to read?

Yes, there is a Read Me, a manual, a tutorial and sample documents, and the discussion group on Groups.io.

Hi Arne,

Expanding on Joe’s answer:

1. Select Welcome from the Help menu for the Readme. This is also displayed the first time you launch Xway (or a new version of Xway)

2. Select “Xway User Guide” from the Help menu for a detailed reference manual

3. Select “Xway Resources” from the Help menu to go to the Xway Resources section of our website, where you can download a tutorial and sample documents

4. Select “Support And Community” from the Help menu to go to the Xway discussion group (Xway Talk).

Jeremy