iWeb and #$%! .Mac

[hkriffraff]

Once again, Apple's peddling of the ridiculously overpriced .Mac service is a thorn in my side. I finally got around to setting up a nice personal blog site using iWeb, publish it to a folder and upload to my webhost. It looks great, but then I realize there is no way for anyone to leave comments.
I go back to the inspector, enable comments and upload the site again. No change. Turns out this feature and the search feature will only work for .Mac subscribers. So I have just been wasting all my time, because a blog with no comments loses all its interactivity.

I'm happy for Apple if there's a market for .Mac, but shame on them for purposely crippling important functions of their apps for non .Mac subscribers. With record profits, is it really necessary for Apple to pull Microsoft-esque tactics just to sell a few more .Mac subscriptions? This is infuriating! By any chance is there a workaround?

 

[Josias]

Dude, it's less than $100. Just get a Myspace blog or something else. It's just like you can't use the Zune with Mac OS X. If you insist on using Apple's iWeb, you gotta use their .Mac.

Many find things like these and QT Pro etc. ridiculous, but I have no problem whatsoever. I love QT Pro, and I'm probably getting a .Mac familypack as soon as my family switches. It's Apple.

 

[the Western zoo]

well might be because it apple don't know the login or location of your MySQL database... I don't know hard it would be for apple to integrate a function to let you enter these values, cause I don't know much aobut either php or MySQL...

 

[hkriffraff]

It's the principle. Why should I have to pay $100 for no other reason than to get the functionality that Apple has purposely crippled for non .Mac subscribers? I have my own domain, my own web hosting account. I want my blog to appear on my domain, not on .Mac.

 

[Josias]

Well, there's other website-making software. iWeb is made particularly for .Mac. And also to attract costumers to .Mac. One-click full feature website with .Mac. Jack with your own domain. That's iWeb, other software is better if you want your own domain I guess.

 

[akadmon]

So is it possible to upload/publish your pages from within iWeb to a server other than .Mac? If the answer is yes, does iWeb upload only the changed pages?

 

[hkriffraff]

There's nothing in iLife promo material to indicate that iWeb is specifically intended for .Mac users. If they had made this clear, I wouldn't have wasted my money upgrading to iLife 06 and wasted my time setting up a useless blog.

I don't think it is possible to publish directly to a server if you're not with .Mac. You have to export your site files to a local folder then FTP to the server.

 

[krestfallen]

Dude, it's less than $100.

100$ is much for young people. .mac is not for everyone. very sad that there is no educational discount or something.

 

[rdowns]

There's nothing in iLife promo material to indicate that iWeb is specifically intended for .Mac users. If they had made this clear, I wouldn't have wasted my money upgrading to iLife 06 and wasted my time setting up a useless blog.

I don't think it is possible to publish directly to a server if you're not with .Mac. You have to export your site files to a local folder then FTP to the server.

Oh really? The title on the iLife page says this:

The Internet is calling. Answer. Use iWeb to create websites and blogs — complete with podcasts, photos, and movies — and get them online, fast. Just drag, drop, and design using your choice of web templates, then publish live to your .Mac account.

The blogging section says this:

Use iWeb to start your own weblog and add new entries as easily as writing an email. Choose a blog template, type in your own text, and drag in photos from the iLife Media Browser. iWeb takes care of everything else, setting up navigation for your blog, creating a summary page, and adding an entry archive. iWeb also handles the RSS feed for your blog, so anyone can subscribe. And when you’re done adding an entry, just one click publishes your blog via .Mac.

The box says this:

.Mac account required for iPhoto photocast publishing and recommended for iWeb


Seems to me you didn't do your homework before you bought it. Apple is a business and exists to make profits (and enriching my profits on the stock I own). There are plenty of free web site creation alternatives if you don't want .Mac.

 

[Markleshark]

Once again, Apple's peddling of the ridiculously overpriced .Mac service is a thorn in my side. I finally got around to setting up a nice personal blog site using iWeb, publish it to a folder and upload to my webhost. It looks great, but then I realize there is no way for anyone to leave comments.
I go back to the inspector, enable comments and upload the site again. No change. Turns out this feature and the search feature will only work for .Mac subscribers. So I have just been wasting all my time, because a blog with no comments loses all its interactivity.

I'm happy for Apple if there's a market for .Mac, but shame on them for purposely crippling important functions of their apps for non .Mac subscribers. With record profits, is it really necessary for Apple to pull Microsoft-esque tactics just to sell a few more .Mac subscriptions? This is infuriating! By any chance is there a workaround?

I must agree fully. For what .Mac is, its a complete fortune. Yes, I also agree that it [iWeb] requires a .Mac too much as well, I mean, a webcounter that requires .Mac... Please.

However, if you don't want .Mac, there are, as has been stated, loads of other website design programs.