After reading countless threads about how most of the iApps in iLife 08 are constantly crashing, how the new iMovie sucks, how iDVD is pretty much the same as it was in the previous version, how people are so sick of the new iLife that they are simply removing it and getting the old one back, etc, it sounds to me like perhaps I should not bother getting this version of iLife. Or maybe Apple will release a patch that will fix many of these problems in the near future. What should I do? Thanks.
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Should I bother getting iLife 08?
- Thread starter Zwhaler
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Tough call.
Personally, it was an easy call for me. I use iLife almost exclusively for iPhoto. Don't tell anyone, but I'd buy iPhoto for $79 if need be.
I also really like the concept of the new iMovie. In my opinion, it should have been added as a 5th app, rather than replacing the older version. It does a lot of the same stuff, but it's a much better cateloging utility than the older version.
Since, by default, the new install of iMovie doesn't overwrite the older version of iMovie, I'm very happy with it.
As far as the rest of the apps go...
Garage Band: Not interested.
iDVD: As long as it's on-par with the previous version, I'm happy. I don't use it that much. I put most of my vids on AppleTV and YouTube.
iWeb: It's every bit as worthless as the last version. Does it allow you to create very nice Web sites quickly? Absolutely. But the bloated code makes it unusable for business situations.
Personally, it was an easy call for me. I use iLife almost exclusively for iPhoto. Don't tell anyone, but I'd buy iPhoto for $79 if need be.
I also really like the concept of the new iMovie. In my opinion, it should have been added as a 5th app, rather than replacing the older version. It does a lot of the same stuff, but it's a much better cateloging utility than the older version.
Since, by default, the new install of iMovie doesn't overwrite the older version of iMovie, I'm very happy with it.
As far as the rest of the apps go...
Garage Band: Not interested.
iDVD: As long as it's on-par with the previous version, I'm happy. I don't use it that much. I put most of my vids on AppleTV and YouTube.
iWeb: It's every bit as worthless as the last version. Does it allow you to create very nice Web sites quickly? Absolutely. But the bloated code makes it unusable for business situations.
I haven't had any of the apps crash on me (accept for iPhoto, but that was an outdated plugin issue).
I think iDVD doesn't have very many new features because in Steve's keynote, it seems their goal is to get more people to use the new iMovie and publish their videos to .Mac for sharing instead of burning DVDs.
I think iDVD doesn't have very many new features because in Steve's keynote, it seems their goal is to get more people to use the new iMovie and publish their videos to .Mac for sharing instead of burning DVDs.
Just curious ... why would you expect a consumer-level application to deliver business-level web design solutions?
If you're looking to get a Dreamweaver-quality app as part of a $79 suite, then I would suggest that the problem lies more with your expectations, than the quality of the software.
Cheers
Jim
um. ok, i agree that iWeb is not aimed at businesses, but clean, efficient semantec code should be a goal for a tool aimed at ANYONE. i dont expect websites to be crappier just because they aren't a business!
also. "dreamweaver-quality" is an oxymoron when it comes to generated markup/code.
Busted. I'm a print designer by trade and I really can't get excited by code snobbery. I've always considered HTML to be broadly analagous to Postscript, in so far as it's a language intended to allow a design to be accurately represented when it hits a target device.
With Postscript, that's a RIP or a laser printer, with HTML it's a browser. In both cases, the languages are an intermediate step, a means to an end and not an end in itself. The important parts of the process are the intent (design) and representation.
I've performed some abominable indignities on the code stage of print jobs to get the end stage to look how it's supposed to.
I'm afraid I feel much the same way about website coding ...
Cheers
Jim
I really like the new iMovie, sure it doesn't have the features of the old iMovie HD, but it is so useable. I never really used iMovie because I've never used video editing software before, and couldn't really work out what I was doing.
With the new iMovie I did literally put together a 2-3 minute video in about 10 minutes. If I ever need more, I've still got the old iMovie and can put more effects on in there, or do the whole lot in there if I ever learn to use it. I can see that the new version is limited, but for n00b like me, it's great.
iPhoto, events is very cool. I have a library of over 6000 photos. Events is very useful.
The rest, I don't really use, but I had a look at them and they don't have much on the previous versions. Garageband has the magicband things, which IMHO is a waste of space. It's as cheap and tacky as the built in tunes on a £30 casio keyboard. Actual garageband seems pretty much unchanged.
With the new iMovie I did literally put together a 2-3 minute video in about 10 minutes. If I ever need more, I've still got the old iMovie and can put more effects on in there, or do the whole lot in there if I ever learn to use it. I can see that the new version is limited, but for n00b like me, it's great.
iPhoto, events is very cool. I have a library of over 6000 photos. Events is very useful.
The rest, I don't really use, but I had a look at them and they don't have much on the previous versions. Garageband has the magicband things, which IMHO is a waste of space. It's as cheap and tacky as the built in tunes on a £30 casio keyboard. Actual garageband seems pretty much unchanged.
Busted, Im a web designer. when your Postscript has to work with Printers that can have Dynamic Changes turned on or off, Styling turned on or off, and be interpreted by a range of Printers that work in a number of very different ways (when is the last time a printer read a page out to you?) you have an argument.
a Printer does one thing. it PRINTS things. it is inherently GRAPHICAL.
The web is a VERY different beast. Graphical is what most people THINK it is. But without something meaningful behind all the pretty colours and pictures, it's next to useless for the vision impaired, blind, or people using alternative browsers/devices.
If it wasn't for the abominations people like yourself create when writing HTML, people like those working on the WebKit team wouldn't have to spend time working out issues with said abominations of HTML, which MSIE laps up. We could have more CSS3 support, other REAL bugs fixed. but no. they have to spend time to make it work with the **** code people like you insist upon using because you're too lazy or too incompetent to work out the RIGHT WAY TO DO IT.
Easy, there! I think you missed the part where I didn't say that you were wrong, and have imagined a part where I said I was right. I said no such thing, I said I didn't care.
If I want to stick a web gallery of my mates down the pub on teh interweb, I couldn't give a flying, err, fudge whether its W3C standards compliant. I care whether my mates can see it. It's going to be there for a couple of weeks, and then I'll take it down or replace it with something else.
I want to be able to quickly and easily achieve that, and that's the purpose of iWeb. If you check my original post, I was actually pointing out that criticizing iWeb for not producing business standard sites rather misses the point of the application, and is not, really, much of a criticism. You might as well criticize Pages for not being InDesign.
I have nothing but admiration for people who are able to grapple with the intricacies of web coding, but I also don't have the time to do it myself. In all honesty, I should probably get as upset as you about people who pass Word documents off as professional design, but I don't have the energy for that, either!
Cheers
Jim
apologies. but there is no reason for any GUI app not to create valid, efficient markup. Hell, there are JAVASCRIPT driven WYSIWYG editors around that create valid, clean markup, why can't a desktop app?
I think you are missing the point for what iWeb is for. It isn't designed to make the most professional websites - it is designed for folk who don't have or have little experience with web production and want to make a nice, quick website.
I've made many websites in Dreamweaver, and I've always designed them from a graphical point of view rather than code (apart from the point I only know HTML). Websites I made were for the purpose of giving information (such as a band site) and photos, video.
That is exactly what iWeb is meant for. People who want to use it to give out information, show photos and videos. It isn't designed for people who are going to be making login systems, complicated web production like a forum or anything like that.
Back on topic now, I like the "Publish to Web Gallery" feature in iPhoto, and also the added editing features. I hate iMovie 08 - it is so tedious to use. I have a clip already made that I want to import into iMovie, and iMovie seperates the bloody thing and I have to select what I want from that clip.
It would make so much easier if iMovie 08 used a timeline, and I could cut bits out etc that way.
I've made many websites in Dreamweaver, and I've always designed them from a graphical point of view rather than code (apart from the point I only know HTML). Websites I made were for the purpose of giving information (such as a band site) and photos, video.
That is exactly what iWeb is meant for. People who want to use it to give out information, show photos and videos. It isn't designed for people who are going to be making login systems, complicated web production like a forum or anything like that.
Back on topic now, I like the "Publish to Web Gallery" feature in iPhoto, and also the added editing features. I hate iMovie 08 - it is so tedious to use. I have a clip already made that I want to import into iMovie, and iMovie seperates the bloody thing and I have to select what I want from that clip.
It would make so much easier if iMovie 08 used a timeline, and I could cut bits out etc that way.
Well honestly I don't understand all this anger around iWeb.
I have playing with XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and Ajax for several years. I come for Wordpress I honestly got tired of tweaking plugins to make them work or changing file permissions or adding SQL databases for one feature...
I learned a lot but honestly... I just learned, i was not really using them and I would always make another change somewhere...
I ditched my host, I ditched Wordpress, I ditched my Flicrk Pro account and I am now on .Mac + iWeb and although things may not be optimized... well it works! and you'll actually make something great out of your website.
The domain support is nice and the ability to write entries offline is quite interesting as well. The new version is more open to external content (web widgets) and that's really all you needed.
I use iPhotos + .Mac Galleries. It does the job, what else would you want? The photo correction tools have been updated as well. It's a nice organizer
i'm looking forward to use iMovie when I get a good video camera. The possibilities seem fantastic especially with iDVD
Garaband probably is the only app that I will not use.
Well all this for $79... insanely cheap imo
EDIT:
I did have a few trouble at the beginning. A couple of apps would not start up but the problem suddenly resolved 10 min later... I guess it just needs a couple of reboot or file permissions checking... Not sure what I did . Right now everything run very smoothly
I have playing with XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and Ajax for several years. I come for Wordpress I honestly got tired of tweaking plugins to make them work or changing file permissions or adding SQL databases for one feature...
I learned a lot but honestly... I just learned, i was not really using them and I would always make another change somewhere...
I ditched my host, I ditched Wordpress, I ditched my Flicrk Pro account and I am now on .Mac + iWeb and although things may not be optimized... well it works! and you'll actually make something great out of your website.
The domain support is nice and the ability to write entries offline is quite interesting as well. The new version is more open to external content (web widgets) and that's really all you needed.
I use iPhotos + .Mac Galleries. It does the job, what else would you want? The photo correction tools have been updated as well. It's a nice organizer
i'm looking forward to use iMovie when I get a good video camera. The possibilities seem fantastic especially with iDVD
Garaband probably is the only app that I will not use.
Well all this for $79... insanely cheap imo
EDIT:
I did have a few trouble at the beginning. A couple of apps would not start up but the problem suddenly resolved 10 min later... I guess it just needs a couple of reboot or file permissions checking... Not sure what I did . Right now everything run very smoothly
First, "expect" is your word, not mine. I never said I "expected" anything out of it.
Let's forget for a moment that I used the "business" word, and allow me to rephrase...
iWeb: It's every bit as worthless as the last version. Does it allow you to create very nice Web sites quickly? Absolutely. But, because the code is so bloated, you won't want to use it if you're interested in having your pages load at a descent speed (the Javascript file alone in a Web gallery is .5 MB!) for users on slower connections, or if you have an interest in getting descent search engine rankings.
I hope that clears it up.
For the record, I do use Dreamweaver, BBEdit, Fireworks, Illustrator and Photoshop for my business needs. But...
A. There is nothing wrong with producing clean, quick-loading, indexable code for a personal site. In fact, I'd say the "quick-loading" part is arguably more important than it is for a B2B site. Where are your dial-up users... In businesses or homes?
B. I'm just disappointed because iWeb is extremely close to being a usable product for a small business, and is probably used as such by many people. If they just cleaned up that code, they'd stop uninformed newbies from making mistakes.
So I guess the new iLife isn't soo bad after all. I guess it is worth it? I use Garageband, iMovie, iDVD, and someone who will be using a copy of iLife I will be giving them uses iPhoto all the time (and is starting to use iWeb). So it's worth it? Just making sure I'm not making a mistake.