I’ve used RW for must be 10 years. It’s been great!
I simply cannot support one app becoming three apps (Classic, Elements and he who shall not be named), all doing the same thing! This is not good for anything. It will increase costs, create compatibility issues and no end of headaches.
I’m so sorry you devs couldn’t work this out. I will not be upgrading to RW or the new Stacks app. I will move my websites to another app entirely.
All that aside, thanks for a great app that’s served me well this last decade.
Thanks for the feedback, we totally understand the situation our customers face. It’s not ideal, but we’re now doing our best to support everyone that wants to continue using RapidWeaver.
We believe offering these two versions to support EVERYONE is the right thing to do.
You’ll be able to continue using RapidWeaver Classic for many years to come, and who knows, maybe YourHead will even bring Stacksks 5 to Classic! Perhaps @isaiah will chime in on his thoughts about this?
RapidWeaver Elements is our next-generation web design app. We’re doing things with the platform that’s just not possible with the classic version of RapidWeaver. It’s going to be an exciting time ahead for sure.
If you stick within the RapidWeaver ecosystem you’ll be in safe hands going forward.
Thanks again, and I hope you’ll stick around to see how things progress.
If a company is to remain relevant it cannot just sit on its past successes. It must at some point in time reinvent itself. I suspect RMS is now doing just that. I like many others thought, and I think rightfully so, that ongoing support for our substantial investment in RW and third-party add-ons was now in jeopardy with the announcement and eventual rollout of Elements. Classic will soften the blow but eventually will, I suspect, be terminated. I for one look forward to the rollout of Elements. If RW classic is eventually terminated it will not be the first piece of software that I have invested in that bit the dust. Now we’ll wait and see what purchasing model RMS embraces. Will it be an outright purchase or subscription?
RapidWeaver is all I have ever used for my 43-year-old business. It’s all I know… And I don’t want to learn anything else at this point of my career… So many very nice people in the community have helped me over the years and I appreciate them so, so much!
I also know that Isaiah & Stacks is amazing! ( I also think Joe workman is amazing! )
Having said all that… Can’t everyone just get along?
For me, the Bottom Line (as a user) is that - What is happening now seems as clear as mud.
RW8 still works and will for the foreseeable future.
RW Classic will keep Stacks functionality working so upgrading should allow your projects to work just as they are now.
RW Elements, will introduce Realmac’s new builder and at this point doesn’t look like it will include Stacks (Realmac will need to comment here as I’m not sure.)
The Stacks developer is building his own app that will work with his Stacks plugin to enable people to build full websites in his new app as RW is doing now.
If you’re unsure, and your current system is working you can always wait to see how the new releases affect users.
Thanks for that Info. It really does clear some things up. I didn’t realize Isaiah was building his own framework for stacks and website creation. Interesting… I will sit tight and watch
I’m still struggling to understand the consternation expressed in the original post. As a user, I don’t need all three apps, right? If I am happy with the RW + Stacks combo I am using, I don’t ever need to be involved with Elements or the new Stacks environment from Yourhead, do I? Are people thinking the Stacks 5 plugin WON’T work with Classic, or that Yourhead will abandon updating Stacks as a plugin to focus solely on the Stacks App/Environment?
I know there’s some bad blood out there, and I think it is justified, but strictly as a consumer, I like having options, and keeping a “classic” RW app that allows me to avoid changing apps seems like a really good compromise, while allowing me the option of switching to the Stacks app or the Elements version of RW down the road if I find that either one meets my needs better than my current setup.
Your best option is to stay put. Ride out RW8 + Stacks and stacks. RW Classic should run all your existing Stacks 4 and stacks for quite awhile. Stacks 5 is likely going to be solely its own app and environment and will likely not be compatible with RW 8 for very long if at all.
RW needed to move on and that is Elements.
Stacks needed to move on so it was not limited to the restrictions of working with RW’s API. The code that allows the two apps to work together.
So yes, eventually there will be 3 apps all serving the same things just differently.
RW Classic will support Stacks 4 (the current version).
RW Elements currently won’t support stacks at all as it’s introducing it’s new RW builder (Stacks alternative).
YourHead is developing its own web development app that will run Stacks 5 and beyond exclusively. At the moment Stacks 5 is not going to be available on RW.
Right. I just don’t understand why that is a bad thing. Having both Elements and Classic is what should have happened in the first place. If that had happened, Yourhead might not have been pushed to develop their own environment in order to preserve their business. With the announcement of the Classic version of RW, users and developers all have more options, which I can only see as a good thing.
Because it’ll cost users more, create compatibility issues as well as requiring users to transition their sites at some point, creating more work.
The features I’ve purchased through stacks and plugins are unlikely to be free in Elements (and maybe not even available in the short term), I may need to re-purchase elements version of the feature.
The Stacks app will also cost. Will you be able to use your purchased stacks in RW Classic and the new Stacks app or will that require a new license? Will themes that I’m using work across these three apps? Are all developers who create stacks going to support all platforms? Finally, RW Elements and Stacks5 app are going to be new apps with their own teething issues.
I’m afraid I don’t foresee a smooth transition here. Certainly more work for those maintaining and building websites and most likely more costs.
IMO @dan decision to continue developing 2 apps instead of 1 is a courageous one and also solid proof of goodwill @dan is putting out there. I have already moved to Blocs but I will definitely buy RW Elements. My customer experience by both @isaiah and @joeworkman was almost every time negative and I am really happy this divorce finally came, as their products, lack of professionalism and monopoly are the reasons I switched.
From a technology POV, stacks was not properly maintained, especially for the price paid, and Zurb’s Foundation is a declining framework where @joeworkman is the last man standing. At a high level, both technologies are liabilities, instead of innovative tools.
Last, from a social POV, it is evident that @dan made every effort possible to keep everyone in the platform, including providing 2 apps which I can’t imagine the costs and effort bares.
So to conclude, for me it’s not 3 apps, it is just 1: RW Elements and I am already loving it.
The only downside is losing @joeworkman ‘s contribution to the community, which is huge.
This has not been my experience. @isaiah has kept me on RW over many years through his amazing Stacks plugin. I’ve found @joeworkman to be professional, and extremely helpful going well beyond what you’d expect to help someone out.
There’s always two sides to every conflict. In the end we are where we are because it didn’t work out, and pointing fingers doesn’t help us. I applaud RW as they have finally innovated which is what people have been asking for for the last number of releases.
I’m confident that both RW and Stacks will do well. Probably not so much from the existing user base who have heavily invested over the years and now need to restart that process, but certainly from new users coming to the apps for the first time.
I’m really appreciative in how RW forged the way when I first got into developing websites and also the amazing third party developers who have made creating websites a joy and breeze. I hope and pray that the third party developers get through this as they’re going to be hardest hit in the short term.
It was, but Joe is breathing new life into it and it has a very bright future. It is gaining momentum.
I don’t agree that it’ll cost users more, no one is forcing anyone to buy 3 new apps so the title of this thread is misleading.
Some people will go the Rapidweaver Classic and/or Elements route, some will go the Stacks App route and others (like me) will be buying all 3 to try them all out.
In terms of cost it’s been years since the last paid Rapidweaver upgrade and it’s currently £29. It’s also been years since Stacks 4 was released so I don’t mind paying for a new App.
The cost is not just in terms of the apps. Currently Stacks works, but is unlikely to work post Stacks 5 release and no guarantee from YourHead to make it work in any RW version beyond RW8. Anyone who has heavily invested in purchasing stacks over the years will either be stuck on RW8 and Classic with limited functionality. The alternative is Elements, but Elements won’t be using stacks at all. This will mean that users will need to purchase through Elements all the functionality that they have purchased already via Stacks, plus the functionality you currently have, may not be available on Elements release meaning users would need to source alternative solutions just to keep going what they currently have. Then there’s the cost of themes that will no longer work, plus the cost of needing to redevelop websites.
Even for Stacks users jumping to the Stacks app when it arrives, there is no guarantee that everything will work as it did in RW8.
I disagree. We had one app, RW. Now because of a disagreement between the developers we have 3 apps. All these apps will do exactly the same thing, develop websites. It’s also not as if users can choose from all 3 apps now. RW Classic has been released, then RW Elements will be released and then Stacks. Those who purchase RW Classic or Elements and find it is not working for them, will end up buying the Stacks app also.
In the end it will end up costing users more. Maybe not necessarily in buying the apps alone, but certainly in everything else.
I’ve had a licence for Blocs since its release. It’s become quite mature and they now have an ipad beta which would really help me for quick site updates. I’m currently moving one of my main sites over to test how easy it will be for me. I’ll definitely lose some functionality that I currently have through Stacks and will need to rethink those aspects of my site.
