Where are the developers going where is RW heading?

Classic General
1

did I miss something? is there a shift in RW business model or programming direction?

I’ve been using products created by Elixir Graphics for the better part of a decade. but Adam closed up shop. its not clear to me from his message, but it appears a more sinister undercurrent exists.

can anyone explain what the future of programmers and products to be used with Rapidweaver.

wondering if I need to start looking at other site building options (without having to know too much code of course)

2

Hi @soccerdoc,

In short:

  1. Realmac announced a new version of RapidWeaver that breaks compatibility with Stacks. This new version can do what Stacks did out of the box, and comes with a pretty big set of ‘stacks’ to get you going
  2. Realmac offered existing Stacks developers a way to convert their stacks to be compatible with the new version of RapidWeaver. Some accepted, some declined. Those that declined reason that Realmac’s move is harmful to Yourhead (Stacks’ developer) and sided with them instead. They are now developing a standalone version of Stacks, with Joe Workman (Weaver’s Space) as one of the biggest backers
  3. In Adams (Elixir Graphics) case, he has stated that his products will not add much to the set of features that the new version of RapidWeaver comes with, and expects sales of his products to plummet.

It’s uncertain who currently retains the movie rights for the above, but I’ve already asked Stephen Merchant if he’d be interested to play @dan in the movie.

Cheers,
Erwin

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4

I know the announcement from Elixir has raised a few eyebrows, especially given how long Adam has been around in the RapidWeaver community. However, I believe Adam’s decision seems more personal and tied to his own priorities, rather than a reflection of something bad or problematic with the future of RapidWeaver.

Change like this can be unsettling, but it doesn’t mean the sky is falling. Far from it. We’re actively developing Elements as the next generation of RapidWeaver, and while that transition may involve some growing pains, it’s also an opportunity for some serious innovation.

Your existing RapidWeaver Classic workflow and legacy stacks won’t disappear overnight. However, the focus is shifting to RapidWeaver Elements, but you have plenty of time to evaluate things going forward.

My advice would be to stick with RapidWeaver Classic for now, especially if you value the community and ecosystem you’re used to. When RapidWeaver Elements is publicly available, consider experimenting with it and see if it’ll work for your projects — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

RapidWeaver Elements is a more modern approach to web building compared to Classic and the Stacks plugin. It focuses on a WYSIWYG no-code/low-code experience while offering more powerful tools, and using the latest web technologies. Due to these advances, it does mean legacy addons will need to be rethought and redeveloped to work with Elements.

While these changes come with their challenges, they also open the door to some really exciting possibilities. I’m confident that RapidWeaver and the ecosystem around it have a very bright future ahead. I hope you’ll stick around and be part of it :smiling_face:

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