Adobe has released a public beta of Muse, a website design and publishing tool for creating websites without writing any HTML code. That may remind you of Apple’s iWeb, which is probably on Apple’s chopping block.
Adobe says Muse uses the latest web standards, such as HTML 5 and CSS3, and provides “innovative frameworks for adding navigation, widgets and HTML to include advanced interactivity on a site.” Muse promises customizable site features, including widgets such as navigation menus, and interactive elements such as slideshows and remote rollovers. It also allows for master page layouts and site-wide properties, as well as sitemaps that can be quickly changed.
Muse is free while in its public beta stage and will be released in 2012 at a cost of US$20 per month or $180 annually. Why a subscription model instead of an outright price? Adobe says that’s so they can “to add new features to Muse regularly and customers will always have access to the most up-to-date functionality which is critical when building standards-based content that is cross-browser compatible.”
Remember: beta software is unfinished software so use with care. Also, Lion users might want to wait a bit before giving Muse a whirl.
“We’re isolating a bug related to Mission Control and multiple desktops,” per a note. “If you plan on using those Lion features, make sure to place both the palettes and the main app window in the same ‘desktop.’ We’ll update our FAQ when we’ve completed testing.”
— Dennis Sellers