Great (5.0)

I've read some negative reviews on this and it could be that I'm not savvy enough about website design yet to be aware of the flows referenced. One person wrote that their tech savvy friend told him that the site he created wouldn't be picked up by search engines because it contained scripts that the spiders would like. Well, I don't know anything about that. What I do know is that this software far exceeded my expectations both in the tools it provides and the ease with which it is to learn these tools. The book it comes with is straight forward and simple. Admittedly there was a few places where I made mistakes and had to carefully re-read the instructions to get it right but many of the features in this can be learned in just a couple of minutes. Well worth the money I spent.

It was great for the price (4.0)

This is my first Serif product. I am a teacher and have little experience with web design at all. I was using a trial version of dreamweaver and created a pretty basic site using the same colors I am using with X2. However, X2 was WAAAAAAY easier to use with about 4-5 hours total of messing around with it I was able to create a pretty good website. If you want to see it is not finished but it is "[...]" at least to see what the basic stuff can be done. I need to remind all of you that I am no expert here and am self taught since Tuesday!

What I like about WebPlus X2
1) It is a lot easier to use than Dreamweaver
2) the FTP upload makes getting the site on there really simple! I was using filezilla, but realized that X2 uploads everything the way it should be.
3) There is a lot of freedom to create your site without tables, which I liked
4) Cloning pages or creating new ones based on a previous format was nice! I didn't see that in Dreamweaver, but I didn't need to look for it in X2 either!
5) Premade buttons, forms, etc...
6) No HTML needed, but it there if you choose to add it

What I don't like
1) It can be a bit bland at times, and tedious
2) The linking process was easier in Dreamweaver in my opinion
3) There are A LOT more files that are needed to be uploaded relative to dreamweaver
4) I didn't like their templates (even though there are a ton)


I know it is like comparing apples to oranges between X2 and Dreamweaver, but it seems that Dreamweaver is just too complicated for a basic user. X2 does a great job developing the learning curve quickly to get at least a basic site online.

WebPlus X2 Website Maker (4.0)

Great product; however like everything else, you have to get used to the layout of the software and spend some time reading the instruction manual. Otherwise, the application is great.

Great app with limitations (3.0)

I purchased this for my personal website. After using Front Page for several years, this app is a breeze. It does have a couple of frustrating limitations:
Photo galleries are limited to 64 images
You can place captions on photos, but are limited to font size and caption placement
When creating a sub page, the navigation links on that sub page spread across the navigation area, making the font very large in some cases it just doesn't look right. For example:
Home page: index.htm
Pages: Pages 1-6
Page 2 has sub pages 2.1 and 2.2
When you click on page 2.1 sub page to view, the navigation links (options to select other pages) will show: Page 2.1, Page 2.2, and Page 2, and Home, spread across the entire navigation area (master page determines overall layout of your navigation area)
On the plus side: page hyperlinks are automatically created (or removed) as you build your site. Easy to edit the hierarchy of the pages by simply dragging to new location, master pages easy to edit and apply to all or select pages within website

refund rip off (3.0)

Returning to second on accidentally ordered cost over half the cost of the product. Had I known the cost I would have shopped locally

Lightweight, dependent on another book, and showing its age. (2.0)

Mr. Glazier has the makings of a blockbuster PowerPoint presentation here; unfortunately, he stretched it into a book. Of nearly 200 pages, fully half is devoted to reprinting information (court cases, patent applications) which is available online for free. While convenient access to such detail might appeal to some, it is in sharp contrast to the broad-brush approach Mr. Glazier takes in his original text.

Chapters are interrupted continually by cross-references to the "companion volume" (Patent Strategies for Business, third edition), and one notably unhelpful section effectively says: "You know that chapter from the other book? Well, add this, subtract that, and change the other, and then you'll know what I think about the subject at hand." With so much effort given to padding for length, you'd think he'd just reprint the whole chapter in modified form. It would have been more useful.

Finally, more than 20 pages are devoted to "Tech Trends" -- or, a patent attorney's prognostications about technology's future. As the book was copyrighted in 2000, the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the opinions is now mostly a matter of historical record, and this 10% of the book is now not particularly useful to anyone.

In summary: if you appreciate sweeping overviews that require very little time to read, this may be for you. If you want detail, depth of analysis, or an up-to-date review, look elsewhere.

Wonderful book! Worth a fortune! (5.0)

The new practical ideas in this book are very valuable. The case studies of how real businesses have used patent strategies in software and business methods bring to life how this can affect my business today to help the bottom line. The latest legal developments and cases are analyzed, but there is no useless lawyer-speak, instead the author brings out the rules for running a business profitably that are buried between the lines of the cases. Obviously, this author is on the front lines of the patent wars, and brings back here what he has learned that we can all use. Good for the CEO, Chairman, or General Counsel of any business that uses software or the internet, about how to use all that new patent mumbo-jumbo for revenue, profit and shareholder value. A great e-companion and update to the classic "Patent Strategies for Business" by the same author.

I particularly liked the chapters on 'Patent Denial' [a laugh-riot, and it's not easy to be funny about patents], and the updated rules on 'Virtual Genius and How to Invent on Demand' [the author makes it sound easy, but he as invented several patents himself, and he is a patent lawyer, so he must know-- I am glad he decided to tell the rest of us]. It will be interesting to see how the 'Tech Trends' and forecasts play out. The survey of the new patent practices in banking [yes, that's banking patents] was surprising and enlightening -- and I look forward to a more in depth survey by the same author. The 'Patent Audit' chapters are also useful.

I expect an ROI on my investment in this book of about a zillion percent.

terrible (1.0)

This is a terrible book, a scam if you will. In the first place, charging [$$$]for a under 200 pages, and with very small demensions, is outright theft. Secondly, the book is merly a summary of court cases, which can be obtained freely on the internet or from the US patent office web site, in greater detail. Thirdly, the author repeats himself many, usually entire paragraphs worded in slightly different ways. I can only think is is an attempt to "pat" the book and add more pages.

Useful but could have been more meaty (4.0)

This book provides a little over 80 pages of easily read advice on patent strategies involving software/internet-based business methods. It provides a quick overview of two landmark cases. More importantly, it suggests areas for patenting and checklists for IP strategy. The book was helpful as a broad overview. However, I thought that more detail should have been included. The last 100 pages were filled with "Tech Trends" and reprinted case data. The "Tech Trends" chapters were the author's predictions on the future of tech, and while interesting (and occasionally incorrect), don't include any patent-related analysis. Also, the book dates from late 1999 and an included survey chapter analyzed patents up to Jan 1999. Given that the State Street Bank case wrapped in 1998, it's a shame that more recent analyses weren't provided either in the book or on an associated web page, especially since many patents had just been filed before the survey.

The bottom line: useful, informative book but could have used more detail, newer data, and incorporated information from the companion volume. The author refers to strategies such as "submarining", "picket fence", and "leap frog" without giving a single line of explanation, instead plugging the companion volume. I have encountered those strategies in other legal readings/coursework, and I believe a few pages for each concept (in replacement of the chapters on Tech Trends) would have greatly enhanced the value of this book.

Legal and strategic advice that is invaluable (5.0)

When considering this book be aware that it is a supplement to the author's book titled "Patent Strategies for Business" to which frequent references are made.

That said, this book is still a valuable resource without "Patent Strategies for Business", which I have not read. What I like about this book is the number of real and hypothetical case studies, with well written legal analysis interwoven into the narrative. Much of the book is written in the ponderous legalese you'd expect from such a book, and this is necessary to ensure that there is no ambiguity communicated when legal points are made. However, there is also a lot of plain talk and common sense imparted, which makes this book readable by lay persons.

I personally gained a lot of excellent information from the book, including the fact that patents can be driven by legal as well as technology and marketing strategies. What this means is existing products can be modified with the advice of patent attorneys to be patentable and a part of a company's patent portfolio. This is an interesting and unique approach, and can (and should) be the basis for increasing a company's value.

Also excellent are the chapters that address updating existing products and services for the Internet, making them possibly patentable, and chapter 8's excellent set of steps for intellectual property audits.

Overall, with or without the primary book ("Patent Strategies for Business"), this is must reading for any business, small or large, that wants to capitalize on potential intellectual property assets to increase their net worth and value. It is also an excellent and thought-provoking read for strategic planners. I rate it at five solid stars for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the plethora of ideas the book generated and the clarification of some issues and factors related to services patents that I was researching.

OK software for the price. (4.0)

Serif Internet Design Suite is three programs - WebPlus 10, PhotoPlus 9, and PhotoObjects. WebPlus 10 is fine for the beginner who wants to make a simple web site. It is fairly intuitive but lacks impressive features. Serif has since come out with a newer version of WebPlus that does more, but you can find free or inexpensive programs to complement this version and save a bundle. For example, the photo gallery is much too basic, but there are many other photo galleries you can incorporate into your WebPlus 10 web site. The other two programs, PhotoPlus and PhotoObjects, are not useful unless you are familiar with programs such as PhotoShop. The price was right for the simple web site I am creating, but one could do better if willing to spend more.

Stay Away (1.0)

This is a terrible product. It uses the term template but in reality, a template is just a collection of individual pages that look the same. If you change the design or layout of your base "template" you have to edit each and every page. The only way you can create a navigation bar is by creating a separate frame outside the main page. Looks ridiculous. The "help" screens are standard tech head thoughtless screens. For example, "click on AutoLinks if you want to use AutoLinks" with absolutely no information about what AutoLinks does.

WebEasy works pretty much as advertised (4.0)

This program is easy to use and quite versatile. There are limitations of course in comparison to a program like Dreamweaver, but for the beginning website designer, this would be the way to go.

Coolmaker

Decent at best. (3.0)

Looking at reviews on other sites, i was expecting this program to be everything i needed. Turns out its a lot more difficult. Templates are annoying to deal with. Its a pain to upload photos or videos to it. All the templates are pretty much the same, other than changing colors. To create one for yourself is really tough for an amateur. The customer service is HORRIBLE. Takes days for a response sometimes. When talking to the chat support, they take forever and never fully answer your question.

Lotta bang for the buck (4.0)

Pretty easy to use, lots of templates, lots of nice features (some dynamic - eg button rollover), much simpler and easier to learn than the industry "standards", ideal for the non-professional to produce and publish quick, attractive, and functional sites. Tech support is unfortunately non-existent so more learning is trial-and-error than need be. $50 for these capabilities is a real bargain.

Easy? It's anything but easy!!!! (1.0)

I purchased this software based on reviews and the fact that it had a template I wanted to use. It took three weeks to create a website that is functionally limited. If you try to create a simple, single page HTML website without any add-ons you probably can do it in a day or two. If you want any dynamic content you will have problems making it work.

If you follow the user's guide you will have all sorts of problems. First, the guide leaves alot out. Second, some of it is just plain incorrect. Need help? Try their chat line first. These folks don't know much at all about their product. If the answer isn't on their script they ask you to call their "senior techs". Once you find out that they don't know much more (after waiting a half hour on hold) they transfer you to the company that created the software. Be prepared to wait for at least 45 minutes before you get to speak with someone. The first time I tried my phone died from the wait. They will listen to your problems, then tell you that the software has bugs and you can't do what you want.

I wanted six simple things. First, I wanted to be able to link a button to a pdf document. We got there, but the process took about 20 minutes of renaming files and changing code. The manual says this is a simple link. It isn't. Second, I wanted to be able to click anywhere on a button to go to a link or popup. You will want to place text on a button (of course you want to name your links), but you cannot click on the text to get the button to do anything. You can only click where there isn't any text. Solution? Nope. It's a software bug. Third, I wanted popup menus to display a solid background. Can you do this? Nope, another software bug. If your popup box overlaps your page text, both the page and popup text bleed through the box. Fourth, I wanted to select 11 point tfonts as labels on graphics on some parts of my site. 12 point was too large and 10 point was too small. Too bad. You cannot select an odd sized font. Fifth, I tried to place links on pictures that were on the template. You can create the links and review them, but when you build the site the links won't be there. You have to delete the picture, then paste it back in. Another software bug. The sixth problem drove me nuts. To build a multi-page site you start with a template. I built a total of 18 pages off of my template. If you need to make changes you should be able to make them on the template, then they should automatically apply to your other pages. The don't - another software bug. When I discovered that the links on the pictures didn't work, I had to change every single page, including rebuilding all of the links. Changing the template only affects the template.

All together, I spent three weeks creating my site, sifting through the ommissions and incorrect information in the manual, talking with suppport people who don't know their product, and finally getting the site on-line. Now that I know that I cannot use some of my popups (because of the text bleed through) and some other problems my site looks unprofessional and is unusable. I will have to purchase new software and start from scratch.

Web easy is anything but easy. If you are looking for web site creation software and you want a build a dynamic HTML site, my best advise is to look elsewhere.