3 ms·

Show HN: WebApp/Site Builder with IDE and Visual Editor

10 points by mrdpzk 4y ago

Hi folks, Let me know about your experience! Some of the features are: + Free SSL + Free Subdomain + Connecting Domain + Collaboration + Code IDE with Auto-completion + Visual Editor + ...

jraph 4y ago
My experience is a blue background with a white rectangle covering most of the background when clicking on your submission link. I browse without JS enabled by default and I can't read your website at all. I wouldn't bother rising this on most HN submissions because that doesn't follow HN guidelines, but here I feel like it's important. I'm attached to the Web being browsable without running random/untrusted/non-free 3rd party code written in a Turing complete language. I'm likely not the target to this: I will write my own HTML. However, I'm looking for (FLOSS) tools to recommend to people who don't have the skills to write their website by hand. I can't recommend this because I'm not sure it will produce websites respecting the long forgotten [1] graceful degradation / progressive enhancement principles, since the home page of the tool does not respect them. (I won't expect the app itself to work without JS, it's fine, it's an app (vs a document)). Good luck with your project! [1] Yes, it depresses me to think I'm going to die on this hill alone or with few people, it seems like the web has gone off from graceful degradation and requires a VM to be read now and we are not really going back from this.
- laura-media 4y ago
  Coming from the other side (as a dev): I'd love to use much less JS in my pages. A static portfolio shouldn't require JS. However, the reality is that a completely static HTML page written by hand is hard to maintain, and browsers disliked the idea of reusable components without big frameworks like Vue or React, loading them into the DOM dynamically.
  - jraph 4y ago
    HTML pages can be generated server-side. I happen to have developed a portfolio in PHP in the past. There's some optional JavaScript to make it smoother by avoiding unnecessary a page reload for each picture, but it works without (by reloading the page). Unfortunately, it requires some extra work but I think it's worth it. The rendering part is not duplicated though, there just needs to be some JS code intercepting links being followed and downloading the updated part from the server.
    - laura-media 4y ago
      In that scenario, you'd need to manage even more modules for hosting your page. There is sadly no proper solution for static pages as far as I know, at least since HTML imports were shot down.
- mrdpzk 4y ago
  Thanks for your feedback. I hear you! The core value prop. that we offer on this platform is the JS framework used to dynamically and efficiently importing HTML components, CSS and pure JavaScript; Hence, it's impossible to offer anything useful to our users without the JS part being executed. So the bottom line is; to make an exception in NoScript and use GetLiveWebsite.com just like any other modern web app (youtube, etc.)
marginalia_nu 4y ago
Technically pretty impressive, but if I am permitted to be blunt, it's severely lacking in polish. Overall the website doesn't look good on desktop. I look at this: https://imgur.com/3SoPR67 https://imgur.com/3SoPR67 and think that some elements have failed to load. It's so empty and white. The "learn more" button is completely unnecessary. You could just put the information there in the first place. Overall much of the landing page feels like unnecessary filler, pro forma rather filling an actual function. Like it's almost all fluff that doesn't really tell me anything and I'm just wearing out the scroll wheel on my mouse before getting to the free trial so I can check out what the heck it is. I'm also immediately assaulted by multiple popups, one of which keeps animating and making noises. That's a big turnoff. I don't want to talk to a sales rep before I even know what I'm being sold. Like none of this is a major flaw, it needs polish and iteration. I'd make some use cases, consider some user categories (maybe someone who has heard of the product and want to try it, someone who doesn't know what it is, etc.), and consider what would such a person ask when they visit your website, and then investigate if the website answers the questions. The first question I asked is "what is this?". The answer I got is "It manages the entire cycle of Building, Hosting and Serving websites," which is pretty vague. Maybe prominently display some demo websites that have been built using getlivewebsite.com? I think that would sell a lot better than merely talking about the service and its features. On a technical level, you've got some z-index issues on Firefox. https://imgur.com/B53ghcP https://imgur.com/B53ghcP
- mrdpzk 4y ago
  Thanks for your comment. very constructive. we will work more on polishing it and apply the changes you mentioned. your comment makes total sense. Thanks Again!
mrdpzk 4y ago
UPDATE: We resolved an issue for accessing /webstudio/ page. Thanks for your patience!
gremlinsinc 4y ago
Why is this better than budibase, appsmith, bubble.is, or webflow? for $200 for a single landing page per year, that's pretty rediculous pricing. Nobody's going to pay that, your target market it mom/pop shops who don't want to dish out for a WP Dev on fiverr, and a WP dev on fiverr is probably cheaper than what you offer. Edit: also the code doesn't look to follow a specific css framework. At least one, I'm familiar with, might be best to offer options like tailwind or bootstrap code... How are people supposed to know what your utility classes like 'home-container' do?
- mrdpzk 4y ago
  Hi, thanks for your feedback. The names you mentioned; all have __different__ and not "better" features geared toward different target markets.. GetLiveWebsite platform gives you access to an online IDE with auto-completion of code and a pure JS framework that makes life a lot easier for programmers by enabling them to code less. It also features a Visual Editor for each page and full control over the logic of each web app. Launching a new website on it can happen under 5 minutes as you can see in the demo video. if you read the offerings for 200$ price; it includes __the design being done by our team__. This price is competitive in North America and Europe for giving a designer the task of building a website AND hosting it. As for "Nobody's going to pay that"; we already have customers who pay that much as they understand the value proposition for themselves. bootstrap is available on the platform by default. You can also see what 'home-container' does by clicking on "</>" icon on Visual Editor top navbar; where you can see HTML and CSS code. If you face any issues in your project please contact us in chat and we will be happy to assist you! Thanks! Mehrdad

10 points by mrdpzk 4y ago

Hi folks, Let me know about your experience! Some of the features are: + Free SSL + Free Subdomain + Connecting Domain + Collaboration + Code IDE with Auto-completion + Visual Editor + ...

jraph 4y ago

My experience is a blue background with a white rectangle covering most of the background when clicking on your submission link. I browse without JS enabled by default and I can't read your website at all. I wouldn't bother rising this on most HN submissions because that doesn't follow HN guidelines, but here I feel like it's important. I'm attached to the Web being browsable without running random/untrusted/non-free 3rd party code written in a Turing complete language. I'm likely not the target to this: I will write my own HTML. However, I'm looking for (FLOSS) tools to recommend to people who don't have the skills to write their website by hand. I can't recommend this because I'm not sure it will produce websites respecting the long forgotten [1] graceful degradation / progressive enhancement principles, since the home page of the tool does not respect them. (I won't expect the app itself to work without JS, it's fine, it's an app (vs a document)). Good luck with your project! [1] Yes, it depresses me to think I'm going to die on this hill alone or with few people, it seems like the web has gone off from graceful degradation and requires a VM to be read now and we are not really going back from this.

laura-media 4y ago
Coming from the other side (as a dev): I'd love to use much less JS in my pages. A static portfolio shouldn't require JS. However, the reality is that a completely static HTML page written by hand is hard to maintain, and browsers disliked the idea of reusable components without big frameworks like Vue or React, loading them into the DOM dynamically.
- jraph 4y ago
  HTML pages can be generated server-side. I happen to have developed a portfolio in PHP in the past. There's some optional JavaScript to make it smoother by avoiding unnecessary a page reload for each picture, but it works without (by reloading the page). Unfortunately, it requires some extra work but I think it's worth it. The rendering part is not duplicated though, there just needs to be some JS code intercepting links being followed and downloading the updated part from the server.
  - laura-media 4y ago
    In that scenario, you'd need to manage even more modules for hosting your page. There is sadly no proper solution for static pages as far as I know, at least since HTML imports were shot down.
mrdpzk 4y ago
Thanks for your feedback. I hear you! The core value prop. that we offer on this platform is the JS framework used to dynamically and efficiently importing HTML components, CSS and pure JavaScript; Hence, it's impossible to offer anything useful to our users without the JS part being executed. So the bottom line is; to make an exception in NoScript and use GetLiveWebsite.com just like any other modern web app (youtube, etc.)

marginalia_nu 4y ago

Technically pretty impressive, but if I am permitted to be blunt, it's severely lacking in polish. Overall the website doesn't look good on desktop. I look at this: https://imgur.com/3SoPR67 https://imgur.com/3SoPR67 and think that some elements have failed to load. It's so empty and white. The "learn more" button is completely unnecessary. You could just put the information there in the first place. Overall much of the landing page feels like unnecessary filler, pro forma rather filling an actual function. Like it's almost all fluff that doesn't really tell me anything and I'm just wearing out the scroll wheel on my mouse before getting to the free trial so I can check out what the heck it is. I'm also immediately assaulted by multiple popups, one of which keeps animating and making noises. That's a big turnoff. I don't want to talk to a sales rep before I even know what I'm being sold. Like none of this is a major flaw, it needs polish and iteration. I'd make some use cases, consider some user categories (maybe someone who has heard of the product and want to try it, someone who doesn't know what it is, etc.), and consider what would such a person ask when they visit your website, and then investigate if the website answers the questions. The first question I asked is "what is this?". The answer I got is "It manages the entire cycle of Building, Hosting and Serving websites," which is pretty vague. Maybe prominently display some demo websites that have been built using getlivewebsite.com? I think that would sell a lot better than merely talking about the service and its features. On a technical level, you've got some z-index issues on Firefox. https://imgur.com/B53ghcP https://imgur.com/B53ghcP

mrdpzk 4y ago
Thanks for your comment. very constructive. we will work more on polishing it and apply the changes you mentioned. your comment makes total sense. Thanks Again!

mrdpzk 4y ago

UPDATE: We resolved an issue for accessing /webstudio/ page. Thanks for your patience!

gremlinsinc 4y ago

Why is this better than budibase, appsmith, bubble.is, or webflow? for $200 for a single landing page per year, that's pretty rediculous pricing. Nobody's going to pay that, your target market it mom/pop shops who don't want to dish out for a WP Dev on fiverr, and a WP dev on fiverr is probably cheaper than what you offer. Edit: also the code doesn't look to follow a specific css framework. At least one, I'm familiar with, might be best to offer options like tailwind or bootstrap code... How are people supposed to know what your utility classes like 'home-container' do?

mrdpzk 4y ago
Hi, thanks for your feedback. The names you mentioned; all have __different__ and not "better" features geared toward different target markets.. GetLiveWebsite platform gives you access to an online IDE with auto-completion of code and a pure JS framework that makes life a lot easier for programmers by enabling them to code less. It also features a Visual Editor for each page and full control over the logic of each web app. Launching a new website on it can happen under 5 minutes as you can see in the demo video. if you read the offerings for 200$ price; it includes __the design being done by our team__. This price is competitive in North America and Europe for giving a designer the task of building a website AND hosting it. As for "Nobody's going to pay that"; we already have customers who pay that much as they understand the value proposition for themselves. bootstrap is available on the platform by default. You can also see what 'home-container' does by clicking on "</>" icon on Visual Editor top navbar; where you can see HTML and CSS code. If you face any issues in your project please contact us in chat and we will be happy to assist you! Thanks! Mehrdad