We don’t generally publish a blog post when we release a new version that is mainly about fixes, but this time we feel there’s a bit of a turning point and we should talk about the general state of Sparkle.
Today we are releasing Sparkle 2.2.2, you can find the release notes by checking for updates in the version from our site, or viewing the release notes on the Mac App Store.
But more than the actual fixes, Sparkle 2.2.2 is a significant milestone in so many ways:
bugs and crashes have consistently been going down, software is never perfectly bug free but we are pushing this further;
we have reached an amazing level of robustness, many great sites that are deep and wide have been built with Sparkle, making us proud and proving what a workhorse Sparkle has become;
previous releases looked ok to most users, but internally we occasionally had to rush to fix crashes or layout issues, we’re now in a significantly better place, again this is about stability and reliability for Sparkle users;
maturity isn’t just on the software side, the interest and the community around Sparkle has grown tremendously and we couldn’t be prouder and happier;
while our core team is unchanged, we have grown our network of partnerships and relationships with designers, developers, translators and marketing people to new heights… but the most exciting part is most of this new development is not in 2.2.2 and has yet to be released. Tease!
So with all this, it feels perfect to release three new designs created by a new partner, Panagiotis Kotronis. Panos is a designer who has been taking a holistic view at Sparkle and the broader context in which it is used.
While web design is becoming more and more boring and dull, template after template that all look the same, Panos’ work has gone in the opposite direction, well beyond the typical template and far into profound, meaningful and well thought out design territory.
Panos’ introductory designs aren’t just visually stunning, they explore the realm of what is possible in page design, they feature unusual, fresh layouts that are purpose-built and thought out in each instance for the communication needs of the page, never a generic container of text and images, rather a layout that plays with the concept and the content.
Here’s a preview of the new designs, they are gorgeous and you need to click through to the actual design page to see how they behave in the browser:
In case you missed it we also recently added the amazing Filmmaker design, which isn’t a made up design, it’s a lightly redacted version of what was the actual live website of Max Auer, now over at auer.media, who graciously donated it for our design site:
Sparkle 2.2.2 is a great release we can reliably build upon, a process that has already begun. We are exploring uncharted territory and will come back with brilliant new features that nobody else has ever built in a visual website builder. We hope you find 2.2.2 works great, and we’re super excited about what’s coming next!
