A redesign of Macromedia"s main Web site is attracting criticism from customers because it doesn"t work with some browsers, including Apple Computer"s much-hyped Safari.
Macromedia launched a beta, or test version, of the revamped site last week, aimed partly at spreading the company"s message about using its Flash animation software to create more attractive and useful sites.
The new site, which is built entirely in Flash, allows the use of sophisticated animation for navigating menus and other tasks and whilst eye-catching in design, is drawing complaints in online forums, partly because the site won"t work with some Web browsers, including Apple"s new Safari browser and the increasingly popular Opera browser.
The Safari incompatibility is a particularly delicate issue, because design professionals who use Macromedia"s products represent one of Apple"s most important core audiences.
Al Ramadan, an executive vice president at Macromedia, said company representatives are scheduled to meet with Apple developers Wednesday to iron out Safari compatibility issues. Macromedia is also working with Opera to support that browser. He noted that the Macromedia site does work, but very slowly, with those browsers, which represent less than 5 percent of traffic to the site.