About Nvu

Nvu (pronounced "N-view," for a "new view") is a free, open source software program that allows you to build websites and web pages using a simple WYSIWYG editor (what-you-see-is-what-you-get).  Nvu makes creating web pages as easy as using a word processor and rivals such programs as Adobe's Dreamweaver and Microsoft's Expression Web, only for free!  With Nvu's built-in site manager, connecting to your website and making changes is a snap.

Help!  I've Never Built a Website before.  What do I do?

If you've never built a website before, you should consider using our partner Intuit's web-building system.  It's SUPER easy to use, includes thousands of templates to choose from, and provides a very easy-to-follow, step-by-step system to not only build, but also host your website, all for only $4.99 per month.  Try it for free for 30 days. 

If you're a little more adventurous, and want to build a website on your own using the Nvu software, you'll still need a hosting provider.  Read below...

Building Your Website with Nvu

While not as easy as using the Intuit web-building system, creating a website with Nvu isn't too difficult.  You can have a site up and running in no time with these three simple steps:

1.  Get a Domain Name.  You can do this at the same time you do #2 if you like.  Dotster provides both domain name registration and web hosting.  (Use coupon code 'Nvu' for 15% off.)

2.  Get a Hosting Provider.  If you don't want to set up your own server, you can use a 3rd party hosting service.  These services have gotten incredibly affordable and there are many good companies to choose from.  We'd recommend using Dotster as they are a quality provider and a sponsor of this site.  You can also save 15% off your entire order by using the coupon code 'Nvu' at their site.  For hundreds of templates, try Intuit's hosting system.

3. Use Nvu to Create Web Pages.  Once you have a server, you simply use the built-in FTP site manager in Nvu to connect to your site and start creating web pages.  It's as easy as using a word processor.  We'd recommend you check out the many tutorial videos users have created on YouTube to help you get started.


Nvu's History

The Nvu Open Source project was started several years ago by Linspire, Inc.  At that time, Linspire was committed to bringing Desktop Linux to the masses, and realized that an easy-to-use web authoring system was needed for Linux to continue its expansion to the Desktop. Linspire contributed significant capital, expertise, servers, bandwidth, marketing, and other resources to bring Nvu to life, not just for Linux, but also for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac users.

Linspire contracted with Daniel Glazman from Disruptive Innovations to be the lead developer and maintainer for the Nvu project. Daniel was the chief architect for Mozilla Composer and brought a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the Nvu project.

Nvu was started from the Mozilla Composer code base, as the Mozilla Internet suite was broken up into individual pieces (browser, email, etc.). Nvu picked up where Composer left off, adding additional features, functionality and ease of use.

Linspire abandoned the Nvu project when it was sold to Xandros in 2008.  Fortunately, Fabien Cazenave picked up the project and started updating Nvu under the name Kompozer.  Both Nvu and Kompozer versions can be found on our Download page.

Nvu is open source and covered under the MPL/LGPL/GPL tri-license.

For more information, visit the FAQ page.