Four CMSs – short review

I had a look at four CMSs yesterday for a small brochure site. Here is a quick review:

  1. Typo3 – complex and powerful. Installation process on Debian takes a bit to figure but is straightforward once understood. A lot of documentation, but it lacks some organisation. However, there are some walkthrus for simple sites. I’d guessimate at least one-two weeks to figure out the basics and get something useful going. Each user would need their hands held.
  2. Plone – complex and powerful. Apt-get plone, although sarge is a bit behind as usual. Free book. However, doesn’t seem to be any clear “walkthrus” for build a small site. Seems like a very good platform for intranet or extranet applications. Plone vs Typo3 comparison.
  3. Drupal – simple and powerful. apt-get drupal. Documentation is messy, more like a lot of tips that something organised. Walkthu, but nothing really explaining how to get it do what I want. Seems better for a basic geek news site than for business site.
  4. MODx – simple, smart and brilliant. Drop in /var/www, chown then good install interface; upgrades look easy as well. Documentation is organised, clear and detailed in areas. No need for walkthru. Discovered via Peter Cooper. You can try it at Opensource CMS. For a simple business site MODx seems to be the best option. I figure I can convert the current html site in a day or two. Both designer and then content editors should be able to use system without much hand holding.

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2 Comments

  1. Zaigham Said,

    June 9, 2006 @ 10:08 pm

    "I had a look at four CMSs yesterday for a small brochure site. Here is a quick review."

    I agree MODx is the best option to go, indeed you can port your existing html pages very quickly. It provides complete content & presentation separation.

  2. Just researching yet. Said,

    October 27, 2006 @ 12:46 pm

    Hi! Thanks for this CMS-tips I am just begun researching and yes, MODx seems the best and easyest option for a small/midle-com. in CMS-terms. For documentation and “one-site”-repository I am researching also the alternative of Wiki (MediaWiki). Also the Plone-foundation seems also very professional and extense.

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