CMS Help!

Maybe you can use Typo3 http://typo3.org/ - its free. I'm going to use a
CMS-system myself because I'm going to make a big project too so I have been
studying this software the last few days and it's looks really great.

--
KH
Tine M�ller

homepage: http://tine_muller.homepage.dk/

"tccdover" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> skrev i en meddelelse
news:e5n63g$o0l$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> Hello,
>
> I am a middle of the road developer - not an expert, not a newbie. I have
> had
> more clients ask me to be able to update their sites in their own. I have
> had
> some clients use Contribute - but then they are limited to just the pages
> that
> are html and as well, limited to the one computer that the software is
> located
> on.
>
> I have seen some larger developer who are using content management systems
> to
> develop the majority of thier websites - one system is ExpressionEngine
> from
> pmachine.com. I have done some administrative sections for clients with
> ASP/MSSQL, so I could realistically write my own CMS, but do I want to or
> am I
> just recreating the wheel so to speak? If I create my own, I would be more
> comfortable with ASP, but is it better to write it in PHP?
>
> I have one particular client that uses a backend MS SQL database (it is a
> doctor's office) that we hope eventually we can hook up to for the web
> site,
> but at this point, we have to have the two separate. So at this point, I
> want
> to have a CMS for them that is MS SQL based - but the more research I do,
> the
> more I see PHP and MySQL being used for CMS. Is there a reason for using
> one
> language over the other? I think PHP is becoming more industry standard,
> but MS
> SQL is a more powerful database. (can I write it in PHP with a MS SQL
> database?)
>
> I also have a new set of clients that need similar sites that would be
> best
> run with a CMS. I want to be able to offer different design templates for
> them
> to choose from (templates or different css files??), have the basic pages
> set
> up that they all will probably need - but also be able to offer them the
> ability to add their own pages, forms, mailing lists, forums, etc. Also, I
> don't need a user-friendly interface to get it set up, but would need a
> very
> user-friendly interface for the clients to do their updating. Any advice
> here?
>
> On top of it all, I have two clients that I would like to set up their
> sites
> with a CMS, but they also both need to be able to have online ordering. I
> have
> set this up with Web Assist's shopping cart - so I can do it from my end,
> but
> can it be integrated into a CMS. I like to have control over the products
> and
> how they come up, and in building the database - so again, I should build
> my
> own - but I thought if I can find a solution that will work for a variety
> of
> client and is basically prebuilt that I can customize, that would be a big
> asset to me.
>
> Oh, and is it better to have a CMS that is database driven or that it html
> based? Searchability?
>
> I don't mind a large learning curve for a CMS, but really want to start
> out
> with one that is highly recommended, that I can customize if I need to,
> and
> hopefully will work with a dreamweaver template/design, will stay around -
> or
> something that I can still use if they are not around, and will work with
> all
> these different situations (and I would like to win the lottery too -
> which is
> more likely?) I know there are hughly expensive CMS programs out there - I
> would of course love to find a free one that I can customize, but I don't
> mind
> paying ($100 - 250) per site (but not paying each month) I would love any
> recommendations!! Does anyone have a web design firm that uses a solution
> for
> their clients and that they are happy with??
>
> Sorry for all the questions - the more I research, the more confused I
> get!!
> Julie
>

> but do I want to or am I
> just recreating the wheel so to speak?

There are a million CMS products out there on the market.

Alas, 999,990 of them are pure crap.

So, yes, in a way you would be reinventing the wheel, but at least it'd be a
custom wheel that could easily be tailored to you and your client's specific
needs.

Expression engine sounds like one of the better options from what I've heard
if you decide to go with a system that's already been built. However, you'll
still have a learning curve as you'll have to learn the idiosynchracies of
that particular tool and it's scripting and template engines.

> If I create my own, I would be more
> comfortable with ASP, but is it better to write it in PHP?

The only argument not to use ASP is that it's not being supported anymore by
MS. Still, it's in wide use, but if you have a hankering to learn PHP, this
might be a good time to do it. An added bonus is that a lot of the open
source CMS apps (like WordPress) are built with PHP.

> So at this point, I want
> to have a CMS for them that is MS SQL based

The flavour of SQL *shouldn't* matter...especially if you write your own.

> but the more research I do, the
> more I see PHP and MySQL being used for CMS. Is there a reason for using
> one
> language over the other?

PHP + MySQL = great pair, widely used, open source
ASP.net + MSSQL = great pair, widely used, proprietary systems from
Microsoft

> I think PHP is becoming more industry standard, but MS
> SQL is a more powerful database. (can I write it in PHP with a MS SQL
> database?)

You should be able to, though you'll not be in the majority, for sure ;o)

> Oh, and is it better to have a CMS that is database driven or that it html
> based? Searchability?

Pretty much all CMS systems are database driven and produce HTML output. (a
few might be XML based and produce XML)

> I don't mind a large learning curve for a CMS, but really want to start
> out
> with one that is highly recommended, that I can customize if I need to,
> and
> hopefully will work with a dreamweaver template/design, will stay around -
> or
> something that I can still use if they are not around, and will work with
> all
> these different situations (and I would like to win the lottery too -
> which is
> more likely?)

;o)

My advice, after having gone through a long CMS search:

- pick a CMS. Anyone. Ideally, open source.
- use it. Build a few sites.
- sit back and analyze it. Did it work for you? Great. Stick with it. Did
it not? Great.
now you can pick out a new CMS and be that much wiser based on your
experience.

I'd also start basic. Take a look at WordPress. It's decent and perfect for
a lot of small sites. It's a good place to start, IMHO.

> I know there are hughly expensive CMS programs out there -

Like a lot of the software industry, price does not correlate with quality.
In fact, with CMSes, I've found it to almost be the opposite...the more
expensive the CMS, the more likely the code is outdated, the more likely it
produces tag soup, the more likely you'll be sucked into annual 'maintenance
plans'.

-Darrel