I want to convert a website to use a Content Management System for updating a large number of content pages for a website. The current website is mostly ASP.NET, but I am considering converting to PHP if it means I will have better integration with the "CMS of choice" in the market. I have heard of Joomla! and other CMS' but I would like some answers to which ones are considered better. Features that I need to support are custom sidebar and tab menus (with expandable javascript drop downs for example). Can anyone tell me of a good solution?
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512answers:
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A:
Joomla and Drupal are your most common and popular PHP based CMS solutions.
On the .NET side I would suggest only DotNetNuke. The amount of development that goes on in that CMS is second to none and there is a huge marketplace for content, modules, themes, etc. There is pretty much everything available in DNN to meet your potential needs.
TheTXI
2009-03-25 19:03:09
I'd highly advise avoiding Joomla, though.
ceejayoz
2009-03-25 19:07:31
@ceejayoz: Ironically, I've had more problems with Drupal in the past than Joomla.
TheTXI
2009-03-25 19:09:57
DotNetNuke is very nice, I've been working with it for a short while and so far I've been incredibly impressed.
Sukasa
2009-03-25 19:11:13
I found Joomla to be quite a poor solution. Unfortunately I can't really recommend anything better.
BigDave
2009-03-25 19:14:49
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A:
The "best" CMS really, really depends on your requirements.
I will say that Joomla is pretty much typical PHP spaghetti, and I hate it, but it might work for you.
Kentico (a .NET CMS) is a pretty decent one that I've deployed a few times. Microsoft CMS is supposed to be decent, I haven't tried it though.
Without knowing specifically your requirements, I find it impossible to give a solid recommendation, though.
Frakkle
2009-03-25 19:06:55
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A:
You should look at opensourcecms.com. It's a site that hosts demos for the majority of open source CMS's out there in both PHP and ASP.NET. You can try each one out and read the features and reviews. It's a good way to find one that meets your needs without actually installing them.
VirtuosiMedia
2009-03-25 19:11:28
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A:
The best one is the one that you write yourself. Joomla works for the average Joe, but I would choose something more serious. Please mention what kind of website do you run.
qeek
2009-03-25 19:12:38
I understand we're developers here, but one of the skills of development is learning to read code and understand new systems and ways of doing things. Writing your own, you miss out on that. Unless your needs are truly specific, its likely one of the existing CMS systems are likely address them.
altCognito
2009-03-25 21:04:55
You may be right, maybe I'm saying that because I have already through the step of trying other systems and look in the code :)
qeek
2009-03-26 09:53:19
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A:
Drupal has a long history, proven track record of success (many high profile use cases, including the Obama campaign, Mozilla Firefox, and MTV in the UK), and a boatload of free modules and themes so you can start somewhere good. Drupal is also highly customizable in terms of how data is stored in terms of content types. Drupal has excellent consulting and contracting help.
Joomla is a strong second, but a quick look at Joomla criticism on wikipedia, and I think the choice gets much clearer. Two out of the three criticisms of Drupal on wikipedia are that it's too complicated, which is really a subjective matter as compared to the shortcomings of Joomla.
altCognito
2009-03-25 19:13:16
A:
If web development is a hobby for you, then use an open source CMS such as those mentioned. If it is your profession, consider working towards writing your own that meets your needs. The first few will likely be a little rough, but in the long run it can prove very fulfilling and must more customizable than anything off the shelf.
Writing your own also forces you to consistently expand your skills and learn the intricacies of the programming language.
Paulo
2009-03-25 19:29:55