Best freeware / open source content management

  • Thread starter Thread starter Martyn W
  • Start date Start date
M

Martyn W

I'm putting together a website for Rugby fans and, not being
particularly artistically inclined, I'd like to use a content
management package. I have some experience of Joomla and Mambo, but
both have issues in hosted environments.

Can anyone recommend a package that will allow me to present a magazine
style website, with regular (monthly at least) updates? Things like
forums, downloads and the like are of no consequence - what I want to
present are nicely formatted pages of text and photographs, which can
be updated frequently.

Thanks

Martyn
 
why dont you skip the whole site concept then and go with Blogs? I have
seen some very interesting setups people are making with blogs...
 
Martyn said:
I'm putting together a website for Rugby fans and, not being
particularly artistically inclined, I'd like to use a content
management package. I have some experience of Joomla and Mambo, but
both have issues in hosted environments.
Click to expand...

Martyn;

What are the "hosted environment issues?" Are you talking about
safe-mode for shared directories? Or some other technical issue?

tia,
-Craig
 
Craig said:
Martyn;

What are the "hosted environment issues?" Are you talking about
safe-mode for shared directories? Or some other technical issue?

tia,
-Craig
Click to expand...

I should have said "shared hosted environment".

My experience is with these two is that not long after installing them
they start having problems clearing sessions, so it becomes virtually
impossible to remain logged in as the administrator for any length of
time, thus preventing any effective work with the site. This has only
ever occured in a shared hosted environment - but not all providers
experience this problem. I have never had the problem when I'm hosting
the website myself. I cannot, unfortunately, afford the necessary
bandwidth to host this particular site myself, otherwise I would do so.

I've tried tracking down a resolution to the problem - which would be
ideal because I love both packages - but I've yet to be successful. I
have come across a lot of people who have shared the problem, but
no-one who has come up with an answer - other than to make the session
path writeable, something my hosting company (Lycos) says is not
possible in a shared environment.
 
I did play with blogs for a while, but I was dissatisfied with the way
things are presented. I want to achieve a magazine style format, with
clear boundaries between issues, this is something blogs don't lend
themselves to.

Martyn
 
Martyn said:
Craig wrote:




I should have said "shared hosted environment".

My experience is with these two is that not long after installing them
they start having problems clearing sessions, so it becomes virtually
impossible to remain logged in as the administrator for any length of
time, thus preventing any effective work with the site. This has only
ever occured in a shared hosted environment - but not all providers
experience this problem....

I've tried tracking down a resolution to the problem...
Click to expand...

I'm considering the same two CMS. My isp uses the dreaded shared hosted
environment too. They have a small number of Mambo users...no
complaints wrt the problem you describe. Could it be the OS? (My ISP
uses BSD)

Anyway, if you find a solution to the joomla/mambo-on-shared problem or
find another package to use, please let us know.

regards,
-Craig
 
Craig said:
I'm considering the same two CMS. My isp uses the dreaded shared hosted
environment too. They have a small number of Mambo users...no
complaints wrt the problem you describe. Could it be the OS? (My ISP
uses BSD)

Anyway, if you find a solution to the joomla/mambo-on-shared problem or
find another package to use, please let us know.
Click to expand...

My host is Lycos - and they've been remarkably unco-operative. In fact,
I'd go so far as to say that they've been bloody minded, unhelpful,
pathetic, lying toe-rags. They use Linux BTW.
 
Last time I checked you can do anything with blogs..
since you can edit and customize the templates - html
 
John said:
Last time I checked you can do anything with blogs..
since you can edit and customize the templates - html
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm sure you can. As I said at the outset, I couldn't design my
way out of a paperbag.
 
Martyn said:
John Jay Smith wrote:



Yes, I'm sure you can. As I said at the outset, I couldn't design my
way out of a paperbag.
Click to expand...
Wikis work well. The design is done for you. All you have to do is
post. Most take attachments. For a free, hosted, solution
search Google for "Wiki Farm"

WWW.pbwiki.com is great. My personal choice is Schtuff.com, why you can
post by sending an email to the wiki.

Wiki's are NOT CMS is the strictest sense, in that they usually don't
have authorization levels, version control, workflow etc.
If you are looking for an easy way to share info on the web,. go for it.

John H.
www.jhoodsoft.org
Business Free Software.
 
John said:
Wikis work well. The design is done for you. All you have to do is
post. Most take attachments. For a free, hosted, solution
search Google for "Wiki Farm"

WWW.pbwiki.com is great. My personal choice is Schtuff.com, why you can
post by sending an email to the wiki.

Wiki's are NOT CMS is the strictest sense, in that they usually don't
have authorization levels, version control, workflow etc.
If you are looking for an easy way to share info on the web,. go for it.

John H.
www.jhoodsoft.org
Business Free Software.
Click to expand...

Thanks John. I don't think a Wiki is suitable for the purpose, but your
input is much appreciated. As is your website - which is a nice
collection.

Here is the site as Joomla http://www.rugbyrebels.com/magazine/

As I said - I'm having trouble with the Joomla package in this
environment - and Mambo, being much the same thing presents similar
issues.
 
Back
Top