CMS Design Resource » Blog

ExpressionEngine

CMS Design Resource — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:34:16 +0000

Current Version: 2.1.0

Cost: $99.95 / $149.95 /$299.95

Development: Commercial

Specialization: Blog, Forum, Gallery

Source: Closed Source

Hosting: Own Server, Subscription

License: Custom License

Programming: PHP, XML

Database: MySQL

Our Impressions:

ExpressionEngine is best for those that want a feature-rich (blog, dynamic content, static pages, etc.), but have a little programming knowledge. (Hence why designers often gravitate towards this system). While EE does not have a huge development community for modules, they do provide fantastic support through their forums. Custom fields can be set up and controlled by very specifically by the designer. Another impressive thing is how they have implemented their templates (themes); it does not take a die hard programmer to build a custom theme.

The system can be frustrating at times in that there are menus buried in menus buried in menus. It can take awhile to find what you’re looking for. Once you hit that lightbulb moment though, you’re in for a treat.

Wordpress

CMS Design Resource — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:59:55 +0000

Current Version: 3.0

Cost: Free

Development: Community Driven

Specialization: Blog

Hosting: Own Server, Free hosting

Source: Open Source

License: GNU GPL

Language: PHP

Database: MySQL

Our Impressions:

Wordpress is best for bloggers, but is certainly capable of much more. The new administration pages really make managing your site a breeze. The ease of installing and upgrading make it a great fit for non developers. It has everything it needs for what most people want and need for blogging: Posts, comments, media, links, simple pages, users, etc. The new 2.7 admin interface is slick and very customizable.

Wordpress (like a lot of open source applications) is updated often and is in constant change. It becomes easy to add plugins for functionality that may become outdated or stop working when Wordpress updates. It can handle simple websites splendidly, but has limitations for bigger sites and when there are needs for more complicated kinds of content.

Movable Type

CMS Design Resource — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:11:14 +0000

Current Version: 4.25

Cost: Free, $395, $1,499

Development: Commercial, Community

Specialization: Blog

Hosting: Own Server, Subscription hosting

Source: Open Source

License: GNU GPL

Language: PHP, Perl

Database: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite

Our Experience:

Movable Type has a great interface that makes blogging easy. One of the most unique things about it is that it is built to handle multiple blogs/sites, and each one can have unique settings and templates. It’s easy to publish content in either entry or page form, and add custom fields as you go.

Being both a commerical and open source CMS you get the advantages and disadvantages of both sides. You can know that it is pretty safe to use it on a client project because there will be support for it in the future. But the price to use it for a business level gets high, especially for 20 authors!