Forum OpenACS Q&A: OACS CMS - Stillbirth?

Anyway, yup its a reasonable shortcoming. As you're aware there is a CMS, and structurally (i.e. the Content Repository) it is pretty good, its the *interface* that lets it down.

The original CMS interface was so unpopular that I think its put people off developing a new one, not unreasonably.

That and the fact its a big undertaking and I doubt any of the current volunteers have that much more time available.

So no, you are not alone. Therefore instead of point out the obvious ;o) are you volunteering to develop one? That'd be the easiest way to solve the problem.

http://sdm.openacs.org/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0006Jl&topic_id=11

I'm not so afraid of the problem of designing the beast. It's my impression, without really knowing a whole lot about it, that the CMS space is fairly standardized, and instead of trying to come up with a grand and innovative design, I think we should just look at one of the more successful systems out there, and simply copy that. Or at least let ourselves be heavily inspired by them.

How to get it done is another problem altogether. We need to find someone to fund it. My suggestion is that we come up with a reasonable specification that will let us get to a baseline implementation with not too much work, and that has obvious potentials for future extension. The point is that when someone needs CMS features, instead of rolling their own, they'd implement the parts of the specification that fit their needs, and eventually we'd get something together ther works.

We should also take a look at the CMS that Lanifex did for UNIDO, and other parts of a CMS system that people have done on client projects.

/Lars

You're missing the point. This has been discussed, at length, numerous times. The problem (as Lars points out) is that the amount of effort required is high.

I am merely asking that if you having nothing to contribute (i.e. you're not going to build any of it) then please don't spark off yet another debate about software that ain't going to get built. Its like fitting wheels to a tomatoe, time consuming and completely pointless. ;o)

As for funding, Lars I think you make an excellent point but, as I've mentioned before this community has neither the structure, direction nor the will to conform that would make significant investment possible.

The money is there. It could be pushed into the OpenACS, we could attract funding, but not while the community remains this informal and fluid.

I don't see how any commercial organisation (and significant cash will come from there) can be expected to push its money into the product when there is virtually no structure or control whatsoever. I would just be too risky. The only way it will happen is when one of the companies here needs a CMS so badly that it will fund it.

If that happens that of course the CMS developed is most likely to be the one that company wanted, not whats best in the medium/long term.

I'm not saying its impossible Lars, but I think it wold be more likely if some formalisation takes place.

I'm aware of one individual who may be ideally placed to be a CMS project manager, but in fairness I'll leave it to him to respond, as I'm sure he will in due course.