web hosting

Recent Happenings on the Open-Source CMS Market

The open-source community always seems to be quite busy so it should be no surprise that many new CMS projects are in the works.  Here are a few platforms and vendors that have recently been making noise in this vibrant segment of the software industry.

DotNetNuke

September was a very busy month for the DotNetNuke project.  Shaun Walker, co-founder and Chief Architect of the project, was appointed on the Board of Directors for the Microsoft CodePlex Foundation, where he will lend the expert perspective that helped DotNetNuke become one of the most successful open-source CMS platforms built on the Microsoft technology stack.  Last month also saw the launch of the DotNetNuke Fusion Partner Program, a partner program that offers Registered, Certified and Gold memberships to web hosting providers, system integrators, web designers and training partners.  The most noteworthy news was DotNetNuke’s anointment as a Network Partner in the Microsoft Website Spark program.

eZ Systems

In September 2009, software vendor eZ Systems released version 4.2 of its eZ Publish CMS.  This version release emphasizes usability, better performance and more advanced capabilities for built-in search.  There are also many new extensions as well as a new version of the eZ Find tool, the company’s innovative search engine.  eZ Systems plans to keep itself occupied in the month of October by attending the IFRA Expo in Vienna, Austria on from the 12 to 15^th and hosting its own seminar in Paris for its French base of users and customers on the 16^th.

Hippo CMS

In October, the Hippo team will be organizing an International Forge Friday dedicated to the communities of Hippo and Jetspeed Portal.  The purpose of these gatherings is to bring, developers, system administrators, technical support staff and others together to discuss plugins, add-ons, components and other items that could become Hippo Forge projects.  The event is taking place on October 30 at 9 am to 2 pm PDT from the Hippo San Francisco office and 14:00 to 21:00 CET from the Hippo Amsterdam office.  Interested parties can also attend the event online.

Movable Type

The latest version of Movable Type, 4.32 was just released last week.  This version is mainly a bug release fix as it addresses a number of small bugs.  Version 4.32 also includes the Zemanta plugin, which acts as an editorial management tool that recommends content relative to your blog entries.  The latest version of Movable Type is available free at the official website.

Nuxeo

This October, software vendor Nuxeo will launch a new release of its Nuxeo EP CMS.  Some of the most notable features of the release include a new tag service, an enhanced import/export function, support for Microsoft SharePoint, OpenSocial widgets and a CMIS implementation based on the Apache Chemistry platform.

Xoops

This past September, the Xoops CMS project launched the RC (release candidate) of version 2.4.0.  The enhancements targeted for this particular version emphasize productivity and better usability, focusing on areas such as a new graphical user interface for administrators, the ability to modularize and extend the core via preloads, a much improved installer and centralized support for jQuery among others.  The final release for Xoops 2.4.0 is expected very soon.

Fantastico: cPanel’s Best Kept Secret

It is clear to see why cPanel is the leading control panel software.  The intuitive GUI results in ease of use while the rich set of features offers functionality that extends benefits to server administrators, resellers and end-users alike.  Indeed, cPanel has many qualities and one of its greatest attributes is Fantastico.

What is Fantastico?

Fantastico is an extremely useful application that usually comes free in web hosting accounts powered by the cPanel control panel.  Designed to run on Unix-like platforms, its purpose is to facilitate the simple installation of a wide range of popular scripts.  These add-on programs are totally free and can literally be installed in a matter of minutes.  The Fantastico advantage is all in the software and below are some of the categories you will find.

Blogs

The blog represents one of the very first social networking platforms and Fantastico gives you a wonderful variety to choose from.  Both Nucleus and b2Evolution are included but the most notable of all has to be WordPress.  Easily the most popular blogging application available, WordPress is widely supported by a large community and can be enhanced through a number of themes and templates.  If you’re looking to delve into the Blogosphere, Fantastico has you covered.

Content Management

Content management systems provide webmasters with a more effective way to build and administer their websites.  Even though most web hosting accounts come integrated site builders, these utilities fail in comparison to the power of a CMS.   This type of software is ideal for running medium to large sized websites and has the ability to assign varying levels of administrative access and permissions.  Some of today’s most popular community-based sites are running on content management systems.  The CMS lineup you will find in Fantastico includes Drupal, Mambo, Tiki Wiki, XOOPS and Joomla among several others.

Customer Relations

Establishing trusting relationships with customers is vital to the success of any business.  Fantastico betters the chance of keeping your customer base happy with applications like Help Center Live, osTicket, PHP Support Tickets, Support Services Manager and more.  These programs give you the ability to create the ultimate support center where your customers can get assistance through support tickets, FAQs, video tutorials and downloadable documentation.  Even if you can’t be around to answer the phone 24/7, such resources can assure that your customers are still able to get the help they need, when they need it.

E-commerce Tools

Fantastico has a little something for everyone, including those who desire to sell products and services online.  You can set up a web-based storefront in no time with popular open-source programs such as Cube Cart, osCommerce and Zen Cart.  Shopping cart software can get pretty expensive but these highly functional applications won’t cost you a thing with Fantastico.

These are just a few of numerous scripts that come bundled with Fantastico.  Other programs include discussion boards, photo galleries, project management tools and website builders.  Fantastico contorts to the novice, allowing those with little to no technical skills to instantly enhance their web presence. One could say that cPanel is a trendsetter as more control panels are being developed with application installers that mimic the abilities of Fantastico.

Meet the Xoops CMS

The introduction of more powerful web development tools has increasingly led webmasters away from simple website builders to robust content management systems.  These programs enable the creation of dynamic, feature-rich content with the ability to power everything from thriving social networking communities to corporate portals.  Many people have the belief that using a CMS requires that you to have programming skills and vast technical knowledge.  However, this isn’t necessarily true, especially when working with a user-friendly software package known as Xoops.

What is Xoops?

Short for eXtensible Object Orientated Portal System, Xoops is an open-source content management system that is free to use, modify and redistribute.  Power and ease of use makes it an ideal tool for creating data-driven community sites of all sizes.  Many developers use Xoops to create blogs, corporate intranet sites and content-rich information portals.  The major draw of this software is that it enables fast, simple management for whatever task is required.  The Xoops CMS is largely supported on the web hosting market.  All you need is a provider equipped with the Apache web server, PHP and an SQL database, preferably MySQL.  .

Xoops Features

Xoops is integrated with a number of features to simplify content management and enhance functionality.  Some of the most common features include:

Advance Access Control – As an administrator, Xoops give you the ability to grant access rights to certain groups of users.  You can allow them to access specific content and features such as publishing their own content and uploading files.

Module Administration – Like many open-source content management systems, Xoops can be greatly enhanced through a wide variety of add-on modules.  These add-ons can be installed, uninstalled, enabled and disabled directly from the intuitive module administrative system.

Xoops modules offer the following capabilities:

Personalization – Xoops gives you the ability to set permissions for specific users, providing you with control of all the individual elements they are able to access on your website.

User Management – Through user management, you can search for your users by a multitude of criteria, allow them to send email and private messages to other users via a template-based messaging system.

International language support – Xoops is supported by a large group of developers and users.  The project has numerous support sites all over the web for users who speak various languages.  The software itself offers support for multiple languages.  Some include Chinese, Korean and Japanese to name a few.

Customizable interface – Xoops uses a theme-based template systems that allows you to instantly enhance the presentation of your site.  What is so unique about this CMS is that it lets both you and your users change the look of web pages by choosing from a wide range of available themes.

Optimization – Xoops supports many add-ons to help make your site more search engine-friendly.  These modules better the chances of your meta tags, title tags and URLs being recognized and indexed by the search engine spiders.

Xoops has won several awards for its power, straightforwardness and support for multiple languages.  This CMS is easy to find and incorporate as it can typically be installed directly from your control panel software.

Web Hosting with PHP-Nuke

When searching for a web host, you need to look for much more than storage space and bandwidth.  The overall quality of service is critical and should include around the clock support, tight security and redundant backups.  Aside from that, a host should be able to provide you with tools that add ease to the tasks of building and administering your site.  There are several programs that will help you accomplish this; a dynamic CMS named PHP-Nuke is one of them.

What is PHP-Nuke?

PHP-Nuke began as a fork of a news portal called Thatware.  The software grew to popularity very quickly and has spawned various systems of its own including PostNuke, DragonFly CMS and Xoops.  Though primarily used for automated news publishing, PHP-Nuke is a full content management system capable of creating dynamic websites for many purposes.  Its main initiative is to allow webmasters to create huge online communities where moderators and users can post content and make comments.  The core of PHP-Nuke is packed with features and numerous add-ons are available to enhance its functionality.

The PHP-Nuke CMS is scripted entirely in the PHP programming language.  In order to function, it requires server components that support the language such as Apache and an SQL database like MySQL or Postgre SQL.  Under the GNU General Public License, the source code of PHP-Nuke can be freely distributed and modified.  The latest version, 7.5, is the first to come with a $10 download charge.  Depending on the web host, you could get this amazing CMS as a part of your monthly hosting plan.

PHP-Nuke for News

PHP-Nuke comes included with various modules.  One you are most likely to try first is the News module.  This component allows you to place news items in different categories and automatically sorts them by date on your homepage.  Another module is for archiving which enables easy indexing by users and the search engines.  When site members submit their content, you have the final say on which articles are approved and can manage the entire process from a simple administrative panel.

Whether you want to publish news and articles or simply a huge site for your business, PHP-Nuke can help you get it done.  Here are some of the features:

Advertising - Easy management of your advertising campaigns with support for HTML, JavaScript and Flash

Encyclopedia - A robust module for managing terms, phrases and their definitions

Forums – Simple implementation and management of discussion forms

Members List – Displays a full list of all the members on your site

Search Engine – Allows users to easily find content on your site

News Submission – A simple form that allows users to submit news and articles to your site

Private Messaging - Allows members to communicate or block out other members

Avantgo – Service that offers a mobile version of your last 10 published articles

Conclusion

On its own, PHP-Nuke is a dynamic CMS capable of building amazing websites.  With the aid of add-on modules, the system is greatly enhanced with twice the power.  If a thriving online community is something you are after, you stand to benefit tremendously from a web host that offers or supports this software.

The CMS Drives the Hosting Industry

Considering the opportunities the internet offers and heavy competition across multiple industries, the simple website that may have sufficed years ago is no loner enough for today’s online business owner.  As content is the major key to generating traffic, the CMS has become one of the hottest commodities in the web hosting business.

More commonly known as a CMS, a content management system is a type of software used to create, edit and manage content on a website.  These robust systems enable processes and workflows to be streamlined and typically involve the organization, categorization and structuring of information.  This technology allows you to store content as entire documents or configurable components, all while maintaining the links in between, making the CMS is great tool for search engine optimization.  Most systems enable the complete control of a website from working with scripting languages and building pages to managing files and actual programs.

Years ago, most web hosting companies only granted their clients with access to areas that permitted them to upload content to the server.  Rarely did they provide a means for controlling management and the structuring of data.  Even corporate users were limited as the tools provided didn’t allow them to monitor what changes had been made to their sites and who made the alterations.  With a CMS, users are fully equipped with tools that offer extensive control over the management functions of their website and all of its content.

Due to mass popularity, web hosting customers with a large amount of content now have various options for implementing content management systems.  With the development of open-source solutions, providers are offering these programs for next to nothing as a part of their monthly hosting plans.  Some of the options you will commonly find are Joomla, Drupal, PHP-Nuke, Mambo and Xoops to name a few.  Here are some other choices on the market:

OpenCMS

Hence the name, OpenCMS is an open source content management freely available to developers and users.  This software is preferred by many small to medium sized businesses as it enables them to create highly customized sites with interactive functionality.  OpenCMS supports a number of web-based programing languages including PHP, XML, Java, JSP and several others.

Microsoft Content Management Server

The Microsoft CMS is more suited for larger enterprises.  This system offers transparent content management and integration along with data transformation and syndication, all of which seamlessly combine various information and business processes.  The Microsoft solution is more advanced than most open-source packages as it has the ability to present information based on the customer’s needs.  The major difference between the Content Management Server and other systems is that it is a Microsoft commercial product, and therefore more expensive.

Regardless of what your requirements are, there is sure to be a CMS out there for you.  These programs go far beyond the basic tools offered by a provider and have the power to transform your site into an interactive, user-friendly platform.  As nearly every host is offering some type of system, it’s safe to say that the CMS is a driving force in the web hosting industry.