MODx for the masses
In a recent article on the ZDNet Australia site, Seth Gottlieb, content management practice lead for Optaros, had a portion of a whitepaper entitled Content Management Problems and Open Source Solutions that he wrote reprinted. In it Seth describes some basic things to consider when choosing an open-source content management system. A lot of what he says is just plain common sense. But some of the things he mentions are things that could easily be overlooked…even for a project like MODx.
The first thing he mentions is that “the source code is not the only thing that is open about open-source software”. It’s the community driven aspect of any good open-source project that makes it “open”. Things like a forum, bug tracker, and road map give users an idea on where the project is going, how organized it is, as well as what the general attitude is for the project.
With the forum in mind, Seth recommends that users read through the archives and pay attention to how questions are being answered. It’s important within a community driven project that all users alike, both project team members and users, contribute to answering questions. And when it comes to answering questions that regard changes to code, the developers should pay close attention for areas where changes to the code can be implemented into the core as well as distributed as patches. Also, frequent questions about the various parts of the content management system can indicate that there’s either a lack of documentation or that the documentation isn’t being updated frequently enough.
The bug tracker is one aspect of a project that shouldn’t be overlooked either. It can quickly tell a new user how active the project is and how quickly issues are being resolved. But users need to keep in mind the context of the entries in the bug tracker as well; just because there are a lot of entries doesn’t mean that issues aren’t being resolved. The community as a whole is what drives the bug tracker so new users should pay attention to the posts made in the bug tracker and perhaps contribute when able to do so.
Probably one of the more important aspects to a project is the ability to allow new users to try the software before downloading it. The OpenSourceCMS.com site is perhaps the most accessible site for this. But because the demos are controlled by someone else, it’s even more important that project members pay attention to how it runs and, if there are bugs, that the administrator of the OpenSourceCMS.com site is made aware of these bugs and corrects them. If the demo doesn’t run right, a new user might take that as something of a showstopper and seek their solution elsewhere.
The rest of the article talks about two things: implementation and support. Since the article is from the perspective of how companies can choose a content management, Seth briefly talks about some things to consider when implementing a CMS, mainly that with the absence of licensing fees and available support options companies can redirect their efforts to things like training, project management, and business processes. If an open-source solution offers support options, some thought should be given to it as well. Some projects offer developers a subscription to special “team member only” sections that allow them to see what goes on behind the scenes as well as contribute. Other support options include full blown installation, troubleshooting, and incidental support. Companies should consider these options as well if they do not have a full-time administrator/technician onsite to troubleshoot problems when they occur.
The main purpose of this post is to shed light on the fact that even though MODx is fairly robust community-wise MODx is still a fairly young project and there is always room for improvement. Whether the average MODx user is a corporate user, small business user, or an individual using MODx for their own personal sites, team members and avid MODx users should keep in mind that MODx is a diverse product and the userbase will be just as diverse as well. Competition in the CMS market is running rampant and thus in order to compete we have to think in terms of how we will be perceived to the average new user. Along with the wonderful community of team members, developers and users, we should continue to improve and set our sights high. Part of this is also providing our users with the best possible tools and resources available. This includes improvements to the forum, bug tracker, documentation, development road maps, and more. The key though to the continued success of MODx is through it’s already existing strength: the community of users, developers, and team members that stand behind MODx. The more organized and driven we are with the project the better MODx will get.
Viva la MODx!
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Comments:
Now we have to implement and watch out :)
What's missing in the excellent MODx site is a high level overview of the structure of MODx. Especially more examples with what you can do with TV's, snippets and chunks are needed. Since one can read what these are, but one doesn't automatically grasp the concept and consequences and therefor the enormous power of MODx. Examples will help people a lot.
I expect this will lower the barrier for MODx newbies (like myself ;-) ) and also save time because less questions will be asked in the forums.
My 2 (euro) cents...
Bee
Of course opinions on the best way will always vary, but at least some examples to get new users to see the potential.
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