Top Open Source CMS on the web

September 25, 2006 12:41 PM

Top open source CMS on the web?

I'm interested in developing a community site for a non-profit and I'd really like to use an open source CMS (content management system) that isn't too bulky (Drupal) or too new (Modx). PHP would be nice, probably 100+ profiles, not a lot of bells and whistles, though we will use it to fundraise and possibly sell items...any ideas?

posted by brokekid to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Drupal bulky? I found it to be one of the most compact open source content management systems out there. It seems to bridge the gap between the more blog/forum/community-oriented CMS systems (any of the nukes, Geeklog, E107, Xaraya, etc.) and those that emphasize owner-contributed content like a corporate Web site (Joomla, Mambo, Typo3, etc.). A fork of Drupal, CivicSpace, is very popular among non-profit organizations.

Granted, Drupal has a steep learning curve because of its taxonomy system, but you can do a lot with it once things "click" for you.
posted by elmwood at 1:02 PM on September 25, 2006

I've heard good things about PHP-Fusion.
posted by cerebus19 at 1:04 PM on September 25, 2006

In case you're unaware of it, OpenSourceCMS is a great website on which you can test drive various systems before you download and install them.
posted by cerebus19 at 1:06 PM on September 25, 2006

I worked with Bricolage while working for one of the larger-websites that uses it.

Its powerful enough to run huge sites, yet the interface is easy enough for non-techs to build and manage content. Check it out.

The only negative I can see for a non-profit is that it needs to run off of its own dedicated server. It's not a system [as far as I'm aware] that can run on budget priced shared-hosting.
posted by donguanella at 1:16 PM on September 25, 2006

If it's the taxonomy system in Drupal that puts you off you can simply not use it. It's possible to make a site with it that never auto-promotes anything to the front page and which you add items by hand using the menu editor.
posted by phearlez at 2:17 PM on September 25, 2006

Drupal. It's not bulky at all - the base install comes with very little turned on.

Most people wind up turning on quite a bit, but Dru's hard to be in the CMS world.
posted by unixrat at 2:58 PM on September 25, 2006

Another vote for Drupal . . . once you get the principles, it can do almost anything and has a huge developer base. The small investment of time at the beginning will pay off later. Definitely check out the "Views" module, by the way, as it makes working with the taxonomy structure much easier.
posted by fourcheesemac at 12:17 PM on September 26, 2006