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bedlam - 6:53 pm on May 5, 2006 (gmt 0)
Well, I'll forgo the specifics since Brett has asked that this forum not simply degenerate into the 'cms recommendation forum,' but I can think of two open source cms packages that can certainly do this and several more that I'm sure can do so, but where I don't have the specific experience to back that claim up. In my opinion, this is the single most important quality of a cms; it must allow complete or near-complete control over outputted code. If it can't do that then without even considering SEO factors, it is likely to cause problems eventually. Add SEO to that equation and the problems become even worse... On the other hand, I don't think that this: ...can possibly be true 'in most instances.' To trot out a slightly tired old saying, do you tell people to build a clock when they ask you what time it is? In fact, I think that most of the frequent 'roll your own' recommendations are the result of two or three main issues:
Is this the way CMS:s usually work? Or is there any system anywhere that writes clean compact code with styles left to external style sheets and no funny scripting? I have been looking around, but found none. In most instances, rolling your own might be the best option.
The absurdidty of the first point is obvious; the vast majority of site operators are not even technically sophisticated enough to code validating web pages (in fact, as PageOneResults points out, even most CMS developers fall short of this lowly goal...) Given that a CMS should generate valid code and that it should be based on a reasonably secure and efficient code base, this option is ridiculous in the vast majority of cases.
An internet entrepreneur can, of course, pay a developer to custom-build a CMS, but I suggest that money spent for this purpose would be better spent by hiring a developer to implement and possibly customize an existing CMS.
This strategy allows you to start from a rather highly developed base rather than starting entirely from scratch and should--provided that the client and developer have done their evaluation homework--get you much closer to your goals on the first attempt than is likely with an entirely new software project.
But it's this homework--point 2--that dooms some CMS implementation projects before they're even begun and allows others to thrive. Obviously the diverse needs of members of a community like this preclude making any too-specific recommendations about what to look for in a CMS, but I would suggest it should be at least as involved a process as buying a digital camera, laptop, backup power supply or pda. You should also be prepared to admit that your needs would be better met by paying someone to build static pages for you or by learning to do it on your own--coding pages and css is a much more generally useful ability to have than being able to use any given CMS.
Point 3 is a problem as well; CMS implementations, like any website project, can be expensive in terms of cash outlay. But DIY CMS implementations are extremely expensive in terms of time (not to mention frustration...) If you intend to implement a CMS on your own, be sure that your planning involves sufficient time for the following steps in the process prior to your launch date:
It should also be obvious that building a CMS from scratch still requires most of the same steps and, as I mentioned, a brand new software package is likely to be deficient compared to the more sophisticated open source products already available...
Notice too, that I haven't even mentioned CMS template design (which is a slightly specialized area, it being a little trickier to design page and content markup for general use than it is to custom build individual pages) or anything to do specifically with CMS-ecommerce integration. If you don't know about these areas and can't afford to pay someone to help you out, you will have to budget time for these items as well.
Hopefully this doesn't take the thread too off-topic, but for every WebmasterWorld member who can realistically entertain the idea of building a CMS from scratch or setting up their own CMS properly, there are a hundred who can't or don't want to and who probably don't need to in the first place...
-b