content management systems

what's the best free content management system?

[Melter]

Hi,

I'm looking for a free content management system (php unless there's a better alternative) that's easy to integrate into my existing site. My site has a book theme and I basically want to automate the submission of reviews by ppl. As a review is submitted I need it to appear on a review page for that book and also for the review to be added numerically to 2 different pages, if that makes sense?

I've a working knowledge of html but next to none with mysql/php so the cms needs to be easy to set-up and configure. I do learn quickly if things are intuitive.

Thanks.

[pmkpmk]

Hi Melter,

for a few days now I try to get a similar discussion starting - with no success so far...

I'm also facing the choice of selecting a new CMS since the old (commercial) one is outdated and not developed anymore.

I heard some pretty good stuff about typo3 (www.typo3.com). It's free, it's VERY powerful, it has an open plug-in interface, but it needs quite a lot of learning before you can get started.

I am CONSIDERING(!) using it, but I'd like to hear other feedback as well!

[engine]

I suspect the key limitation is the word "free."

I havent looked at any free systems out there, however, when I brought up this list of content management systems [search.dmoz.org] I was surprised to see so many entries.

[Melter]

If I was to install a full system like e107 or postnuke would I be able to just take the part that handles reviews and call it up from my existing pages? Or is the point of these systems that you build your site around them and what I really need is just a script?

[TGecho]

I've been looking at pMachine lately, and it looks pretty nice. If you do it right, you wouldn't have to do much editing on your page, it would basically be a matter of adding short php snippets where you want the major elements. It's only free for non-profit/personal though.

[Melter]

Thanks but that's no good as I'm signed with a few affiliates on the site (and hope one day to make some profit!).

[pmkpmk]

In that case, risk a look at typo3.