Hi, First I wanted to say hello,
After reading through countless reviews and installing/testing both 2.0 Alpha and 0.9.6 I must express how impressed I am with the modx framework.
Coming from an eZ Publish background (previously an eZ Publish partner with some 15+ websites developed) I was interested to view the simplicity of the modx approach with its use of tags to publish content.
With a graphic design background I have always found PHP quite a challenge, while I found making minor adjusts a simple process I’ve always found traditional CMS’s required me to employ external consultants to script complex CMS PHP templates. I would always focus on client management, while scripting XHTML and CSS to build and deliver suitable sites. With modx I now have the tools at my disposal to build sites both rapidly and retain maximum control over how the content should look, fantastic.
Following an epic struggle with eZ Publish, working with a narrowing number of available developers I decided to make the brave move to search for a new CMS framework. Through my research I found the following results.
Express Engine http://www.expressionengine.com
A commercial system with great support, however I found the idea of paying a surmountable fee of $249USD per installation a major minus, considering the current economical environment client budgets now need to go even further than ever. While the system looks promising its commercial nature doesn’t really fit with my previous Open Source background.
WordPress http://www.wordpress.org
It must be said Wordpress is a very impressive system, and I love the community with lots of extensions available to deliver any type of site you could imagine. However I found the use template PHP and missing Custom Content Types available as a core element as seen with modx a major issue. While custom ’While Panels’ are possible through an extension called Fluter I prefer such core functionality to be within the core of my selected CMS.
Joomla http://joomla.org
My first ever CMS site was developed using Mambo (2004), so I kinda have a soft spot for Joomla with it’s Mambo esk background, however when testing the system anew now in 2009 I found it very dated. The system admin was bloated, confusing (even as a technical user) and somehow more suitable as a hobbyist tool rather than a professional system.
Modx http://www.modxcms.com
With a clean interface the system looks professional and logical, providing a flexible framework which can be tailored to meet my client requirements. Integral features to build custom content types ’templates’. While the system lacks the community assets available with such systems as Wordpress and Joomla (third party extensions and training resources) the modx system offers vital core features which will see modx hopefully gain a leading position within the Open Source market.
eZ Publish http://www.ez.no
An Enterprise Level system eZ Publish offers extensive multi site corporate scale features, the front end editing interface and support for importing Open Office docs through LAMP is impressive. However the system uses a complex arrangement of template overrides, a custom template scripting language and lack of community resources. The lack of developers using eZ Publish have presented me with a major issue, as the support from eZ Systems only comes at the point of 2000euos per year.
With the above in reflection I believe modx offers one if not the most exciting Open Source CMS PHP platform at the current time, I would note that a new modx website (as planned) would greatly improve market uptake and that efforts by the community to provide additional training resources would aid new users.
I must also note, I first viewed modx several months previous and only returned after ready the review at
http://nettuts.com/tutorials/other/working-with-a-content-management-framework-modx/ . Why did I miss modx first time, well looking at the modxcms site it didn’t excite me as a designer, looked somewhat un-engaging, the demo at
http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/details.php?scriptid=48 also compounded my dismissal. I believe the template used at OpenSouce really doesn’t do justice to modx (no offence intended).
An interesting article highlighting all these points and many more can be found at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4460777/2008-Open-Source-CMS-Market-Survey .
I hope my comments help and I’ll look forward to contributing to the modx community.
MODX Staff