Textpattern

Once known as a blogging platform, Textpattern has expanded into a true CMS designed

to manage all aspects of a corporate website.4 Administrators can control contributing

authors’ permission levels, and the extensible templating system allows for a range of

architectural possibilities. Nontechnical authors also praise its elegant and easy-to-use

back-end system (shown in Figure 1-5). Like WordPress, Textpattern is free and boasts a

dedicated community.

Drupal

Drupal is another free CMS, but it offers a very deep set of functionality far beyond the

scope of WordPress or Textpattern.5 It was designed from the get-go to be enterprise-

ready, and it offers a considerable range of modules, including simple blogging, integrated

forums, user registration, statistics packages, and more. It is free, but demands a much

higher learning curve.

3. www.wordpress.org

4. www.textpattern.com

5. www.drupal.org

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OVERVIEW

1

Figure 1-5. Textpattern offers a clean and easy-to-use interface. Administrators can limit content

permissions for different user levels.

ExpressionEngine

For businesses looking for a solid, all-in-one package, ExpressionEngine is designed to be a

CMS first and foremost, which means both designers and developers will be able to absorb

its mild learning curve without much trouble.6 The system comes in both free and com-

mercial licenses. One of the benefits of a commercial license is paid, dedicated support—

something that is very important to many companies.

Vignette

In contrast to the free and open source systems, Vignette is a very expensive, proprietary