CMSMS 2.0 Project Shelved
Category:Announcements General
May 26, 2011 by calguy1000
Today we have an announcement about the future direction of CMS Made Simple. After extensive discussion amongst the development team regarding our roadmap, we’ve made a decision which we know is the best way to continue ongoing development of the software. This decision relates to the development and release of “CMSMS 2.0”.
The CMSMS 1.x series has been extremely popular. Through developing the core of this series we have come to appreciate a number of things that were not so apparent at the time of first conceptualizing “CMSMS 2.0”. The 1.X series has continued to get more users, features, capabilities and modules, including some of the ideas from the "2.0" branch (though implemented differently). All of this has resulted in the fact that the "2.0" branch as originally thought out has become outdated.
“CMSMS 2.0” was to be the next generation of content management systems for everybody going forward. It would include things like content versioning and workflow stuff for enterprises, multi-language capabilities, a hierarchical permissions manager, an extensive ORM (object relational mapping) tool for developers and much more.
We envisioned slowing the development on further CMSMS 1.x releases at around the 1.3 stage and focusing primarily on “CMSMS 2.0”.. At that time we knew we would be facing a complete rewrite and a daunting task with module compatibility. However we knew that we would be able to overcome these issues and given enough time we could solve these problems. Of course we knew that the 1.x series would have a long life even after "2.0" came out, but envisioned slowly fading out support for 1.x as modules caught up.
However at this time it has not worked out. The development of the 1.X series, where we’ve been able to provide solutions at a fairly fast rate has, by necessity, been more important. After all, that is the software that’s being used. Plus of course, as this is an open source and voluntary project, we have to share our time on it with paid work, families and life in general!
As a result the of the ongoing development of 1.X we have found time and time again that the starting efforts we had made on “CMSMS 2.0” required re-doing due to changes in the underlying framework, or to lessons we had learned in the 1.X stream. Eventually three or more years had gone by, slowly working on the foundations of “CMSMS 2.0” and steadily improving 1.x. Yet we were still facing a ‘complete rewrite’ for "2.0".
As mentioned at the start of this announcement the Dev team has discussed all of these issues extensively many times and again at our most recent Dev team meeting. We knew that the community could not be kept hanging indefinitely.
Thus we have come to the decision that our time and resources are best used by continuing to evolve the 1.X series. At this time we are officially shelving the “CMSMS 2.0” project as it was described.
The good news is that all of you that have invested thousands of person hours and thousands of dollars into developing websites for, modules for, and web applications in CMS Made Simple can rest easy that your investment is sound. We have not lost faith or momentum in the Content Management System that we all know and love. Instead of writing a whole new CMS we will evolve it over time to accommodate the features that we want and still maintain our original focus and goals.
The best ideas and lessons learned from the "2.0" experiment will be migrated into the 1.x series over time. We are evolving towards a more modular, better performing system allowing third party modules to tie further into the system, or even replace some of the functionality. Features like centralized module templates and better content flexibility will slowly move from the "2.0" experiment into reality in the 1.x series. We will continue to implement more ideas, optimizations and features that we find useful that we never thought of when "2.0" was born such as better support for mobile devices and admin side search. Our next release CMS 1.10 is a step towards implementing some of the changes planned for the "2.0" series.
We are sure you will understand the reasoning behind our decision. We hope you look forward to a ongoing investment in your favorite content management system, just as we look forward to continue to work with you.
© Copyright 2011 by CMSMS™ and the posts author(s). All rights reserved.
28 Responses to "CMSMS 2.0 Project Shelved"
Wise decision
On: May 27, 2011, Cedric said:
Mates, I surely don't have the words to express how I'm proud to be a CmsMs addict for a long time.
My experience in working with IT companies shew me how rushing and unthought decisions lead to failure.
I guess my cmsMs websutes based needs are not the as high as others ones but what I know, and let me tell you I hear this every week, is that CmsMs gives what it syas it would give.
Moreover my favorite motto is KISSS: Keep It Simply Simple which the CmsMs team fulfill and respect at any moment.
To sum up:
Who knows the bes CmsMs? The CmsMs dev team
Who knows the best the time needed to make it evolve? The CmsMs dev team
Who can help and support you? I can and we all can using CmsMs.
So I guess you are the best ones to make that decision.
Cedric
Prod. site: www.alapeche.be,
Labs site: www.arthurf.be,
My way of giving repect site: www.cmsms.be
CMSMS Professional?
On: May 27, 2011, Giorgio Graffieti said:
Hello,
is understandable fatigue of the development team to balance the demands of work and sustenance for their families to contribute to an open source project like CMSMS.
Just to give a concrete sign of this solidarity of the community of users of CMSMS because in addition to the proposed future direction that you do not also accompany a CMSMS Professional "distributed with shareware?
Ultimately, it is fair that those with CMSMS is also contributing to the efforts of business and the work that others put at his disposal.
sorry my google-English
;-))
Is there any future for this project?
On: Jun 12, 2011, Jay said:
I wonder if there is any future for this project bearing in mind that Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress are dominating and their development team is very much focused. They don't give up like you guys seem to have done so.
Time to move on it seems.
Multi language support in CMSMS
On: Jun 17, 2011, Geoff Foster said:
Thanks for this explanation. I have developed several sites in CMSMS & it fills an important niche between Joomla! (horrible) and Drupal (wonderful, but too complex for many apps.)
One of my clients has just asked me if I can make his CMSMS wite multilinugual (5 European languages) - my question is: will the next version of CMSMS support multiple languages (in which case I will tell the client to "wait a bit") or should I try to implement one of the methods which are described at the moment to do this.
Thanks,
Geoff Foster.
awesome
On: Jun 18, 2011, awesome said:
good thing i switched all my sites to WordPress and now develop my clients websites on wordpress now instead of CMSMS. Couldn't wait any longer for new updates. Wordpress just works as you need it to!
Have fun
On: Jun 18, 2011, Robert said:
To each their own... Each CMSMS has their niche where they should be used. If you are only using one CMS for all of your sites then you are probably like a mechanic with only a hammer in the toolbox.
Good job guys
On: Jun 19, 2011, Pauiprou said:
Thanks guys. I've been using CMSMS for a while now and I like to THANK YOU for this great job. I've done some volunteer projects some times and I know there are ups and downs. You can do something for free if you are motivated, but motivation dont't last forever. Take a breath and go on.
have fun2
On: Jun 19, 2011, alex said:
@Robert
you're right, but unfortunately Wordpress is a much better alternative even for smaller niche websites IMO. The only thing Wordpress is lacking out of the box is native multilingual functionality which i think cmsms supports out of box. (hvnt used cmsms in awhile).. was going to switch once 2.0 came but i guess thats not happening ;D
repeat: Multi language support in CMSMS
On: Jun 23, 2011, denli said:
@Jun 17, 2011, Geoff Foster:
Me to I would really like to know when to expect multi language support!
Thats what I was looking out for in 2.0!
Multilanguage roadmap and alternatives?
On: Jun 24, 2011, Jan F said:
Sorry to read the news but it is understandable, if not enough of us contribute with development.
My main concern is what will happen to multilingual support? I stopped updating my site when MLE was not updated any more, waiting for 2.X with multilanguage support. Now that 2.X is not happening, will there be multilanguage support in future 1.X? Hope so...
Most logical and best CONTENT management system
On: Jun 28, 2011, Jason said:
I would like to say that I have experimented and continue to experiment with CMS systems of all types and I have tried just about every one, including writing my own on several occasions
Drupal is one of the most powerful but least user friendly and a very steep learning curve for developer. Wordpress administration is awesome, but their templates are a mess. Joomla is a mess on both fronts.
CMSMS is the most intuitive CMS from a design and developer standpoint. Templates are edited in "Templates", Pages are edited in "Pages" etc. etc. Having unlimited content areas allows for amazing control of the site's content and prevents users from breaking tight templates.
The work this team has done has been incredible especially in the performance updates since 1.7.
Our rule in the office is, if it is a content centric website -> CMS MS, if it is a blog/news -> Wordpress, and even then I try to get CMS MS used because our development time is about 1/2.
I would much rather see 1.10 and better documentation (which is my only gripe - Worpress Codex is awesome) than a CMSMS v2.0.
Add Workflow and in page editing and this would be hands down the best CMS out there, certainly in the OpenSource space.
I like this decision
On: Jul 10, 2011, Jim said:
I use Joomla, Drupal and CMSMS. Each has it's good points for what I need. When Drupal released 7.0 it just made things more difficult. 6.0 modules don't work with 7 and vice-versa. Searches for modules bring up modules for both and many times they don't clarify which version they are for. They both feel and look very different and switching between the two is confusing at best. Modules are naturally available of one and not the other. While waiting for CMS20 I assumed the same types of issues would arise. Glad to see it shelved and a commitment to one version supported. I say "Good Job!"
Keep up the good woork
On: Jul 11, 2011, Wayne said:
Some fairly harsh words in the comments for a team of volunteers to provide a great CMS which you probably don't contribute to or pay for but happy to slag off because it doesn't do what you want it to do. I think the team has done an outstanding job and if you don't like the product, fair enough, move on quietly. BTW, worpress is not a CMS, it is a blog often confused as a CMS so if all you need is a few web pages then you are using the wrong tool. I still find CMSMS one of the best CMS for small to medium websites and the easiest to teach my clients to use. Keep up the good work.
Still love CMS
On: Jul 17, 2011, John said:
I am surprised how many people mentioned moving to WordPress. I have used both CMSMS and WordPress and find most of my clients ask for WordPress but once I show them CMSMS they are sold. I have had lots of luck consulting and implementing CMSMS systems and I am quite faithful that the continuation of 1.x will bring us an even better product in the long run. Thanks for all your hard work!
Is there anything else like CMSMS? I love it
On: Jul 17, 2011, Andres Gallo (www.andresgallo.com) said:
I have tried various Content Management Systems, and for most things I find CMSMS to be the best designed content management system.
With that said, why I really hope you guys find a way to proceed with the 2.0 release.
Joomla and drupal are powerful as well for example but are tougher to use on the clients end.
Wordpress is nice and simple to use, but nowhere near as customizable.
CMS I have found to be the most visually customizable of the bunch, but if its not worked on, could soon fall behind the competition. Your product is used by thousands, and probably even hundreds of thousands of developers, and designers. Please don't stop development at this point, into a new direction. I would love to get to use 2.0 in alpha, beta and of course a finalized version in which to keep creating most of my websites.
Great CMS, even without 2.0
On: Jul 25, 2011, Brian (Orange frog Creative Group) said:
Well, I'll be honest, I think you are going down the right path. Redeveloping a new CMS system from scratch when you already have a top level system, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I use CMSMS for all our web development needs, except when a client asks for something really robust which doesn't happen all that often. I have converted countless clients from Wordpress and Joomla over to CMSMS just due to the simplicity of using it compared to the other systems.
I love CMSMS, it's easy to use, easy to customize and it has enough modules and support available for pretty much everything we do. Starting from scratch both on the CMS system as well as modules, at this point in CMSMS's evolution, just doesn't seem like the right thing to do. Good choice to shelve CMSMS 2.0.
To the nay sayers previously, you try and build a CMSMS, on your own dime and on your own time, and see how far you get. Freakin idiots!
Ignore the haters and keep moving forward
On: Jul 27, 2011, Muhammad Abdusamad said:
I think some of the comments are unnecessarily harsh because they want to see cmsms grow and gain mainstream acceptance just like some of the the other more popular products. But they have to understand that for each job there is the right tool. No cms serves everyone. Try to make a "website" using wordpress and you have to customize it like crazy. Its a great product but its not designed to create websites. After using several other cms products including modx, drupal and wordpress, I will like the simplicity of cmsms. Needs to edit a page? Got to pages. what a concept. Need a template? Use the template. Some of the products out there want you use a resource or a snippet or whatever. Im just saying great job and in the future keeps it powerful but simple. Thanks.
I love CMSMS and so do my clients + it does support Multi-lingual
On: Jul 28, 2011, Susan Rubinsky said:
I am an internet marketing strategist who works with SMBs, municipals (local government), and quasi-municipals in the U.S. I can't thank you enough for providing such a great easy-to-use CMS.
The most important reason why CMSMS is so great is that it is extremely easy for everyday people to learn how to update their websites. I have trained even the most technophobic people on CMSMS and they all are extremely impressed with how easy it is to use.
All the other ones -- Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal -- are clunkers when it comes to this. Also, you may as well jump ship once you have more than one navigation level in WordPress.
As far as multi-lingual support is concerned, my programmer and I were able to use a module to create a really nice site with both English and Spanish. It launched in February but we had the multi-lingual working last summer. The module is a little clunky but I suspect it will get better in future iterations. You can go here to see that site - http://firstdistrictwater.org/
Also, this is a client that never had a website before and they were still operating as if it were 50 years ago, yet I was able to easily train their people on this system.
There are so many other reasons why CMSMS is so great -- my programmer could send you a giant list of all the great back-end features BUT if the client can't quickly and easily learn the system then you may as well bury it in the backyard.
I take it as my personal mission to help my clients, especially government, to create simply useful sites for their consumers and constituents and I couldn't do it without CMSMS.
Thank you so much for the thoughtfulness of your planning!!!
Web Development Company Rajkot
On: Jul 29, 2011, swayaminfotech said:
good job..
To all the nay sayers....
On: Aug 3, 2011, Quintin said:
There were a number of posts that indicated the need to switch to Word Press or some other CMS program because of the dev's decision to shelve 2.0. As a result, I, being the curious sort, downloaded WP, and gave it a shot. I have played with it ALL afternoon, and it is by FAR way more tedious, and cumbersome to use. I believe that the devs at CMSMS are on the right track, and if shelving 2.0 means bettering an already great product, than I salute them. And, I, being a family man myself, can appreciate the fact that time is precious, and that these guys want to be with their families as well.
Thanks guys! Your work is appreciated.
Still the best! in many cases.
On: Aug 4, 2011, Jan F said:
I still think CMSMS is the best overall code for small / medium size sites, because it's userfriendlyness, ease of administration and flexibility. I have used a number of commercial and open source codes for forums, communities, and none else come near in respect of simplicity of management. Some of the "big ones" can do all the tricks in the book, but they come with a significant cost of administration too....
Keep up the good work!
And we all should make a donation to the CMSMS group!
I'm sold!
On: Aug 5, 2011, Mark Yorkovich said:
I've never used CMSMS. In fact at this writing, this is the first time I heard of CMSMS! I found the site while reading about the Smarty template system. I develop exclusively small websites for small businesses, so I have no need for CMSs like Drupal or Joomla. I've used and been happy with SnippetMaster and Unify, both cheap, easy to use, and mainly for small sites.
Now I find out about CMSMS and read the article about canning the 2.0 project. What I take from the announcement is that the developers put a lot of thought into their decision, which means they care about their product and its impact on who uses CMSMS.
As soon as I'm done writing this, I'm going to download and learn CMSMS!
Just Found you
On: Aug 5, 2011, Frank said:
I have just found your great system and I am amazed how easy the templates are to understand I have just been struggling to get joomla and dupral to give me the seo facilities I need with no proper result but within 5 mins I had your system giving me exactly what I needed I also have been producing sites that work in wide screen and in hand held and a quick look at the way your system works I can see that it will not be a problem well done, by the way I think it it better to perfect one program than going to different versions willy nilly so forget v2
Legal practitioners use CMS made Simple because it is straightforward
On: Aug 12, 2011, GA Publishing said:
We are a tiny specialist legal publishing house, owned by a city legal firm, and we publish only several small sites, for which we use CMS Made Simple, because we can. We're legal practitioners, not coders, so those systems such as Drupal, Joomla, &c, are just beyond our home skills and interest. CMS Made Simple we can use, not nearly as slickly as many of the thousands or millions of sites using CMS MS, but adequate for the enduring research needs of our hundreds of professional colleagues who use piets.com.au. Thank you Mr Campbell, and your development team members, for allowing us the privilege of the utility of your dedicated work. If we can put something back into your project, we would be glad.
I think you have made the right call
On: Sep 12, 2011, Colin said:
I have been using CMS MS for many years now for several Community Action web sites and am very grateful for the development you guys have done.
I think you have made the right call regards V2 in terms of effort. It will be better to do many updates on V1 that slowly turn the basic framework in to something that can can support the functionality you wanted for V2. You could work in svn check-pointing via a module. For "theme layout" a parallel templating system could be added so that it could generate the old type templates files.
I have not done php in a long time ( cpp and C# mono.net most recently) but am willing to work on some code for you.
Good decision... often, evolution is better than revolution!
On: Sep 23, 2011, Sašo Živanović said:
In my opinion, shelving 2.0 is a wise decision. Recently, there have been too many cases of good software making a radical change in either UI or API...
With respect to features intended for CMSMS2.0: it is certainly possible to create multi-language sites in CMSMS1.x, not with much effort in my opinion (my humble example can be seen at www.milonguero.si); I vote for developing hierarchical permissions manager as soon as possible---this is something that just cannot be done by a web programmer, but can be of vital importance for some projects.
Thank you very very much for the good work, and keep on doing it!!!
keep it simple
On: Oct 14, 2011, jack said:
simple guide my choice to this cms. it's an amazing product. I did almost everything with it. i don't know what people expect from translation.
The only thing i had like is the database support through pear to switch easily from one to another. may be it's already possible with version 1.9.
thanks and go on with the current branch.
Best to keep it simple...
On: Oct 17, 2011, Giles said:
I've used CMSMS on dozens of websites now, and I find that it's so such quicker, more flexible and more client friendly than Joomla or Wordpress. Wordpress is easy for clients, and I never feel like it's being used in the way it was designed when I built a production site on it. The coding seems messy and templates are a pain in the backside to code.
CMSMS is so simple, we can now integrate it in next to no time at all. Most clients cancel their training sessions with us when they've logged in and had a look, and that simplicity and intuitiveness is really the key to making it work.
I think that with a major re-write there is a real danger of adding too much extra fluff into the core system, which is simple, clean and easy. The modules are a great way to expand it, and there is little I can't so with CMSMS these days using the great modules and a little creativity. All the new features outlined sound great, but are they needed for 95% of all websites developed on this platform? When a module system is available, I'd stick with a great and simple system that works for 70% of websites, and have a few powerful modules that can cater to the other 30%. No CMS will do it all, and some bigger projects we use Joomla because we need the obscure modules or the alternative way of organising content, but more and more of the time I fall back on CMSMS.
Great job guys, it's brilliant what we have - I'd keep it simple and keep it stable - and let developers focus on building more modules.
