Other Software > Developer's Corner
Discussion of CMS suggestions for the DC software directory
mouser:
gothic sent me this link to people working on code for treating wordpress as a library for a cms:
http://andy.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/wordpress-as-library-cms/
Veign:
That link is way too old - 2006.
Wordpress is leaps and bounds beyond when that article was written.
Gothi[c]:
Yeah, but it's still what would be ideal.
I wish there was a CMS LIBRARY instead of a CMS webapp. This would make life so much easier in terms of integration. And not just for DC, but for umpteen other projects i have going :(
40hz:
Since this is basically a reference book you'll be creating, perhaps the best CMS for this might be a Wiki.
Wikis use a reference book or catalog metaphor; allow for customization while still providing a recognizable format for most people to navigate; allow you to embed links to anything (blogs, email addresses, software, downloads, images, media, etc.); and, once set up, are very easy to use - and most importantly -maintain.
Best of all, you won't need to reinvent the wheel. Wikipedia has a very good summary box for software that could easily be copied. Example1. Example2.
Discussion of CMS suggestions for the DC software directory
Even more important, they've worked out the taxonomies. Link here.
Coming up with good categories and subcategories is the most difficult task you'll encounter when creating a reference directory. So whenever possible, steal a good one from somebody else, and modify it as needed.
Running the category main links down the left column (ala Softpedia and many others) is a terrific help for users. Try to do that if possible.
Discussion of CMS suggestions for the DC software directory
Most people don't think of wikis for a curated directory because they keep thinking in terms of everybody being given write/edit access. It doesn't have to be that way. You can restrict feature access however you like with most wikis.
We set one up for a client that has an extensive library of documents, media, and software assets that they wanted to provide their employees with ready access to. There was a ton of good stuff in there. But nobody knew half of it existed, let alone how to get to it.
After looking at several CMS and 'document management' products, we went to WikiMatrix, ran through their choice wizard and got these recommendations:
3F Wiki, bitweaver, BusinessWiki, Clearspace, codeBeamer, Confluence, Corendal Wiki, Daisy, Drupal Wiki, GeniusWiki, IkeWiki, iKnow - a tiny wiki, Incentive, JSPWiki, Luminotes, MediaWiki, Midgard Wiki, MindTouch, MojoMojo, PAUX, PhpWiki, ProjectForum, SamePage, SharePoint Wiki Plus, ThoughtFarmer, Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware, Traction TeamPage, WackoWiki, Wagn, WikiDoc, WikkaWiki, XoWiki, XWiki and Zwiki
--- End quote ---
In the end, we didn't need to do a lot of comparative studies. One of the company's employees already had extensive experience setting up and managing MediaWiki. Since they had in-house expertise to fall back on, and it was already on our short list, we thought it best to go with MediaWiki. It was installed, populated in relatively short order, and became a "big win" for everyone involved. The employees love it. And in the true tradition of wiki-thinking, it continues to improve incrementally through subsequent additions, edits, and updates. So what was once "90% right" is closer to "99.9% right" now that the company has grown into it.
Note: MediaWiki might not be the absolute best choice we could have made. But it was definitely a good choice for them. That's something to keep in mind when doing a platform search. Don't let the natural desire to find the absolute best solution keep you from implementing a good solution. My software selection rule is: Something that's 85% right and working - is preferable to something that's 100% right and perpetually in planning.
Rule of Thumb: Apply the finishing polish as it goes out the door, not as it comes into the shop. :)
app103:
Before I started this thread my idea was to do something like I did with my book directory, using Wordpress and a DC theme that would make it blend in with the site.
The plan was to use some of the same plugins I used in my directory:
* Popularity Contest to put a list of the most popular apps at the top
* A table of contents page
* User star ratings, which would not require anyone to register on the site.
Categories going down the left, and a search box at the top, just like my book directory has.
And after the discussion of PAD files and Veign's links to PAD plugins for Wordpress, That's how I thought I was going to do this.
I did also consider using a CMS specifically designed for software download sites, and the one I found could not only serve as the software section of the site, but with some modifications to include some content from the forum (mouser's blog mod), the front page of it could very well serve as the main page of the site.
I don't think I ever mentioned how much I hate wikis. I have never seen a wiki that I didn't think was ugly or that I actually enjoyed editing. If it wasn't for the content on Wikipedia, I'd never visit their site. My last job required me to edit a Google wiki with support info, for internal use. I really hated that part of my job, almost as much as I hated making Quickbase reports.
If I had discussed this in private with Veign, instead of posting here on the forum, this project would be finished next week. You have no idea how much I am itching to do this. I was ready to stop talking and get to work 16 posts ago.
But with mouser's leaning towards Drupal, it doesn't seem as though this is going to be the job I volunteered for. Seems like it will end up being one of those "call me when you need help adding the content" projects. And while I would be content to do that if that is what would be best in the long run (I don't have a problem with stepping aside and letting better, more experienced coders perform their magic), I also know it means we will be here next year with the job still not done and this will be one of those discussions that didn't exactly go anywhere.
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