What is a CMS?
According to Wikipedia a Content Management System (CMS) is a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based. The procedures are designed to:
- Allow for a large number of people to contribute to and share stored data
- Control access to data, based on user roles. User roles define what information each user can view or edit
- Aid in easy storage and retrieval of data
- Reduce repetitive duplicate input
- Improve the ease of report writing
- Improve communication between users
In a CMS, data can be defined as almost anything - documents, movies, pictures, phone numbers, scientific data, etc. CMSs are frequently used for storing, controlling, revising, semantically enriching, and publishing documentation. Content that is controlled is industry-specific. For example, entertainment content differs from the design documents for a fighter jet. There are various terms for systems (related processes) that do this. Examples include: Web Content Management, Digital Asset Management, Digital Records Management, Electronic Content Management (and others). Synchronization of intermediate steps, and collation into a final product are common goals of each.1
Which one do I choose?
There are a lot of content management systems (CMS) both free and commercial from which to choose. Where do you start? Well, you might try asking a guy like me — someone who has worked with a bunch of them — which one is best for you. In anticipation of such a question I have done some research and come up with some suggestions, based on CMSs that I have worked with and heard about:
 Word Press
WordPress is a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. The Best way to describe WordPress is simple and fully functional. Setup is a snap — just 3 steps and 4 fields to fill in. The administrative interface is intuitive and user friendly. Originally used as a blogging platform, WordPress is quickly becoming a Web site CMS. WordPress' default capabilities can be increased manyfold (and new functions can be easily added) through its easy-to-use plugin architecture3 and the growing number of plugins that extend WordPress from being just a blogging platform.2
I would recommend WordPress for those just getting on the Web and wanting a blog site or a Web site that was purely informational. This is also for those who do not need a lot of options for extending their Web site much beyond that of an informational Web site.2
 WebGUI
WebGUI is a commercially supported, open source content management system and application framework that is designed for enterprise environments. WebGUI is used by organizations such as: US Department of State, 300+ US Embassies worldwide, Volvo, Brunswick Corporation, Kemin Corporation, California State University, Americans for Fairness in Lending, SGE Analytical Science, Cameron University, Mitsubishi Fuso, Environment America, University of Illinois, Promise Keepers, IEEE, , University of Minnesota Law School, The School District of Philadelphia, Donor.com, Saint Vincent College, Green Corps, Auburn University, Comtrol, and USPIRG.3
 TYPO3
TYPO3 is an enterprise-level open source content management system released under the GPL. It runs on more than 200,000 servers worldwide. The application has been translated into 43 languages and is actively being developed in a community of over 27,000 users in 60 countries. Some of its users include BASF, DaimlerChrysler, EDS, Konika-Minolta, Fujitsu, Government of Québec, DMR, Volkswagen, UNESCO, as well as numerous universities, government agencies and non-profit organizations. There are numerous "Free Add On"'s available for the TYPO3 Core available as separate downloads at typo3.org/extensions/ . There's more than 2000 modules available on the centralized repository (http://typo3.org/extensions/repository/).3
 Mambo
The default installation of Mambo is easy to set up and easy to maintain. The set up utility uses a 4 step wizard interface that allows you to install the entire system without the need of advanced technical knowledge. Once installed, the system includes a variety of templates you can choose and a large number of functionalities that are ready to go. Content can be added, edited and manipulated without having to know HTML, XML or DHTML — just enter your content via a friendly editor and click publish.3 Mambo is similar to Joomla! 1.0 and has a similar interface. This is probably due to the fact that the original developers of Joomla! split off from the Mambo development team.2
More advanced users are able to control the system to a degree that suits their skills. The core files are written in PHP (Mambo is based on LAMP) and can be modified easily. The system is robust, proven and backed by a large community of users and professional developers. Mambo has been part of the Open Source world for more than 5 years and is one of the older CMSs.3
Mambo, like Joomla! is highly configurable and versitile. This means that if you will be modifying your own content it will take a little bit more of a learning curve than WordPress, but that effort will pay off when you want to expand your service. I have used Mambo to convert standard Web templates to Mambo templates, that work very well.2
 Drupal
Drupal is a free software package that allows an individual or a community of users to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of content on a website. Tens of thousands of people and organizations are using Drupal to power scores of different web sites, including Community web portals, Discussion sites, Corporate web sites, Intranet applications, Personal web sites or blogs, Aficionado sites, E-commerce applications, Resource directories, Social Networking sites.
Drupal is ready to go from the moment you download it. It even has an easy-to-use web installer! The built-in functionality, combined with dozens of freely available add-on modules, will enable features such as Content Management Systems, Blogs, Collaborative authoring environments, Forums, Peer-to-peer networking, Newsletters, Podcasting, Picture galleries, File uploads and downloads, and much more.3
Drupal has the advantage of being either a blog site, portal site and forum. Drupal would be for anyone wishing to engage a community. I haven't done much beyond installing Drupal and playing with a few templates. It is very stable and has a host of community supporters.2
 e107
From an original code of Master Jalist, this powerful CMS allow you to create a FULL website in few minutes. Easy install procedure, easy management, good performances using its own cache system and many many more.3
Joomla!
Joomla! is a powerful Open Source Content Management System for building professional web sites easily. It is often the system of choice for small business or home business users who want a professional looking site that's simple to deploy and use. It can deliver a robust enterprise-level Web site as well, empowered by endless extensibility for your publishing needs.3
Joomla! is different from the normal models for content management software. For a start, it's not complicated. Joomla! has been developed for everybody, and anybody can develop it further. Similarly to the Firefox browser, the core system can be extended via easily installable add-ons authored by the developer community. The comprehensive internationalization of Joomla! 1.5.x supports right to left languages (e.g. Hebrew or Arab) and extended character sets. Dozens of language packs can be separately downloaded.
One of the reasons that I chose Joomla! for my site is that I wanted to be able to expand my site to do a number of different things. Joomla! has a huge array of developers that have produced thousands of extensions and plugins in the few short years Joomla! has been developed.2
 ExpressionEngine
ExpressionEngine (EE) is a flexible, feature-rich content management system that empowers thousands of individuals, organizations, and companies around the world to easily manage their website. If you’re tired of the limitations of your current CMS then take ExpressionEngine for a spin. Some sites that use EE include the Washington Chapter of the American Planners Association, Brad & Michael, Dury’s Gun Shop, Modern Living Supplies, Trevor Allen Photography, Orthopaedic of Central Virginia and Israel Center for Social & Economic Progress.4
ExpressionEngine is a commercial CMS, but I have maintained a couple of sites using it. One advantage of EE is that it gives an organization an entire realm of ready made functions that can be accessed without having to install and modify for compatibility. It is truly the leader of commercial CMSs.2
 eZ Publish
eZ Publish is a Content Management System (CMS) and development framework (CMF). While the CMS is standardized for out of the box functionality and solutions, the CMF consists of flexible engines for further customization and extensions. The CMS and CMF are seamlessly integrated and are both part of the eZ Publish distribution you can download from ez.no. eZ Publish is dual licensed, allowing you to choose between GPL (free open source) and the professional license (allowing you to protect your work and to re-license the software).2
 Jaws
Jaws is a Framework and Content Management System for building dynamic web sites. It aims to be User Friendly giving ease of use and lots of ways to customize web sites, but at the same time is Developer Frendly, it offers a simple and powerful framework to hack your own modules. Its designed under the MVC design pattern.3
Looks interesting and it has an advantage in interoperability and speed. It is also fairly new and I don't have a lot of opinion of it. CMS Matrix rated it within the top 10, so it's definitely one to keep an eye on. I do like the logo though.2
Footnotes
1 Wikipedia, "Content management system".
2 CodeMasterBill's personal experience.
3 CMS Matrix, cmsmatrix.org.
4 Spryestudios, "Top 12 Free Content Management Systems (CMS)" by Mike Smith.
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