Comments on: Open-Source CMS vs Custom CMS

By: John

John — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:51:00 +0000

I completely agree with Marie.

By: John

John — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:50:00 +0000

Yes they are powerful but the point is “do we need them”? Nuclear bombs are powerful – do we need them?

Point is when a task can be managed easily with a bespoke solution, why complicate it using Drupal or any other CMS? Just because you do not have your own CMS or you’ve spent years on Drupal does not mean you use it in every project.

By: John

John — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:46:00 +0000

I completely agree with Bryan. A CMS is all about providing tools and an easy-to-use interface for a non-technical client to manage his/her website.

What is in it to maintain for a non-technical person? If somebody does not understand code then it does not matter if the CMS is open-source or bespoke. He will always need services of a technical person to modify his website.

Bespoke offers more security, flexibility and ease of use. Why install thousands of scripts when you can handle it with a dozen of files?

WordPress is good for just one thing – Blogging, that is it.

By: John

John — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:39:00 +0000

Using open-source solution is an excuse when you don’t have your own CMS. Every programmer will prefer a bespoke solution as it is easy to code, maintain and is more secure than an open-source CMS.

Why install thousands of files when you can provide a light-weight, fast and more secure solution with a bespoke CMS.

My vote goes to bespoke – more secure, more flexible and more fast solution as compared to CMS.

Ask your programming team for a bespoke solution!

By: WPS

WPS — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:52:12 +0000

You will probably find that most “designer” shops use an open source system (and try and adapt their client to the system) and most “developer” shops (with strong developers) use their own cms.

Why,
- because developers can create and build it,
- they know 100% of the code base (that’s something that I don’t think anyone can claim with any open source system),
- they have control of future updates to the system (and don’t just throw their hands up in the air when an update to an open source system breaks something and they say – we’ll just have to wait for an update to which should fix it, or something changes in the way something is done and the client says WTF – oh yeah says the web person, that’s been updated – it’s out of our hands)
- IF written properly, a custom system is going to be more secure then an open source as the code base is not readily available to download and explore,
- With open source system you usually have to adapt the client the system and tell them that this is the way it is (it’s good, we use it).

I think someone said above that the open source systems are built/tested by 100′s of developers – that’s a lot of fingers of varying levels in the pie…

How can you guarantee your work (the site) to a paying client that you have NO control over, now or in the future?

My 2 cents. Here we go…

By: Bryan Andrade

Bryan Andrade — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:41:46 +0000

I made a typo in my last response. I meant to say “overly personalised.” Anyway, Simon, I feel that there is truth in your view because most code probably DOES become too personalised, and is not well-written. This is why most people probably SHOULD use an open-source CMS as a starting-point for creating a web application.
However, for certain needs there is no replacement for a well-written custom application, and when recommending a solution to a client, it is always important to evaluate their needs rather than believing that open-source is always the best. I find that open-source is the best in the simplest of cases.

By: Bryan Andrade

Bryan Andrade — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:35:01 +0000

I have actually used both drupal and WordPress within the last week. Their power as an open-source CMS lies in their ability to be deployed quickly and easily, however, making them do anything useful still requires a skilled programmer.
If your reality is that code is overly programmed and has no reference to best practice, then what does that say about your “skilled programmer?”

By: Simon Wharton

Simon Wharton — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:20:57 +0000

Bryan
I couldnt disagree more with your assessment. I can only gather that it must be some time since you used a CMS like Drupal, even WordPress. They are significantly more powerful than you suggest. Also your assertion that a company only needs to employ another skilled programmer lacks a considered view as to the reality of the situation. All too often, the code becomes overly personalised without reference to best practice. And its one person as opposed to the vast global community that supports and enhances open source in a managed manner

By: Bryan Andrade

Bryan Andrade — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:48:55 +0000

Why does a custom CMS have to be difficult to maintain? If a company hires a skilled PHP programmer to develop a custom CMS that addresses a business-critical need, then it is expected that if the company were to switch PHP programmers, it would need to hire another skilled programmer that is fluent in PHP. A custom CMS would only be “complicated” to someone who cannot understand code easily.
Most open-source content management systems do not address the specific needs of business-critical applications without major overhauls, although open-source solutions are ideal for companies that only require a simple blog or your typical “about us” “contact us” website.
It really depends on what tier the client is in and how much their site actually matters.

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:35:37 +0000

A custom CMS should be the CLIENT’s CMS, built in a way that is user-friendly enough for the client to use it herself.

If your CMS is so complicated that the client needs to get back to you for maintenance. Well… you might as well create a static website and get them on a maintenance contract (which they’d need anyway).

Open-source is great if the client wants something cheap, quick and is not too demanding in terms of graphics design. The big problem arise for example when a client absolutely want a WordPress website but has a graphics designer working on it who doesn’t want his creativity to be constrained. In the end, you would need to come up with a bespoke theme which might cost as much to implement as a custom CMS or a static website + maintenance contract.