Your Intranet: The Recipe for Success

Building your intranet is like using a recipe. You want to make the final product enjoyable, and to do so, you need to ensure that all of the ingredients are well balanced.

I recently made a delicious dinner for some friends and was later asked how I did it. I slyly said “a little this and that”, but really, it is a tried and true recipe from my step mom, a chef. Over the years I have perfected the dish to make it “my own”, but I still have to peak back at my food stained recipe book to ensure that I am on the right track. With an intranet, similar to cooking a nice meal, users do not see the creative process until it’s perfected and delivered.  Like a good meal, and as the site develops, the users will crave more. 

Intranet design is similar to cooking in that it allows for revisions along the way. An intranet site starts with design applications that provide functionality to the site. You need to build up these applications with text, borders, pictures, in order to make the site operational and appealing to the user’s eyes. Along the way, you can add or remove icons, text boxes and documents to enhance the page. It’s a never ending process of exciting changes that increasingly make the intranet more accessible for the users.

SilverStripe community begins work on SilverStripe CMS v3.0

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Submitted by Bryan on

The SilverStripe open source community recently posted their roadmap to SilverStripe CMS v3.0. Version 3.0 represents a major year-long development project and is expected to be a substantial improvement over the current v2.4.x series. With an aggressive schedule, a stable version of SilverStripe CMS v3.0 is expected to be available by the end of 2011.

The roadmap introduces three major goals of SilverStripe CMS v3.0:

  • Better technical platform. Sapphire, the underlying programming framework, will evolve from an integral part of SilverStripe CMS, into a product that can stand on its own feet. In forming this delineation, improvements will be made throughout the core, including the ORM, data integrity, templating language, and performance. Sapphire v3.0 will consequently enable developers to make richer and more complex web applications and websites.
  • Better user experience for content authors. A refresh of the content authoring environment will bring even better usability and productivity. The interface will transition to jQuery, making the system capable of much greater customization. Managing images, embedding videos, and previewing work in progress will all be made easier. Images and documents will be able to versioned and secured in the same way pages can currently be.
  • Improved support for the social and mobile web. SilverStripe's existing templating language and support for web services already provide a foundation for the two top themes in the web currently: social media and mobile devices. With SilverStripe CMS v3.0, the developers intend to improve the core to make development for both easier and richer.

SilverStripe's Business Relationship Manager, Sigurd Magnusson, sent CMS Report an email about this new roadmap for version 3.0 and how developers can help get involved. "Note at this stage", said Magnusson, "the main thing we want people to do, is join our development mailing list so they people can be involved in the decisions and contribute to the development of this new major release, due late 2011". The official mailing list for the development of SilverStripe CMS 3.0 can be found at Google Groups.

Those interested in additional information regarding SilverStripe CMS v3.0 are encouraged to take a look at the SilverStripe 3.0 Planning page. A video recording of the  first public presentation on SilverStripe CMS v3.0 is posted below the fold and slides from the meeting are also available.

Create powerful, great-looking Drupal themes using new Cookbook

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Packt is pleased to anounce Drupal 6 Theming Cookbook, a new book which helps developers customize the look of their Drupal websites by making use of the powerful CCK, Views and Panels modules. Written by Karthik Kumar, this book will guide readers through the most important aspects of Drupal theming and help them take control of the look and feel of their Drupal website.

Book review for PHP 5 e-Commerce

"The core of the book is about writing a web site to sell things. Early on the author introduces the handful of patterns that will be used (MVC, Registry, Singleton) then immediately provides a runnable skeleton MVC framework that handles only Products and Categories. After that, it's an incremental build chapter by chapter as the author adds features to the web site."

Review can be found here.

Flash CMS v.3 release from FlashMint

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Submitted by TimSoulo on

Are you familiar with Flash CMS? It's time to be!

CMS has always been a choice for a person, willing to create a nicely looking website without any special knowledge. However the result was actually not that valuable, as people wanted it to be.

Flash CMS today is the first thing to try among existing Content Management Systems. The benefits are numerous: from editing your site in browser "on the fly" to using fancy-looking Flash CMS templates.

 The Flash CMS v.3 platform by Flashmint undoubtedly deservs attention:

  • - you get an absolutely new stylish website;
  • - intuitive admin interface (absolutely no website building skills required);
  • - media data management options (Photo, Slideshow, Video. Music);
  • - wide variety of charming templates designed by Flashmint and powered by their adorable Flash CMS;
  • - SEO-friendly flash website;
  • - 24/7 support line.

Flash CMS

You no longer need to learn Flash or hire a web designer. Flash CMS is a perfect sollution to build a wonderfull website on your own. Just go and try it!

Is osCommerce dead?

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Submitted by Bryan on

There it was in front of my eyes.  The headline in osCommerce's forum read, "Is OsC Dead?, Discussion of the Progress of OsC" [link removed by osCommerce folks?].  Despite how some may read the title, the thread isn't about bashing osCommerce.  Instead, it is about users and community members concerned and even fearful of the slow pace of new development for osCommerce.  Despite all the talk about osCommerce 3.0, it has been a year and a half since OsC 3 Alpha 4 was released with the roadmap showing that Alpha 5 and 6 are still under development.  How can one not ask if the future of osCommerce is in jeopardy?

As mentioned at the osCommerce forum, Kerry Watson also has an article out about the new breed of open source shopping carts.  The article starts off with a that was then, this is now statement regarding shopping carts.

While the Big Three of the old guard — osCommerce, Zen Cart, and CRE Loaded — continue to duke it out among themselves, new-generation open source commerce projects have begun to spring up with new ideas and new ways of thinking. Most noteworthy of the new crop are France-based Prestashop and US-based programs Ubercart and Magento.

These fresh Web 2.0-style carts are mature and production-ready contenders, and all are at or beyond version 1.0 in their production cycle. These carts are equal or superior to many commercial e-commerce programs, and are available for free under the GNU or OSL 3.0 Public License. We've previously reviewed Magento, so this column will focus on the other two next-generation carts: PrestaShop and Ubercart.

Personally, I've been working on recommending a friend to upgrade his osCommerce site to either Magento or Drupal's Ubercart.  Even when the 3.0 version of osCommerce is released, it will likely still not have many of the Web 2.0 features that the new breed of shopping carts currently have now.  It's not that I think osCommerce is dead, but I do think that osCommerce has stopped evolving.  Good open source projects never die, they just fade away.

20bits: Four Problems with Drupal

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Submitted by Bryan on
I don't know too much about the author of this post but he does make some semi-intelligent arguments regarding Drupal that shouldn't be entirely dismissed.  Also strange that this Drupal post is the first and only post on this Wordpress blog (so far).
4 Problems with Drupal

Drupal is an open source CMS. It it used by many big-name websites, like The Onion and the Mozilla Foundation’s Get Firefox campaign. However, it suffers from a few serious problems which make it extremely difficult to adapt to large, complex sites. If you’re looking to deploy something like a social network using Drupal then this article is definitely worth your read. Even if you’re not, these are facts any developer or admin should know about the software they might be using.  Read More...
I'd like to see some comments from others in the Drupal community before I make comments myself.  I should also mention that I originally came across this post on Amy Stephen's blog who frequently visits my site.  Amy Stephen is a Joomla! fan, but I don't think she is really trying to stir up trouble.  Of course I have to ask, can you really trust a Joomla! user?   And yes Dean, this is how you are supposed to write sarcasm.

Drupal Newbies and Contributed Modules

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Submitted by Bryan on
Drupal iconThe Newbie Issue

I received an interesting e-mail the other day through the contact form at my site regarding the social bookmarking "features" I have for my posts.  The questions asked to me are quite common among new users of any Web content management system.  While the questions in this particular e-mail I received would be more appropriate to be asked and answered in the forums at Drupal.org, there were some things in the message I felt the need to address though my blog.

The first e-mail went like this:
I am new to Drupal publishing, and I noticed your "Bookmark/Search this post with: Delicious Digg Google Yahoo Technorati Icerocket " feature. How did you code that? Or- where could I find out how to do that? I have searched Drupal.org but find it frustrating to search, and searching for modules is so frustrating I gave up. Scrolling through the categories is about the best I could do. I found the Submit to Digg one- but your system seems so much more simple.
The second e-mail though is what caught my attention and depending on interpretation somewhat alarmed me.
hi - right after I wrote my note I looked at your code a little harder and figured it out! sorry for the bother!
For the record in order to get those links to the various social bookmarking sites, I use the service links module, a Drupal contributed module.  What concerned me about the e-mail is that when the writer looked at the source code of my web page, I'm not sure if he concluded the correct module to use with his CMS or how to "hard code" the links manually into his site.  Either way,  new users of Drupal tend to make things more difficult on themselves then need be.  This is my attempt to simplify things for those of you for those just trying out Drupal for the first time and are having a hard time hunting down those extra features.

When IT changes too quickly

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Submitted by Bryan on

As I have mentioned in the past, besides this site I also run WebCMS Forum. The forum is a place I started in hopes of bringing users of various content management systems (CMS) together for exciting discussion. While the number of users participating in actual dicussion have always been low, those people that are posting often write something that makes hosting this underused forum well worth my time.

This week I had a user, Anti, talk about frustrations with rapid changes currently happening with the content management system, Drupal. Don't get her wrong, she likes Drupal. However, for the first time in a long while, she is in need of taking a deep breath before absorbing all the new changes into her routine. At the forum she writes:

It seems like such a short time ago, in reality maybe six months or so, that I felt I at least had a finger on the pulse of Drupal. I knew where each off the settings were and was never intimidated by the concept of taxonomy and I was happy as can be. While none of that has really changed, I can still install and configure a Drupal site in record time, I am sometimes completely overwhelmed by the explosion of new ideas I find on Drupal.org. It is all very exciting but after watching this thing for a couple of years I suddenly feel out of sorts. Things really do seem to be happening right now.

While the above post is specifically focused on Drupal, it is not a stretch for me to say that about every user of information technology (IT) has felt overwhelmed when rapid changes take place with the products they are using. These changes take place in the name of innovation. These changes bring features in a product that promise to make our life easier. And if the changes don't make our life easier, the changes still appear to be necessary to get the product in the direction it needs to go. As IT professionals we understand the need for progress, but this understanding doesn't really address the impact the new demands have on our users.

Drupal: Quick development update

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Submitted by Bryan on
Quick development update -

"It's been exactly one month since we released Drupal 4.7.0, and exactly three months until the next code and feature freeze. You might think that, since Drupal 4.7.0 was only recently released, we've been enjoying cocktails and other carnal delights on exotic beaches. Quite the contrary, in fact, and so it is time to provide a quick overview of the completed developments. Read on for more information."

read more

[Drupal.org]

ComputerWorld: Why open-source Java?

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Submitted by Bryan on

ComputerWorld has a FAQ to why an open-source Java would be good for software development. Considering Java is considered the most popular programming language among developers such a move by Sun would be welcomed news.

What's the big deal? Isn't the source code for Java already available? Yes, the source code for Java has been available for years via the SCSL and JRL license programs, but a true open-source release would make it possible for developers to innovate more freely with Java, with less involvement from Sun and fewer licensing restrictions on distribution. Sun, while making periodic noises about the possibility of open-sourcing Java, has resisted this move, until now. More at ComputerWorld.com

By the way, open-source fans may be interested to hear that PHP is ranked the fourth most popular programming language (with C and C++ ranked second and third). See the TIOBE Programming Community Index for additional listings of program languages ranked by popularity.