SilverStripe Ltd. is due to release SilverStripe CMS 3.0 in alpha in October and beta by the end of the year. The biggest change to the current content management system will be the separation of the SilverStripe Framework as it’s own entity. The framework as a stable basis, formerly known as ‘Sapphire’, enables the developer to build more than just traditional websites and potentially build applications for any device and any purpose.

SilverStripe CMS 3.0 promises an improved user interface, a better technical platform and will embrace social media and mobile web applications. SilverStripe Framework is an object-oriented PHP5 web application framework. It is based on a Model-view-controller (MVC) architecture, a popular approach for building web-based applications. The Framework reduces the overhead associated with common programming tasks, and enables developers to write code in a logical and structured manner.

Product Marketing Manager Kerstin Schuman says that SilverStripe Ltd. is proud to give the framework a status of it’s own; it is a great tool to build anything a developer wants. The framework will now become a standalone member of the SilverStripe Suite, becoming downloadable as a separate development tool. The SilverStripe Suite comprises of the SilverStripe CMS, SilverStripe Framework, SilverStripe Site Monitor and supported SilverStripe modules.

Schuman says the release of the framework gives SilverStripe the opportunity to reach a new group of people who need more than just a CMS in order to build creative new web applications.

The XOOPS Project is proud to present Alpha release of its next generation Web Application Development platform – the Xoops Engine.

It is definitely the most daring and innovative development in the almost 10 year history of XOOPS! 

XOOPS is one of the most successful Open Source CMS solutions, constantly winning top places in various competitions, and receiving various awards. But it was slowly showing signs of aging that would require major rewrites of the Core. After much deliberation the team decided to rewrite it from the ground-up using a standard off-the-shelf PHP Framework. Following the same thinking as IBM or Apple did when they decided to use standard Intel chips, the XOOPS team believes that using standard components and libraries while focusing on unique value-add, will increase the “speed to market” for XOOPS. This way the team can take advantage of latest Web developments and vast resources provided by the respective Framework’s developers. It's like getting suddenly a whole new team of some of the best PHP programmers joining XOOPS!

It will also lower the entry barrier to XOOPS for people who are already familiar with a particular PHP Framework.

After much research, XOOPS team has selected Zend Framework, the best and most popular PHP Framework on the market. The Xoops Engine will be probably the first and only case so far of  rewriting a major Open Source project using an industry standard PHP Framework.

“We are happy to see XOOPS, one of the leaders in the Open Source CMS space, is using Zend Framework as the foundation of their ‘next generation’ release”, said Eldad Maniv, SVP Marketing and Products at Zend. “We are confident that by leveraging the power of Zend Framework and its vibrant community, XOOPS can achieve its goals and grow in popularity.”

Why did we choose Zend Framework

PHP 5 CMS Framework Development - 2nd Edition is a new book from Packt that teaches readers about the design choices involved in the creation of advanced web oriented PHP systems. Written by Martin Brampton , this book will help readers to implement solid mechanisms for common features such as menus, presentation services, and user management, and to build a highly functional infrastructure for web applications.

PHP is a widely used, general-purpose scripting language that was originally designed for web development, allowing the production of dynamic web pages. This free software, which can be easily embedded into HTML, generally runs on a web server that needs to be configured to process PHP code and create content from it. PHP has evolved to include a command line interface capability and can also be used in standalone graphical applications.

PHP 5 CMS Framework Development - 2nd Edition starts off by discussing fundamental issues such as the automatic loading of code modules and interfaces to database systems, and goes on to explain deeper topics such as session handling, caches, and access control. Furthermore, the book also talks about the key issues that affect a wide range of specific content handlers by exploring a practical example in detail.

Using this book, developers will learn effective coding techniques through detailed explanations, along with technical functions such as handling user sessions and creating caches. Additionally, developers will learn flexible and efficient ways to support different world languages, to transform query string URLs to be more “friendly” for people and search engines, and alternative ways to deal with presentation services.

Written by a seasoned developer, this practical hands-on guide is ideal for professional PHP developers who want to learn more about web oriented frameworks and content management systems. The book is out now and available from Packt. For more information, please visit http://www.packtpub.com/php-5-cms-framework-development-second-edition/book

OSLO, Norway and NEW YORK, NY – November 17, 2009: Confirmit, a leading global vendor of software for Customer Feedback, Employee Feedback and Market Research, has announced the creation of Confirmit Flex, an innovative new framework that will enable Confirmit, its customers and partners to quickly create new applications for the platform. The framework opens up the Confirmit platform to new developments that take advantage of the latest data collection methods, design technologies and reporting requirements.

Pat Molloy, Chief Strategy Officer at Confirmit explains: “Confirmit Flex is a huge new step for the platform. Our standard development cycle ensures the consistently high performance, security and scalability of the platform, but until now didn’t allow for the speed of change that customers sometimes demand. With Confirmit Flex, we’ve created a way of building fast, agile ‘speedboats’ to run alongside the ‘super tanker’ that is the Confirmit platform.”

Confirmit Flex has two applications running in beta testing, with many Confirmit customers taking advantage of the opportunity to get involved.

- iPhone Surveys: With an increasing number of people using iPhones to access the Web, researchers need to ensure that their surveys provide the same rich user experience in this environment as they do on a PC. When a survey is opened on an iPhone, the application automatically renders the survey into a format which takes advantage of the unique iPhone interface. This produces an excellent user experience, improving response rates and greater survey reach.

- GeoIocation: This application automatically pinpoints the location of survey respondents through their IP address. Users can choose to reject respondents who are outside their key geographies or can flag them for later review. For enhanced clarity, Google Map and Google Earth interfaces provide visualization of respondents’ locations. Researchers can use the application to reduce survey fraud, providing more accurate results from Market Research activities.

The brand new Morph framework for Joomla is now available in second round of beta.

Compared to your average Joomla template, "Morph" is just as easy to install. That said, it is NOT your average template.

Morph for Joomla is a whole new concept, but already a tool that users refer to as "a Joomla game changer".

WHO IS MORPH FOR?

Morph is designed from the ground up to be completely scalable, extensible and usable by everyone developing websites in Joomla, from beginners to advanced.

If you are a seasoned Joomla user you can easily tap into the more advanced features, which gives you fine grained control on a per page basis.