[Dave]

I want to get some ideas on cms if anyone can give me some options.

I need a good cms I can use for each site I create that gives complete control over everything from adding/removing nav items etc to changing text bla bla bla

IS there anything I can buy off the shelf or has anyone developed a system I can buy from them?

Thanks.

[Dave]

Any programmers that might have a good system, can show me how it works etc would be good as I would like to work with someone as I have a number of jobs to start on with templates ready.

[Paul_F]

joomla is an off-the-shelf CMS worth taking a look at.

[Dave]

Cool thanks I will have a look at joomla, would also like to hear from any developers if there are any hanging around!

[Jayx]

Also check out Drupal - it is fast becoming more popular. I like the fact that they give clear guidelines within which to design for the platform. It can be used to manage sites, blogs and other web-based applications. Joomla is exceptional too, but tend to be a bit on the less attractive side graphically.

Our programmer/developer partner has developed a desktop publishing application that we issue our clients with to publish to our web portals. We are looking at refining it to be friendly towards non-databased sites as well. PM me and we can have a chat somewhere less public.

[pgo]

I'm a big fan of CMS Made Simple.

[Joff]

I found both Joomla and CMS Made Simple great.

For the lazy, Joomla's got some slick templates available from a number of sites but then CMS Made Simple is a breeze to customise and integrate your own design into.

[Dusteh]

Joomla is horrific code, its the noddy option; lots of functions but all bolted together on an outdated backend.

I really like CMS Made Simple as well, Wasn't so keen on Drupal but the new Version 5 seems slicker, I found a way of making the admin section use a template seperate from the frontend, a small thing but it really bugged me - so I'm now giving it a 2nd chance as we speak.

Overall in terms of functionality Drupal seems to be the winner. The mtv.co.uk website uses Drupal if you are interested.

[GrahamT]

My tip is to go with Joomla and join rockettheme.com for some great templates. Terrific support offered also via their forum.

[Dave]

Would anyone be interested in some work? I need a cms bolting on to www.downtownpreston.com - would be good to hear your thoughts. PM me if your interested!