Macromedia Contribute vs competitors

[Blizzy]

Macromedia is coming out with a new content management application called "Contribute".

http://www.macromedia.com/software/contribute/

Are there any competing software applications that do the same thing? If so, what are they?

[hillsy]

FrontPage

Seriously, from what I've seen (about to try out the technology preview) it looks like a lightweight client-side WYSIWYG authoring app with some stuff built in to ensure site control (inability to update script, ability to lock down templates etc). So designed more for sites that run off a set of files than sites that run off a set of database records.

So I don't know anything quite like it, but a limited-functionality WYSIWYG like FrontPage would be the closest comparison. Though that's not very close - give me Contribute any day And of course FrontPage et al don't have all the lockdown etc.

It'll be interesting to see how it does in the market.

[Technosailor]

I just saw this at Macromedia. Fascinating product. I'm thinking you need to buy 2 licenses. One for the client, one for the developer. IT'll be interesting to see how this plays to market.

To answer the question though, most custom CMS developers have some kind of corner into this matrket and on the other side, SitePoint's Editize has another portion of this market.

But again, I think this is the first combination product I've seen like this.

Aaron

[MissingArrow]

The web developer of the non profit organization that I serve on the technology committee with thinks this would be great for the office staff to be able to update their site. I looked at it and said Front Page...

I just don't see why a good CMS with a editor wouldn't provide the same thing.

We will see when it gets released...

dan

[hillsy]

OK, I've had a bit of a play with the tech preview now...

Originally posted by MissingArrow

I just don't see why a good CMS with a editor wouldn't provide the same thing.
dan

Because with Contribute you don't need to design, build, and migrate to a CMS. You can just stick it on the front of an existing file-based site and away you go.

I don't actually think it's in competition with things like Editize. In fact it doesn't do database-driven stuff much at all. It's still file-based. The only database-driven content I've been able to edit in Contribute is from Zope, and that's only because you can access the Zope object store via FTP.

I do think it's in competition with FrontPage, but with a lot more content control and standards compliance (plus, it costs less )

We're very, very seriously considering rolling this tool out on our intranet when it gets released. Sometimes you just don't need the hassle and overhead of a database-driven CMS.

[vgarcia]

I'm testing it out now for possible release with my company. I'll let you guys know the results, but it's definitely better than Frontpage as far as clean code and control goes from what I have used of it. Of course, when it comes to users, anything can and will go wrong, so I will post results when I've done more testing (only on 1 day of testing now).

--Vinnie

[Siltrince]

Hi guys , say anyone else having problems with the pre-release of Contribute ?

Everytime I click the Edit-button the app freezes on my ( I've tried 20 times and it froze every time !!)

[hillsy]

Not a problem I've seen unfortunately. My main issue is that it seems to barf on some ColdFusion code - I think because the CF code is doing dodgy recursive things like variable definition, includes in includes etc.

I've generally found it to be pretty stable and well thought out.

Is it freezing because it can't get the page from the server perhaps?

[Siltrince]

That's what I thought to but my site appears in Contribute so I have acces to it.

[hillsy]

Yes but it pulls the page via the standard HTTP when you're accessing (i.e. browsing) the site. However whenever you change over to edit mode I think it pulls the actual file down to your PC through FTP. It doesn't get it via HTTP.

So you may still be able to see the site fine, and not be able to get any files off it if the FTP's not working.

[Siltrince]

Thanks Hillsy.
When I get back home , I'll check my settings alltough I think they are correct. Anyway , there should come an error message and not freeze up the program if I do something wrong

[hillsy]

true

[vgarcia]

Overall I have found the Contribute app itself to be more stable than Dreamweaver! It crashes less on me (actually Contribute hasn't and DW seems to enjoy choking on some pages another developer coded and I now maintain) and I find it pretty useful for making small text changes to sites (I was doing this to test the product out). It does not do well rendering includes, or especially deeply nested includes, as well as generated content (i.e. from databases) but overall it does what it was meant to do very well, which is give clients a way to change static information quickly without hassling us developers.

--Vinnie