Over the weekend, the core developers for CMS Made Simple, an open source project, announced the release of CMSMS 2.0. While not a complete rewrite, CMSMS 2.0 is a significant re-factoring and renewal for the content management system. Many of the changes involved are focused on giving the web professional an easier and simpler editing experience within the CMS.
In the announcement, Robert Campbell further explains how CMSMS 2.0 came to a final release.
After a very, very long wait (around three years for this attempt alone) and a great deal of effort, we are overjoyed to announce the public release of CMSMS 2.0. The next generation in the evolution of making managing web content simple.
CMSMS 2.0 has been a long and tiring uphill war, with many large and small battles; some of which we won, and some of which we lost. Throughout our battles the Dev Team has always remembered our primary goal and tagline: "Power for the Professionals, Simplicity for the End Users." This means that the professionals have a standards-oriented, powerful engine to build websites and web based applications, and the system still remains simple and fast for the average non-technical user to be able to manage the content of his or her website.
The primary focus for the developers along with feature changes of CMSMS 2.0 include:
- Significant improvements in the editing experience:
CMSMS 2.0 includes a new WYSIWYG editor, an improved and dynamic file manager, and a brand new content managing module. Content editors can now easily find, control and edit thousands of pages without concern that they will accidentally erase somebody else's work (that's important!).
- Significant improvements for the website builder/administrator:
A new unified template, design, and stylesheet management interface will allow the developer better control of the website. The new admin interface allows admins to better manage the website from one location within the CMS. A completely rewritten module management interface provides an integrated way of managing, upgrading, searching and interacting with modules and additional elements of CMSMS.
- Better tools for application developers:
A new Design Manager module and its accompanying API. According to CMSMS developers these tools will increase the speed of development of new modules and applications, as each module does not need to write a mechanism to manage its own templates.
- Performance improvements:
Significant effort has been done to accelerate response times, reduce performance load, and ensure that the website visitor's experience is smooth and speedy.
Additional accomplishments for CMS Made Simple include a revised and improved admin theme, the default content has been improved, and the API documentation has been completed. Finally, CMSMS 2.0 now has an exceptionally easy to use "installation assistant" that should make installing 2.0 easier than previous versions of CMSMS.
Longtime CMSMS users should expect that they'll need to learn a few new things about 2.0 before they upgrade from a previous version of CMSMS. While there is an upgrade path from CMSMS 1.12 to CMSMS 2.0 for most sites, some adjustments will be required before making the move. The core developers for CMS Made Simple say that website owners will want to check for compatibility with add-ons and acknowledge new minimum requirements for the PHP environment. The good is is you will have time to make the upgrade as support for the CMSMS 1.12 series will continue until September 6, 2016.
CMSMS 2.0 is available from the CMS Made Simple website via their download page.
A version of this article was originally published on CMS Report.