Minerva
©2008 Tungsten Design
©2008 Tungsten Design
A Content Management System (CMS) is just that, a system which allows one to manage content. In this case, it is managing web content. This particular system, Minerva, allows you to edit web content without any knowledge of HTML code. See the test page for an example.
Content management has been around for years now. It was primarily designed for large, high volume, web sites. Many educational and research sites took advantage of content management early on to help quickly transfer articles from microfilm and other forms into online articles. It is simply too time consuming to not have a simple and quick method of putting content online. Soon after, newspapers, magazines and large companies realized the benefit of having such systems as it saved time, which saved money in the long run.
This type of power; however, comes at a price. Content management systems can cost thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands. Software developers aren't off the mark either. It takes a LOT of time to create an application of such great control. Some of these larger companies may hire a staff of programmers to develop their own system. However, it is perhaps easier to buy a system than to hire programmers. If a programmer works at $60/hr (which is about average, often the rate is higher), and spends several weeks developing a system....it could add up quite quickly. It could be as much as $10,000 for a month's worth of work. To give you an example, it took about three months to develop Minerva...and several major updates are planned for it in the future.
A CMS is not suited for every need. Minerva is no exception and is not the right answer for every site and application. For example, it would not be well suited for a magazine or news site. For one, Minerva currently has no search function...and may never have one. Minerva is not targeted at sites that would contain hundreds and thousands of articles. There is no need to search for a "lost" article on a site that is powered by Minerva. Minerva is targeted at small to medium sized businesses. Not only with its features, but also with its pricing and package options. Read more about Minerva on our products page.
We won't lie to you and say that the only way you are going to get a CMS is by spending thousands of dollars...in truth, there are some free ones. You may also be able to find a free or very cheap car, but if it doesn't run or breaks down on you, there may be a pile of metal rusting in your driveway...and even if it does run, the car could be uncomfortable or leak oil. Simply put, you need a customized and working system for it to be worthwhile.
Another reason why people purchase a CMS is because they don't understand HTML or PHP code and/or don't have the time or ability to set the system up themself. Sure a CMS may be easy to use (surprisingly some aren't), but setting it up also requires detailed knowledge and time.
Bottom line: A CMS is a piece of equipment and often a critical one. So who wouldn't spend money on quality equipment that you could depend on? The real question is, how much?