[Typo3] Re: re [typo3] typo3 vs plone. what are strenghts and weaknesses

[R.E. Moran]

Erik Svendsen wrote:

> Hello robert,
>
> Thought I should give you some of mine experiences. At first, I don't 
> know Plone, but I have tried PostNuke, EZpublish and Mambo. I not an 
> Web developer, my knowlegde of PHP and so on are on a low level 
> (beginners). My core business is as a business advisor with business 
> strategy, economic analyses and IT-implementation as main services.
>
> But i had to put up my own business website, and doing my private 
> websites for 10 years the hardcoding way i thought it was time for an 
> CMS solution. Tried PostNuke, EZpublish and Mambo first. No problem 
> getting them up and running, and putting content into, but when I 
> wanted to make a more personal look i got stuck (maybe I'm impatient). 
> And I'm pretty good in (X)HTML, CSS and design.
>
> And then I tried Typo3 about 9 months ago, and since then I have made 
> my own business site, and made three other sites.
> The pros of Typo3.
> - Good starting documentation. Got my first site up and running in 
> three days.
> - Flexible in how you design the site. I'm making the design as an 
> static page in valid XHTML with CSS (All design in CSS). No use of 
> tables.
> - Very fast implementation of the design with TemplaVoila. Today I'm 
> using about 2 - 3 hours to implement the design on an site with 
> different layout on different sections. As I'm using XHTML and CSS 
> it's only one HTML page, but from 7 - 15 different stylesheets. 
> Included styling some of the ext. The making of the XHTML-template and 
> CSS take a lot more time.
> - Most of the important extensions work nearly 90% out of box (the 
> extensions I have tried)
> - Documentation and userlists who has solved nearly all my problems. 
> Nice community and now also an assosiation.
> - Stable - no problem in 9 months
> - Easy to upgrade and maintance. Have upgraded my testing server from 
> 3.6.0 --> 3.6.2 --> 3.7.0RC1 --> 3.7.0 --> 3.8.0dev. Only one problem, 
> who took about 1 hour to solve. Upgrading hasn't made any problems for 
> my extensions.
> - The editors of the three sites are very satisfied with the system. 
> Their backend are configured regarding to their needs. As simple as 
> possible. They feel it's easy to use - and have similarities to the 
> fileexplorer in Windows.
> - Implementation of a site with core functionality is fast. With core 
> functionality I mean news, login, search, forum, event handling, 
> gallery and configuration of some backend-user (editors). I'm using 
> about 6 - 9 days included design.
>
> The cons of Typo3.
> - Complex and a lot of different ways in doing thing (as Peter wrote). 
> Both in the way the editors work, but also in the way you configure 
> the site. Three different ways in templating, different ways in making 
> the Typoscript and so on. I think you have to choose a way, and follow 
> it.
> - The quality of the extension are from splendid to useless. And you 
> often have to try them before you know.
> - The system are using resources.
>
> Maybe it's more. But I think the best way is to use some days with the 
> Quickstart installastion and Quickstart manual. And then make your own 
> opinion. Maybe also the Modern Template Building/Futuristic Template 
> Building.
> But I have to say that my professional experience with 
> IT-implementation (10 different projects ranging from 0.2 - 1.2 mill 
> EURO. None of them Open Source. And all from accounting system, 
> Business Intelligence, Documentation system, Portals and so on) is:  - 
> You never have a system right out of the box. It's always a lot of 
> configuration.
> - It's always more than one system who satisfying the specs.
> - The best consultants and number three system gives an better 
> solution than number one system and poor consultants. I have made this 
> error together with a client and they got a portalsystem who aren't 
> doing half of what it should. Pricetag 0.3 mill EURO. They have claim 
> damages for about 0.8 mill EURO to the supplier (consultant).
> - How the clients find the usability of the part they are using is one 
> of the most important thing to get satisfied customers.
>
> And Typo3 is a better system than a portal system who total 
> implemetation cost was 0.3 mill EURO.
>
> So when I'm giving advice I always stress the quality of the 
> consultant. And if the best one available have their competency in 
> EZpublish, I advise my client to use EZpublish. If the price of the 
> consultants is correct.
>
> So even if I using Typo3 and find it an excellent system, I don't 
> necessary advice my client to use it. Even when I know it will satisfy 
> all their need. Because I know that mister X will do a lot better job 
> than I can. He can't Typo3, but EZpublish.
>
> So my advice - maybe don't use a lot of resources comparing the 
> systems. I suppose the systems aren't very different when it comes to 
> functionality, implementation and all that. Even if they are using 
> different programming platforms. And today I think you will give 
> customers a better system using Plone than Typo3.
>
> "I suppose I'm going to be excluded from the Typo3 community after this."
>
>
> WBR,
> Erik Svendsen
> www.linnearad.no
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
Great article! Wish there were more like this one as I too am a designer 
who is a true newbie in PHP (and desires not to become a guru) who wants 
a tool I can use to create cool stuff. Thanks for the input.

Bob Moran