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

robert robert at redcor.ch
Thu Mar 31 06:36:19 CEST 2005


Erik,
thank you very much for your excellent explanations.
I agree with all your points regarding consultancy.
Nevertheless I believe each system has its own strengths that makes it 
fit better for a given task.
My impression so far is that when I want to implement a "mere" CMS Typo3 
fits the bill very nicely.
When I however have to integrate legacy systems and critical business 
processes Plone seams to
be the more adequate way to go.

We (my people and I) who are all rather experienced with implementing 
Plone sites intend to do a site
with Typo 3. We then will of course know much more.

Thank you again for your time.

Robert

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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