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MartynB
Posts: 176
Joined: 11/5/2005
From: Yorkshire but London since 1982
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"Mystery" Package - 1/29/2008 9:21:18
For those of you who like a challenge I'm trying to identify the author and the specific package that is included in my Reseller account with Heart Internet.
My reasons are simple. Firstly I want to enter into a dialog(ue) with them about some bug fixing and suggested improvements. Secondly, changes made to the hosting by Heart (migrating a domain to a different server for example) breaks the links to the images on the client's web because the src attribute of the img tag includes the IP address of the web server before the domain and migrations by Heart appear not to address this issue.
The totality of the information that I have is that the package is produced by SWSoft. Searches suggest that Parallels.com may be in some way connected but I can't find the package on their web.
An example of a client web (including problems associated with moving the web to a new server by my hosting provider) can be found at www.miamifirstclass.co.uk. I've manually changed the image src attribute on the home page but the others are all broken. I have around 100 clients who may face a similar problem.
Please can you also bombard me with suggestions for freeware or open source web tools that are really easy to use for non-coders, full of decent, modifiable templates with a page based (as opposed to CMS-based) so that I can offer a decent springboard package to my many non-technical clients?
Many thanks.
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MartynB
www.imsl.biz
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Tailslide
Posts: 6270
Joined: 5/10/2005
From: Out here on the raggedy edge
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RE: "Mystery" Package - 1/30/2008 5:28:27
What exactly are you wanting to offer to your clients - something that they can update themselves pretty easily or the finished article - if you see what I mean?
For something with lots of templates and easily updateable by the client I'd suggest WordPress. There are loads and loads of themes out there and most of it's free (there are some pay-for themes but most are free). The advantage being that most of them use good coding and so work cross browser without too much trouble. I use this as an easy CMS for clients all the time. But it is CMS based (why's that an issue btw?).
If you want something that's not CMS-based but is open source then you're left with the options of either using Nvu (don't know if it comes with lots of templates - but it's WYSIWYG and free) or just building it yourself and using something like SnippetMaster (which isn't totally free - think it's about £15) for them to edit it.
I may have the wrong end of the stick completely - it's mid-morning and I need a cuppa!
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"My strategy is so simple an idiot could have devised it"
Little Blue Plane Web Design | Blood, Sweat & Rust - A Land Rover restoration project
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MartynB
Posts: 176
Joined: 11/5/2005
From: Yorkshire but London since 1982
Status: offline
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RE: "Mystery" Package - 1/30/2008 6:29:26
Thanks for your response Tailslide.
Yes, certainly I'm looking for a tool that my clients can easily update themselves and is "template rich". The Web Builder tool has almost 100 templates each with around 6 colour schemes on average. In my experience a page based metaphor seems easier to grasp than a CMS metaphor (perhaps that's because I'm both geriatric and befuddled). I have little experience of using CMS so that colours my judgement and, as a consultant and trainer I tend to work with people that are, in many cases, only just computer literate so ease of use (and ease of visualization) is very important so I liken the page based approach to print medium.
I provide Joomla, Mambo, Drupal, Wordpress, phpBB, eBlah, NucleusCMS, Geeklog, osCommerce and various other open source offerings as part of my standard hosting service (all can be installed with a couple of mouse clicks) and my web site (www.imsl.biz/link-sites.htm) includes this forum, W3Schools, links to the home pages of all of the above open source projects and my affiliate partnership with Amazon so that my clients have a rich source of information on which to draw.
I'd certainly be grateful to garner opinions on CMS based preferences with reasons for such preferences so that I can plunge into one that is generally seen to be popular, reliable, quick to learn, flexible and with a rich source of templates and/or skins.
In respect of Nvu I am slightly drawn to that. Coincidentally I have having tremendous fun getting to grips with the (IMHO) fabulous PortableApps (www.portableapps.com) and Nvu is included amongst these. I have PortableApps installed on an 80GB, 2.5" USB drive so I take my office wherever I go. I've had a very quick look at Nvu but I haven't found any templates with it.
Who can point me to a rich source of Nvu templates?
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MartynB
www.imsl.biz
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Tailslide
Posts: 6270
Joined: 5/10/2005
From: Out here on the raggedy edge
Status: online
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RE: "Mystery" Package - 1/30/2008 6:55:05
Hi Martyn
I don't know of any Nvu specific freebie templates although a fair few came up that are paid for. You could probably just use generic templates like from here: http://www.freecsstemplates.org/ (not tested for quality).
As far as CMSs go - I tend to use WordPress because:
it was fairly simple for me to learn;
it's quick for me to implement;
it produces good code out of the box;
there's a ton of themes out there (of varying quality) which you can tweak and or take to pieces and create your own .
My clients seem to get on with it fairly well - the hardest thing to grasp for clients is the difference between WP Pages and WP Posts - (easy to stick text into the wrong one - but easy to recover too!). They can upload photos and documents very easily and there are simply thousands of plugins such as nice image galleries etc. Plus it's pretty easy to add in Google and Amazon ads etc.
The downside of WP is that it can't do everything. There are limitations and some things that are very simple to do in a static site can be a nightmare to organise in WP - a good example is complex site structures. You're fine for pages and sub-pages but if you need anything extra such as complex directory systems on top of that... then it's a bit of a mare. For a simple site structure then you're fine.
I was put off the current version of Joomla due to the whole accessibility, standards thing blah blah you know what I'm like!! The next version is meant to be better and I'll look at it again then as it probably has more flexibility in the end than something like WP which is basically a blog at heart.
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"My strategy is so simple an idiot could have devised it"
Little Blue Plane Web Design | Blood, Sweat & Rust - A Land Rover restoration project
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MartynB
Posts: 176
Joined: 11/5/2005
From: Yorkshire but London since 1982
Status: offline
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RE: "Mystery" Package - 1/30/2008 7:20:17
Thanks for taking the time to provide such detailed feedback.
Clearly I need to work both on Nvu and on Wordpress to see how both of them impact on the consultancy work that I have to undertake on the projects that we are commissioned to deliver.
I'm always ambivalent about standards. Whilst I see the point of standards the devil on my shoulder always says, "Any standard marks a point where obsolescence occurs because what you are now being asked to do is not included in that standard."
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MartynB
www.imsl.biz
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Tailslide
Posts: 6270
Joined: 5/10/2005
From: Out here on the raggedy edge
Status: online
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RE: "Mystery" Package - 1/30/2008 7:32:01
quote:
ORIGINAL: MartynBWhilst I see the point of standards the devil on my shoulder always says, "Any standard marks a point where obsolescence occurs because what you are now being asked to do is not included in that standard."
I can see that argument - only thing is that the standards that I'm generally referring to have been around for 10 years or so. The standards won't be changed for HTML 4 or XHTML 1 - they may be added to for HTML 5 and XHTML 2 but the old stuff will still apply.
It's nice to be able to use software that means you don't actually have to think about these things in general.
I'll go as I've been hogging your answers and hopefully someone else has something useful to say too!!
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"My strategy is so simple an idiot could have devised it"
Little Blue Plane Web Design | Blood, Sweat & Rust - A Land Rover restoration project
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MartynB
Posts: 176
Joined: 11/5/2005
From: Yorkshire but London since 1982
Status: offline
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RE: "Mystery" Package - 1/30/2008 7:44:17
quote:
ORIGINAL: Tailslide
You could probably just use generic templates like from here: http://www.freecsstemplates.org/ (not tested for quality).
Thanks for that - a most impressive resource. I've dropped them a line to ask permission to add a link to them onto my web so my visitors and clients can reap the benefit.
Many thanks.
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MartynB
www.imsl.biz
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