Articles - Page 110

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

Top Free Headless CMS Platforms

cms-critic-staff

Image of man without head, hat floating above empty area would head would be. Text reads "Top Free Headless CMS"

<a href="/products/shopify">Shopify</a> has unveiled a dedicated WordPress plugin; <a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/shopify-ecommerce-shopping-cart/">Shopify for WordPress</a>.The plugin brings Shopify buy buttons into the fray, which enable visitors to browse through a WordPress-powered website, before buying through a Shopify-powered eCommerce and checkout system.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress_banner.jpg" />The announcement comes with three, free themes (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.themezilla.com/zillacommerce/">Hype by Themezilla</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://themify.me/themes/simple">Simple by Themify</a> &amp; <a target="_blank" href="http://themes.theultralinx.com/shopify-button-wordpress-theme/">Pulse by Ultralinx</a>). However, they're only free for a limited time only, so if you're thinking of combining WordPress and Shopify, don't delay those downloads.<h2>How it Works</h2>The Shopify for WordPress plugin allows WordPress users to drop products with buy buttons into any sidebar, page or blog post.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/daniel-add-10769x0-is.gif" />Plus, a pop-out shopping cart is introduced, so customers never have to leave the website in order to complete a purchase.The plugin itself is free, but you'll need to be a Shopify user to make use of it, which means you'll need to dish out (at least) a reasonable $9 per month.Further benefits include access to features like; Facebook Shop, Shopify POS for iOS or Android, the Shopify app store, and Shopify 24/7 support.<h2>A Big Win for Small Businesses</h2>The real triumph here, is for small businesses.WordPress excels Shopify when it comes to blogging capabilities and SEO value out of the box. While Shopify, of course, handles eCommerce projects far better than most, if not all, WordPress alternatives.Now that small businesses, startups and lone merchants can combine the two for just $9 per month, it's fair to write this whole announcement down as a big win for the little guys.WordPress has always offered a variety of free eCommerce plugins of course, but Shopify is one of the worlds leading solutions, known for its reliability, speed and sleek design. I'm personally kind of shocked that a dedicaed integration has taken this long. But hey, it's here now.More information on this plugin can be found on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/113145925-introducing-shopify-for-wordpress">Shopify blog</a>.

Shopify for WordPress Unveiled With Three, Free Themes

mike-johnston

<a href="http://www.gutensite.com/?refcode=CMSCRITIC" target="_blank"> Gutensite</a> has now implemented Stripe, the popular payment gateway, its its eCommerce offering.
With features focused on elegant and professional presentation, Gutensite is a website builder which fits the corporate website mould perfectly. You can read more about it in our full <a href="/gutensite-review/" target="_blank">review of Gutensite</a>.
For existing Gutensite users making use of the platform's eCommerce features, will be please to know that Stripe is now integrated with the Gutensite Pro and Premium package.
<a href="http://www.gutensite.com/?refcode=CMSCRITIC"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/gutensite_logo-1.png" style="max-width:98px" /></a>
<h2>A More flexible &amp; Cost Effective Option</h2>
Gutensite eCommerce users were previously having to deal with other ways of accepting card payments.
But now, with Stripe, payment gateway setup is instant and free, and there are no monthly costs. The processing rate is a flat 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, which happens to also be cheaper than most traditional bank merchant accounts.
Stripe also has web and mobile payment options for accepting credit cards as a mobile point of sale tool, and can power marketplaces to facilitate payment between buyers and sellers.
So if you want to sell your products, or accept donations for your non-profit using Gutensite, your life just became a lot easier. If you have a Gutensite Pro account, the store is already included for free, or you can add on the store to your existing site. Then create an account at Stripe, and copy/paste your secret key into your store settings.
For more information on this new Gutensite-Stripe integration, <a href="http://www.gutensite.com/Stripe-Integration-For-Instant-Affordable-Credit-Card-Processing-In-Store" target="_blank">check out the Gutensite announcement</a>.
Furthermore, be sure to check out <a href="/products/gutensite/" target="_blank">Gutensite via our CMS Directory</a>.

Gutensite Announces Stripe Integration

If your site runs on the powerful SquareSpace CMS (see our <a href="/squarespace-review-the-long-awaited-commerce-solution/">squarespace review</a> for more info) and you own an iPad, you absolutely must try their iPad app.
SquareSpace for iOS is an exceptional app that allows you to post and manage your SquareSpace site directly from your iPad and it's one of the best apps we've seen so far for content management. As you can see from the video above, it's a slick and powerful interface that allows you to easily add post content, pictures and more to your site.
Using the text editor is quite easy and allows input in a variety of formats such as Markdown, Textile, Plain text and HTML. The editor works very well and is nice and clean. Adding pictures from the iPad is as easy as selecting from the camera roll / photo library and they too work without issue.
One of the best inclusions that they made with this app was that of the metrics. It's nice to be able to have a quick look at your stats on the go and they are formatted well for the iPad screen with more than enough stats for the metrics obsessed.
In my time using the app, I experienced only smoothness and no issues with forced closures or crashes. It's a slick interface that makes you actually WANT to use the app for publishing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mzl_aodbyhyt_1024x1024-65.jpg" alt="Squarespace ipad app review" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/squarespace-blog.png" alt="squarespace ipad app review" />
If you don't have SquareSpace or haven't heard of it, check it out here: <a href="http://www.squarespace.com/?channel=pp&amp;subchannel=general&amp;source=cmscritic">SquareSpace</a>

SquareSpace iPad app Review

During the much reported Sitecore Symposium in Las Vegas this month, I had a chance to sit down with Sitecore's Corporate VP of Commerce, Ryan Donovan to discuss the future of commerce in the upcoming Sitecore 8.
 Mike: Can you tell us a bit about the integration of Commerce into Sitecore 8 and talk a bit about the future plans for the product?
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/avatar.jpg" alt="Ryan Donovan" />Ryan: Sure, we just shipped <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/About/Press-and-Media/Press-Releases/2014/08/Sitecore-Commerce.aspx">Sitecore Commerce 7.2 (in August) powered by Commerce Server </a>and that is the fruit of the acquisition coming to bear. It is, I think, the industry's first fully integrated commerce and content platform in one because we've really tried to focus on making it a completely seemless experience in terms of adding commerce capabilities into Sitecore.
We have Sitecore Commerce 8 coming as part of Sitecore 8 and what that's going to add is a second product to the Sitecore Commerce family called <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/About/Press-and-Media/Press-Releases/2014/01/msft-ecommerce.aspx">Sitecore Commerce powered by Microsoft Dynamics AX</a>. This new product is the fruit of the partnership that was announced last January between Sitecore and the Dynamics AX organization of Microsoft. This new product will be focusing on providing a true omni-channel solution. In other words, you'll have the exact same pricing, tax, shipping and calculation logic between online and the store. You can then have a seemless buy online and pick up in the store or buy online, return to the store experience with instant order history the second you make the purchase. This will then bring us into the realm where we can really begin to personalize based on behaviors and store behaviors in the contact center in addition to just digital channels. The first product, Sitecore Commerce powered by Commerce Server is targeted at scenarios such as B to C and the Sitecore Commerce powered by Microsoft Dynamics AX is really aimed at omni-channel retailers.
 Mike:  What are your biggest success stories since <a href="/sitecore-buys-commerce-server-aims-to-bring-ecommerce-to-their-platform/">the merger?</a> Do you have any customers that are doing some impressive things with the product?
 Ryan: We started the early access program in the spring with Commerce Server 7.2 and we're seeing a lot of net-new interest but we are also seeing a lot of interest from the legacy Microsoft Commerce Server customer base because it's a very logical feature rich upgrade for them that can also help them preserve some investments they've made into their deployments. With the powered by Dynamics AX solution, we're seeing lots of interest from the Dynamics AX customers out there because it will give them a complete experience management and commerce solution.
 Mike: What's the next stage for your team at Sitecore? What is the next step in bringing together the perfect platform for commerce and content?
 Ryan: We are really aiming to focus on enabling end to end marketing experience management, so really putting the best practices into the product; for instance; what are the types of things you would want to do to optimize for conversion.The goal of course would be to help lower the barrier of entry and help build knowledge share. We also are aiming to enhance the product to offer more and deeper capabilities from a commerce perspective so we can address broader and broader customer scenarios. We are really focused on the enterprise space and so their requirements are more complex than mid market solutions. One of the areas we are looking to innovate in is pricing, I've heard comments from some people no commerce platform does pricing well for their business and those are the types of problems we are looking to solve. I think our value proposition is very simple in that we are a one technology platform so it's going to be a completely cohesive business user experience for the merchandiser, the market and ultimately, for customer service reps.
 Mike: Having come from Commerce Server before Sitecore, what have you seen change since the acquisition took place?
 Ryan: Customers of Commerce Server were always adding other products into their solutions, so they'd have a CMS, they'd have a search solution and a marketing automation solution but they were having to go to great lengths to actually integrate these things. There was a lot of developer cost and IT cost involved but the business user experience was also fragmented in terms of actually doing a marketing campaign. Since the merger, customers seem to be very excited about the one platform value proposition. It was really interesting because with the legacy customer base, we anticipated that people would be a lot more reserved about moving to a single platform but instead we're seeing the opposite. A surprising amount of customers are wanting to embrace the whole Sitecore platform and replace their old ones completely and do it quickly.
 Mike: Can you share with us what the commerce piece will look like in Sitecore 8?
 Ryan: Absolutely, here are some screenshots!
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/category_products200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/site_alltabs200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/category_products_iconview200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/customcatalogs_rules_itempicker200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/products_details200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/variants_inventory200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" />
To learn more about Sitecore Commerce, visit <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Channels/Commerce-Experience.aspx">http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Channels/Commerce-Experience.aspx</a>

Interview with Corporate VP of Commerce at Sitecore, Ryan Donovan

The rise of social networking has, without doubt, led to a number of significant changes on the web. Previously, to get support from a company, one would have to either register with their forums or interact with them via email. With the introduction of sites such as Twitter, Facebook and the new Google+ platform, the means by which users communicate with companies has changed.
Twitter is, without question, the best example of positive change in the way that both companies and organizations communicate with the public. In 140 characters or less, you can get quick updates on road conditions, traffic problems, news updates from around the world and even technical support.
In fact, a lot of these means of gathering knowledge quickly and easily are the exact reason why it is so successful. I can recall a number of occasions where I've been driving on the highway and have come up on a major delay where I am suddenly stuck for an extended period inching along. Without hesitating, my first move is to check the traffic reports on Twitter via <a href="https://twitter.com/AMARoadReports">@AMARoadReports</a> where I am informed of the nature of the delay and how long I can expect to wait. This is, to me, invaluable information that I wouldn't normally have access to without an excessive amount of searching.
Had the organizations that provide this service not taken to Twitter as they have, this information would be much more difficult to access and as a result, I am also less likely to find value in the services they offer.  As a customer, knowing that they openly provide me with this service (without the need for being a customer in the first place) makes me more inclined to do business with them by other means (ie: emergency services, etc).
A number of companies have also taken to Twitter as a means of providing technical support to their customers, whether intentionally or otherwise. For example, <a href="http://www.zendesk.com">Zendesk</a> is a provider of one of the largest web based support products out there. If you check out their Twitter account, you'll see that they often get questions from users who are either experiencing issues or have inquiries.
Here's an excerpt from their Twitter account (<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zendesk">@zendesk</a>) as an example:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/moodboard_ui_lwekxp.jpg" alt="Zendesk (zendesk) on Twitter" />
Firing off a quick response is a great way to show your customers that you are listening and helps build confidence in the product and Zendesk does this very well.
(Quick tip: If you are looking to buy software or a service from a company and they have a Twitter account, check out their profile and see how well they interact with their user base. This is often a great way of determining how a company handles their customers and in turn, how you can expect to be handled should you become one!)
Does this type of interaction occur with other sites such as Facebook? Yes, but to a lesser degree. The main issue being that on Facebook, it's more difficult to filter through all of the interactions  to get to the replies whereas Twitter feels more like it's been (deliberately or not) designed for this type of interaction.
Facebook's strength is in the way that users are able to show they are fans of a product. This is a great way  to show potential customers how popular your product or brand is. There is certainly interaction on Facebook between customers and the organizations they are fans of but it's less personal. There is definite value to having a Facebook page, but there are also plenty of issues with the way they have been implemented.
As an example: Let's say Joe sets up a fan page for the company he works for and a few weeks later, Joe is dismissed or goes to work for another company. Good luck changing the ownership of that page to someone else if Joe is disgruntled. Do a simple Google search for “facebook fan page transfer ownership” and you will see how many people have encountered this issue. This particular problem has been an issue since they were implemented and there still has not been a solution for it.  Most of the time, Facebook fan pages tend to be treated more like feed subscriptions whereby you can get the latest updates without cracking a news reader such as Google Reader.
With the recent introduction of <a href="http://plus.google.com">Google+</a> (in beta and invite only at the moment), I am starting to notice that it offers somewhat of a best of both worlds scenario. Google+ offers a clean and uncluttered interface and very good interaction. It is, in my opinion, a cleaner and more professional approach to communicating than Facebook.  Will it replace or challenge Twitter in the future? No, I don't think so but I also don't think that's it's intention either.  I see it as more of a LinkedIn meets Facebook without the clutter social network and I think it will likely be quite successful.
Where Google+ is likely to do best is with the Circles method of sharing. Right now, Google+ only allows personal accounts but should they introduce the same for businesses, I can see huge value in the way that it allows you to communicate with specific circles of people. We'll have to see whether Google allows businesses to form a presence in the future. If they are smart, they will as this will drive up their usage and adoption significantly.
What all of this leads us to is the importance of utilizing all of the available tools out there to interact with your customers. No longer can an organization expect to simply put up a website and consider that sufficient. Social networks have become a very valuable addition to the repertoire and they need to be considered carefully during the CMS selection process. Does the system you are considering have solid social network integration? If not, it's probably not the best tool for this day and age.

The Rise of Social Networks and the Importance of Engaging your Customers

LightCMS has released a number of new features, including password-protected pages and calendar enhancements.
These days, not a month goes by unless LightCMS reveal new updates. In recent months, they have <a href="/lightcms-launches-new-partner-platform/" target="_blank">released a new partner platform</a>, <a href="/lightcms-unveil-new-element-ui/" target="_blank">made improvements to their interface</a>, <a href="/lightcms-rolls-out-blogging-enhancements/" target="_blank">enhanced blogging features</a>, and much more. It's for this reason, amongst many others, that LightCMS has been <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank">nominated in the Best Cloud CMS for SMB category for the CMS Awards 2014</a>.
Now, let's take a look at what the latest update brings to the table.
<h2>Password Protected Pages</h2>
Firstly, a new password protection feature allows you to restrict access to certain pages of your site, granting access to only those visitors who know the password. This was always possible via LightCMS' Users and Roles section, but there were many requests for a quick and easy way to restrict access without having to create a new user or user type.
To enable the feature, simply go to a page’s settings and select the “Advanced” tab. Enter a password in the Password field, and that page becomes password protected. It's really that easy. To unprotect a page, all you have to do is clear the password field.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/passwordprotectpage.png" alt="LightCMS" />
When a visitor attempts to access a protected page, the system displays the “Protected Page” message, prompting the visitor to enter the password before it will display the page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protectedpage.png" alt="LightCMS" />
Registered users assigned to an administrative role, or any role that grants editing privileges for the page, can access the page without having to enter the password, as long as they are logged in.
<h2>Manage Events &amp; (Better Manage) Posts</h2>
LightCMS users who publish a calendar of events on their websites will be excited about the new “Manage Events” feature.
Similar to “Manage Posts” for blogs, Manage Events gives you a listing of all of that calendar element’s events. To view the Manage Events page, go to the page with the calendar element and select Manage Events from the Calendar element’s drop-down menu.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manageevents700x0.png" alt="LightCMS" />
Using the new grid interface, you can easily sort, filter and search for events. Plus, you can specify the number of events to display in the grid by selecting the number from the drop-down list in the upper left corner.
As for blog post management, this existing feature now includes the same features that were introduced on the Manage Events page detailed above. This includes sorting, filtering, and pagination.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manageposts700x0.jpg" alt="LightCMS" />
<h2>Event Management Improved</h2>
And finally, LightCMS now allows you to specify an end time for an event. Previously, you could set only the event start time.
To set up start and end times for an event, enter them in the time section of the event settings page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/calendarwitheventandtime.png" alt="LightCMS" />
Before this update, event times only displayed on the event's detail page. Now, both the start time and end time can be displayed in event summaries in list or calendar view.
To find out more about all of these LightCMS updates, check out the official blog announcement, which includes the full release notes.
Also, make sure you explore more of LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

LightCMS Unveils Password Protected Pages & Calendar Enhancements

CMS Summit 26

Find out at Open Source CMS 26, October 20-21 in Utrecht, Netherlands

What's ahead for Open Source CMS?

#ffffff

The only thing better than a happy ending, is a promising beginning. 
 Unfortunately, <a href="http://www.injader.com/" target="_blank"> Injader CMS</a> didn't have a happy ending last time around. After <a href="/injader-cms-project-closes-doors/" target="_blank"> closing its doors over four years ago</a>, the platform had been lying lifeless ever since. Until now. 
 The Founder, Ben Barden, has just revived his project, giving it another, more promising start to look forward to. It's not quite on it's feet yet, but it's alive and kicking. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/injader-avatar.jpg" alt="Injader CMS" />
<h2>Injader CMS 2.5.0</h2>
Injader is an open source CMS for technical users. 
 Version 2.5.0 brings about a handful of new features and bug fixes. These include:
<ul>
<li>New: Simplified Control Panel layout</li>
<li>Guides: Created new install guide under /guides/</li>
<li>Guides: Created new upgrade guide under /guides/</li>
<li>Bug: Fixed an issue where the custom order field wasn't getting set, causing a database error</li>
<li>Bug: Fixed an issue with the default timezone not being set</li>
<li>Bug: Fixed several notices in the installer</li>
<li>Upgrades: Upgraded jQuery from 1.3.2 to 1.11.1</li>
<li>Upgrades: Upgraded TinyMCE from 3.0.1 to 3.5.11</li>
</ul>
You can <a href="https://github.com/benbarden/injader/releases/tag/v2.5.0" target="_blank">view the full list of features here</a>. Plus, there's a brand new Injader website on the way, and version 3.0 is in the works.  
 Ben Barden, Injader CMS' Founder, had this to say about the revival:
<blockquote>
Despite the neglected state of the project, it's still a surprisingly fast CMS that uses a very small amount of memory. So I thought it would be worth revisiting.
Although you can technically upgrade to 2.5.0 from either 2.4.4 or 2.4.5, the plan is to break backwards-compatibility with the next major release – 3.0.0. If all goes well, this will include a major overhaul of the theme system. So I wouldn't recommend you start building themes on the current version.
</blockquote>
So, although Injader CMS' revival is an ongoing one, you can <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/injader/"> download Injader at SourceForge</a>.
Or, you can  <a href="https://github.com/benbarden/injader"> fork Injader on GitHub</a>.

Injader CMS Revived With Version 2.5.0

One of the most prominent blog software platforms with one of the biggest communities in both the blog and CMS world, WordPress is a force to be reckoned with. Or is it? WordPress has been around for a long time and has/is growing like mad. It's like a weed. Except one you don't want to pull out of your garden because it keeps getting prettier, better and nicer. Today, we'll examine this popular platform in this review of WordPress 2.5.
Let's look at the ridiculously easy install. This is the first screen you see. Brings new meaning to the term “keep it simple stupid” doesn't it?
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp1_1.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" />
WordPress then gives you the precursor screen below that tells you basically what to expect on the next couple screens.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp2_1_.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" />
Now that you've been informed. You can fill in the info below:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp3_11.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" />
Enter your Blog title and email below: <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp4_1.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" /> Bam, done. Now that's a total of 4 screens to get installed. Insanely easy, very quick and ridiculously simple. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp5_1.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" /> Now log in with admin details provided on the screen above. And you can change the password after your first login. You have to love the sense of humor the lads at WordPress have. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp6.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" /> After logging in you get to the admin screen or “dashboard”
Ok let's take a breather and review the dashboard. Here's where wordpress really shines. You want a blog that makes your life easy? You've found it. WordPress 2.5 has auto update capable plugins.. just click on the plugin link.. wordpress will automatically tell you if there's an update available and let you automatically download and install it. No effort required. Where do you get the plugins? Well they have 2200 as of this review. Yes, 2200. and it's a BLOG platform for crying out loud.
Need themes? There are thousands.. literally. You can't type anything in google without tripping over a wordpress theme about it. The control center has one click theme switching (with screenshots). Installing and updating a plugin consists of clicking a button.. The dashboard provides you with the latest wordpress news and the Wysiwyg editor just works beautifully.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp7.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" />
Where does wordpress fail? I guess the default theme could use some work:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp8.gif" alt="review of WordPress 2.5" />
Can you tell I'm smitten? Seriously though.. for a blog platform… You simply cannot find a better solution than WordPress. Some will claim it's also very capable as a CMS.. while I think it would struggle in that area, mainly due to lack of forums integration and lack of CMS like themes (wordpress does LOOK like a blog after all).
Community? Massive. WordPress has a community larger than most CMS communities. Support is amazingly quick and there are tons and tons of sites with hints tips and more to get the eager blogger any info they need quickly. With the size of the community and the number of people using it, it's quite possibly the best supported blog platform that exists today.
Would you use it for a portal? Perhaps not. However, for what it claims to be able to do, it does it and more with ease.
Our ratings are below:
Community 10/10 (I said it before and I'll say it again, massive with a huge number of support sites around)
Expandability 9/10 (For a blog platform, very expandable. The only thing lacking is forums or some kind of discussion platform)
Themability 10/10 (Can't touch wordpress for themes.)
Useability 10/10 (Fabulous dashboard, easy install and simple theme switching, auto updating plugins. nuff said)
<h2>Overall Score: 9/10</h2>

A Review of WordPress 2.5

Radiant CMS is a simple, no-frills Content Management System that is built using Ruby on Rails. It is licenced under the MIT Licence, which means it is freely redistributable and can be employed for both commercial and non-profit usage. Let's get straight to it with our Radiant CMS Review.
Main Features
<ol>
<li>Radiant has a fairly simple and minimal admin interface that has barely three tabs – Content, Design and Settings. We will delve deeper into the admin back end later.</li>
<li>In Radiant, you can create Pages using Markdown, Textile or plain HTML, among several others. Furthermore, content can be reused easily by employing as a Snippet.</li>
<li>Pages can be organized within a Child / Parent hierarchy.</li>
<li>Radiant has a custom macro language called Radius which can be used to further extend the system.</li>
<li>Radiant is well localized, with native language packs for English, German, Russian, Italian, Dutch, French and Japanese.</li>
<li>Last, but not least, Radiant comes with support for custom text filters as well as page caching.</li>
</ol>
An Overview of the Back end
As mentioned above, the admin interface has barely three tabs:- Content, Layout and Settings. Lets proceed tab by tab.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cmsc3i-580x262.jpg" alt="Radiant CMS Review" />
Content:
In Radiant, the website's content revolves around pages. Such pages can be organized in (virtually) any hierarchy. By default, it comes with templates for Home Page, Error 404, RSS Feed, Site map, etc. You can add, remove or modify pages as needed.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/cmsc3ii-580x278_n4fmas.jpg" alt="Radiant CMS Review" />
Radiant CMS Backend: Edit Page
Design: 
The Design section is further sub-divided into two parts: Layouts and Snippets. The Layout area lets you modify the Stylesheets and control the look and feel of your website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/survey_1_k3eyvw.png" alt="Radiant CMS Review" />
Snippets, on the other hand, are handy pieces or chunks that can be added as and when needed. They come in handy as you no longer need to build (and then re-build) the same sections of your website multiple times, such as sidebars and menus or comment mechanisms. Radiant comes with predefined snippets for Articles, Comments, Footer, Header, Newsletter, RSS, Site Map, Navigation, etc.
Settings:
Settings Page is perhaps the most populated section in the entire admin interface. Still, it is far simpler than other CMS platforms on the market. It has three sub-tabs, namely, Personal, Users and Extensions.
In Personal Preferences, you can specify your user name, display name, email and Gravatar, along with preferred language and password. On the Users page, you can view or modify the user accounts on the website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cmsc3iv.jpeg" alt="Radiant CMS Review" />
Lastly, in Extensions, Radiant lists all the installed extensions that can be used to further enhance your website's features. Radiant comes with several pre-installed extensions such as text filters for Mark Down, Textile and Smarty Pants as well as few language packs. Further extensions can be downloaded from the website of Radiant CMS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cmsc3v.jpeg" alt="Radiant CMS Review" />
So, is it worth it?
Well, Radiant CMS does not (yet) feature on the list of most automated script installers, nor is it the first choice for many web admins.
Personally, I loved the swift and clean administrative interface, especially the manner in which Radiant handles Pages. The flexibility of adding hierarchy easily to Pages as well as the good support for localization add to Radiant's USP. Further more, Snippets also come in handy when setting up a website, and Radiant seems to do well there too.
Since not many CMS use Ruby on Rails, Radiant falls in a different category altogether. Yet, compared to the rest, it needs to implement few more features — the most emphatic being an easy Update mechanism. Also, apart from extensions, Radiant CMS is in need of templates or themes to further simplify the process of designing a website. Lastly, I feel the community needs to be built better too, but this inactivity in forums can be attributed to the fact that most non-PHP CMS have a smaller user base.
And now, here are few points for (and against) it:
You SHOULD use it if…
<ul>
<li>You need a no-nonsense, minimal CMS,</li>
<li>You need Ruby on Rails,</li>
<li>You do not need the complex admin back ends of other CMS,</li>
<li>You just need to get a small sized website up and ready,</li>
<li>You are comfortable with tweaking code to modify the site.</li>
</ul>
You SHOULD NOT use it if…
<ul>
<li>You need one-click installs of themes or templates,</li>
<li>You do not need Ruby on Rails or you prefer PHP,</li>
<li>Your website is a grand project that goes beyond mere ‘pages',</li>
<li>You'd need to edit features like site Permalink structure without editing the code.</li>
</ul>
Verdict
In today's Content Management hemisphere where hardly any software has a specifically rigid genre of operation (WordPress is being used as a CMS and Drupal can be employed to power blogs), Radiant CMS strives to be different. Radiant CMS surely is nimble and easy to use, and does not compel you to learn Rocket Science in order to master it. But this is precisely all that it is. If, for instance, you intend to run a magazine blog or a news site using it, you'd be better off with other CMS options such as Joomla or even WordPress. On the other hand, if you have a small or medium sized website, Radiant will work well for you.
Links 
<a href="http://radiantcms.org/">Website</a> | <a href="http://radiantcms.org/demo/">Demo</a> | <a href="http://github.com/radiant/radiant/wiki/">Documentation</a> | <a href="http://radiantcms.org/download/">Download</a>
Have you used or are using Radiant CMS? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

Radiant CMS Review

<img title="openedit" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/openedit_vv9jiq.jpg" />Our latest interview is with Openedit founder Christopher Burkey. Openedit is an interesting project that was founded approximately 10 years ago and utilizes java as it's base. We always find it very interesting to get a chance to talk with people who have been indepth in the industry for quite sometime as there's always an opportunity to learn something new. So sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy the read!
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
CC: You began development of Openedit approximately 10 years ago, is that correct? What prompted you to begin this project?
CB: Yes, many people don’t realize we have been developing OpenEdit for over 10 years, using our own development team, as well as developers from the OpenEdit Community. OpenEdit began with a multi-year project for General Electric Aircraft Engines. The project required us to develop a web application, which would allow GE to capture technical data on jet engines. Each feature of OpenEdit had to be self-contained with as few interdependencies as possible. The idea was to allow any feature of OpenEdit to be able to interact with, or even within, other parts of their application. From this, OpenEdit evolved into a web application framework used to create and maintain dynamic websites and custom web applications, most notably, Digital Asset Management, Content Management and Ecommerce.
CC: Why did you choose to go open source and what other services does your company provide in order to remain profitable?
<img style="max-width:150px" title="Christopher Burkey " src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/chris-140x150.jpg" alt="Christopher Burkey " />
CB: Sharing knowledge and allowing developers to have the source code in hand empowers them, it drives innovation. Most of the features in OpenEdit were developed for and by organizations with specific Content Management and Digital Asset Management requirements in their work environment. OpenEdit users have seen that open source provides freedom of setting up their systems as they wish and freedom in the long term. A software company can give their software away and make money on services or add-on’s. Or perhaps a company can sell the software for a high initial price and provide support for free. When a company sells software and support, many times, it results in the customer becoming frustrated, because they don’t understand the reasoning behind paying for a software they have no control of and also paying for its support and services. OpenEdit sells installation services, project work and hosting – there is no charge to download, use and upgrade OpenEdit.
CC: What is the primary objective and/or target market of your product?
CB: Our primary market is Marketing and Creative Services departments within large firms. OpenEdit offers the best web based, open source Digital Asset Management and Content Management software used across the enterprise. Our focus is on workflow, search, management and collaboration, multi-media, repurpose of assets, PDF and image format conversions. Today, OpenEdit is used by marketing and creative services departments having thousands of users and managing millions of digital assets across the enterprise.
CC: What separates Openedit from similar platforms? Is there a specific functionality that makes it stand out?
CB: OpenEdit is the most feature rich platform for DAM and CMS. We offer the only Digital Asset Management solution that includes a full Content Management System, integrated Blogging, eCommerce, Events Calendar, Multi-language support and Social Networking tools. Every feature of OpenEdit is all-inclusive, we don’t charge for add-ons 
or even upgrades for that matter.
CC: Given the current state of the economy, what objectives does your company have for 2009 in order to “stay afloat” during these difficult times?
CB: Our approach is to keep focusing on Digital Asset Management integrated with Content Management. Make sure that our clients are treated like royalty and that OpenEdit is flexible enough to keep up with the latest feature requests from our target market.
CC: If there was one thing you would change about your platform what would it be and why?
CB: The one thing we would change is to package our product better. We want to make multiple flavors of OpenEdit that match the needs of certain groups of clients. We believe in permission marketing within software. What that means is if a customer gives us permission to sell them something then we should provide a version of OpenEdit that is tailored to their needs. For instance, OpenEdit comes with all of our feature sets but narrowing down or expanding those features for specific types of users will make OpenEdit more appealing to that audience. As an example, we have a solution available online today, it’s directed toward large marketing departments but we also want to make an eCommerce flavor of OpenEdit that is packaged for photographers to sell prints of photos online.
CC: What do you feel is the most overlooked feature or functionality of your product?
CB: The most overlooked feature of OpenEdit is the Debug Mode. This mode allows users to change any part of any web page within their site. The changes that they make are stored in a separate folder structure so it is easy to track what has been customized for a specific client. This allows us to support hundreds of installations of OpenEdit with customizations and still be able to upgrade them regularly without too many problems. With Debug Mode developers can provide continuous integration and quick, agile development.
CC: Where do you see the future of the content management system industry going?
CB: Our philosophy has always been that CMS and DAM is a great fit for one another. OpenEdit began with a pure content management solution, in which General Electric could capture data and it naturally evolved into the inclusion of a Digital Asset Management solution, this direction continues to prove itself.
We have already seen growth in the interest of open source CMS and DAM for 2009. Search methods will continue to change, so individuals can search the way they want, rather than being forced to search a specific way. Social networking is something we see our CMS and DAM users have an interest in. The Web Browser makes a great desktop replacement, thus online document editing capabilities will see continued growth. Corporations need a suite of integrated web based document management and editing tools that they can host and use within their entire enterprise.
CC: Where do you see Openedit fitting in with this future?
CB: OpenEdit is an extensible and flexible enough platform to be used within a huge variety of enterprise environments. Every business has custom needs, which is why OpenEdit was built from the ground up based on real work agile development. OpenEdit is a major force in the future of CMS and DAM and will continue to add and refine our features as CMS requirements grow for our users.
CC: Do you plan to offer SaaS options for Openedit?
CB: OpenEdit has offered reliable and inexpensive hosting for clients who do not have their own servers for over 10 years.
CC: What are your favourite implementations of your product? Can you share some websites that use your product that you find interesting or innovative?
CB: My favorite implementations include:
<ul>
<li>Slamdance Film Festival – uses all the parts of OpenEdit for a very low cost implementation. OpenEdit hosts this one: 
<a href="http://www.slamdance.com/">http://www.slamdance.com</a></li>
<li>Proyecto Piloto – I like this one because it is in Spanish and was put together and maintained by non-technical users and it features lots of images: <a href="http://www.proyectopiloto.cl/">http://www.proyectopiloto.cl</a></li>
<li>WWE – World Wide Entertainment – This is an eCommerce site that is used to sell licensed media to their partners. This site requires a login.</li>
</ul>
You can see a list of our clients on our website <a href="http://www.openeditdam.com/">http://www.openeditdam.com</a>
CC: How do you feel Openedit compares with other open source projects in the ECM market such as Alfresco for instance?
CB: The most striking difference between OpenEdit and traditional CMS's is the use of a database. Most CMS's start with a database then they build editing and management tools around the data. OpenEdit starts with the HTML User Interface and the data is defined on the fly as needed. This allows us to create entire web applications stored within a file sub-directory. It is very intuitive and flexible 
to create new applications just by creating more folders. It is not intuitive for users to have to create or alter database schemas each 
time they want to create a new simple web application.
CC: Can you provide us with some insight as to future modifications or upcoming changes?
CB: In the immediate future OpenEdit is working on data mining tools that will help a business search across all of their media repositories. We plan to provide detailed summary reports and navigation tools to simplify searching for all digital files, such as video, images, documents, brochures, logo’s, etc.
CC: Do you have any parting comments for our readers?
CB: OpenEdit has proven itself to be a powerful CMS and DAM solution for many companies and organizations. The OpenEdit community is of the utmost importance, as they keep coming up with innovative ways to use OpenEdit.
The progression from a content management solution into one which also integrates full digital asset management capabilities seemed obvious to us years ago. Integrating the management, collaboration, sharing and reuse of all digital assets across web content management and digital asset management is achieved using OpenEdit.
We always welcome any sort of feedback about OpenEdit, please feel free to post here in our online user forum <a href="http://www.openeditdam.com/OpenEditDAMblog/index.html">http://www.openeditdam.com/OpenEditDAMblog/index.html</a>
The OpenEdit developer website can be found at <a href="http://www.openedit.org/">http://www.openedit.org</a> and our website devoted to OpenEdit DAM and CMS is <a href="http://www.openeditdam.com/">http://www.openeditDAM.com</a>
We think that Java is the best tool for Enterprises, that’s why we use Java and Object Orientated development to build OpenEdit. We feel that choice has been advantageous by allowing our team to re-use and constantly refactor our code for over a decade without ever starting over. Our competitors who are using PHP, Perl and proprietary software systems such as Microsoft, seem to have to re-architect every few years to avoid endless mounds of confusing spaghetti code or to adapt to new technology such as Ajax. Java has been great for our clients and OpenEdit.
Thanks for this opportunity!

Openedit Founder, Christopher Burkey Interview

WordPress and Textpattern are two of the most well-known blogging platforms out there. Each has its own share of advantages and disadvantages as well as supporters and critics. Both have a great user base and power many wonderful websites! In this article, I shall attempt to provide a comprehensive comparison of both WordPress vs Textpattern. Be informed though, this piece is just based on personal experiences and most users of either WP or TXP might agree (or disagree) at will. For the sake of clarity, I've attempted to sub-divide this article into multiple heads.
Functionality
WordPress seems to be the leading CMS when it comes to functionality and ease of use. Its latest version has undergone a good revamp and the organization of the administrative back end is now as user-friendly as it can get! You can control every major section of your blog through it in a matter of few clicks.
TextPattern, on the other hand, has a slightly less refined administrative back end. Yet, it still is fairly user-friendly and very robust. The only catch is that TXP's back end looks slightly dated, in comparison to that of WP.
Customizability and Extendability
Both Textpattern and WordPress are equal customizable by means of themes and templates. On a similar note, both TXP and WP have a good quiver of plugins and extensions. However, if you delve deeper, you'll find that WP has more themes and plugins as compared to TXP. While this clearly does not mean that WP is a better CMS than TXP, it surely goes a long way in building the user base for WP. Since majority of commercially viable tech blogs and websites are powered by WordPress (not to mention the millions of blogs at WordPress.com), it is but natural that WP has a large number of themes and plugins.
If you are geeky enough, you really should not be worried as you can tweak TXP to your liking and build a website. But if you are just planning to get a blog or website up and ready with as little technical expertise as possible, WP should be your safest bet!
Usability and Operation
This seems to be the most debatable topic. WordPress has a WYSIWYG Editor that makes editing posts and articles a breeze.
<img style="max-width:300px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_submission_manager_screenshot_gcloaz.jpg" alt="WordPress vs Textpattern" />
Textpattern, on the other hand, has an equally awesome (though not so end user friendly) editor, which can do almost all that you want it to, but is slightly confusing in operation (at least for starters). While Textile and other related items can be your best friends if you get used to them, they really will seem mind boggling features if you are a stranger to them.
<img style="max-width:300px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weaver_elizabeth_submittable_screenshot_rpavbu.jpg" alt="WordPress vs Textpattern" />
Moving around the back end too, you'll find that installing themes or plugins, checking your blog's stats or even upgrading the CMS – all can be accomplished in WP in a way easier manner as compared to TXP.
Are they alive?
Both WordPress and Textpattern are in active development (so this sub-heading perhaps should've been different, but I couldn't resist). Similarly, both TXP and WP have a good community base and many forums where you can turn for support.
However, WP is updated on a more frequent basis as compared to TXP. Supporters of WP will be tempted to portray this as higher level of activity at their developers' end, while supporters of TXP can attribute this fact to a sign of maturity of TXP in itself.
To sum it up
With that said, lets summarize each CMS's pros and cons:
Textpattern (<a href="http://www.textpattern.com">http://www.textpattern.com</a>):
Pros:
<ul>
<li>Textile is a very popular element among TXP users, and once you get used to it, you really will find WP's interface bit over done.</li>
<li>The Template System lets you tweak your website to the heart's content.</li>
<li>Extensive documentation.</li>
</ul>
Cons:
<ul>
<li>Admin back end slightly unattractive.</li>
<li>Confusing for beginners.</li>
<li>Lesser number of themes or templates (as compared to WP)</li>
</ul>
WordPress (<a href="http://www.wordpress.org">http://www.wordpress.org</a>):
Pros:
<ul>
<li>Arguably the easiest CMS out there</li>
<li>Numerous themes for customization</li>
<li>Easy updates</li>
</ul>
Cons:
<ul>
<li>Unless you install WPMU, it can power only one blog</li>
<li>Slightly limiting back end (if you're a geek)</li>
<li>Editing article meta data is difficult</li>
</ul>
The verdict?
Well, ideally picking a CMS is a decision that is governed by the user's specific needs (and perhaps bias towards a personal favorite). Still, if you need a CMS just to power a blog or a small website, WordPress should do the trick for you. If, however, you have plans of doing something beyond the ordinary such as having multiple blogs or prefer to tweak your articles before posting them (or simply like to get to the bottom of things), Textpattern might solve your purpose.
Have you used either WP or TXP (or both) earlier? Got some opinions to share on either of these two blogging platforms? Let me know in the comments!

WordPress vs Textpattern

It's almost officially summer in the Northern Hemisphere. And while some outdoorsy types are packing their Airstreams to do a bit of camping, WordPressians made the virtual hike to <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2021/" target="_blank">WordCamp Europe 2021</a> last week. 
As one of the largest community events in the WordPress ecosystem, WordCamp Europe attracted nearly <a href="https://torquemag.io/2020/06/wordcamp-europe-2020-report/">10,000 registrees from over 140 countries</a> to their first online forum in 2020 (2021 figures are not yet published, but we're anticipating even bigger numbers). Now that we're emerging from Covid, it will be interesting to see how WordCampers migrate to these meetings worldwide in 2022. 
Our staff had a chance to peruse a number of the sessions, and there were some definite standouts. One of the most interesting talks we caught was called <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2021/speaker/robert-jacobi/">"Invisible CMS" by Robert Jacobi</a> (of Joomla fame). There was also a great interview with <a href="https://europe.wordcamp.org/2021/session/conversation-with-marieke-van-de-rakt-of-yoast/">Marieke van de Rakt of Yoast</a> that was timely and relevant. You can catch a lot of the content on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaYQGYDpXpU4A17kxN-AgJQ">WordCamp Europe YouTube channel</a>.
During a packed schedule of fireside chats and presentations, attendees were treated to an update on WordPress 5.8, which is currently in Beta. As of right now, the current target for the final release is July 20, 2021. 
WordPress 5.8 is expected to deliver a host of new features, including more powerful blocks, enhanced editing capabilities, and other <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2021/01/21/big-picture-goals-2021/" target="_blank">big picture goals</a> like Full Site Editing – which was a focus area at WordCamp. We've covered some of the features we're expecting to see below. 
<h3>What is Full Site Editing?</h3>
OK, so <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/handbook/focuses/full-site-editing/">Full Site Editing</a> (FSE) may not be a game-changing new addition to WordPress, but it's another clear signal that WordPress is moving on from editing PHP templates to building websites entirely out of blocks. Full Site Editing is more akin to a "collection" of features that allows you to edit (quite literally) everything on your site. The collection isn't 100% complete, but it's a work in progress for the second phase of Gutenberg. 
FSE involves three main components: Template Editing, Block Themes, and Global Styles.
<h3>Template Editing</h3>
Page Templates are the building blocks of a WordPress site, and they’re composed using PHP. Every theme has its own custom templates such as “Single Page,” “404”, or “Header,” “Footer,” and so on. If you know some HTML and PHP, you can also edit these templates.
WordPress 5.8 is making a bold move by giving users the ability to create their own custom Page Templates by editing their theme template directly. Imagine creating templates entirely out of blocks without having to deal with PHP code. 
Don't imagine it: watch it here in this <a href="https://youtu.be/IdLGO-PzNJ0?t=8896" target="_blank">WordCamp Europe online video</a>. 
<h3>Block Themes</h3>
WordPress 5.8 features new blocks for Page Lists, Site Title, Logo, and Tagline. A powerful Query Loop block offers multiple ways to display posts and comes with new block patterns that take advantage of its flexibility and creative options.
Among the new block features, there is one notable one: the Lists View. This is a panel that can be easily toggled, allowing you see all the blocks in a list form and navigate complex blocks and patterns:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/block-list-view.png" alt="Gutenberg Block List View" />
<h3>Global Styles</h3>
Global Styles extend the efforts of Full Site Editing by bringing a higher level of customization to Gutenberg and WordPress. Together, these features enable users to have improved control over aesthetics and layouts beyond the context of single Pages and Posts. Global styles also bring consistency across your website without having to edit individual blocks or pages.
For example, you can select a body background color or change the line-height of all their headings from one place. Styles added to individual blocks will still override the global styles.
The first version of Global Styles has been ported to WordPress core and will be part of the WordPress 5.8 release. Any relevant update will be posted in <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/20331#issuecomment-848685044" target="_blank">this GitHub issue</a> on demand.
<img style="max-width:327px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/global-styles-sidebar.png" alt="Global Styles" />
<h3>Additional Highlights in WordPress 5.8</h3>
Here are some other cool features we're expecting from 5.8: 
<ul>
<li>An all-new Widgets screen and updated Customizer, which lets you use any block in your theme’s widget areas</li>
<li>A new template editor that allows you to create custom page templates using blocks</li>
<li>Themes that can control and configure styling with a .json file, including layout configuration, block supports, color palettes, and more</li>
<li>New design tools and enhancements to existing blocks, including more color, typography, and spacing options</li>
<li>Drag and drop features for Cover backgrounds</li>
<li>Additions to block transformation options</li>
<li>The ability to embed PDFs within the File block</li>
<li>Improvements to how the editor is rendered to resemble the frontend more accurately</li>
</ul>
The new Duotone filter is a noteworthy addition to 5.8. It allows you to change the color of an image and add various effects. If you love to use filters on your photos, you’ll get a lot of use out of this:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/duotone.gif" alt="Duotone Filter" />
You can read the complete list of new features on the <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2021/06/wordpress-5-8-beta-2/" target="_blank">WordPress news release</a>.
<h2>What’s new in Gutenberg 10.8?</h2>
Gutenberg 10.8 focuses on stability and performance while also introducing enhancements to the Template Editor that enables more design tools for blocks.
<h3>More Typography Options</h3>
Gutenberg 10.8 comes with more typography editing functions, including <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/27510" target="_blank">font-weight for the heading block</a> and <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/27510" target="_blank">custom fonts for the List block</a>. As with other design tools, you can configure them in your theme.json file.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/font-weights-edited-1.png" alt="Font weight options" />
<h3>Template Editor Enhancements</h3>
Gutenberg 10.8 also introduces a few enhancements to the Template Editor, improving the overall user experience. Now, the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/32037" target="_blank">title area in the Template Editor corresponds to the current post title</a>. Also, the appearance of the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/32042" target="_blank">template details popover</a> has been enhanced with more detailed information and an improved layout. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/template-editor-enhnancements.png" alt="Template Editor enhancements" />
You can see the complete list of new Gutenberg 10.8 features and bug fixes over <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/06/10/whats-new-in-gutenberg-10-8-9-june/" target="_blank">here</a>.
<h3>Internet Explorer 11</h3>
Ah yes. Our update wouldn't be complete without discussing Internet Explorer. It is, as they say, the end of an era. 
Or <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/22/999343673/internet-explorer-the-love-to-hate-it-web-browser-will-die-next-year#:~:text=Microsoft%20is%20officially%20pulling%20the%20plug%20on%20Internet%20Explorer%20in%20June%202022.,-Alexander%20Hassenstein%2FGetty&amp;text=Internet%20Explorer%20is%20nearing%20the,%2C%20buggy%20net%2Dsurfing%20option.">as NPR so elegantly noted</a>, it's "nearing the end of a long and slow death." 
As Microsoft continues its planned retirement of this storied browser – a journey that began 25 years ago – support for IE11 is slowly waning. While the final sunset is planned for <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/05/19/the-future-of-internet-explorer-on-windows-10-is-in-microsoft-edge/" target="_blank">June 15, 2022</a>, WordPress is deprecating its support for IE this year. So if you haven't already, say your goodbyes. 
<h3>More to come for WordPress in 2021</h3>
The WordCamp world is still abuzz from days of drinking the open source kool-aid, particularly in anticipation of the official 5.8 launch. 
In the meantime, if you’d like to test the new 5.8 Beta, you can install the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/" target="_blank">WordPress Beta Tester plugin</a> and activate it. You can find the full set of instructions on how to use the latest Beta version <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/testing/beta-testing/" target="_blank">here</a>. 
Like everything in the world of WP, it bears repeating that the new features like Full Site Editing are still a work in progress. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day – and for a CMS that powers over 40 percent of the web, changes need to be carefully tested for mobile performance, security, accessibility, and so on. 
What's clear is that the various page-building plugin options for WordPress – such as <a href="https://elementor.com/">Elementor</a>, <a href="https://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/">Divi</a>, and <a href="https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/">Beaver Builder</a> – have ramped up the innovation and certainly inspired WordPress to improve its own block editor. It's important to remember that when Gutenberg first arrived, it was <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gutenberg-2-years-later-is-wordpress-better-off/" target="_blank">very green</a> and met with an abundance of criticism. WordPress is definitely listening, and working to make content editing even easier for the non-coding folk who don’t want to rely on a developer. While the editor still has a steep learning curve and is clunky in some areas, it seems that Gutenberg is heading in the right direction.
Now, forget the code and fire up your Coleman grill. It's summertime!

Updates on WordCamp 2021, WordPress 5.8 Beta Details, and Gutenberg Enhancements

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