Articles - Page 118

Agentic AI Is Coming. Is Your DXP Ready?

dsfaltudo

Today, I'm going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics Choice CMS Award for Best JAVA CMS for Small to Midsize Business CMS.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestsmbjavacms2014-1.png" />
The importance of content management systems to business is obvious, they are a critical piece of the infrastructure and part of what holds things together. Choosing the one that should be crowned as best of the best is a challenging task but the judges have made their decision.
The winner for this year is Jahia Digital Factory.
<a href="http://www.jahia.com"><img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/digitalfactory400x0.png" /></a>
Congratulations to the team at Jahia on their win. Learn more about them in our directory here: <a href="/products/jahia/"> Jahia Digital Factory </a>

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best JAVA CMS for Small to Midsize Business

mike-johnston

Today, I'm going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics Choice CMS Award for Best PHP CMS for Small to Midsize Business.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestsmbphpcms2014.png" />
After much deliberation, the judges have chosen the winner of this year should be none other than…
<a href="https://buildwithcraft.com/"><img style="max-width:201px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/craft.jpeg" /></a>
Flexibility, simplicity, control. You’ve never seen them come together in a CMS like this before. At last, you can deliver a content management experience that is precisely tailored to meet the site’s unique content needs, with a workflow that is incredibly simple and straightforward, all while maintaining complete control over your markup and styles.
Congratulations to the team at Craft CMS on their win. Check them out in our CMS directory here: <a href="/products/craft-cms/">Craft CMS</a>.

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best PHP CMS for Small to Midsize Business

Today, I'm going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics Choice CMS Award for Best Open Source .NET CMS.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestopensourcenetcms2014-1.png" />
After much deliberation, the judges have chosen to give this year's award to the popular open-source .NET CMS…
<a href="http://www.umbraco.com"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/umbraco-logo.gif" /></a>
Umbraco is a fully-featured open source content management system with the flexibility to run anything from small campaign or brochure sites right through to complex applications for Fortune 500's and some of the largest media sites in the world….Oh, and did we mention that it's free?
Congratulations to the team at Umbraco on their win. To learn more, visit them in our CMS directory here: <a href="/products/umbraco/">Umbraco</a>

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Open Source NET CMS

Today, I'm going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics Choice CMS Award for Best Open Source JAVA CMS.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestopensourcejavacms2014-1.png" />
The winner this year is a CMS that offers a wide range of features and is a powerful presence in the marketplace. The judges have chosen.
<a href="http://www.nuxeo.com"><img style="max-width:345px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/nuxeo_logo-1.png" /></a>
Nuxeo is an open-source content management system platform used by architects and developers to build, deploy, and run content-centric business applications. Nuxeo's Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technology allows for document management, case management, digital asset management, and other applications. The Nuxeo Platform offers modularity, a plug-in model and packaging capabilities.
Congratulations to Nuxeo on their win. Check them out in our CMS directory here: <a href="/products/nuxeo/">Nuxeo</a>.

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Open Source JAVA CMS

Today, we're going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics' Choice CMS Award for Best Open Source PHP CMS.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestopensourcephpcms2014.png" />
The winner this year will not be a surprise to anyone as it's the very CMS that has been taking over the world of content management of late. We would be remiss to not hand this award to the incredibly popular.
<a href="http://www.wordpress.org"><img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress-logo400x0.jpg" /></a>
Congratulations to the development team at WordPress on their win. Check them out in our CMS directory here: <a href="/products/wordpress/">WordPress</a>.

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Open Source PHP CMS

Today, I'm going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics' Choice CMS Award for Best Free .NET CMS.
<img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;max-width:150px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestfreenetcms2014.png" />
This year was a tough one when it came to selecting the best of the best in this category but after some tough decision making, the judges came to the decision that the CMS most deserving of this award this year is..
<a href="http://www.composite.net"><img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/composite-c1-2500x704400x0.png" /></a>
Congratulations to the team at Composite C1 on their win. Check them out in our directory here: <a href="/products/composite-c1/">Composite C1</a>.

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Free .NET CMS

Today, I am announcing the winner of the 2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best Free PHP CMS.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestfreephpcms2014.png" />
The judges deliberated on a large number of content management systems before making their decision but in the end, the decision was unanimous.
The winner for this year is none other than…
<a href="http://www.processwire.com"><img style="max-width:397px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/processwire_logo.png" /></a>
Congratulations to the team at Processwire on their win. It's well deserved.
Check out <a href="/products/processwire/">Processwire</a> in our directory.

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Free PHP CMS

LightCMS has made life a little easier for its Partner Platform users, with a brand new client billing system.
With LightCMS, you can build blogs, online stores and more in a matter of minutes, <a href="https://www.websitebuilderscritic.com/website_builders/reviews/lightcms/" target="_blank">as demonstrated on Website Builders Critic</a>. LightCMS has continued to improve itself over the last year, and was recently voted the <a href="/the-winner-of-the-2014-peoples-choice-cms-award-for-best-cloud-cms-for-smb/" target="_blank">People's Choice for Best Cloud CMS for SMB</a>.
Named, “Client Billing 2.0”, LightCMS' new billing feature will become available from February 3rd 2015.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sf59439logo-1.jpg" />
<h2>Smoother, Faster &amp; More Profitable Billing</h2>
With their “old” client billing system, LightCMS billed users for their monthly base charges and also billed users' clients for their monthly charges. Users then had to request that money from LightCMS, after the client had paid. A cumbersome system, to say the least.
Client Billing 2.0, though, does away with this dated billing method.
Here are the changes Client Billing 2.0 will bring:
<ul>
<li>The customer invoice has your company information, and your business is listed on your client’s credit card charge.</li>
<li>The processing fees are less.</li>
<li>Billing is initiated on your behalf by LightCMS.</li>
<li>There is no more “Money Pile”. Your money is paid directly to you by Stripe.</li>
<li>LightCMS bills you only for your monthly base charges.</li>
</ul>
To find out more about LightCMS' Client Billing 2.0, check out the official blog announcement.
Also, you can discover more about LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

LightCMS Revamps Client Billing

Hotjar - Spot what confuses

Spot what confuses your users with Hotjar & AI

#ffffff

<a href="https://www.joomla.com/" target="_blank">Joomla</a>, one of the world's most popular content management systems, has opened its digital doors wider than ever before by offering up free, hosted website solutions.
Make no mistake, this is big news from one of the biggest players in the CMS world. Joomla is an open-source, award-winning platform, powering millions of websites and online applications across the world.
Now, thanks to a partnership with hosting company Siteground, anybody can sign up for a free Joomla website via <a href="https://www.joomla.com/" target="_blank">Joomla.com</a>.
<h2>Joomla In Just A Few Clicks</h2>
<a href="https://www.joomla.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-19700x0.png" alt="Joomla.com" /></a>
To make Joomla.com removes hosting fees, lengthy installations and some expandability options. The result is that a Joomla website is now just a few clicks away from the average person and business. Here are the feature highlights:
<ul>
<li>Hosting for all Joomla.com websites is totally free.</li>
<li>Free site name at the joomla.com subdomain (for example: mywebsite.joomla.com).</li>
<li>Comes pre-installed with additional extensions, templates, and all available languages.</li>
<li>Automatic updates.</li>
</ul>
Joomla.com doesn't offer everything that <a href="https://www.joomla.org" target="_blank">self-hosted Joomla</a> users can get, though.
As of right now, Joomla.com includes a set of pre-selected templates and several very useful pre-installed extensions like Google analytics, Google maps integration, Disqus powered comments and social media sharing options. However, Joomla.com wouldn't be suitable for a user looking to build an advanced website with custom code and a wider choice of templates and extensions. Then again, that's what Joomla.org is for.
Having said that, Joomla has claimed that websites started at Joomla.com can easily be developed later into full-fledged self-hosted Joomla projects without any limitations on extendability.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-20700x0.png" alt="Joomla.com" />
The President of Open Source Matters Inc. (which provides legal and financial support to the Joomla project), Sarah Watz, made these comments upon the release of Joomla.com:
<blockquote>“I’m very excited because the new service at joomla.com makes Joomla! CMS a more accessible option than ever.”</blockquote>
I take my hat off to Joomla, for this step towards greater accessibility is precisely <a href="/cms-in-2015-what-we-want-to-see/" target="_blank">what I called for from the world of CMS in 2015</a>.
For more information on this release, <a href="http://www.joomla.org/announcements/general-news/5580-joomla-offers-free-hosted-website-solution-on-joomla-com-in-partnership-with-siteground.html" target="_blank">check out the Joomla announcement</a>. To get your free Joomla website, head over to <a href="https://www.joomla.com/" target="_blank">Joomla.com</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/joomla/" target="_blank">Joomla via our CMS Directory</a>.

Joomla Now Offers Free Hosted Websites via Joomla.com

<a href="https://www.1202software.com/" target="_blank">1202</a> is a highly flexible CMS which describes itself as a, “Multi-purpose, pluggable, cloud-based system for managing, publishing and sharing any kind and any amount of content.”
The cloud based platform, which boasts a source code that's ten times lighter when compared to WordPress, can manage, and publish any kind of content.
You can use 1202 to create a website, manage, categorise and archive content, make plans, databases and directories, as well as a whole lot more.
Quite frankly, 1202 can be used for almost anything data or content related, giving it uses for both online and offline projects. This makes it a very malleable platform, a characteristic which has its pros and cons, which I will be exploring throughout this review.
Furthermore, 1202 is pluggable, meaning that you can integrate it with existing softwares and platforms in order to add functionality. 
<h2>First Impressions</h2>
As per usual, I will begin this review from the product’s digital doorway — the vendor website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2700x0.png" alt="1202Software" />
1202’s website is clean and simple, but the layout and navigation didn’t sit well with me.
The introductory video, which is a core part of the homepage, gave a five minute walkthrough of how to use some of the software’s features, but it didn’t actually explain the product. What (and for whom) was it for? I wasn’t really getting the message.
The navigation menu at the top of the page wasn’t saying much either. Where was the “About” or “Features” menu item?
Thankfully, I was able to find such information by scrolling down the homepage, where 1202 gives some insight into their product:
<blockquote>“The development of 1202 was fueled by the need for a system that was versatile and easy to implement as well as use. It was originally intended as a content management system, like WordPress or Joomla, but the scope broadened considerably due to client demands.”</blockquote>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3700x0.png" />
Okay, now things were making a little more sense. Good thing, too, since I was about to jump into exploring the product itself.
<h2>A Look at What 1202 Actually Is</h2>
Before I talk about actually using 1202, I thought it would be appropriate to delve into exactly what it is.
Frankly, 1202 isn’t a typical CMS.
Kasimir den Hertog, the founder of 1202 software, has stripped away the user friendly interfaces which he deems to be limitations to those who truly want to build something powerful and unique.
The removal of those limitations makes 1202 tough to use for the average website builder.
Reminiscing on his thought processes when developing 1202, Kasimir den Hetog said:
<blockquote>“…I asked myself: “How can you build the most flexible system possible, a system that can manage virtually anything and has the least limitations?”
The database is ultimately where all content is stored. You can’t really run a CMS without a database. This means the database is the true limitation. Having the least limitations therefore means staying as close as possible to the database.
This is basically what 1202 does: it interfaces with a database in a very direct fashion.”</blockquote>
1202 currently powers Dutch care organisation Omring, as well as the <a href="https://cyclingdatabase.com/">Cycling Database</a>, which contains data for the thousands of Cycling races, teams, rankings and more.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
My first (admittedly minor) gripe with 1202 came when I went sign in for the very first time.
1202 sends you an automated password once you sign up — a mixture of jumbled letters and numbers — which is absolutely fine.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5.png" />
What isn’t fine however, is the fact that the login screen rejects copy and pasted versions of this password. Instead, you have to type it all out, even when you are automatically logged out after inactivity. Granted, this isn’t a huge deal, but for a platform designed to be simple, the login process really should be more, well, simple. 
When I finally signed in, I was presented with yet another pretty, but slightly overwhelming dashboard, giving me a big indication that 1202 isn't for newbies. It's not ugly by any stretch of the imagination, but it is quite plain, and it is very professional.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4700x0.png" />
1202 is divided into four sections: ‘Content', ‘Model', ‘System' and ‘Log'.
<h3>Content</h3>
The “Content” section is where you can manage core content like text and images, as well as files, tags, users and guides.
Via the “Text” section, you can create page content. This section includes a simple WYSIWYG editor, enabling you to insert images, configure text fonts and colours, insert hyperlinks, align elements, and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9700x0.png" />
You can upload images within the WYSIWYG editor, or you can use the dedicated “Images” section, where you may then add filters if you wish.
Creating filters is done via the “Content” section, appearing a sub-menu on all the possible sections. For example, clicking on “Text” brings up a second menu, where “Filters” is listed.
A filter is basically a search query, which can be used to easily find items, and also to hook items up to model blocks. This will ‘feed' the model block with the items in your filter. Perhaps this will make a little more sense when I discuss the “Model” section, later on.
If there are saved filters for the particular container/view, these will be shown at the top of the “Overview” section. Clicking a filter changes items listed according to the filter selected.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8700x0.png" />
<h3>Model</h3>
Models translate the system's content for retrieval, for example, in order to view your content as a website. Each model consists of one or more blocks, which you ‘feed' with content by linking them to content filters. You can output the content as JSON or model the blocks with tags like HTML or XML and “1202 script”, which can manipulate the content you feed into it.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10700x0.png" />
The “Overview” section here works just like in the “Content” section, showing you a list of current models.
Clicking “New Model” will allow you to give your model a name, description, group (which allows you to filter through models via the “Overview” section), and also a URL. Further down the page though, is where it gets interesting.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6700x0.png" /> 
A drag-and-drop interface allows you to create new model blocks, within which you can drag-and-drop filters. Model blocks can be given names, and they can all be arranged in a whatever position you like, allowing you to essentially design a webpage.
Each model can be given one of two output types; JSON or Custom code.
<h3>System</h3>
System-wide information, settings and features are brought together in the ‘System' section.
<img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7700x0.png" />
You can change the title of your entire project, switch between languages (Currently English and Dutch only), set remote access permissions by IP address, view storage usage, and more.
Furthermore, the “System” section also allows you to create new containers, which then show up on the “Content” section, ready to be populated. You can also use the “System” section to import data via copy and paste.
A final feature of the “System” section, is “Trash”. Here, you can retrieve recently deleted items, like images for example. Such a feature could save a lot of trouble over the course of a project set up, I definitely like the fact that 1202 has it in its arsenal. It's a simple, yet effective feature which we unfortunately don't see often enough within the CMS world. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12700x0.png" />
<h3>Log</h3>
The last section of 1202, is the “Log”. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-11700x0.png" />
As the name implies, here is where you will find all user activity, neatly logged. It also displays recent errors which may have occurred. Again, this is a handy feature, and one which 1202 makes easy to use as an everyday management tool, just like with the “Trash” feature.
<h2>User Experience</h2>
As I tinkered with the configurations and different areas of 1202, I slowly began to understand the way in which it worked. The key word here is slowly, because to be honest, 1202 simply isn't very easy to use. There's a steep learning curve, that's for sure.
Don’t get me wrong, the general functions and features of the platform made sense, and worked very well.
But because 1202 is relatively unique in its workings, and extremely flexible in the way that it can be used, I wasn’t able to rely on my past experiences of using CMS. It was a completely different animal.
Is this a problem within itself? No. New and daring products like 1202 deserve praise for working outside of the box.
What I’m saying is, 1202 needs to ease users in. Sure, there’s documentation (which I will discuss later), but after signing up and logging in, you can't help but feel a little overwhelmed and alone.
I’d suggest implementing an interactive user guide, which is activated when a new user signs up. The guide could give users a tour of the product, and perhaps offer to walk the user through some simple tasks — like building a website homepage.
Website builders (which are of course, much simpler beings) use this method to make website building newbies feel as ease. 1202 should do this to make everybody feel at ease, simply because it doesn’t work like most other platforms out there in the general market.
Overall though, I thought 1202 was pleasant to use. It got confusing at times, but never annoying. One issue I found though, was the “Update”/”Save” buttons on the right-hand side of the screen, found when editing items. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-13700x0.png" /> 
The problem is, these item pages can be quite long, but the buttons don't scroll with you. So, working further down the page means you have to scroll up before you can click save. Not a major issue, but definitely something than can be improved.
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
1202 offers some comprehensive documentation, along with a ticketing system.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-14700x0.png" />
The documentation is extremely detailed, and actually very helpful. Each section is broken down and explained, although I wouldn’t quite call it layman's terms. Once again, 1202 isn’t for beginners.
The ticketing system is found via the “My 1202” section on the 1202 website. It's straightforward stuff, thanks to a simple form. The “My 1202” section is also where you can view your account settings, logout, delete your account, and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-15700x0.png" />
<h2>Pricing</h2>
1202 charges $12 per month (or €10.89 for EU users) for a reasonable service.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-17.png" />
This monthly fee only gets you 1GB of storage though, with each additional GB costing another $1 per month. So, if you have a large project on your hands, you will end up dishing out quite a lot more than the initial $12 per month.
I'm not a fan of this payment structure, as I'm sure many people would prefer to pay for a set amount of storage. 
<h2>The Verdict</h2>
1202 is an extremely powerful platform — that’s a given. Yet it can also be used for simpler tasks, if need be.
As far as functionality goes, I have zero problems with 1202. It’s multi-purpose, it’s fast, it’s flexible. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
It can be used to create a myriad of website types, apps, databases and so forth. However, you do need to know your way around coding and web development. Working with 1202 is a very elemental experience. It’s certainly not for those looking for a spoon-feeding CMS.
So, my worries are not about 1202’s ability. My worries are about its execution.
Design and user experience tweaks need to be made to both the 1202 website and the product itself, just to smooth off the edges and tighten the overall brand of 1202.
Furthermore, 1202 is still a relatively raw product. It’s pluggable, but there are no readily available plugins or integrations to begin working with. It’s extremely flexible, but there aren’t any templates or starting points to get your creative juices flowing.
It’s like a lego set, in a way. Everyone loves building with lego, especially if you know how. But the pictures on the box and in the instruction manual give you something to aim for — something to build on.
As previously mentioned in this review, 1202 needs something to ease users in, and show them the ropes, perhaps to showcase the power of the product. Because as of right now, It's feels like a platform reserved for those who already know how to use it.
<h4>Pros</h4>
<ul>
<li>1202 has an extremely wide range of uses. The platform encourages developers to be creative in this sense.</li>
<li>Although slightly plain, 1202 is sleek and highly professional when it comes to aesthetics.</li>
<li>Cloud-based, super fast and super lightweight.</li>
<li>Pluggable, ideal for hooking on to existing projects/integrating with other platforms.</li>
<li>Multi-user support and user roles, with the ability to create guides.</li>
<li>Easy uploading, importing and exporting features. </li>
<li>Very detailed documentation with a simple ticketing system for extra support.</li>
<li>The “Log” section lets you keep track of all user activity, with users, dates, times and IP addresses all being logged.</li>
<li>“Trash” feature allows you to recover recently deleted items.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Cons</h4>
<ul>
<li>1202 needs an interactive tutorial/demonstration if it is to attract a broad user base.</li>
<li>Not the easiest platform to use.</li>
<li>More storage needs to be included in the price plan, or additional price plans needs to be introduced.</li>
<li>General design flaws: the 1202 website needs to be tweaked for easier navigation, the product itself looks a little bit bland, and saving/updating buttons should scroll as the user scrolls for better usability.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Remarks</h2>
Simply put, 1202 gives you the building blocks to build almost anything content and/or data related. The blocks aren’t conveniently arranged for web development newbies, but maybe that just means that the pros out there can have more fun figuring it all out.
Perhaps the full potential of 1202 lies within its ability to attract a community. 1202 is a product that will likely thrive under the banner of the masses, as each developer crafts a new type of website, app and ready-to-use integration/plugin into existing software, thus further expanding the product’s scope.
To obtain such a following though, 1202 needs to now turn towards the “smaller” stuff, as I have mentioned throughout this review. I would recommend focusing on introducing a more inviting website, an interactive tutorial of some kind, and an overall better user experience right from the start.
Until then, 1202 is essentially a young, powerful, flexible, yet very raw platform.
Update: 13/02/2015
Since the completion of this review, some additions have been made to 1202, improving it as a product. 
The 1202 website is now much swankier than before. It's also far easier to navigate and understand, too. This is mainly due to a much needed colour injection, and also to some quotes from this very review which help to describe what 1202 does. Kasimir, the 1202 founder, has even incorporated my previous “Lego” reference, making it part of the website's design — which I thought was pretty awesome.
Furthermore, 1202 now has a detailed tutorial <a href="https://1202software.com/support/tutorial/setting-up-1202-as-a-website-cms" target="_blank">which explains how to set up 1202 as a website CMS</a>.

1202 Review

<a href="http://www.telerik.com/" target="_blank">Telerik</a>, which was recently acquired by <a href="https://www.progress.com/" target="_blank">Progress</a>, <a href="http://www.telerik.com/company/press-releases/2015/01/14/progress-launches-new-cloud-mobile-development-features-in-telerik-platform-release-highlights-great-momentum-in-first-year" target="_blank">has announced</a> the introduction of cloud mobile development features to its popular Telerik Platform solution.
Over 40,000 organizations across 94 countries make use of Telerik products, including around 450 of the Fortune 500.
The aim of these new features if to help make mobile development a faster, more powerful experience for Telerik users. Currently, the Telerik Platform is the only cross-platform mobile development platform that combines rich UI tools and cloud services to build compelling apps, regardless of operating system, device or technology.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/telerik_logo-1700x0.png" />
<h2>New Marketplace, New Templates &amp; A Screen Builder </h2>
Telrik has certainly paid attention to the needs and wants of the average marketer working within their enterprising target market. Here are some of the major updates introduced to the Telerik Platform:
<ul>
<li>The new <a href="http://plugins.telerik.com/" target="_blank">Verified Plugins Marketplace</a>, a first-of-its-kind gallery of Cordova/PhoneGap plugins, creating feature-rich applications using open source Cordova APIs</li>
<li>Screen Builder (currently in beta) accelerates PhoneGap app scaffolding and enables both developers and business users to create 80 percent of the mobile app from pre-built and pre-wired screens – without ever touching code</li>
<li>New mobile app dev quick-start templates, making mobile development easier and more guided than ever</li>
<li>NativeScript, (still in private beta), the Telerik open source project, now includes robust support for CSS styling of native app UI, an improved cross-platform JavaScript framework, support for third party native libraries and the ability to build native apps using Command Line Interface.</li>
</ul>
As you can see, Telerik Platform solution has opted to streamline and simplify the design and development process, with their, “Screen Builder” and quick-start templates. 
Aaron Mahimainathan, SVP DevTools &amp; Platform, Telerik, A Progress Company, made these comments:
<blockquote>
“The Telerik Platform solution demonstrates our capabilities within the mobile space and our ongoing commitment to the developer communities we serve. Making the development process a seamless experience–regardless of the development approach–is a top priority. After many successes, including thousands of apps built, a global customer base and a ‘Visionary’ position in the Gartner MQ for Mobile App Dev Platforms, the latest Telerik Platform release makes it by far the most robust platform in the market for creating beautiful enterprise and consumer apps.”
</blockquote>
For more details on this update, check out the <a href="http://www.telerik.com/company/press-releases/2015/01/14/progress-launches-new-cloud-mobile-development-features-in-telerik-platform-release-highlights-great-momentum-in-first-year" target="_blank">Telerik press release</a>, and the <a href="http://www.telerik.com/" target="_blank">Telerik website</a>.

Telerik Platform Receives New Cloud Mobile Development Features

2014 was a busy year for the world of CMS.Another round of <a href="/cms-critic-awards/">CMS Awards</a> saw yet more platforms crowned champions of their sector by both the people and the appointed judges.Exciting new projects like The Grid were revealed for the first time, while existing powerhouses like Prestashop and Squarespace released major new versions. Ghost continued to grow, WordPress continued to dominate and the realm of open source continued to be awesome.The CMS Critic team, otherwise known as Mike Johnston and I, also made some waves. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.websitebuilderscritic.com/">Website Builders Critic</a> was launched, and <a href="/cms-critic-on-tour-paris-amsterdam-basel/">we traversed Europe to attend a range of events</a>, including Jahia One, Hippo Get Together and Magnolia.With that busy period now behind us, we can begin to look forward to another year's worth of excitement. So, what do we want to see?<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/macbook-480221_1280-1700x0.jpg" /><h2>1. More of Ghost</h2>Still relatively new to the scene, Ghost has impressed us thus far, and we'd like to see that continue.The blogging platform — which boasts a cloud-hosted as well as a self-hosted version — <a href="/blogging-platform-roon-io-acquired-by-ghost/">recently acquired Roon.io</a>, and is gaining traction are credibility all the time as a powerful, yet simple blogging solution.Quite frankly, Ghost is the most exciting platform to talk about at the moment. Not because it's the most powerful, or the most flexible, but because it has chosen an extremely popular niche (blogging) and has made it its sole aim to make life easier for those who take part in it. A bold and interesting mission.<h2>2. A Community Building CMS To Step Up</h2>Online communities and social networks are plentiful, and there are certainly a good number of enterprise solutions available to create excitingly powerful news ones.However, when it comes to the average startup looking for a cheap or even free solution, social networking and community CMS' are few and far between.Products like SocialEngine, PHPFox, Oxwall and Elgg are fine, but I'm not sure they're quite fine enough. In fact, they're quite equally not fine enough. I can't point at any of them as truly solid and encompassing solutions, and that's a big problem. I'd like to see at least one of them step up, or, failing that, another product step in.<h2>3. More Free &amp; Open source Awesomeness</h2>2014 saw the introduction of <a href="/hands-on-with-prestashop-ondemand/">PrestaShop Cloud</a>, the first truly free and open source cloud-hosted eCommerce solution. A massive milestone in the history of open source, in my opinion.Hippo CMS also showcased its contributions to the world of open source via its <a href="/how-open-source-software-transformed-a-nations-police-force/">digital reformation of the Dutch police force</a>. A riveting story about how open source software is changing the world.These are just two of the countless examples of free and open source awesomeness in 2014 alone, and we hope that awesomeness increases as we move into 2015.<h2>4. More Innovation</h2>All forms of software need to innovate in one way or another in order to survive. Nothing moves quite as fast as the Internet, so any CMS standing still is essentially committing suicide.Some notable examples from 2014 include <a href="/the-grid-artificial-intelligence-meets-web-design-or-does-it/">The Grid's supposed artificial intelligence</a>, <a href="/the-first-of-its-kind-pikock-launch-layout-slider-to-simplify-website-building/">Pikock's carousel style website builder</a>, and <a href="/remarkable-re-writing-the-content-management-experience/">Remarkable's “AXM”</a> release. Those kinds of innovations are great to see. New products with new goals, what else could we ask for?Also, with wearable technology now gaining traction in the real world, it will be interesting to see how the CMS world reacts as we move through 2015.<h2>5. More Accessibility</h2>Every CMS vendor in existence should be thinking about making their product more accessible.Although many website builders and other platforms have dedicated apps for mobile devices, Magnolia led the way for enterprise CMS by impressively releasing an <a href="/magnolia-the-worlds-first-mobile-optimized-cms/">iPad (and then a non-tablet specific) version of Magnolia 5</a>. It wasn't just responsive, it was functionally customized and tweaked for a mobile user's needs.Enterprising companies around the world are changing the way they work. Technology has eased the hours and days that the average employee spends at their desk or in front of a laptop. Modern enterprise platforms need to recognize this, and adapt accordingly.<h2>6. More Updates</h2>In 2014, both Ghost and LightCMS laid out an excellent example of how updates should be handled.Ghost <a href="/ghost-0-5-released-with-re-written-admin-ui-multi-user-support-more/">announced that it would release a small, yet worthy update every fortnight or so</a>, and they've stuck to their word. LightCMS didn't quite match that frequency, but they did success in releasing a flurry of updates throughout the year, each one relatively large, too.Understandably, not every product out there can match these two when it comes to constantly updating and improving. Each product has different teams behind it, different financial structures, different niches to serve, and so forth. However, I can't see any harm coming from my suggestion that more CMS should take a digital leaf out of Ghosts' and LightCMS' book.<h2>7. Less Fanboyism</h2>WordPress, Drupal &amp; Joomla fans, I'm looking at you in particular.Mike Johnston and I both touched on this topic a few times in 2014 (check out <a href="/wordpress-joomla-and-drupal-are-not-the-best-cms/">Why WordPress, Drupal &amp; Joomla Are NOT The Best CMS</a> as one example), but I think it's wise to really drive this point home. No CMS has a monopoly over any niche. Some products simply work better in certain circumstances, while others excel elsewhere. It's that simple.In 2015, I'd like to see the fanboy mentality ease off a little. Nuanced discussion trumps, “But WordPress/Drupal/Joomla rulez!”, every time.Well, that's everything on our list. What's on yours?

The World of CMS In 2015: What We Want To See

<a href="https://www.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid</a> has rolled out a brand new API platform to encourage developers to get creative in lieu of the <a href="https://www.ecwid.com/apps/Featured" target="_blank">Ecwid App Market's</a> imminent expansion.
Well over 600,000 online stores are powered by Ecwid, which is well known for its excellent integration options for platforms such as WordPress and Drupal.
The brand new <a href="http://api.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid API</a> enables any third-party developer to extend, modify and customize nearly every aspect of an Ecwid store. It’s now easier than ever to create an application for Ecwid and become a part of the upcoming Ecwid App market.
<h2>A Milestone for Ecwid Third-party Apps</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/update_combo_docs700x0.png" alt="Ecwid API" />
Third-party application developers can now have more fun with Ecwid than ever before.
Ecwid’s new API is a RESTful API with oAuth2 authentication. Any developer can use it to manage store data, add new interfaces to the Ecwid Control Panel, and even customize the storefront from an external application.
Ecwid developers can also now create embeddable applications which can find a place within the Ecwid control panel. In fact, depending on the nature of the application (and it's role in the control panel), developers can now customize the control panel to a degree, applying their own custom styles, widgets and more.
The new API specs and documentation provide examples and even a playground tool, all of which are available via the <a href="http://api.ecwid.com" target="_blank">Ecwid API page</a>.
<h2>Ecwid App Market Due for Expansion</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="Ecwid App Marketplace" />
Naturally, the release of this new API will lead to an app marketplace that's bigger, better, and more useful to the average Ecwid user.
According to Ecwid, when the App Market matures and “officially launches”, Apps on this page will be categorized to allow merchants to easily find a service they need, install apps, and more. However, the App Market does exist right now, and it contains a healthy range of apps already. So, the introduction of third-part apps should make things interesting for Ecwid's 600,000 users.
To find out more about the new Ecwid's new API, check out the official announcement, as well as the <a href="http://api.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid API page</a>.

Ecwid Releases New API Platform

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