Articles - Page 90

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

matt-garrepy

If you've never heard of <a href="http://ghost.org"> Ghost</a>, you should do yourself a favor and take a look at their website. Ghost is a very interesting and unique new tool for blogging that has recently completed a very successful <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnonolan/ghost-just-a-blogging-platform"> Kickstarter campaign</a>. Initially requesting only £25,000 to help fund their creation, they ended up raising almost £196,362.
When I first heard about Ghost, I was excited about the prospect of a new blogging platform coming online that might be able to serve a new set of future bloggers with an interface designed purely for blogging. WordPress, although a very capable platform, has simply started to move out of the “just a blogging tool” arena and into a broader market, offering up a great set of tools for creating other types of websites such as those for business, etc. While it's still a great blogging platform, this is no longer it's only purpose and having a tool specifically for just blogging that does it well and beautifully, is certainly appealing.
I'm also a huge fan of simplicity and minimalism (one of the reasons I switched CMS Critic from WP to <a href="/products/processwire/">ProcessWire</a> not too long ago), so when I saw how beautiful the Ghost interface was going to be, I had to jump onboard and become an early adopter.
Check out this video to see why Ghost was created:
[[ghost]]
After watching the video and seeing the passion that John has for his project, I had to try it. I decided to install Ghost on my personal blog, which I've been meaning to get up for quite some time. While the process right now is incredibly complicated (for someone with no technical experience), once I got it up and running, I was able to quickly see why Ghost has such potential. Not only is it incredibly fast running not on Apache or PHP but rather <a href="http://nodejs.org/"> node.js</a>. To get an idea of how the install process works, I've written a post addressing how to get Ghost up and running on a VPS through <a href="http://www.servint.net/index.php?refid=DFC839039622"> ServInt</a>, whom I use as my web host of choice for CMS Critic. You can <a href="http://thatcriticguy.com/">read it here </a> (on my Ghost powered blog, That Critic Guy).
<h2>The Interface</h2>
What I particularly like about Ghost is how simple it is. In the video, you'll see they have a beautiful dashboard showcased. This isn't complete yet so if you choose to test Ghost out now, you won't be able to see it but it's planned to be released within the coming months. What does work is the publishing interface and yes, it's missing some functionality given that this is an early development release but they are making progress quickly.
Here's how the back end of Ghost looks to me on my blog, That Critic Guy when I log in:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2013-11-11_07_11_23-mozilla_firefox1125x0.png" alt="Ghost interface" />
Pretty simple isn't it?
What I like the most is the way that Ghost handles writing. The way it works is you write in the left pane in Markdown Syntax (which is super easy to use by the way) and on the right, everything is previewed live.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2013-11-11_07_05_55-ghost_blogging_platform_features.png" alt="Ghost - Writing" />
It's an elegant. yet simple interface that feels good to write with. In fact, I dare say it made me want to write more often just to use the interface.
Is it done yet? No, it still is in the development process although it's most certainly usable for those of you who, like me, have no patience and like getting their hands dirty. They are planning to launch the hosted version of their platform within the next few months along with the cool dashboard you saw in their video around the same time.
Ghost has some amazing potential and considering they are not in it for the money, but rather to make the web a better place for bloggers, they've got my support. If you are tech-minded enough and feel you can handle the process of trying out Ghost, give it a try. Alternatively, you can wait for their hosted version to come online in the next few months.
There is already a solid selection of Ghost themes available on Themeforest as well.
<a href="http://ghost.org"> Check out Ghost. </a> or see it running on my personal blog, That Critic Guy.

The Beauty and Potential of Ghost

mike-johnston

The development team behind Subrion CMS – <a href="http://www.intelliants.com/">Intelliants</a>, have recently announced a major update for their flagship content management system, calling it Subrion CMS 3.
<a href="http://www.subrion.com/">Subrion</a> is an open-source PHP content management system which has always aimed to be as comprehensive as possible in terms of functionality, whilst holding true to it's user-friendly ethos.
Key features such as full source editing, per-page permissions and extensive plugin options have always been part of the platform, but now with a host of improvements recently launched along with Subrion CMS 3, users are in for a far more powerful Subrion experience. Let's explore how.
<h2>Enhanced Admin Dashboard, Plugin Installation &amp; Fields Management</h2>
The most obvious improvement introduced by Subrion CMS 3, is the enhanced admin dashboard. The core version comes in a selection of 5 different colours by default, making it easy to customize your experience right out of the box.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1-1700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
The brand new dashboard, along with its 5 bundled colours, is extremely easy on the eyes, and even simpler to use, thanks to bold menus and logically grouped tools and features which makes managing content a breeze.
This new user interface is sleek and organized, allowing you to access different areas of your Subrion admin panel with ease, whilst also displaying key content such as Twitter news and recent activity via the main dashboard.
Subrion CMS 3's admin dashboard is also fully responsive, so it can be viewed via tablets and smartphones, allowing you can manage your content easily – anywhere you go.  To help achieve this flexibly responsive function, Subrion have utilized the de-factor standard Twitter Bootstrap 3, and the latest version of Sencha JS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2-1700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
Subrion CMS 3 also brings about remote plugin installation, which scraps the need for manual downloading and uploading of plugins via FTP.
Instead, a simple three-step process is all you need to worry about. Once you navigate over to the Plugins page on your admin panel, you can select the Remote Mode filter for your available plugins, and then click install. It's that easy.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
You can also look forward to improved fields management features for item listings. Whether the fields relate to members, auto listing, real estate listing, coupons, or anything else, you can easily extend your listings with the additional fields.
Fields can be created in many different forms, including, text field, WYSIWYG, checkboxes, radios, pictures, attachments, and much more.
The best part is, there is no need to make any PHP/HTML changes, as you can have complete control over your fields right from the admin panel.
<h2>Built-In Blogging &amp; Professional Templates</h2>
With Subrion CMS 3 also comes bundled with a built-in blogging functionality, which means there is no need to combine Subrion with any other blogging platform or content management system in order to create a blog.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4-1700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
The latest version of Subrion also introduces a new <a href="http://codex.intelliants.com/iabootstrap/">iaBootstrap template framework</a>, which is based on Twitter Bootstrap 2. The framework simplifies new template development for Subrion CMS, providing all templates with a responsive nature.
Subrion have made use of a Smarty based template engine, which is extremely easy to use, and allows the separation of software logic and presentation.
Much like the new Subrion admin panel, all templates that come with the software are fully responsive, which ensures that their sleek and aesthetically modern nature is maintained across all mobile devices. To get a better feel for Subrion's responsive templates, check out their <a href="http://demos.subrion.com/templates" target="_blank">Template Demo Page</a>, which is updated weekly.
<h2>Premium Extension Packages, Major Re-factoring &amp; a 30% Discount</h2>
With version 3 of their platform, Subrion were aiming to make their software more scalable, reliable, and stable than every before – and they did just that.
This is due to some major re-factoring work, with improvements to nearly 90% of Subrion's core code. Major improvements include improved PHP 5 support, and the addition of MySQLi support.
Along with all these Subrion CMS 3 enhancements, you can also extend the default functionality of the platform instantly, with 6 premium extension packages.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/5.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
These paid premium packages allow you to add further functionality in terms of article publishing, coupons, real estate listings, directory listings, and more.
There is also some great news for CMS Critic readers. Subrion have kindly offered a 30% discount off all orders, including on their Premium Extension Packages which are detailed above.
To claim your 30% discount, simply use the discount code, “CMSCRITIC” upon checkout.
If you wish to get your hands on some more information on Subrion CMS 3, check out the <a href="http://www.intelliants.com/devblog/announcements/6-subrion30-release-annoucement.html#ia_lightbox/9/">official announcement</a>. You can also try out the <a href="http://cms.subrion.com/">Subrion CMS Demo</a> to get a feel for the platform.
Additionally, you can find out more about <a href="/products/subrion-cms/">Subrion via our CMS Directory</a>.

Subrion CMS 3: Now More Powerful & Flexible Than Ever Before

Ah, the API. It's not just another fancy TLA (three-lettered acronym) reserved for "MarTalk."
In fact, it's fair to say that the API – <a href="https://www.mulesoft.com/resources/api/what-is-an-api#:~:text=API%20is%20the%20acronym%20for,you're%20using%20an%20API." target="_blank">Application Programming Interface</a> for the unindoctrinated – is responsible for transforming the CMS and DXP industries. Without APIs, the integrations and connections that live at the heart of modern systems wouldn't exist.
Where would brands like AWS, Stripe, Twilio, and other market-leading technology platforms be without their mountains of <a href="https://nordicapis.com/crud-vs-rest-whats-the-difference/" target="_blank">APIs calling CRUD or REST</a> functions to trigger events?
The importance of APIs cannot be overstated, nor their profound effect on businesses and organizations. Case in point: the world's biggest SaaS (Software as a Service) companies have all become "<a href="https://swagger.io/resources/articles/adopting-an-api-first-approach/#:~:text=An%20API%2Dfirst%20approach%20means,be%20consumed%20by%20client%20applications." target="_blank">API-first</a>" in their architectural practices – where APIs are treated as "first-class citizens" and central their future growth and scalability.
It's worth noting that when we say API, we're referring to web APIs, which are designed to facilitate communication between computers that are connected by the internet. But the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/API" target="_blank">acronym itself has much deeper roots</a>: the concept originated in the 1940s, but the terminology caught on in the 1960s and 70s as diverse software systems began to emerge and APIs were purpose-built for specific integrations. This included programming languages, software libraries, operating systems, and even hardware.
Fast forward a few decades, and APIs were suddenly everywhere. So abundant, it seemed, that the mantle of the "<a href="https://www.akana.com/blog/api-economy" target="_blank">The API Economy</a>" became a popular meme.
Around 2014, <a href="https://www.mulesoft.com/webinars/api/welcome-api-economy" target="_blank">Gartner predicted</a> that 75% of Fortune 500 enterprises would open an API, ushering in a sort of Golden Age of this newly-minted API Economy. Add a pandemic in 2020 – and a hyper-accelerated rush to digital transformation – and it's rare to find any large organization that isn't leveraging a multitude of APIs.
And why not? There are so many advantages to using APIs. Once again, according to <a href="http://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/welcome-to-the-api-economy/" target="_blank">Gartner</a>, APIs make it easier to integrate and connect people, places, systems, data, and algorithms – as well as create new user experiences, share data and information, authenticate people and things, enable transactions and algorithms, leverage third-party algorithms, and build new products, services and business models. 
For these reasons (and there are plenty more), <a href="https://www.postman.com/" target="_blank">Postman</a> – a leading application platform for API testing – embarked on a quest several years ago to gauge the sentiment of API users and builders. Their annual "State of API" report has become a defacto standard for observing and documenting the behavioral changes in this dynamic sector, and we've broken down some of the key findings in their 2021 edition.
<h2>The pandemic's impact and the reliance on APIs to respond with digital transformation</h2>
For this year's report, Postman surveyed more than 28,000 developers and API professionals who shared their thoughts on various topics, including their organizations' development priorities, how they get their work done, and where they see the industry going. They combined this data with data observed on their Postman API Platform to build a robust picture of the current state – and future – of APIs.
Right off the bat, this year's report focuses on the persistent impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the research, almost two-thirds of respondents stated that the pandemic somewhat or significantly affected their work – and almost half of those noted their organization's changes were supported by APIs. Many respondents said they had to quickly modernize their digital experiences and business systems to serve their customers, while others said they had to pivot their business entirely. 
Common areas of investment included e-commerce, customer support via chat and text, and contactless digital systems – all of which relied heavily on APIs. Thanks to the flexibility of many API solutions, organizations were able to successfully implement changes in weeks or months that would have otherwise taken years.
Here are some of the other key findings in the report: 
<ul>
<li>The API ecosystem is growing: The reliance on APIs to support business and product shifts during the pandemic was reflected through the Postman API Platform, with some significant gains across their key performance metrics. </li>
<li>Developers are spending more time with APIs: 49% of respondents said that more than half of their organizations' development effort is spent on APIs (compared to just over 40% last year), showing the prevalence of APIs in digital organizations' technology stacks.</li>
<li>API investments remain strong and steady as more companies embrace the API-first philosophy: An overwhelming 94% of respondents stated the investment of time and resources into APIs would increase or stay the same for the next 12 months.</li>
<li>The investments in an API-first philosophy are paying off: "API-first leaders" (i.e., respondents who rank themselves a 9 or 10 for embracing an API-first philosophy) produce APIs more quickly, deploy more frequently, have fewer failures, and recover more swiftly when failures occur. For example, 46% of API-first leaders indicated they could recover from API failure in less than an hour, compared to 34% of all respondents.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Tracking the global growth of APIs</h2>
Since the 2020 "State of the API" report was released, the Postman API Platform saw significant upsurges that indicate trends across the API ecosystem. Over the past 12 months, Postman users made 855 million API requests (up 56% from the prior year), created 30 million collections (up 39%), and signed in from 234 different countries and geographies—including Antarctica.
<img style="max-width:792px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/yea-over-year-requests-created.jpg" alt="year over year requests created" />
The global growth of APIs is driving an ever-evolving <a href="https://www.postman.com/state-of-api/tooling-for-apis-and-development/#tooling-for-apis-and-development" target="_blank">landscape of tooling for APIs and development</a> in the API Platforms category. Postman observed that many vendors in this market serve a broad range of needs across the API lifecycle, from design to testing to security. 
Additionally, they see vendors offering repositories for source code, API gateways, application performance monitoring, and CI/CD – all of which should integrate with API platforms to achieve optimal results from API initiatives within an organization.
Here is their view of the landscape today:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/postman-api-platform-landscape-e1636134691803.png" alt="postman api platform landscape" />
<h2>Which industries are using APIs the most?</h2>
It's no surprise that the tech sector is leading the way in API adoption and usage. But business, banking/finance, insurance, and healthcare sectors are following closely.
Further, API adoption is on the rise in nearly every industry. On the business side, there's been a growing trend in e-commerce businesses going headless, separating the frontend "head" from the backend "body." Tapping the omnichannel is at the core of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/" target="_blank">headless commerce</a>, and content in a headless platform is delivered through APIs – allowing it to be displayed across different devices and endpoints. 
The banking/finance sector can be one of the slowest industries to adopt new technologies (core banking systems are notorious for outliving their sunset dates), but APIs have been shifting the topology, making it less cumbersome to embrace change. With more than <a href="https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/online-mobile-banking/" target="_blank">62% of Americans</a> using digital services over physical bank branches, APIs are making it easier for financial systems to securely meet the needs of consumers while optimizing and streamlining internal processes.
Traditional banks are also <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/amiyatoshpurnanandam/2021/07/21/will-banks-survive-fintechs-challenge/?sh=35ac9e4a3165" target="_blank">facing fierce competition from fintech</a>. While traditional banks offer many services, smaller financial technologies tend to specialize in specific services, disrupting the monolithic banking industry. Investment trends favor small fintech startups working on more accessible, customer-centric processes that are much less expensive than traditional banks – and are built on APIs. 
The emergence of blockchain and cryptocurrencies are also challenging the status quo. Both traditional and fintech companies should continue to embrace APIs as a bridge for connecting these emerging technology areas. 
<img style="max-width:840x" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/who-works-with-apis.jpg" alt="industries that work with APIs the most chart" />
<h2>What it means to be API-first in a new digital era</h2>
What's abundantly clear from Postman's research is that many teams and organizations are fully embracing the "API-first" philosophy. 
In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10 for embracing an API-first strategy, 66% of this year's respondents ranked themselves as a "5 or higher." This is up from 62% in 2020. 
On that same scale, 8% of respondents ranked themselves as a "9 or 10." Postman refers to these respondents as the market's "API-first leaders." 
Understanding the philosophy of being API-first requires some deeper insight into user behaviors. According to <a href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/the-future-of-digital-experience-platforms-na">research conducted by Forrester Wave</a>, mobile will still be the key orchestrator for a user's journey – and one that's non-linear. 
To help us understand the user journey with greater intimacy, Forrester created a diagram for the 3D-connected consumer that features devices, platforms, and channels:
<img style="max-width:830px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/3d-connected-consumer.png" alt="The 3D connected consumer" />
Here's where the API-first approach comes into play – where brands can be channel-agnostic as consumers use a combination of devices, platforms, and channels. 
Development Priorities
Postman asked respondents to identify the top priorities for their development teams and organizations, and there was a clear winner: quality, coming in at 80%. 
Agility, reliability, security, and development speed were also important to more than half of the respondents. "API-first leaders" were even more likely to cite quality, reliability, agility, and security as priorities.
<img style="max-width:753px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/development-priorities.jpg" alt="development priorities chart" />
<h2>API technologies</h2>
As far as architectural styles for APIs are concerned, a sweeping majority of respondents (94%) use REST; of those, nearly half said that that they not only use REST, but that they "use it and love it." 
The majority of participants are conscious of webhooks, WebSockets, GraphQL, and SOAP, but none of these have seen the same level of adoption as REST among the participants.
<img style="max-width:717px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/architectural-style.jpg" alt="architectural style" />
Specifications
Postman also asked professionals which API specifications they know, use, and prefer – and JSON Schema was by far the top specification in use cited by three-quarters of respondents. Swagger 2.0 (54%) and OpenAPI 3.0 (40%) were the next most popular specifications.
Future Technologies
Postman asked the question, "What technologies are you most excited about using over the next year?" Microservices (58%) and Kubernetes (50%) led the answers, just as they did in 2020. 
Rounding out the top five are containers (46%), serverless architecture (44%), and GraphQL (35%).
<img style="max-width:756px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/future-technologies.jpg" alt="future API technologies chart" />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
There's a lot to unpack in Postman's 2021 "State of the API" report, and it's worth your time to dive in head-first. Kudos to their content team for making the research easy to digest and incredibly applicable and relevant. 
The big takeaway is astoundingly clear: the pandemic continues to change everything, and the world is responding with APIs. To reiterate, two-thirds of respondents stated that the pandemic somewhat or significantly affected their work – and for many organizations, they played a key role in keeping the businesses operating. 
As a recap, here are a few highlights from the report where APIs were the undisputed "heroes" of the digital stack:
<ul>
<li>Organizations adopted new channels or enhanced existing channels to reach and serve customers in a pandemic world, leveraging APIs to make it all happen.</li>
<li>Respondents told Postman that common areas of investment included e-commerce, customer support via chat and text, and contactless digital systems – all of which relied on APIs.</li>
<li>Many respondents had to adjust to major shifts in market demand, with some businesses completely pivoting their product offerings. For many, product rollouts relied on APIs, and organizations achieved what would typically take years in a matter of weeks or months. Some businesses were even born in the pandemic to meet new needs.</li>
<li>Working from home presented new challenges for many organizations. APIs and integrations with internal systems helped solve these challenges by automating or enabling tasks that used to happen in person – such as communication, attendance, reporting, and project management.</li>
<li>Some of the most frequently cited innovations came from healthcare, with many organizations needing to digitize and automate workflows and run telemedicine strategies. In both cases, APIs were essential to powering these solutions. </li>
</ul>
No one has a crystal ball, but Postman's data and insights around APIs are proving incredibly useful when it comes to forecasting the future. Based on what we've seen in 2021, it's safe to say that APIs continue to deliver – come rain, or sleet, or snow... or pandemics. 
If you'd like to read Postman's full report, you can <a href="https://www.postman.com/state-of-api/" target="_blank">download it here</a>.

Postman Releases 2021 "State of the API" Report, Shows Global Trend Towards API-First Digital Era

paris-tuzun

Postman featured image of an illustration of space astronauts measuring website API performance on top of a graph.

<a href="https://selz.com">Selz</a>, the ecommerce solution that can be added to existing websites and social media profiles, has unveiled store-wide discounts and free stock images for its users.
<a href="https://selz.com"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/og-image.png" alt="og-image" /></a>
Selz enables you to add a fully fledged store, or simply buy buttons to existing web pages, including WordPress and Wix websites. They offer a free plan to help you do it, too.
<h2>Store-wide Discounts &amp; Free Images for Premium Users</h2>
Before this update, Selz users could only set item-specific discounts. If you wanted to give your customers a discount on all items, you would have to assign the discount to each item individually.
Now, those same discounts (which remain as; $ off, % off, totally free, or free shipping) can be applied across entire Selz stores.
Furthermore, Selz users who are benefiting from their <a href="https://selz.com/pricing/">Starter, Plus, or Pro plans</a>, or have the Design and Pages app installed, will have access to a range of free stock photos.
The photo library will come bundled as part of their Selz Theme.
I've been a fan of the relatively small yet charming project that is Selz for a while now. They've steadily improved over the last year or so, and I applaud them for that.
For more information on these two updates, check out Selz <a href="https://selz.com/blog/new-feature-free-stock-images-for-design-and-pages/">announcement for the stock images</a>, and their <a href="https://selz.com/blog/update-storewide-discounts-are-a-go/">announcement of the store-wide discounts</a>.
And as usual, you can explore more by visiting our <a href="/selz">Selz hub on our eCommerce Directory</a>.

Selz Rolls Out Free Stock Images & Store-wide Discounts

<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/">elcomCMS</a> is a <a href="/elcomcms-cms-lms-intranets/">CMS, LMS and intranet solution</a> suited to enterprise and large-scale companies.
<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/"><img alt="Elcom_13" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elcom_13-1.jpg" /></a>
The Australia-based software giant powers over 1,000 global site deployments, including Hyundai and Woolworths.
I recently had the chance to sit down with Tim Kirkman, elcomCMS' Product Director. He walked me through the core features and functions of ElcomCMS, and I got it all on video.
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/l2nuvn9hYQo"></iframe>
To find out more about elcomCMS, <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/">check out their website</a>.

A Video Walkthrough of elcomCMS

Content management systems are an important part of business today and small to midsize businesses have a wide variety of solutions to choose from.
Today, we're going to announce the winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Small to Midsize Business .NET CMS.
This year's contenders were Orchard, DNN Evoq Content, and Envisage.
The race between DNN Evoq Content and Orchard was very close but in the end, the winner was…
<img style="max-width:250px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/250px-orchard_logo_1_svg.png" />
Congratulations to the Orchard Project on their win!
You can learn more about their project here: <a href="http://www.orchardproject.net/">http://www.orchardproject.net/</a>

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Small to Midsize Business .NET CMS

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

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As most of you know, I'm a huge Linux fan and I tend to try every distribution as it is released. Recently, I decided to give the Solus 4 distribution a try. Solus has been rapidly gaining ground in the rankings on the popular <a target="_blank" href="http://distrowatch.com/">Distrowatch</a> website and as such, I felt like now was a good time to share my thoughts with an updated Solus Review.This review has been updated and is now based on the most recent Solus 4 release.Solus is a unique distribution in that it is written from scratch, something we don't see that often anymore. Most new distributions tend to choose from either Debian, Ubuntu (technically they are the same thing to some extend), Arch or something else. Very rarely do we see a new “from scratch” distribution. Not only that, very rarely do we see a GOOD from scratch distribution.Solus has been out for a couple of years now and version 4 is the currently available version. It uses the custom built Budgie desktop as the main desktop environment.<h2>Solus Review</h2>The install tool for Solus is super easy to use and quick, I had the system installed in no time with zero issues. Boot times are very fast as well and in only a couple of seconds, I went from starting my computer to the desktop with everything loaded and ready to go.<h3>The Budgie Desktop</h3>Here's how the desktop looks running Solus Budgie 4 at the moment. I should mention that they do offer MATE &amp; Gnome desktop editions of Solus as well if you, god forbid, don't like Budgie for some insane reason.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-review-the-desktop_t3eqth.png" />Solus Review – The DesktopBy default, the desktop is very straight forward with a slick interface. The menu is in the bottom left (similar to Windows) while a selection of default applications (Firefox, File Manager, Gnome MPV and more) pinned to the right of it. On the far right hand side is the system tray with various icons.Budgie has support for the addition of extra applets as well. Applets are small applications that run within the panel and can be added via the Budgie Desktop Settings app which I'll get into more in a moment.The far left icon, as mentioned, is the one that expands the application menu, shown below.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-review-the-menu_xwo9t8.png" />Solus Review – The MenuOn the right side of the screen is Raven, the slide-in panel for notifications and applets, shown below. Here it is with the Applets tab active.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-review-raven_hdvcy0.png" />Solus Review – RavenThere is also a tab within Raven to view all of your notifications quickly and easily.<h3>Modifying and Customizing Solus</h3>Everything about the environment (Budgie itself, not the OS) can be configured within the Budgie Settings application, which is accessible in the App Menu. Here's how it looks.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-budgie-desktop-settings_bfd18p.jpg" />Solus – Budgie Desktop SettingsYou can easily add new panels and change settings here, including icon themes and more. When you click on one of your panels, such as the “Bottom Panel” shown above, you are given further customization options.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-budgie-desktop-settings-panel-modifications_ukel4s.jpg" />Solus – Budgie Desktop Settings – Panel ModificationsClicking on each applet within the list will load their settings on the right, if there are any, so you can customize them individually. You can also add new applets that you install or move them from here with ease.<h3>Installing Software</h3>New applications are installed via the Software Center.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-installing-software_jymgrn.jpg" />Solus – Installing SoftwareDue to the fact that Solus was developed from scratch, the repositories are nowhere near as large as they are on other systems such as Ubuntu and Arch but to be honest, I found everything I needed and was quite impressed to see that there was nothing I felt I was lacking.There are also some Third Party apps that are available which you can find in the Third Party section of the Software Center.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-third-party-apps_qhpd4b.jpg" />Solus – Third Party AppsPackage installation is crazy fast and I was super impressed with how slick and elegant the package management tool is. If you are a command line user, you can always use the terminal and “sudo eopkg install ” your way to happiness just as quickly. I find myself rotating between the two, mostly using the terminal as my installation method and the app itself to find out what is available to install.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-eopkg-installation_j1gwev.png" />Solus – Eopkg InstallationAll other settings can be accessed from the Settings app which is the same as the one found in the latest Gnome desktop releases.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/solus-settings_qlgzf2.jpg" />Solus – Settings<h2>My Solus Review Conclusions</h2>I installed Solus in a hotel room prior to meeting with a client and after using it for only a few days, I have decided to keep it on my main laptop as my daily driver. I have had zero issues and no speed complaints whatsoever. Everything has been smooth and has worked exactly as I'd want it to. I'm actually kind of thrown off because I almost always find something that could use fixing but I have to be honest, Solus 4 is a slick and stable release. The most impressive thing about this release is the speed. It might just be me but I feel as though the system is much faster than most I've used.And luckily, if I ever need support, there is also an excellent Help Center available here for those with questions: https://getsol.us/help-center/home/To be fair to other distributions, I'm giving Solus a 4/5 but this is mostly due to the size of the software repositories which are still quite small compared with other distros. While I don't consider this an issue for most people, including myself, I do think we need to see an increase before it's the Perfect distro. I will say, however, that it's pretty damn close.I highly recommend giving Solus a try and letting me know your thoughts. I'm curious how many of you will end up using it as your main OS, like I have. To try Solus, visit them on the web at <a target="_blank" href="https://getsol.us/">https://getsol.us/</a>.For me, I'll keep running Solus and update this article if anything changes. Thanks for reading my Solus review!

Solus Review - Budgie Edition

The latest release of MODX Revolution is now available. Version 2.5 brings PHP7 compatibility, ability to have faster performance for anonymous users, improved Manager interface when accessing from mobile or tablet devices, enhanced accessibility and much more.Some of the key improvements in this release are:<ul><li>PHP 7 compatibility (it’s coming soon to a server near you). PHP 7 performs significantly faster than any previous release before it so your sites should be able to handle more visitors and serve them more quickly, keeping them engaged and returning for more.</li><li>Accessibility improvements worked into the core Manager experience including screen reader and keyboard navigation on the Login screen. The work that is going on for the Accessible Manager theme that takes this much further, works in MODX Revolution 2.5, too.</li></ul>Additionally, some UX improvements have been made such as:<ul><li>New default content for new installs provides helpful resources and information. Instead of the empty blank page in all previous versions of MODX Revolution, you now get a nice intro page with some important links to assist and orient new users..</li><li>Much more mobile-friendly Manager. As a stepping stone towards a new Manager in the future, this allows you to make edits and access the Manager much more easily than was possible before, thanks to the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/modxcms/revolution/pull/12776">intense efforts of JP Devries</a>.</li><li>Add ability to unpack zip files in the file tree / media manager</li></ul><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/25-mobile-sim-collage.png" alt="25-mobile-sim-collage" />You can also expect improved performance with this release thanks to the following enhancements:<ul><li>Parser optimizations which improve pre-caching performance. This means visitors will be served more quickly, and Google will give your site a little more respect, which it clearly deserves.</li><li>A new anonymous_sessions setting can significantly speed up the performance for sites that don’t need to have PHP sessions or logged in users. When this setting is enabled, and a page is fully cached, having sessionless anonymous visitors eliminates the need for a database connection for that visitor on each request. If your site serves even moderate traffic, this can significantly reduce the amount of processor required to operate. This setting is enabled by default.</li></ul>For a full detailed breakdown of this release, visit the <a target="_blank" href="https://modx.com/blog/2016/04/21/modx-revolution-2.5/">announcement</a> and be sure to check out MODX in our <a href="/products">CMS directory</a>.

MODX Revolution 2.5 Released

Content management systems are an important part of business today and small to midsize businesses have a wide variety of solutions to choose from.
Today, we're going to announce the winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Small to Midsize Business Java CMS.
<img style="max-width:200px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best_smb_java_cms200x0.png" alt="best_smb_java_cms" />
This year's contenders were Liferay and Percussion CMS.
While the race was close between the two, the winner in the end was...
<img style="max-width:200px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/percussion-logo200x0.jpg" />
Congratulations to the team at Percussion on their win. You can check them out here: <a href="https://www.percussion.com/">https://www.percussion.com/</a>

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Small to Midsize Business JAVA CMS

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/ad19-450x309_vaady2.jpg" alt="Kevin Lynch, Shantanu Narayen &amp; Brad Rencher" />
During the 2012 Adobe Digital Marketing Summit, the Press and Industry Analysts had an opportunity to ask questions of three of Adobe's top executives; Kevin Lynch (CTO), Shantanu Narayen (CEO) &amp; Brad Rencher (SVP &amp; GM).  Here is a summary of some of the most interesting questions asked during the Q&amp;A:
Q: What Adobe is planning to do to bring customers up to speed with their products given that most customers are far behind where they should be with regards to digital marketing?
A: We are investing heavily  in go to marketing and training and are aiming to sell a full solution. They stated that many organizations not happy with where they are and are looking for help, hence this conference. Adobe is also running other events that are playing a key role as well.
It was stated that Adobe made the move early to digital and now spends 74% of their marketing dollars on digital. On average, most companies spent 24-25% on digital marketing. They believe they can do demand generation and branding which is controversial in the field. They do CMO round tables and lunches, etc. and often get frustrated with peers not embracing digital as they should be.  To help, they are going out to schools, talking to students and holding conferences like this to help bring people up to speed.
Q: Whom does Adobe consider their competitors in this field?
A: While Google is a big player they are also a big partner. Google has a platform they are providing but his team feels their platform is more expansive and will continue to be a leader in this category. IBM has looked at it from an IT point of view, while Adobe's focus is on the marketer, advertiser, publisher, which they feel is more effective. Brad commented that marketers are forced to be system integrators, which they don't want. Adobe's belief is that there should be technologies for the marketer and they plan to be that stack of technologies.
Q: How has the Omniture purchase worked out for company. What do you see for the future of the Omniture side of the company?
A:  We are thrilled with how the acquisition has gone. We are on the path for leadership in this digital marketing category and this is all a combination of Day, Adobe, Omniture and our other acquisitions, which have helped position us as a leader.  Omniture was a cornerstone acquisition.  When we think of acquisitions, we think of them as a way of getting technology and great people. We don't look at it as just the Omniture business.
Q: What approach does Adobe have on mobile apps and web browsing?
A: The fastest growing segments from measurement and content management are mobile and video. CQ5.5, the WCM component of their WEM (web experience management) product is designed with the web in mind but also for the mobile applications.  They are very much focused on mobile and their apps are continuously being adopted to work regardless of the user interface or device being used.
For more on the summit, <a href="http://twitter.com/cmscritic">follow us on Twitter</a> for regular updates live from the event.

Press Q and A with Adobe Executives at the Adobe Digital Marketing Summit

With the enormous number of open source .NET based content management systems on the market, it can be difficult at best to weed through the various projects in search of the best one for your needs.
Today, we can hopefully make that task a little bit easier as we announce the winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Open Source .NET CMS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best_net_open_source_cms-1200x0.png" alt="best_net_open_source_cms" />
Contenders this year were DNN Platform, Sageframe and Umbraco.
The winner this year was none other than <a href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe</a>!
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sageframe-logo.png" />
Sagefame is a powerful .NET CMS that offers the ability to quickly build beautiful websites using it's easy to use interface.
Congratulations to the team at Sageframe on their win. Go check them out: <a href="http://sageframe.com/">http://www.sageframe.com/</a>

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Open Source .NET CMS

One of my biggest pet peeves in the marketing world are inexperienced marketers that use out of date tools for website information. Rather than ask for proper analytics screenshots or reports directly from the source, they rely on third party websites with inaccurate information as their basis for whether they partner with the website or not. Let me make one thing very clear and I will pull no punches with this comment: Marketers that use tools like Alexa and similar tools as their one source of information should reassess their marketing strategies.
<h3>Alexa is obsolete</h3>
I don't believe in beating around the bush about products that produce misleading information. The simple fact of the matter is that Alexa is obsolete. Not only does it inaccurately report data, it does so in a way that can be detrimental to your ambition and drive as a website owner. I've watched many people beat themselves up because they've seen sites with far less traffic and far less presence on the web achieve Alexa rankings far lower than theirs. This has driven these people to the point of breakdowns trying to figure out “why they are failing.”
The problem with this is that this ranking system is absolutely obsolete. For years, Alexa has assigned randomly ridiculous rankings to all kinds of sites with absolutely no reasoning behind it and with no logic whatsoever. The result: websites with significantly more traffic end up with worse rankings and marketers who use Alexa as a measurement of a websites success, choose to go with less popular sites with far less reach. This means marketing money is being wasted and used inefficiently. All of this occurs thanks to misrepresentation of data.
A smart marketer is aware of these facts, they don't try to use tools like Alexa, Compete and similar because they know the data they are going to get is simply inaccurate. Those are the marketers that are on the up and up. The old school crowd that still thinks Alexa is an important source for information are the ones you want to be wary of because they are also the people that are more likely to undervalue your work and offer you far less than you are worth for projects they have in their laps.
<h3>Determining your worth</h3>
So how then do you determine your true worth? Well, it's tough to do but fortunately, companies like <a href="http://www.tapinfluence.com/">Tapfluence</a> have their own system of determining this. They pull your Google Analytics, your social profiles (including follower counts) and use it to not only determine what they feel you SHOULD be charging for your work (posts, tweets, instagram shares, etc) but they also encourage you to negotiate offers that come in through their service.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/tapinfluence_software-1024x636.png" alt="tapinfluence_software" />
I'm a big fan of the way Tapfluence encourages influencers to get more for their effort rather than accepting less. This is the type of encouragement people who own their own websites need. Tapfluence isn't the only service like this out there, they just happen to be one of the ones I'm familiar with.
<h3>How about Klout?</h3>
I'm not a big fan of services like Klout either for similar reasons. Klout uses only social media to determine value and this is a misnomer given that blogs are far more important than social media contacts. Twitter has gone downhill as far as impact goes and has turned into a jumbled mess more than something that adds a lot of value and measuring tweet performance just isn't really all that useful.
When it comes to the power of marketing, content on blogs and similar places is still king and still offers more lasting impact than a quick tweet ever will. For this reason, services like Klout that exclude things like website analytics really don't feel like the right way to go as far as I'm concerned.
<h3>Ok, what about Compete?</h3>
Compete is similar to Alexa. They take random guesses at your traffic and attempt to establish reports on how well your website is performing. The issue is that these reports are also usually very inaccurate. This, again, leads marketers who don't know any better (sadly, there are quite a few of them) to assume the data is correct and take their business elsewhere. I've seen many instances where comparisons of websites that have traffic stats I'm familiar with produce very different data through Compete.
<h3>So what's your solution Mike?</h3>
The solution is simple, if you are a marketer and are looking to determine how much traffic a website is getting and other detailed information like bounce rate, page views and the like.. approach the source. Do not attempt to use third party services to “guesstimate” how a website is performing, get screenshots from the source themselves.
A good website owner will not only be excited to provide you with this data, but they will also be eager to provide you with more information, rather than less, giving you a much better look at whether they make a good partner for your campaign. Stop using tools like Alexa, Compete and Klout to figure out things that you can find out quickly and easily just by asking the person behind the scenes. That is where the true information resides and you will find that switching to this method of acquiring business partners will not only increase campaign performance but also help you build excellent relationships you can build on in the future.

Why Alexa Can't Be Trusted

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On November 7th 2013, Liferay held their first ever UK Portal Solutions Forum. The event promised an overview of the <a href="/liferay-portal-6.2-announced-at-liferay-s-north-america-event/#.UnwZhPkvlyU" target="_blank">newly released Liferay Portal 6.2</a> along with a full day of presentations, workshops, and much more.
<a href="http://www.liferay.com/" target="_blank"> Liferay</a> are a world-renowned provider of a leading enterprise-class portal solution, which is used as a digital platform by a number of Fortune 500 companies. With a respectable past, a bright future and a brand new version of their flagship product released just a few days ago, there was plenty for Liferay executives to talk about.
Naturally then, Liferay's Solutions Forum itself – held in the heart of London, was thoroughly enjoyable and full of content. So, let's delve into exactly how it went down.
<h2>Liferay Executives Kick Off the Event</h2>
After making my way down to the Solutions Forum on a chilly London morning, I was welcomed warmly by Liferay staff, and introduced to some of the event's organisers. I then swiftly made my way over to the breakfast area, where I filled up on Tea before the main event began.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_flag2.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" /> 
I was going to be live-tweeting the entire event via the <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank">CMS Critic Twitter account</a>, so I made myself comfortable in the main conference room – with my Tweeting finger poised.
Eddy Dueck – Liferay's marketing associate in charge of leading the event, started the proceedings, and was followed up by an impressive presentation given by company CEO, Bryan Cheung. He spoke extensively on the importance of understanding the evolution of customer relations, as well as how information should be presented to users and customers in general.
<blockquote>“The future of Portal Technology is to provide access to the right information, within the right context.” ~ Bryan Cheung <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LPSF2013UK&amp;src=hash"> #LPSF2013UK </a>
— CMS Critic (@cmscritic) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic/statuses/398398080015687680"> November 7, 2013 </a></blockquote>
Bryan Cheung delved deep into the history of company-customer relationships, discussing how time has helped evolve and shape today's customer interaction. The example of a Suit Tailor was initially given, focusing on the personal relationship a Suit Tailor would have with his or her customer.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bryan_cheung.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
As technology advanced, Bryan Cheung said, that personal, close relationship shared between a service provider and his or her customer was lost, simply due to companies focusing on a wider reach, rather than a personal one. However, the Internet, especially in its current form, helps combine both a personal touch and a wide reach.
<h2>Networking, Consulting &amp; Expert Exchanges</h2>
Along with the continued talks from various Liferay executives and other professionals, the Liferay Portal Solutions Forum also had something to offer outide of the conference room.
On top of the Breakfast before the main event, attendees enjoyed two networking Coffee breaks, where they could grab a hot drink, a slice of cake and converse with both their colleagues, and other professionals.
<blockquote>The networking Coffee break in full motion. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LPSF2013UK&amp;src=hash"> #LPSF2013UK </a> <a href="http://t.co/PNdqY3ZOox"> pic.twitter.com/PNdqY3ZOox </a>
— CMS Critic (@cmscritic) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic/statuses/398410366256185344"> November 7, 2013 </a></blockquote>
Additionally, Liferay laid out a deliciously looking – and tasting lunch. Once again, the atmosphere was social, with attendees networking and exchanging details as they enjoyed their lunch.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lunch.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
Following the lunch break, time was set aside for “Expert Exchange Discussions”. The idea was that each table had twenty minutes to discuss a pre-defined question, generally relating to internal company policy and approach to customer engagement.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/expert_exchange.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
Each discussion was moderated by a Liferay professional, and the event was topped off with session summary, which compiled the different opinions and ideas gathered at each table.
<h2>An Overview of Liferay 6.2</h2>
Towards the end of the Solutions Forum, Liferay made time to talk about their latest release, Liferay Portal 6.2.
Product Manager Juan Fernandez took to the stage, and began speaking about the new features boasted by their latest upgrade, made just days ago. He touched briefly on the new user interface, which he believed would help users get the most out of Liferay.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_6_2.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
He then moved on to the responsive nature of the templates supported by Liferay Portal 6.2, and how simple it now is for users to quickly and easily review and customize their responsive website via the Liferay mobile preview option.
<blockquote>“The new App Manager is now even easier to use when managing, activating and deactivating applications.” ~ Juan Fernandez <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LPSF2013UK&amp;src=hash">#LPSF2013UK</a>
— CMS Critic (@cmscritic) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic/statuses/398492725659852800">November 7, 2013</a></blockquote>
After touching on the subject of Liferay's new App Manager, Juan Fernandez mentioned the enhanced multi-language options, and the ability for users to localise their URLS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_6_22.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
Eventually, after some detailed presentations and interesting questions posed by the audience, Liferay's first ever UK Solutions Forum came to a close. A round of applause was given, and as the room emptied, you certainly got the feeling that every attendee was leaving satisfied with what they had seen, and heard.
For more information on Liferay's platform, <a href="http://www.liferay.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a>. Additionally, you can explore more of <a href="/products/liferay/" target="_blank">Liferay via our CMS Directory</a>.
Also, if you'd like a better idea of how the events went down at the 2013 UK Liferay Portal Solutions Forum, <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank"> check out our Twitter feed</a>, where I live-tweeted all of the events directly from the Solutions Forum.

The Liferay Portal Solutions Forum UK, 2013 - #LPSF2013UK

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