Reviews - Page 1

Griddo DXP Powers University Websites and Digital Experiences with a PhD in Performance

matt-garrepy

<hr /> So… how do you feel about your CMS? Do you love it? Do you hate it?I know, I know. It's a complicated question. Most of us would probably say it's a little of both. There are loyalists out there, to be sure – hardcore fanatics who find little fault in their CMS stars. Others had a platform thrust upon them by their organization with no input whatsoever. They're usually not as chipper.Let's be brutally honest: Our list of grievances is probably longer than we think. Even the most enthusiastic users have big, fat, relevant gripes. And it's often less about the CMS as a whole and more about specific features (or lack thereof).Why is that the case? The answer, of course, is quite simple: We haven't been engaging content authors as co-conspirators in the design process. More often than not, they've been locked out of the room, with no seat at the product development table. That's reason enough to build some animus. Of course, this phenomenon isn't new. Software vendors have a long history of making choices that don't always land with users. You know what it feels like to have a UI radically change in an update, accompanied by a disclaimer that it's now “easier to use." Meanwhile, a key function you previously relied on has gone missing (I'm not naming names, Adobe) and you're left trying to cope with a new reality.There's an important word in all of this melee: Compromise. No one gets everything they want, whether you're an organization evaluating a CMS or a user with a wish list of cool stuff. So we put up. We adapt. As Thomas Sowell said, “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.”In this composable, hyper-connected era, choice is becoming more abundant – which can be a blessing and a curse. I recently <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/copy-and-paste-makes-waste-not-with-pantheons-content-publisher-for-google-docs">waxed about new solutions</a> that enable users to publish through their CMS directly from Word or Google Docs, allowing for greater collaboration or better alignment around internal systems. But what if CMS editing experiences were better tuned to authors' needs? Would they fully embrace those tools from the first keystroke? For what it's worth, I think CMSes have improved their capabilities, particularly as vendors invite more “guinea pigs” into their testing and optimization betas. But many of the same problems persist – and as such, we're still making a lot of those compromises.The fact is, if a content authoring experience doesn't appeal to a user, it can impact the quality of the content itself. As CMS community leader <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/janus-boye">Janus Boye</a> channeled from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/deane">Deane Barker's </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/blog/2019/12/11/happy-editors-make-better-content">book on content modeling,</a> happy editors make better content. That should underscore the need to let content – and its authors – help drive the ship when making CMSes.Thankfully, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gdunlap/">Greg Dunlap</a> has been thinking a lot about these questions and challenges, and he's written a book about it called Designing Content Authoring Experiences. In it, he pulls back the veil and gives us a refreshing look at what matters in this messy world of content authoring in a CMS. As Greg observed, structure is important. But life is messy – and sometimes, authors need that same kind of unstructured, uninhibited freedom to create great experiences that serve their audiences.The book is a quick read (150 pages) and filled with dynamite reflections and observations. It's designed for a wide range of professionals, from designers to content strategists to developers, but anyone who's using a CMS will find it insightful. In fact, the CMS community at large has been patiently anticipating its arrival; there was even a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gregdunlap/designing-content-authoring-experiences">Kickstarter</a> campaign to help fund its genesis.As Greg pointed out, he’s not prescribing a solution to all our woes. Instead, he's refocusing the lens on the author’s experience, which often gets lost in translation as businesses make big-ticket decisions about what tools they buy to drive content – tools intended to simplify things at both the user and organizational levels. But as Greg noted, making something easier can often come at the cost of good content. That's why this book is so important: It provides a level-headed refresher on what really matters.“I always start with the needs of the content, and work backwards to the authors,” he said. "Ask most content authors, and they might say ‘I just want WordPress,’ but that doesn’t meet the needs of the organization.”Exactly. Everyone can benefit from understanding where the opportunities and weaknesses exist.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:56.55%"><a href="https://tinyurl.com/cmfvb9me" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/03/cms-critics-corner-podcast-greg-dunlap.jpg" alt="" /></a></figure>Greg recently joined me as the first guest on our all-new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designing-content-authoring-experiences-with-greg-dunlap/id1801794414?i=1000699046599">“The Critic's Corner”</a> podcast (go check it out and follow us for future episodes). We had a fantastic conversation about his journey to CMS – which is seldom a straight line – and what inspired him to write this book.<h3 id="a-long,-strange-trip-to-cms">A long, strange trip to CMS</h3>Is there any other kind of trip to the world of content management? I won't go into the hero's exposition. You can hear it straight from Greg in the podcast. Here's a two-minute snapshot of our conversation, just to get your content juices flowing: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/G8J1VqbkjBQ"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G8J1VqbkjBQ" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure>  Like many of us, Greg came to CMS from somewhere else. I've seen that background and skill set consistently show up in the resumes of many leaders in our space. As someone with an art history degree, I was taught to think like an information architect – leveraging tagging, meta descriptions, and other facets of structured data to help tell stories about paintings. Given that, the leap to CMS isn't so strange.Greg started in a similar place, earning his academic degree in photojournalism with minors in the art field. But he found himself drawn to computer science, entering the software field in the early ‘90s. During that period, he supported a colleague by building custom solutions to help businesses make changes to websites – things like custom UIs for editing content blocks independently.Around 2006, he found himself at the Seattle Times, working on their new media team. There, he was caught in a world transforming from print to digital, one where content management was a critical requirement but also a morass. With multiple systems and properties under the roof, Greg and his team were tasked to consolidate everything in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>.From there, he also helped shepherd some groundbreaking projects at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.lullabot.com/">Lullabot</a>, a Drupal-focused agency. During his tenure, he worked on a major project for the State of Georgia, an experience that taught him a lot about content management governance, compliance, and the critical importance of authoring. That public sector knowledge has served him well in his latest gig at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bixal.com/">Bixal</a>, a digital shop that focuses on delivering government services with digital and human-centered solutions.Through it all, Greg has been making mental notes about what hasn't worked, probing around a number of central questions: Why have content authors been overlooked when building CMSes? Why haven't vendors been more tuned in? “The context of your users and the organizations they work for and the content they produce drives the authoring experience,” he said. “But when you’re a vendor, you’re building something that has no knowledge of any of these things.”During our conversation, he shared a story about missing the mark at the Seattle Times, where users were upset that a critical piece of functionality had been removed from the CMS.“After we launched, one of the people from the editorial department that actually enters content into the CMS, came to me and said, ‘Hey, in the old CMS, we had a function to do X, and it was really important to our day-to-day work, and now that’s gone. And the thing that I realized in that moment is that we had never built it, because nobody had ever talked to them about what they do. This whole website had been built with the designers and the executives and the IT people, and nobody had actually gone to talk to the people who use it every single day.”  That was a big lightbulb flash for Greg. “I can draw a straight line from that exact moment to writing this book.”<h3 id="a-new-chapter-for-content-authors">A new chapter for content authors</h3>In the podcast, we touched on a number of key themes in the book, from specific industry considerations to the very real struggles authors face around governance. The book provides practical examples of how to negotiate with designing forms (the bane of our existence), to the critical roles of support, training, and documentation.As Greg noted, every organization is different, and every client has its own unique problems to solve. Forcing square pegs into round holes is part of what’s been keeping him up at night in front of his keyboard.As CMS practitioners, we're fond of using the term “structured content.” And rightly so. But in the book, Greg reinforces the need for flexibility, and why it's so critical to the authoring experience.“I’ll see a lot of people talking about coming at it from a very Puritanical standpoint, like structure is king and everything is structured, and the content authors have to accept that everything is perfectly structured, and life just doesn’t work that way," he said. "If your authors are miserable using something, they’re not going to give the content the care that it needs.”As a long-time student of digital experience, Greg knows a lot about the intrinsic value of prototyping, and how failure is a win when it comes to success. The book highlights this, and we spent time exploring it on the podcast. We also dug into the topic of accessibility. Given his experience, Greg has amassed real wisdom on the topic, and we discussed our common experience coping with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/">WCAG</a> and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.section508.gov/">public sector's Section 508</a> – and how the experience can be improved on all sides of what we build. Greg tapped expert peers to help guide the accessibility chapter, which ended up being revelatory.“When I started the book, I didn’t know the authoring standard existed for the backend.” There's no mention of AI in the book, and as Greg said, that's intentional. For me, it was refreshing to focus on more practical applications in the authoring ecosystem. Nevertheless, he shared his perspective on the topic during our conversation. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designing-content-authoring-experiences-with-greg-dunlap/id1801794414?i=1000699046599">Hear what he thinks.</a><h3 id="the-denouement">The denouement</h3>I absolutely loved this book. It was clear, concise, easy to read, and full of applicable nuggets. It made me wonder if we're asking the right questions, and how we can better embrace the plight of content authors while accepting the challenges vendors face when building great software. There's room for improvement on all sides of the equation, but authors should be part of the conversation at every step.During our chat, Greg made a sage observation about our industry's tech-imbued echo chamber. We tend to focus on high-brow topics that don't mean a “hill of beans” to a lot of users. Sure, it's important to have categories and use the right lexicon (I'm talking about you, ontology). But are we being inclusive with how we message the value of our tools? Are we listening to the real problems that users and customers are experiencing – and reflecting that in our product development?“Look at the discourse of the CMS online, and it’s always headless versus not headless, page builders and DXPs, personalization, advertising," Greg said. "That stuff doesn’t resonate with me because it’s not what our customers were struggling with, like getting people to enter alt text and write in plain text and really low-content maturity problems. I thought there was this great opportunity to talk about authoring experience from the perspective not of the AEMs of the world, but just of the simple stuff that anybody in any system could do to improve things for the groups that they’re working for. And that’s where I thought, ‘There could be a book here.’”Solving the simple stuff. Weep-worthy? Maybe. I'll leave that to you.For me, this feels like a new “Bible” for content authoring. I highly recommend grabbing your highlighter and keeping a physical copy in arm’s reach – just to remind you of what really matters. <h3 id="how-can-i-get-my-copy-of-the-book?">How can I get my copy of the book?</h3>Designing Content Authoring Experiences is available in paperback or digitally via EPUB format. Check out <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.authoringexperience.com/">www.authoringexperience.com</a> to explore the different online retailers or to order a print version directly from the publisher.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Read it and weep: Greg Dunlap's new book on content authoring experiences is a treasure

<hr /> I have a confession: I’ve never been a fan of writing in my CMS. Any CMS, for that matter. And I've used a lot of them.Call me “old school,” but I entered the tech field at a time when computers were a lot more prone to crashing. You can only take so much of that dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” – or watching your work vaporize after an app fails – before developing a solid case of PTSD: Painfully Tragic System Deletion.Over time, things stabilized. Hardware was more reliable, machine-side applications less fidgety, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word">Microsoft Word</a> became a de facto standard in the desktop stack. Heck, you could even auto-save your stuff… and that really brought down the blood pressure.But <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management systems</a>? Meh. They were still subject to the whims of a browser and a web connection. Sessions could be unruly, and it wasn’t uncommon to lose content while drafting a blog post or an article. As such, users like me held to a well-founded distrust of authoring directly in the tool.Of course, there’s more to it than a lack of operational integrity. For a long time, most CMSes treated the content creation experience as an afterthought. WYSIWYG editors provided a shallow proxy for what apps like Word delivered: an intuitive, page-like canvas with lots of freedom to write, comment, share, and collaborate. When <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a> emerged, it solved most of the persistent stability issues with web-based content creation. It also introduced the concept of real-time collaboration within a shared document – which was an all-out game changer. CMSes have certainly improved their editing experiences, stitching together more sophisticated tableaus. Every year, I see regular demos of CMS editors, and they’ve gotten remarkably better. That said, most content professionals don’t like being forced to use a specific tool when it comes to their elemental creative process. Governance notwithstanding, choice is a good thing. But for people like me who prefer a Google Doc, I’m still stuck copying and pasting into a CMS to publish. And that’s a tedious exercise replete with formatting issues that can throw wrenches in the machine.Things get more complicated for larger teams. Writing often happens in one place and design in another. Then, after going back and forth with developers, it all kind of gets “knit” together. Errors show up. Stuff gets siloed. What’s worse: If another team member has the CMS keys and is tasked with copying and pasting, you might need a string of emails or tickets to get a single typo fixed. If this all sounds disjointed, that’s because it is. And the real debt to be paid revolves around time, money, and control. This is where <a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/blog/pantheon-vision-content-operations">Pantheon’s vision</a> plays in. The company – which provides an integrated operations, workflow, and governance platform for Drupal and WordPress – has been helping organizations build, host, and secure their digital experiences since 2010.Late last year, I spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshkoenig/">Josh Koenig</a> – Pantheon’s co-founder and CSO – about the company’s consulting <a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/blog/pantheon-and-tag1-support-drupal-7-websites">partnership with Tag1</a> to support Drupal 7 websites. Right on the heels of that, the company announced the launch of a new product called <a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/blog/introducing-pantheon-content-publisher">Pantheon Content Publisher.</a> Content Publisher reimagines the flow for writing, editing, collaborating, and publishing to the web. In a nutshell, this add-on feature enables writers to create in a Google Doc and directly publish to their <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>, or <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/nextjs">Next.js</a> websites – and do it all safely and securely. As a CMS user, Content Publisher satisfies the urgent need for visualization. As you type and edit in your Doc, you’re served a live preview of how content will render on your website. When you’re ready to roll, a single click pushes it to final review and publishing. Pretty slick. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:79.62%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image-1738705229313.jpeg" alt="A person standing at a podium giving a presentation

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Roland Benedetti at Boye &amp; Company CMS Kickoff 25. Source:Marta Cukierman During the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">Boye &amp; Company CMS Kickoff 25</a> in January, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandbenedetti/">Roland Benedetti</a>, Pantheon’s Senior Director of Product, showcased this nifty tool during our “CMS Idol” competition. I’ve known Roland since his days at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ez-systems/">eZ</a> (now <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/ibexa">Ibexa</a>), and he's always been one to push the envelope. Needless to say, what I saw was impressive, even at a beta stage – and seemed to address key pain points for many of us in the content ecosystem.What you’re reading right now was indeed copied and pasted from a Google Doc. But with Content Publisher, that rigmarole might be a thing of the past. Here’s a quick snapshot of what this promising new product could deliver for content creators. <h3 id="can-pantheon-fix-what’s-broken-with-web-publishing?">Can Pantheon fix what’s broken with web publishing?</h3>Hmm. Where to start? That would be my first question…Look, it's a big mountain, but Pantheon is trying to scale it. As Roland and co-founder <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyrosen/">Zach Rosen</a> stated in their official Content Publisher announcement, “The web used to be simple and fun. It’s increasingly become tedious, flaky, and frustrating.” Hard to argue with that.Also true, as I’ve pointed out in my own case: Content creators aren’t sitting down and writing web content directly into WordPress or Drupal, and there's real data to back that up. According to Pantheon's own research, 90% of writers create, edit, and collaborate on content using (you guessed it) Google Docs and Microsoft Word. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="-"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center" id="“the-web-used-to-be-simple-and-fun.-it’s-increasingly-become-tedious,-flaky,-and-frustrating.”">“The web used to be simple and fun. It’s increasingly become tedious, flaky, and frustrating.”</h4> <hr /> With such a significant shift towards Word and Docs for content authoring, little progress has been made in bridging the gap between these tools and the web layer. Given the complexity of modern CMSes, content originating from outside tools is often shifted to specific team members with CMS access and permissions. As Roland and Zach indicated, it’s possible that these human “copy-paste” stakeholders could miss some critical checks along the way – things like confirming mobile responsiveness, ensuring brand guidelines, and even validating digital accessibility. In effect, the disconnect between these entities amplifies liability.There’s also this notion of “democratizing the web” that Content Publisher is endeavoring to solve. As CMS systems become more complex and convoluted, only fully trained platform experts can facilitate the act of publishing. Further, waiting to clean up any formatting or governance issues at the publishing stage can lead to delays, version conflicts, and missed deadlines – all of which can slow down a marketing team or stymie a campaign.<h3 id="how-does-content-publisher-work?">How does Content Publisher work?</h3>I’ve already framed it, and simplicity is a key part of the appeal. First and foremost, Content Publisher has been architected with modern, API-first fundamentals. This composable posture provides the core integration with Google Docs, giving editors an augmented UI. Below decks is a scalable service operating on <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">GCP (Google Cloud Platform)</a> that handles content discovery and publishing. This surface area exposes authoring and delivery through both REST and GraphQL APIs. Finally, Pantheon powers the core connections to leading web technologies and front-end frameworks via out-of-the-box integrations.From a deployment perspective, the setup is pretty seamless. After you enable Pantheon’s Content Publisher as an add-on in your <a target="_blank" href="https://workspace.google.com/">Google Workspace</a>, you can connect your Google Docs with any website running on Drupal, WordPress, or even Next.js.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.15%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image.png" alt="A diagram of a company

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Pantheon’s vision for a creation-production-delivery ecosystem. Source: Pantheon website. I quite like this workflow diagram that Roland presented during his “CMS Idol” intro, which crystallizes Pantheon’s WebOps workflow from creation through ingest to delivery. It elegantly details how they see the broader ecosystem of website and marketing technologies – and it’s clear that more innovation is on the roadmap to bring content, design, code, and teams together. <h3 id="core-capabilities">Core Capabilities</h3>Content Publisher offers some simple yet powerful features. The first is the intuitive direct publishing from Google Docs, where the add-on manifests as a tag-along sidebar while you edit your content.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:81.01%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image-1738705228530.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a website

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Content Publisher provides access to key features within Google Docs. Source: Pantheon website. This handy panel gives users quick pathways to manage their page metadata, add components like images, and more. Translation: users can deliver structured website content without leaving Google Docs – and that’s good from both a governance and time-saving perspective.  I already mentioned the real-time preview, which delivers visual confidence. As you write, edit, add images, or assemble components, Content Publisher allows you to see how everything will render on your actual website. You can also preview for mobile responsiveness, control your zoom, or even share to collaborate with other team members. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:93.05%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image-1738705228453.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Content Publisher gives users a fully-rendered preview with ample control. Source: Pantheon website. One of the questions I immediately had was about governance. This is, after all, Google Docs – and if multiple users are collaborating, how do you control things like publishing permissions? Pantheon is addressing this with a robust editorial workflow that’s built directly into the software, which will ultimately provide a deeper layer of control while checking for things like brand, accessibility, and compliance issues. Powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai">Google Vertex AI</a> – a fully-managed, unified AI development platform with access to <a target="_blank" href="https://gemini.google.com/">Gemini models</a> and more – Content Publisher also offers some dynamic features like content summaries, SEO-enhancing metadata suggestions, and advanced search, all guided by user inputs to ensure quality.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:87.2%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Collections allow for seamless structuring of your website’s sections. Source: Pantheon website. We know discoverability is a critical facet of web experience, and there’s some cool stuff happening in Content Publisher from a structural perspective. Using what it calls “Collections,” you can organize documents into sections and sub-sections (like Marketing), curate the order, and choose to hide or reveal them to enhance navigability. You can also define custom metadata schemas, allowing for greater control over your site’s information architecture.<h3 id="the-verdict">The Verdict</h3>While every individual content creator or team works differently, there are some, shall we say, “philosophical” fundamentals we all share. Over time, opinionated tools have guided pathways while driving many of the systemic flaws in modern content operations. In other words, all CMS roads have a common breakdown lane.I applaud Pantheon for taking a bold step towards repairing the cracks in the pavement. It won't be easy, and Content Publisher is addressing just one dimension of where the tooling needs improvement. But their composable approach is driven by choice, flexibility, and adaptability – solid principles for guiding their vision of WebOps and content operations.Let’s be clear: as novel and useful as Content Publisher might be, it’s not a replacement for CMS – it’s more like a companion app that extends the existing boundaries. You still need all the foundational CMS components for your WordPress or Drupal website to realize its benefits. For obvious reasons, Content Publisher isn’t a fit for every kind of content type. It’s perfect for articles, documentation, and other long-form content – stuff you would handily write in a Google Doc (and that might be a good litmus test). Pantheon also suggests test-driving it on your website’s “About” page, and once you’ve mastered the flow, move to more editorially driven content like blog posts or press releases.Personally, I like this tool. I think it will find rapid adoption within organizations, and if you’re someone like me who uses Google Docs, you should take it for a spin. The project is still in beta (<a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/platform/content-publisher#beta">you can request access here</a>), and there are facets of governance that have yet to be fully fleshed out. But the potential is there. Further, if they can unify versioned content with design and code, there could be exciting enhancements on the horizon.At the same time, we’re not really addressing the root problem: that content management systems still haven’t delivered the kinds of rich, trustworthy editing experiences that entice all creators to start within the tool. I know: It’s hard to argue with the robust omnipresence of Word and Docs. So maybe we’ll never get there. Or maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Either way, I’m sticking with my Docs. And if Pantheon can kill some of the tedious, time-consuming, error-prone copying and pasting, that’s not a waste – it’s a win.   <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

'Copy and Paste' Makes Waste? Not with Pantheon’s Content Publisher for Google Docs

Manjaro Linux is one of the most popular Linux distributions on the planet and impressively, one of the top three over at the ever popular website <a target="_blank" href="http://distrowatch.com/">Distrowatch</a> but does it hold up as something you should run as a daily driver? Find out in this Manjaro Review.This review has been updated and is now based on the most recent Manjaro 18 release.Installation is exactly the same as it has been for as long as I can remember so I'm not going to get into how it works. It's pretty much identical to every Linux distribution from that standpoint.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-the-install-process_ywu7fe.png" />The Install Process – Manjaro ReviewThe particular edition I'm testing is the XFCE release since it's the default desktop of choice for Manjaro. They do, however, offer KDE, Gnome and an Architect edition (which is used to build and customize your own iso).<h2>The Desktop</h2>Boot-up was, as expected, quite fast. Manjaro has always impressed me from a speed perspective.One of the nice features that Manjaro (and a handful of other distributions) include is a handy welcome window (Manjaro Hello). From a user experience perspective, this is a good way to introduce users to their new environment and offer them some resources to help them familiarize themselves. I've always been a big fan of these little touches.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-welcome-screen_ottc8y.jpg" />Manjaro Review – Welcome ScreenFor those who speak different languages and prefer to switch to something more native, the top left drop down allows you to switch quickly and easily.<h2>The XFCE Desktop</h2>The Manjaro desktop is a customized XFCE experience using a customized version of the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/adapta-project/adapta-gtk-theme">Adapta</a> theme. There is a menu on the left hand side of the screen, your system tray on the right and a few icons on the desktop.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-the-desktop_igj7lb.png" />Manjaro Review – The DesktopBy default, Manjaro comes packed with a solid selection of software such as Firefox, LibreOffice, Audacious for your music library and more.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-the-menu_qi7n48.png" />Manjaro Review – The Menu<h2>Customization</h2>XFCE is fairly easy to customize. For the panel, you can quickly add items to the panel by right clicking on it and choosing Panel followed by Add New Items.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-adding-to-the-panel_hlfp59.jpg" />Manjaro Review – Adding to the PanelTo modify the various theme settings, you can open Appearance from the menu in the bottom left.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-appearance-settings_y6xt60.jpg" />Manjaro Review – Appearance SettingsThe Manjaro folks are kind enough to include quite a few nice theme options to select from if you don't like the default look and feel so feel free to explore.<h2>Manjaro Apps</h2>Aside from the obvious beauty of the Plasma desktop, Manjaro provides some of their own integrated software as well such as the Manjaro Settings Manager which allows you to select from a number of available kernels, download additional language packs and install third party drivers for your hardware. You can access it either from the small M icon in the system tray by the clock or under Settings in the menu.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-manjaro-settings-manager_gynmco.jpg" />Manjaro Review – Manjaro Settings ManagerSwitching kernels is incredibly easy. Just be careful in doing so. I wouldn't recommend just swapping it out unless you know what you are doing or have a distinct purpose for doing so.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-choose-a-kernel_oksbww.jpg" />Manjaro Review – Choose a Kernel<h2>Included Applications</h2>Audacious is included as the default music player and does a good job of providing enough features to suit most people. It also has a nice selection of plugins to help extend your player.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-audacious_sk4sva.png" />Manjaro Review – AudaciousSteam, for gaming, appears to be included with this release as well.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-steam_gut2bo.jpg" />Manjaro Review – SteamSoftware is managed with the easy to use Pamac package manager and it worked for me as intended without issue. There's a nice hefty selection of software to choose from here as well – which is nice to see.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manjaro-review-pamac_iyn2yv.jpg" />Manjaro Review – PamacOverall, there's a good selection of pre-installed and available applications to choose from.<h2>Conclusion</h2>In summary, Manjaro 18 feels like a pretty solid release. I came across no deal breakers and was able to work within the environment without issue. Everything felt fast and lean; something I've come to expect from Archlinux based releases; and worked well. If you suffer from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-a-distro-hopper/">distro hopping</a> syndrome like myself, give it a shot and let me know your thoughts. Also, if you are aware of any issues with this release, please let me know in the comments. I'm giving it a 5/5 due to the inclusion of such a wide variety of solid software and the stability and speed of the release.Don't forget to check out some of our other reviews as well:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/elementary-os-review/">Elementary OS Review</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/ubuntu-mate-review/">Ubuntu MATE Review</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/reviews/solus-review/">Solus Review</a>You can grab your copy of Manjaro from their website here: <a target="_blank" href="https://manjaro.org/">Manjaro Linux</a>

Manjaro Review - Fast, Sleek and Packed with Software

mike-johnston

Hackers love websites. Maybe that's overstating the obvious, but in today's hyperconnected digital world, it can't be understated. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.webarxsecurity.com/website-hacking-statistics-2018-february/">According to McAfee</a>, hackers produce 300,000 new pieces of malware daily – and on average, 30,000 new websites are hacked every single day.The fact is, websites are easy targets. Not only are they abundant, but they're frequently built using open source technologies – meaning they're littered with holes that can be easily exploited.Most website owners have no idea how vulnerable they are until they've been hit. And with hackers sinking their teeth into financial data, patient records, IP, and more, a single breach can significantly damage a brand or even sink a business.While <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gutenberg-2-years-later-is-wordpress-better-off/">WordPress</a>, Joomla, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/drupal-8-8-0-released/">Drupal</a> continue to own the open-source content management (CMS) market, they also represent the largest collection of security vulnerabilities. In fact, according to the 2020 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dimensiondata.com/en-gb/insights/global-threat-intelligence-report-2020">Global Threat Intelligence Report</a> from Dimension Data, almost 20% of all website attacks targeted these platforms – with WordPress owning the lion's share.Regardless of what software you're using, web security can feel like a never-ending game of "hide and seek." Hackers find holes in both modern and legacy web applications, and developers scramble to patch them as soon as possible – and the cycle repeats. But the biggest vulnerabilities often exist in layers that website owners take for granted like HTML5, Single Page Applications (SPA), and even password-protected web assets.The sharks are always circling. That's why security has become an essential part of any serious website or web application strategy. Historically, this required an expensive, multi-layered approach, combining both hardware and professional services. But now, you can automate your security processes with Netsparker: a powerful yet easy-to-use solution that's purpose-built for websites and web applications.In this review, we'll take a deeper look at Netsparker and how it can help website admins identify weak spots in their service. We'll tour its crawling and scanning tools and how it's designed to help maintain governance with domains, certificates, compliance, and more – so you can stay one step ahead of the threats.<h3>What is Netsparker?</h3>Netsparker is an automated yet fully configurable Enterprise DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) utility that enables you to scan websites, web applications, and web services to identify security flaws. Netsparker can scan all types of web apps – regardless of the platform or language they're built with – making it incredibly extensible.Netsparker operates on what they call "Proof-Based Scanning," which automatically verifies detected vulnerabilities and confirms whether they're false positives by exploiting them in a safe, read-only manner. Here's a video overview of how it works:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF9eGAfBh8A"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uF9eGAfBh8A" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure>With Netsparker's scanning technology and automatic verification, you don't have to be a seasoned security professional to conduct thorough scans. You always know which results are actionable issues and not false positives, so you can prioritize your response.Netsparker is designed with productivity in mind. For example, you can send notifications and automatically assign vulnerabilities to developers, allowing you to patch web applications in real-time to maintain security. Bypassing expensive SecOps staff also means you save time and money on conducting regular scans, letting the cybersecurity pros focus on more complex issues.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/eliminate-the-uncertainty-of-false-positives.png" /><h3>Features</h3>There are a lot of security utilities on the market, but few that make vulnerability scanning at the web layer as streamlined as Netsparker. Not only is it easy to navigate and manage, but it gives both an individual user and an enterprise team access to integrated data and insights. We'll talk more about that when we cover Netsparker's product editions, but their central repository is one of the features that sets it apart within the cybersecurity landscape.First, let's cover some of the core capabilities that really stand out.Dashboard Security data can get complex – and fast. But this is where Netsparker really shines. With their visual dashboard, you get a holistic snapshot of your websites, scans, and active vulnerabilities in a single window. Intuitive graphs allow your team to track the severity of threats, assess your overall threat level, and automatically categorize the nature of your vulnerabilities from low to critical.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/netsparker-featured-image.png" />From the dashboard, you can also manage permissions for your users and groups, as well as assign team members to specific security tasks or establish security policies for your organization.Proof-Based Scanning™ As previously mentioned, Netsparker’s "Proof-Based Scanning" safely exploits any found vulnerabilities and automatically creates a proof-of-exploit or proof-of-concept to validate that it's real – and not a false positive. The process is further streamlined with automated notifications that assign vulnerabilities to developers, and patch web application firewalls in real-time to help maintain security.Vulnerability Scanning Identifying vulnerabilities is the most important mission for any web vulnerability scanner. Netsparker can spot all types of web application vulnerabilities, including multiple variants of the most common weaknesses such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/blog/web-security/sql-injection-cheat-sheet/">SQL injection</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/blog/web-security/cross-site-scripting-xss/">cross-site scripting (XSS)</a>. Most direct-impact vulnerabilities are also automatically confirmed, so you can be confident that these results are not false positives.Vulnerability Details and Reporting<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blind_sql_injection.png" />Every vulnerability uncovered by Netsparker is accompanied by detailed reporting that helps security teams and developers to not only fix issues but understand them. Vulnerabilities are also automatically tagged with a security severity level, denoting the potential damage they can do – and the urgency required to fix them.While Netsparker offers a number of out-of-the-box reports with different visualization options, you can also render your own custom report templates. Additionally, you can generate compliance reports that cover ISO27001, HIPAA, and other critical regulatory benchmarks – and you can have your PCI DSS reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/pci-vulnerability-scan/">validated by third-party entities</a> to ensure governance requirements.Armed with rich, in-depth information and remediation guidance, your experts can eliminate the root causes of vulnerabilities, write more secure code in the future, and meet fierce compliance with dynamic reporting.Built-In Assessment Tools<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/http_request_builder.png" />To help teams optimize scanning and manual testing, Netsparker features a number of advanced web security tools that work with modern and legacy web languages and technologies.<ul><li>HTTP Request Builder: You can use the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/blog/docs-and-faqs/http-request-builder-penetration-testing-tool/">HTTP Request Builder</a> to create your own HTTP requests and modify imported requests. This is extremely useful for performing manual vulnerability assessments and troubleshooting complex issues like identifying logical vulnerabilities.</li><li>Encoding and Decoding Tools: Text encoding and decoding is a vital feature when manually crafting and modifying test payloads. To save precious time during manual vulnerability assessments, Netsparker includes a text encoder and decoder that supports multiple encoding schemes, including URL, HTML, Base64, UTF7, MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA512, and others.</li><li>ViewState Viewer: When security scanning ASP.NET and modern .NET web applications, Netsparker extracts ViewState data from HTTP requests and responses generated during scanning. The ViewState data is displayed in a separate preview tab for easier troubleshooting.</li><li>Asset Discovery: Another proactive security measure, Netsparker's Asset Discovery service continuously scans the Internet to discover your assets based on numerous variables – including IP addresses, top-level and second-level domains, and even SSL certificate information.</li></ul><h3>Plans</h3>Netsparker offers a few different plans based on your needs: Standard, Team, and Enterprise. The naming is fairly intuitive – and so is the pricing – but we'll explore each tier in more detail below.One quick note worth mentioning: Netsparker Standard and Netsparker Enterprise are actually designed to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/support/integrating-netsparker-standard-with-netsparker-enterprise/">integrate with each other</a>. This basically means that Enterprise includes Standard, and can synchronize and share data using a central repository. Use whichever edition best suits your needs – from one desktop scanner for a single site to hundreds via API – and share the results with your entire team.And one more thing: Netsparker provides 24-hour email, phone, and remote screen support Monday through Friday. They boast a 98% customer satisfaction rating on their website FAQ, and their product reviews seem to reflect that.Netsparker Standard Netsparker Standard is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses. The on-premises desktop scanner helps protect commercial and open-source web products, websites made by third parties, and custom web applications. If you have websites built on a popular CMS, an eCommerce shop on a platform solution, or a home-grown web application, Netsparker Standard is an ideal choice for up to 20 websites.Netsparker Standard is available as a Windows application with built-in penetration testing and reporting tools, many of which allow for fully automated security testing. You also get access to their crawling and scanning features, reporting, policy tools and more.Netsparker Team Netsparker Team is made for larger organizations seeking a complete vulnerability assessment and management solution with collaboration in mind. Netsparker Team helps streamline workflows for up to 50 websites, and unlike Standard, it's all accessed via Netsparker's REST API.Netsparker Team includes all of the essentials from Standard, like crawling, reporting, and tools – but also provides a multi-user platform with native CI/CD, messaging, and business workflow systems. It also features Netsparker's PCI Compliance Scanner, which brings greater value to websites with significant paycard data transactions.Netsparker Enterprise Netsparker Enterprise is a comprehensive security platform designed for large organizations with significant web properties and assets. Like Team, it is an API-driven, multi-user scanning solution with dynamic built-in workflow tools. The big difference is scalability: if you have over 50 websites you're managing, Enterprise brings hosted account options to the table that empower your teams with dedicated support and resources. You also get access to custom authentication for OAuth2, Single Sign-On (SSO), client-side certificates, and more.Netsparker Enterprise is really designed to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/online-web-application-security-scanner/sdlc-integration/">integrate seamlessly into the software development lifecycle</a>, allowing DevOps and SecOps teams to scan thousands of web applications and services as they are being developed, tested, or running in production. This makes Enterprise an ideal tool for software teams as they push new products and features to market, ensuring that they meet security and compliance requirements from end to end.<h3>Pricing</h3>Netsparker is an incredibly well-reviewed product, and based on our own experience, it delivers both the functionality and simplicity it claims. They also get points for a cool slider on their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/plans/">Product &amp; Plans</a> page, which helps recommend a tier based on the number of websites you're scanning. This makes it easy (and maybe even a little fun) to determine which product is right for your needs.Here's how the tiers break down:<ul><li>1-20 websites: Standard plan</li><li>21-49 websites: Team Plan</li><li>50 + websites: Enterprise Plan</li></ul>Unfortunately, that's all you get: a recommendation. They don't provide a price, but it's reasonably clear that it's based in part on the tier itself and the number of websites you'll be scanning. Each plan progressively builds on the previous, allowing you to scale seamlessly. And as mentioned, the Enterprise edition includes the Standard edition desktop scanner as part of the suite.OK, so no price transparency. That requires a demo and a phone call for a custom quote. But the good news is that you can try Netsparker for free today with just a few basic steps. And once you're using it, you'll worry less about price – and wonder how you ever got by without it.<h3>About Netsparker</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://www.netsparker.com/">Netsparker</a> is the leading Enterprise DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) solution and the only product that delivers automatic verification of vulnerabilities with exclusive pre-scan automation and Proof-Based Scanning™ technology. Netsparker scans any type of web application, provides actionable results, and integrates with company workflow tools to close the loop between IT and developers. It identifies vulnerabilities from the early stages of application development through production. With global headquarters in London and North American headquarters in Austin, Texas, Netsparker serves customers worldwide in the technology, professional services, banking, and government markets, including many Fortune 500 companies. Netsparker is part of <a target="_blank" href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2947090-1&amp;h=30600359&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.invicti.com%2F&amp;a=Invicti+Security">Invicti Security</a>, the leading global provider of dynamic application security testing products.

Netsparker Review: Web Application Security and Vulnerability Scanner

paris-tuzun

Salesforce CMS Review: Evolving a CRM Powerhouse into a DXP Challenger

Desktop, tablet, and mobile Interface images of Salesforce CMS

Up until the oculus Go came onto the market, I've never felt the need to get into the VR scene. I always felt like the cost was too prohibitive and the technology was too new.With the introduction of entry level headsets such as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.oculus.com/go/">oculus Go</a>, this barrier to entry is now gone and I'm now diving in head first so expect to see new VR related content in addition to the usual stuff. Today, I'm going to offer up my oculus Go review and share my thoughts on this inexpensive VR solution.The price point on the oculus Go is just shy of $300 at the time of this review (around $270 Canadian) and is a reasonable price point in my mind. It's a good spot to be in and is reasonably affordable by the average person looking to get into VR.It certainly is far less expensive than any other option out there (aside from those junky VR sets you see floating around). There are plenty of poor vr headsets out there from tons of brands that I've never heard of and most of them end up donated to thrift stores. I know because I've seen tons of them there.<h2>The Headset</h2>The headset that comes with the oculus Go is comfortable and fits nicely. It has two side velcro adjustments and one top one so that you can modify it to fit comfortable.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-review-the-headset-e1562534092694_lbsqch.jpg" />oculus Go Review – The Headset<h3>Eyeglass Spacer</h3>It also has an eye glass spacer that pushes the lenses out a bit further so that you can comfortable fit it on with eyeglasses.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-eyeglass-spacer.jpg" />oculus Go eyeglass spacerHere's a look at the three pieces separately; the headset, the eyeglass spacer and the foam shield.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-headset-components.jpg" />oculus Go – Headset components<h3>Comfort</h3>While it was a bit uncomfortable and awkward at first to put on.. once I adjusted the straps and figured out an easier way to put it on (put the lenses on first and then pull the straps over my head) I was good to go.The one thing I did notice is that I was able to see light through the nose area as it doesn't seal fully over the bridge of the nose. I've read other reviews that state this as well so just be prepared for it. I didn't find that it took away from the experience but it may be annoying to some.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-review-the-headset-lenses.jpg" />oculus Go review – The Headset Lenses<h3>The Components</h3><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-review-the-headset-e1562534092694_lbsqch.jpg" />The power button is the center top button shown in the picture above and is (obviously) used to turn the power on and off. The volume rocker is located to the left of the power button and is easy to reach when wearing the headset.Along with the typical VR component of the goggles, the headset has an integrated microphone which allows you to voice chat with friends and other players in multiplayer games (of which there are quite a few).The headset, in my testing, lasted about 1 1/2 – 2 hours per charge and it took on average about the same amount of time to charge. Typically, it was good to go in about 1 1/2 hours.<h2>The Controller</h2>The system also comes with a single controller used to navigate within your virtual world.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-the-controller.jpg" />oculus Go – The ControllerThe Controller has three buttons and a circular touch surface which can be used to navigate the menus and games.The bottom button is emblazoned with the oculus logo and is the equivalent of a home button. It will bring you back to the home menu and reorient yourself within a game. Above this, there is a back button and above that, the circular touch surface.You'll also note the trigger button which is used to make selections, fire weapons in game and more.It's light and easy to hold and comes with a wrist strap. It's a motion controller so moving your hand back and forth will translate similar to how a Wii remote would work on the Nintendo Wii (if you are familiar with it). The controller uses a single battery (included) to power it.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-controller-battery-compartment.jpg" />oculus Go – Controller Battery Compartment<h2>The oculus Interface</h2>The interface once you put on the headset is easy to navigate and use. There's a settings panel at the bottom of the screen and a selection of icons and thumbnails on the screen above.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oculus-go-the-interface.jpg" />oculus Go – The InterfaceTo navigate, you simply use the handheld controller to point and click on the individual items within the interface. to scroll up and down, you slide your finger on the touchpad of the controller.Under Sharing, you have the option (as you can see above) to share content to Facebook (obviously, since they own oculus) as well as to Cast your screen to a phone or TV so that others can watch you play. You can even record videos and Go Live from the sharing menu.Under People, you can add friends, remove friends and similar activities. Within the main tab, Navigate, you can browse the store, your library, your gallery and more.Battery life is depicted in the top right of your panel for both the controller and the headset.<h2>oculus Go Review – My Conclusion</h2>In my day or two owning this, I've enjoyed it thoroughly. The library of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go">oculus Go Games and Apps</a> that are available is quite extensive. There's everything from apps like Netflix and YouTube to Games such as Drop Dead (super fun zombie shooter) and Deer Hunter VR make it a great budget VR console. I highly recommend picking one up and if you do, let me know.

Oculus Go Review - Small Package, Great Experience

Oculus Go Review - The oculus Go headset and controller

cmsWhen it comes to email, it's a very personal thing. Some people want more features and others want less but overall, we all want three important things: reliability, solid spam filtering and an easy to use interface. In this article, I'm going to <a target="_blank" href="https://protonmail.com/">t</a>ake you through my ProtonMail Review and explain why they are now my email provider of choice.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-press-web-3.jpg" />ProtonMail offers a great interface and encrypted / secure email for the web and mobile.ProtonMail is an open source secure email provider based in Switzerland. They offer a very solid web based email client as well as apps for all major devices. ISince discovering ProtonMail, I've switched all of my CMS Critic email over to it from Gmail and I won't be switching back. Not only do I prefer the client and it's layout to that offered by Google but I also love the full email encryption.Furthering that, it's open source and as a fan of open source software and an avid user (all of my computers run open source operating systems) it was a natural fit.You do not need to provide any personal information to create a secure email account with ProtonMail and they do not keep IP logs that can be linked to your anonymous email account.Here's a breakdown of the security features included with ProtonMail:<ul><li>End-to-End Encryption Messages are always encrypted and transmitted in encrypted format between their servers and your device. If you are emailing other ProtonMail users they are also fully encrypted within their secure server network.</li><li>Zero Access to User Data The makers of ProtonMail have absolutely no access to your data. They use what they call a zero access architecture which means the data is encrypted in a way that makes it inaccessible to them.</li><li>Open Source Cryptography ProtonMail uses open source cryptography which means they use well tested, trusted encryption algorithms.</li></ul>If you want to learn more, you can visit this page: <a target="_blank" href="https://protonmail.com/security-details">ProtonMail Security Features</a>.<h3>Free or Paid? The Choice is Yours</h3>It's easy to sign up for ProtonMail and they offer a quick and easy to set up free offering. With it you receive the following features:<ul><li>500MB Storage</li><li>150 Messages per day</li><li>Limited Support</li></ul>They also offer two paid plans; Plus and Visionary which offer more advanced features and range from $4 – 25 USD / month.The Plus account includes:<ul><li>5 GB storage</li><li>Send up to 1000 messages per day</li><li>Labels, Custom Filters, and Folders</li><li>Send encrypted messages to external recipients</li><li>Use your own domain (ex: john@smith.com)</li><li>Up to 5 email aliases</li><li>Priority Customer Support</li></ul>The Visionary account includes:<ul><li>20GB storage</li><li>Up to 50 email aliases</li><li>Support for up to 10 domains</li><li>Multi-User Support (6 total)</li><li>No sending limits*</li><li>Labels, Custom Filters, and Folders</li><li>Send encrypted messages to external recipients</li><li>Early access to new features</li><li>Includes access to ProtonVPN</li></ul><h3>Getting a Free Account</h3>Getting a free account is easy, you can sign up with very little information. Literally, they just need you to select a username and password with an optional recovery email. For the purposes of this ProtonMail review, we'll set up a free account.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-review-1.png" />ProtonMail Review – Setting up an AccountOnce signed up (and verified by either having a code emailed or sent to your via SMS) your account will be created and you'll be redirected to your new inbox.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-review-3.png" />ProtonMail Review – The Inbox<h3>The Interface</h3>The same features you'd expect from any web based email are present along with those specific to ProtonMail.When sending a new message, for example, you have two new security based features available if you choose to use them; expiration time and encryption for non-ProtonMail users.To enable an expiration time, from the new message window, select the small hourglass icon in the bottom left and you'll be presented with this screen:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-review-5.png" />ProtonMail Review – Setting an expiration time for an email.To enable encryption for non-ProtonMail users, you can set a password which you would then provide to the recipient. To use this, you would click on the padlock icon in the bottom left of the new message window.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-review-6.png" />ProtonMail Review – Setting up EncryptionAlong with these inbox features (and the typical ones you'd expect from any email client) there are a number of ways to migrate to ProtonMail from your existing email provider.<h3>Migrating to ProtonMail</h3>If you choose to migrate over to ProtonMail, there are a number of ways to do so. ProtonMail offers an easy way to import your contacts which you can access from the contacts tab.Clicking import will present you with the following screen:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-review-7.png" />ProtonMail Review – Importing ContactsProtonMail supports importing CSV files from Outlook, Outlook Express, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Eudora and some other apps. They also support importing vCard. (UTF-8 encoding).Importing EmailTo import email into ProtonMail, you'll need a paid account as their import/export tool is only available to paid users. Fortunately, however, the cost of a paid plan is incredibly reasonable and affordable for everyone. The Import/Export tool works for Windows and Mac users and allows you to import your email from another email account or from a local MBOX or EML file on your device.You can learn more about the app and how it works on the <a target="_blank" href="https://protonmail.com/blog/import-export-beta/">Import/Export tool page.</a><h3>Other Security Features</h3>Along with your typical settings which you can find by clicking the settings tab, you can also find information via the Security tab. This tab shows you past logins and current and previous sessions, amongst other things.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protonmail-review-8.png" />ProtonMail Review – Security and Session Management<h3>My Experience So Far</h3>Overall, I've found that I thoroughly enjoy using ProtonMail. I prefer their platform and the simplicity offered by the interface. There are, however, a few things I'd like to see added / improved upon which I'll get into in my pros/cons list below.Pros<ul><li>Simple Interface that is easy to use.</li><li>Encrypted email.</li><li>Price point is very reasonable for personal users and business users.</li><li>Highly secure.</li><li>Plenty of features.</li><li>Easy to migrate from other platforms.</li><li>Excellent help and documentation.</li><li>Available smartphone apps.</li></ul>Cons<ul><li>No scheduling option for emails to allow me to remind myself to reply to it at a later date.</li><li>In their mobile apps, there is no way to select multiple emails at once and mark as read or archive them in one go, things must be done individually.</li><li>No calendar with which to integrate.</li></ul>Overall, I think ProtonMail is an excellent option but I would love to be able to migrate my calendar over from Google and make the transition a complete one. For now, however, I'm stuck using it there until that time comes.Have I convinced you to try it? <a target="_blank" href="https://protonmail.com/">Go ahead and sign up and see for yourself.</a>

ProtonMail Review - Secure Email on All Platforms

If you asked today’s web designers which wireframing or prototyping tool is best, you’re likely to get a few different answers. Well, maybe more than a few.As you might have guessed, there are plenty of choices out there: free tools, SaaS apps, and even some that aren’t purpose-built for the job (think <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/powerpoint">PowerPoint</a>). With so many options to choose from, it may prove challenging to find a single tool that meets your needs.While most platforms offer similar features, few bring the entire design process into a unified experience. That’s where UXPin is changing the game. In this review, we’ll explore the benefits of their all-in-one wireframing and prototyping tool, which offers some slick, integrated capabilities – and is designed to work across every device.<h3>Wireframing and prototyping: what’s the difference?</h3>Building a website or mobile app without wireframes is like building a house without blueprints. Wireframes save significant time in the design process and help bring ideas and concepts into laser focus.But what exactly is a wireframe? Quite simply, it’s a low-fidelity “skeleton” of a website. Wireframes show the general layout of web pages, the elements on those pages, and the size and placement of those elements. Since it is meant to convey a website’s architecture, it is intentionally devoid of any colors or graphics.Wireframes are lightweight and fast to produce, allowing for ample design thinking, lean UX development, and iterative feedback. A lot of designers still start their wireframing on paper, sketching out digital components and entities in the most analog way.Prototypes, on the other hand, are medium-to-high fidelity views of a website or application. They offer more detail, showcasing visual elements such as colors, graphics, and font types. In essence, a prototype is a preview of what a working website or mobile application will look like to a user.<h3>A brief history of wireframes and prototypes</h3>Wireframes and prototypes have certainly been around the block. Wireframing has its roots in magazine mockups for galleys and layouts, while prototyping evolved from software product development with visual UI requirements – and a need for rapid testing and feedback.While wireframes are elemental in nature – using simple shapes and objects to detail the flow and structure – designers have often relied on different tools when moving into prototyping. The first ones emerged in the 1980s with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html">Adobe Illustrator</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html">Photoshop</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/visio/flowchart-software/">Microsoft Visio</a>.But it wasn’t until IBM introduced RAD (Rapid Application Development) in the 90s that the concept of minimum viable prototypes (MVPs) took off – and so did the focus on design experience. By the early 2000s, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle/">Omnigraffle</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gliffy.com/">Gliffy</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://balsamiq.com/">Balsamiq</a> were changing the way designers think about wireframing and prototyping by giving them more options to choose from. By 2010, UXPin and other solutions were hitting the market. The rest, as they say, is history.<h3>What is UXPin?</h3>UXPin is a comprehensive cloud-based design prototyping tool that works on any operating system. It brings developers and designers together even if they use Mac and Windows – because UXPin is fully powered by the cloud.With UXPin, you can move seamlessly through every phase of your project – from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes – with access to rich features like interactive elements and animations. In addition, UXPin allows you to add conditional interactions, variables, and expressions to get your prototypes closer to real, coded apps.One of the best things about UXPin is that it's designed with both individual designers and teams in mind. It's flexible enough for a freelancer working on their own – or a squad collaborating to develop new products or experiences. UXPin offers some dynamite capabilities for enterprise customers to manage their teams and libraries with advanced permissions, making it an awesome platform for an ecosystem of users.<h3>Features</h3>Components<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-components.jpg" />Components save you plenty of time by minimizing repetitive and tedious work – allowing you to reuse existing parts across your designs. A button, a footer, an icon, or even a cell in a table can be a Component. UXPin comes with a handy library of pre-made components, but it also allows you to create your own components. You can also share them across your projects through UXPin’s Design System Libraries.Built-in Design Libraries<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-expressions.jpg" />Apart from your own libraries, UXPin offers built-in iOS, Material Design, Bootstrap, Foundation, and User Flows libraries – each with interactive elements, colors, text styles, and icons.Design system libraries are the place for shared design patterns (such as colors, text styles, assets, and Components) that allow teams to build high quality, consistent prototypes. This empowers users to save time while keeping projects steadily on-brand. With DS libraries, you can also create a fully-documented Design System.Data For a lot of designers, Lorem Ipsum is still a go-to placeholder for text. Still, for some projects, Latin copy isn't preferable – even at the mockup stage.Another great feature of UXPin is that enables users to add real content to their wireframes and prototypes using the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/replace-lorem-ipsum-with-real-data/">Data</a> feature. Upload JSON, CSV or URLs and demo a prototype that's even closer to the finished product. If you're early in the process and want to use filler for placement, UXPin also has a database of placeholder components, from mock names to dummy credit card numbers.One other notable feature is stock photography. Most platforms don't provide direct access to image libraries, which can be essential to developing a finished prototype. UXPin lets you upload photos directly from their partner, <a target="_blank" href="https://unsplash.com/">Unsplash</a>. This integration may seem like a small thing, but it can accelerate the entire design process from idea to execution by enabling users to work fluidly in a single, unified platform.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxoin-unsplash-integration.gif" />Make Your Designs Interactive Once you build the static version of your prototype, you can use states to add interactive elements such as text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons.In UXPin, each element can have several states with a different set of properties and interactions. For example, you’ll be able to create a single button that has a default, hover, active and disabled state – and then switch between these states once a specific action is triggered. States also let you build complex components like drop-down menus or navigations.For each state, you can determine an alternative set of properties. In the case of a button, it could be a different fill and content. The important fact is that you’ll still have the same elements, just with various styling options.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-element-states.gif" />Import from Sketch One cool feature of UXPin is its ability to import from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sketch.com/">Sketch</a>, which is an incredibly popular design tool. It seems like the UXPin team really understands the value that other applications play in the design ecosystem, and they’ve made it easier to build meaningful connections.Importing designs from Sketch to UXPin is just a simple drag-and-drop. UXPin keeps all of your layers intact, so you can pick up exactly where you left off and turn them into fully interactive online prototypes.Easy Collaboration UXPin is a cloud-based tool that works on any operating system – so you and your teammates can collaborate in real-time. As we've already mentioned, it effectively "unites" designers and developers, even if they use Mac and Windows systems. You can even take your collaboration to the next level with in-app commenting, allowing you to tag your teammates in comments and keep them in the loop when you're working on the same prototype.You can also make the most of your collaborative design process and invite your team, stakeholders, and reviewers to work with you. It's incredibly simple to set their permissions via User Management and control what they can see and do.Preview Designs on Mobile With the UXPin Mirror app, you can effortlessly preview your prototypes on mobile devices to see how they look and behave. As you make changes in the editor, the prototype on your mobile device will update on the fly.Another nifty feature: you can download the UXPin app from <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uxpin.mirror">Google Play</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uxpin-mirror/id1446596008?ls=1&amp;mt=8">App Store</a> and see exactly how your designs look on mobile devices.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-preview.png" /><h3>Pricing</h3><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-pricing-annual.jpg" />UXPin offers two types of pricing: monthly and annual. There are four tiers:Basic Plan Get everything you’ll need for wireframing and prototyping, including animations, interactions, and states. Basic also offers:<ul><li>Version history for saving iterations of your designs and retrieving them at will.</li><li>Export function for moving your designs to PDF, PNG, and HTML.</li><li>Stakeholder approval for sharing your prototypes with your team or customers, gathering feedback, and obtaining the all-important "OK" to proceed.</li></ul><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-custom-workflows.png" /><ul><li>Comments and assignments for keeping your team and stakeholders connected around feedback and assigning specific tasks.</li><li>Password-protected views for securing your prototypes with a password.</li></ul>The Basic Plan is $24 per month but offers a discounted rate of $13 per month with an annual plan.Advanced Everything from the Basic plan, plus:<ul><li>Contextual documentation to set up guidelines or leave notes – and pin them to specific elements on your prototype.</li><li>Conditional logic for setting rules around custom interactions.</li><li>Expressions, which use Javascript to create computational components like shopping carts or validate user inputs such as emails.</li><li>Variables that dynamically update text elements, capture data from inputs, or store user preferences for later use on your prototype.</li></ul>The Advanced Plan is $39 per month. But like the Basic Plan, it offers a discounted rate of $29 per month with an annual plan.Professional Everything from the Advanced Plan, plus:<ul><li>Design systems: package your design, code, and other elements to create reusable Components and style guides.</li><li>Roles &amp; permissions: define what team members can do and what projects they have access to. Each team member has one role – “creator”, “manager”, “owner”, or “collaborator” – and you can control the state and privileges.</li><li>Priority support: get help when you need it via email, phone, or Zoom.</li><li>Advanced security: trust that anything you design is securely encrypted and fully backed-up by UXPin.</li></ul>The Professional Plan is $89 per month with a discount to $69 per month with an annual plan.Enterprise UXPin’s Enterprise plan is perfect for large organizations with dedicated design teams and product development squads. Used by Fortune 500 companies, Enterprise provides unlimited users, unlimited design systems, and advanced security – all of which allows you to facilitate the design process at scale.The Enterprise Plan has custom pricing based on the size and needs of your organization.<h3>Conclusion</h3>UXPin really earns the “UX” part of its name by focusing on the user experience. It’s the perfect blend of features for both wireframing and prototyping, and it brings team collaboration to the next level by working across platforms and operating systems. It definitely feels like an enterprise-grade product, but it’s also a solid tool for freelancers with its affordable Basic Plan.If you’re curious how UXPin stacks up against their competition, check out their “tale of the tape” comparison on their website. They proudly display how they rate against other similar platforms such as Figma, Invision, Framer, Adobe XD, Sketch, Axure, Balsamiq, Zeplin, Marvel App, and Proto.io. They even provide a <a target="_blank" href="https://get.uxpin.com/uxpin-vs-sketch/">checklist of differences</a>.One of the biggest advantages of UXPin is that it’s cloud-based. This allows users to design, prototype, and test ideas together – whenever, wherever. This is a big advantage over Sketch (for example), which only works on macOS. Someone using a Windows system can’t use Sketch, nor do they have access to files sent by other team members using it. Still, with Sketch being such a popular design tool, UXPin lets you import Sketch files and templates directly into their app – so you can get the best of both worlds.There is one con with UXPin: as a SaaS product, you’re on the hook to pay in perpetuity. With tools like Sketch, you only pay for the product once and renew when you’d like to upgrade. Your files belong to you – and aren’t locked into a third-party system. But what if you want to cancel your UXPin subscription? Well, if you want to maintain your libraries and components, you’ll need to “park your account” and keep an active profile. That costs $5 per month and only lets you preview your projects or export them. You can reactivate at any time, but it might be worth considering when you decide to sign up.If you’d like to see some examples of projects done with UXPin, they have a prototype showcase: <a target="_blank" href="https://showcase.uxpin.com/">https://showcase.uxpin.com/</a>You can also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uxpin.com/sign-up">try UXPin for free</a> for 14 days without a credit card. You’ll be limited to 2 projects, but it’s still a great way to take it for a test drive and experience it yourself as a user.<h3>About UXPin</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://www.uxpin.com/">UXPin</a> is a design platform that for building mockups and wireframes, interactive prototypes, UX document creation, and collaborating with both design and development teams. Features include variables, conditional interactions, expressions, interactive states, and a data generator integrated with Unsplash to get free stock photos directly in UXPin.Unlike in other image-based design tools, anything you create in UXPin is based on html, css and js code. Since it's the same technology developers will work with, their code will match your design perfectly.Why code-based design? Since 2010, UXPin has been on a mission to enable the best user experiences by merging design and engineering into one world of better, faster product development.

UXPin Review: Elevate Design with All-in-one Prototyping and Wireframing

Penzu is a private, 100% customizable online journal that is used by millions of people across the world. In this Penzu Review we're going to take you through the various features and functionality of the product to provide you with an overall idea of the strengths and weakness of the offering.<h2>Penzu Pricing</h2>There are three tiers of pricing for Penzu – each offering a different set of features but for the majority of people, the free offering is going to be more than enough. Here's a breakdown of the current pricing from their website.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-pricing-table_kpyp6y.png" />Penzu Pricing TableIn the grand scheme of things, if you do decide you want the full selection of features, $50 / year is pretty darn cheap so it's definitely NOT out of reach for the average person which is nice.<h2>Penzu Features</h2>Each pricing tier offers a different selection of features and while I feel that for the average user, the free option is quite extensive in it's feature set.. the Pro and Pro+ both have quite an impressive set of features as well.Here's a screenshot of the feature breakdown in each tier:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-feature-chart_rrnfsn.png" />Penzu Feature Chart<h2>Getting Started with Penzu</h2>Getting started is easy, just click the Get Started button and fill in the information required and an account will be instantly created for you.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-getting-started_zaysi3.png" />Penzu – Getting StartedOnce you've filled in the info above, you'll be taken to a wizard that has been designed to help you begin your writing experience with Penzu.The first item the wizard prompts you for is your first entry, which suggests that you write about why you are starting a journal in the first place. You can skip this if you choose using the Skip this Step link underneath the entry box.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-getting-started-wizard_zwz4mr.png" />Penzu Getting Started WizardOnce you've filled in your first entry (or clicked Skip) you'll be taken to the next screen where you can customize the font (or other options if you've purchased Pro or Pro+).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-customizing-your-entries_q6foix.png" />Penzu Customizing your EntriesNext up, you are asked if you want to change the Journal cover color and if you wish to password protect your journal.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/customizing-your-journal_tibpe7.png" />Customizing your JournalFinally, once you've finished all of your customizations (which are pretty basic in the free version) the wizard will complete and you'll be taken to the main screen of your journal.<h2>Your Penzu Journal</h2>This will be the main screen where you write all of your entries and manage your journal.There are limited options here but that's OK because Penzu was not designed to waste your time with themes, plugins and such that other tools like WordPress offer. It was designed first and foremost as a writing tool to help you gather and share your thoughts.<h2>Settings</h2>You can access basic settings (such as the few that you saw in the wizard) by clicking on the gear icon on the left.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-settings_kzu2yx.png" />Penzu Settings<h2>Using the Penzu Editor</h2>The editor is very nice and easy to use with a few interesting options. You can click on the paintbrush icon to open up a background selection tool which allows you to choose a background (if so desired).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-background-selection_cwe8i5.png" />Penzu Background SelectionYou can also choose pad styles which will change how your journal entries themselves look. For example:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-pad-styles_z98c7l.png" />Penzu Pad Styles<h2>Journal Prompts</h2>You may notice within the editor there are a number of icons you can choose from. The light bulb icon within the editor inserts a <a target="_blank" href="https://penzu.com/journal-prompts">Journal Prompt</a> which is described in the help section as:<blockquote>a simple statement designed to inspire you or offer you an idea of what to write about.</blockquote>This is an example of what a prompt looks like:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-journal-prompts_bczpw6.png" />Penzu Journal PromptsYou can switch prompts by clicking on the refresh icon (two arrows in a circle) or, if you are a Pro user, you can click Select and browse the prompts to find some inspiration. For Pro users, there are over 1,000 hand picked prompts to choose from – which is a pretty impressive amount!<h2>Penzu Time Capsule</h2>The next icon you'll see is an hour glass and activates a feature called Time Capsule. This cool feature allows you to email an entry to your future self and is a pretty neat option to have if, for instance, you set goals for yourself in your journal and want to send yourself a note 3 months down the road to see if you achieved them (for example).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-time-capsule_xvdwto.png" />Penzu Time CapsuleThere are lots of things this can be used for. You can use Penzu as a way to set reminders and notify yourself on a certain day to do something or perhaps you want to send yourself motivational content down the road. Either way, it's an interesting and handy feature.<h2>Other Editor Icons</h2>The remaining icons allow you to tag your content (pro users only), upload images, format text, view entry versions or activate Zen Mode (distraction free writing – for pro users only).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-editor-icons_dwgqnq.png" />Penzu Editor Icons<h2>Support / Help Options</h2>There are plenty of support options available which can be located by clicking on your name in the top right of the screen. Their FAQs are quite extension as is their help section and given the simplicity of the tool, there shouldn't be much support needed to use it. It is, however, nice to know it's there.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/penzu-support-help-options_u7zpvh.png" />Penzu Support &amp; Help Options<h2>Conclusion</h2>Penzu is an impressive and interesting journaling platform. I found myself drawn to the simplicity of the tool and how it removes the user from the sometimes overwhelming feature overload found in some modern tools. I like the pricing of the tool and think it's more than reasonable for the features offered and the integrated features such as Time Shift, Journal Prompts and more really add to the uniqueness of the platform.I'm giving it a 5/5 on the basis that it not only serves it's purpose as an excellent journaling platform but also because it goes one step further with thoughtful features and options that you might not even realize you need.You can learn more about Penzu or sign up for an account here: <a target="_blank" href="https://penzu.com/">Penzu Website</a>If you found this review helpful, check out our other reviews such as this: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/ghost-pro-review/">Ghost Pro review.</a>

Penzu Review

Elementary OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu that features the custom developed Pantheon desktop environment. One of the key aspects, aside from the  unique look and feel, are the custom coded apps and paid app store that are available with Elementary.  Today, we're going to take a look at the  whole picture in this Elementary OS Review.I'm not going to get into the Installation process here as it's  pretty much identical with every other Linux distro out there and there's not much to see. It worked without issue in all of my testing on multiple devices so I'm going to call it stable and solid.<h2>Elementary OS Review – The Desktop</h2>On  boot-up, we're greeted with the Elementary OS Pantheon desktop, which you can tell took inspiration from Mac OS. That's not a bad thing  however as many people are fond of the look and feel and it just works.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review-1.png" />Elementary OS Review - The Desktop (Elementary OS 5.1)<h2>Welcome Screen</h2>There is now a new welcome screen with the recent 5.1 release. It walks you through some basic options such as enabling location reporting, setting up Night Light which reduces eye strain at specific times and more.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review-01.png" />Elementary OS Review - New Welcome ScreenAlong the top we have the Applications menu on the left, the date centered in the top panel and the system tray on the right side. At the bottom, the dock where you can launch and pin apps that you use most frequently.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review-2.png" />Elementary OS Review - The Menu and Dock<h2>The Applications</h2>When it comes to the default apps, the developers tend to go with  those ones that are geared towards simplicity and minimalism. For  example, the default web browser that is installed is Epiphany.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review-8.png" />Elementary OS Review - The Web Browser (Epiphany)The issue here, however, is that this web browser simply isn't good enough by today's standards. It froze up on numerous websites I tried it on causing the whole system to lock up.While it's not a terrible web browser, it's certainly not something that's commonly used or up to par when compared to the standard Firefox  and Chrome/Chromium browsers. Sure, you can install different ones from  the app store but I think it's a waste to install something most new users are going to find less than adequate. Epiphany is not in the same league as the big boys and is likely going to not be able to correctly be able to display complex sites as well.<h2>Email</h2>Originally forked from Geary, Mail is now developed under the  Elementary banner and is slowly being rewritten to allow for more robust capabilities (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/elementaryos/comments/8a7nc0/pantheon_mailgeary/">source</a>) but it's suitable for most users.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mail.png" />Elementary OS Review - MailOther included apps are Video, Music, Files, Calendar, Terminal and  Photos to name a few. All of these are custom to Elementary OS.<h2>System Settings</h2>Taking a look at the system settings, we see there are numerous icons to help you configure your new environment:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review-3.png" />Elementary OS Review - System Settings<h2>Limited Options?</h2>While system settings do exist, the one thing that I personally dislike is the limited flexibility of the environment. The entire distro focuses too much on restricting flexibility with the pretense that it's helping users. The issue, however, is that it's not allowing new users to experience one of the best benefits to using Linux - variety and customization.An example of this is the fact that you simply cannot theme Elementary with any of the default tools without installing a third party (and unsupported) app such as <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/elementary-tweaks/elementary-tweaks">Elementary Tweaks</a>.For example; take a look at the limited selections available when you click on Desktop within System Settings.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review---10.png" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review---11.png" />Elementary OS Review - Desktop SettingsAs you can see above, you can change two toggles and the text size and that's it for appearance options.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review---9.png" />Elementary OS Review - Changing the BackgroundYou can also change the background, but that's about it.Some may disagree on this but I feel like Elementary is trying too hard to be like Apple - limiting people to very few choices because they feel that it's for the greater good of the user and that the user shouldn't have flexibility because they might break something.Part of Linux is about breaking something. In fact, breaking something is one of the only ways people learn how to do things. Look at Windows, it's breaking all the time and most of what I learned came from fixing things. Believe me, Mac OS has just as many issues so let's not assume that because things are limited, breaking won't occur but one shouldn't hold people back from discovering what their OS can do, otherwise we're just encouraging sheep to join the flock.Now that I've got that off my chest, let's continue.<h2>Additional System Settings</h2>There are a few key items here that I feel need to be pointed out, notably Parental Controls and Online Accounts.Online Accounts only provides operating system integration for FastMail, Last.fm and Email which is pretty limiting.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-os-review---12.png" />Elementary OS Review - Online AccountsParental controls are also available within Elementary OS and it's a great addition.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/parental-controls.png" />Elementary OS Review - Parental Controls<h2>AppCenter</h2>AppCenter is Elementary OS' answer to a software store. It's one of  the only one's I've seen that functions on a Pay-What-You-Want model.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/appcenter.png" />Elementary OS Review - App CenterThis has actually worked out quite well for the Elementary OS team  and there are now plenty of developers offering paid apps through the  store. You can, of course, also download free ones, not everything is  paid (just to be clear).Here's what the team had to say about the AppCenter:<blockquote>AppCenter is our built-in app store where users can download free and  paid apps that are purpose-built for elementary OS. With AppCenter we’re  doing things a bit differently from our competitors.</blockquote><blockquote>First, every  single app in AppCenter is open source because we firmly believe in the  world-changing power of freely-licensed code and open source software.  Second, all paid apps are offered with a developer-provided suggested  price, but are ultimately pay-what-you-want. Users choose what to  pay — if anything at all — when they download paid apps.</blockquote><h2>Issues I've Encountered</h2>For some reason, the recent 5.1 update seems to have caused more issues than previous releases for me. I found the system freezing up more often than prior releases.I also noticed that when I went to mirror my display to my TV via HDMI, everything scaled to twice the size and wouldn't display correctly no wonder what I tried. Furthermore, I couldn't get sound to output properly either, and finally I just gave up trying.<h2>Elementary OS Review – My Conclusions</h2>First let me state that the intent of these reviews is to cover the quick and dirty basics that a new user will experience on first use. They are not power user reviews or benchmarked ones. My goal is to give those new to the OS a general overview and some points to consider.There's not much that a new user to Linux can actually customize in Elementary OS. While they do offer easy-to-use apps and an interface that is simple and easy to use, as I mentioned,  I found it quite limiting in capabilities without replacing major apps with better and more mainstream options from the AppCenter. Epiphany seemed to do an OK job but it doesn't support extensions. It does, however, offer Firefox Sync capabilities but it's just not good enough in my opinion.I feel like the Elementary team went a bit too far in being  restrictive with the OS but at the same time, limiting things is something Apple has turned into a successful experience and given that Elementary seems to take inspiration from Apple; perhaps it's not a bad thing. I wouldn't recommend trying to use Elementary if you are like me and love customizing things because you won't be satisfied. If you want a “just works” OS and aren't concerned about this, it's a decent option.I'm giving it a 3/5 on the basis that it's a bit too limiting for new users and with the recent 5.1 update, I experienced more freeze-ups and annoyances than before. I'm basing this on what it comes with by default. Is it a great choice for the minimalist? Absolutely.I'd rather recommend something like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/ubuntu-mate-review/">Ubuntu Mate</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/mx-linux-review/">MX Linux</a>, or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/reviews/solus-review/">Solus</a>.Interested in trying it out for yourself? <a target="_blank" href="https://elementary.io/">Grab it from here</a>. What do you like about Elementary OS?

Elementary OS Review

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

As religious organisations and churches have grown and evolved, the processes involved in running them have become even more complex. Managing a church now requires a much more comprehensive approach than simply relying upon a church leader to run everything. And this is where <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.faithlife.com/?utm_source=superbwebsitebuilders&amp;utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_content=partner&amp;utm_campaign=sitesreviews">Faithlife Sites</a> comes in. Faithlife Sites wants to take all of the work involved in running a church and make it easier. Let's see how they do it with a Faithlife Sites Review.Using a church CMS, users can create and customize their church websites using a variety of automated tools designed to take the background work out of running a church so that ministers can focus on their community priorities.Let’s look at how and if Faithlife Sites CMS has accomplished this goal.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Many website builders and content management systems make the initial integration part of their service quite difficult to get on board with, but with Faithlife Sites the initial pathway is pretty straightforward. Upon signing up (for free) you’re asked for the usual basic details of name, email and phone number before continuing on to the main dashboard.  <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-05-09-at-15.png" />It’s from the dashboard that the real power of Faithlife Sites as a hub for any and all church needs is revealed. It’s seriously impressive. After you claim your church group, you’re taken to My Faithlife, which is where you can manage all aspects of a church community in one place. The transition from signup to dashboard, to actually getting started with the site design, is intuitive and well laid out.<h2>Design</h2>The website design is clean and easy to navigate. Nothing important is hidden away and there is a clear demarcation between My Faithlife, which is more of an end user part of the site, and the website/community manager sections.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-05-09-at-15-1691093724549.png" />The themes available for the site CMS are limited and there are only six in total, but they are perfectly suited for the needs of this target audience. There is also a selection of stock images that are free to use in the website builder itself.<h2>Usability and Support</h2>The support on Faithlife Sites is outstanding. They have an extensive help section which covers almost every part of the site and they are contactable via phone, email, and web chat via their help portal. There are also dozens of informative videos to talk through almost any query you could have.The usability of the site is a key part of the appeal of this CMS and you can tell that they’ve invested a lot of time researching their target demographic. Nothing in the site – from the initial sign-up and community management section, to the website builder – seems out of reach to even the most technophobic end user. The design of the site helps enormously, as it is clean, well-labelled and intuitive to the point of basic. This is a good thing, though, and I found myself getting up to speed with their system very quickly.<h2>Key Features</h2>The excellent website builder is the key selling point here. Some content management systems make website building and structuring seem like a labyrinthian process, but Faithlife Sites makes it incredibly easy. All of the pages are laid out on the side of the window in simple layers. Want to edit the home page? Just click on the home tab. Want to edit sermons or your about page? Just click on that page and then click on the piece you want to edit.The process of building a site using this CMS is incredibly simple and could be quickly picked up by almost anyone, in my opinion. The design aspects of the pages are limited but easily customisable in an intuitive way. You can also view your prospective site as it appears on a desktop screen, mobile, and pad. This is a small thing but it adds a lot of value.The community management software in Faithlife Sites is also incredibly powerful. With a minimal amount of work, you can start building an online church community that has a forum, combined calendar, group chat, and bulletin boards in easy reach that are easily controlled by a team of admins.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bulletins_gofy9g.png" />There is also an excellent structure in place for taking and processing online donations that will be extremely useful to any church group. This is easily navigated and seems reliable.<h2>Pricing</h2>Faithlife Sites pricing is scaled depending on the size of your congregation. You can set up a basic site free of charge and premium packages start from $16.67 a month (when paid annually).All packages allow users to collaborate online with unlimited team accounts, run different presentations in multiple rooms concurrently, build presentations from any computer, anywhere, get over 5,000 free church graphics, and interact with the congregation by sending alerts directly to their phones, among other features.Higher value packages include free stock imagery, pro Media library, over 16,000 motions, stills, and mini-movies from Graceway, Church Motion Graphics, Dan Stevers, FreeBridge, Igniter, and Playback.This is a competitive pricing structure that incentivizes users to get a custom domain for their church rather than sticking with the basic free package that uses a subdomain structure.<h2>Pros</h2><ul><li>Incredibly easy to use</li><li>Vast support system to help almost anyone to complete their website</li><li>Free multimedia for a professional look</li><li>Competitively priced</li><li>Powerful community management dashboard that’s easy to navigate</li></ul><h2>Cons</h2><ul><li>Getting access to the initial page can be a little confusing as you have to find your church group on a map or via search.</li></ul><h2>Final Verdict 4/5</h2>Faithlife Sites is an excellent CMS that is incredibly easy to use and I highly recommend it for any church group that wants to go online. It’s such a powerful and simple CMS that there may even be a market for it outside of the church sphere, if they ever choose to go in that direction.

Faithlife Sites Review

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