I have looked at and reviewed quite a few CMS systems. The ones that stood
out to me are Zope/plone (python), Xoops (PHP), Drupal (PHP), and Bricolage (Perl).
I have installed and used all but Bricolage (more on that later). All the systems
have their advantages and drawbacks. And a lot depends on what you want to
do with the CMS.
I found that PostNuke's code was a mess. I would not recommend using it. It
has also had quite a few security issues in the past.
Zope/plone:
Strengths:
- Very easy installation
- Cross platform (windows, *nix, mac)
- Built-in Database & webserver
- Many add-ons available (called Products in Zopese)
- Large developer community
- One of the few OSS CMS systems with a real industrial-strength workflow engine.
Weaknesses:
-
Zope w/plone has a rather steep learning curve for admins.
- It has a steep learning curve for programmers creating new add-ons (Products).
Drupal:
Strengths:
- Well designed code makes it easy to modify/create add-ons(and run fast too).
- Has strong syndication features (RSS , Blogger API, etc.)
- Theme (templating) system is easy to use and well designed.
- Admin interface is fairly easy to use.
- Taxonomy metadata system is unique
- Well documented on its web site (drupal.org).
Weaknesses:
-
Smaller development community.
- Installation requires manual setup of the database.
Xoops:
Strengths:
- Many add-ons available.
- Has strong developer community.
- Admin interface is very easy to use.
- Easy web based installation.
Weaknesses:
-
Documentation sometimes spotty.
- Many add-ons are of varying quality.
- Engine makes pure CSS layouts difficult (lots of tables built-into
core layout).
- Somewhat weak workflow engine.
Bricolage: I have not run bricolage (I have installed and
run all the others) due to its strict requirement for Postgres. So
take these comments with a grain of salt they are based on using demos for
a short period of time.
Strengths:
- Very well designed workflow engine (created to run Salon.com).
- Its in Perl :-)
- Admin interface is fairly easy to use.
- Templating system is switchable (currently HTML::Template or Mason).
- Proven performer in the industry (Salon.com, Macworld.com, etc.)
- Well documented.
Weaknesses:
-
Very specific requirements (requires Postgres DB).
- Installation can be prickly (requires many Perl modules, no binary pre-compiled
packages, other specific dependancies)
Another option for you may be Callisto. It uses AxKit (Perl, XSL) underneath but is designed to be entirely wysiwyg.
UPDATE: Added links.