CMSimple vs. Website Baker: From a newbies point of view

Let me start by saying this blog’s intention is to compare the two CMS tools mentioned above from a perspective of someone who has very little experience with Content Management Systems. I know that as more and more people learn of the control CMS programs provide, the more they are going to ask for them. That being said, I started with two of the more simpler CMS systems to get my feet wet. I found like most things, the more I used the programs the easier they got. Don't get me wrong,  it was initially painful for both programs. I was using XAMPP as my test server on both Mac and Windows, just to step the pain factor up a notch which I'll later discuss.

CMSimple

CMSimple was my first experience with Content Management Systems (CMS's) and I must say it took a little getting used two. Once I understood the file structure, it was not real difficult to use. The installation was pretty straight forward. However, I did run into a problem trying to run the program on my thumb drive using XAMPP Lite and the host computers copy of  XAMPP.  I found it best to use the host computer's XAMPP for a test server. Another thought, I must say I was not very fond of the built-in file editor (seen below) and did most my editing outside the program using Dreamweaver. I know this may not have been the best way to utilize the programs content management tools but I was limited on time. On a positive note, the system has a  pretty good automated back-up that will automatically save dated copies of the content in the content folder. I attempted to find how the backup worked but could not find any detailed documentation on CMSimple's website.  Speaking of CMSimple's website , I did not find it very pleasing to the eye. It had quit a bit of information but it seemed to be a difficult read (very narrow). Overall the program was not real difficult to learn (for even newbie me) and it has some pretty neat add-ons, my favorite being the YouTube add-on.  Its simple as its name implies and I would recommend it for basic websites that may need to be occasionally updated by one or two people.

Website Baker

Website Baker was the second program I took for a test run and had problems from the start.  Initially I started out on a MAC and had issues with permissions of the config.php and other essential files. After a period I switched over to Windows 7 and the permissions issue went away. WB being a database driven website required a database to be created using your server prior to the installation. Once the installation is complete your required to remove the install file. Something to note is I had problem loading the program on my webserver host Fatcow and after some investigation found the issue can be fixed by Fatcow tech support. In order to run WB on using Fatcow web host, Fatcow tech support will have to make some  changes with the way it handles php sessions for your account. Once the installation is complete, your ready to start making pages and adding content which I found to be pretty easy.  WB comes with a better editor than CMSimple  and you can also add others if you desire. I really struggled with CSS side of WB and found it more complex then CMSimple. As far backing up WB its just matter of exporting and importing a copy of the data base. Its not automated as far as I can tell but its not real difficult.  I found WB's website easier to follow in regards to to how-to do things and ease of reading. Also if your porting a design into Baker, they have pretty good example to follow.

Now for the big question, which CMS software would I recommend?  Based on the simplicity and the fewer problems I had, I would have to go with CMSimple. Keep in mind that is coming from a rookie CMS user and given more time to get know both software, that could change.  I do intend to get better acquainted with both because I feel I only scratched the surface of both programs capabilities and available add-on's.