Open Source for the Enterprise

Appendix E. Web Publishing and Content Management

Software for web publishing and content management is probably the most active area of open source use and development. The simple concept of a web site has taken on so many forms. Portals, intranets, extranets, knowledge hubs, and brochureware are examples of the sort of sites that are built with software for web publishing and content management. This explosion of solutions based on distributing information through web sites means that software for web publishing and content management applies to a greater variety of situations than any other type of open source.

For the most part, web publishing and content management are no longer optional capabilities for most companies. Many of the solutions we mention in this appendix are must-have items. The brochureware used for marketing in 1996 meant that a company was on the cutting edge. Now it is just another cost of doing business. Supporting web site creation and maintenance as efficiently and inexpensively as possible is an important task in almost every organization, and is one of the largest opportunities for open source to create value. One of the most popular projects for which open source is frequently considered is consolidation of the heterogeneous mixture of web publishing and content management systems onto a common platform.

In this appendix, we will review the most promising open source projects and explain how mature they are and for what solutions they are best suited. ...