Tux CMS

As CMSes go, Tux CMS isn't a wimp. Even though it's still young, it's got a lot of big boy features, more of which are being added daily in our very active Subversion repository. Time to talk about a few of them, which, used in tandem, provides an interesting new look at uses of Tux CMS: a notification system, a global preference system, dynamic URL structuring, and dynamic posts, pages, and blocks. Not only that, but soon to come are a highly-extensible administration utility, and a Core and Module installation framework. Used together, you not only have a powerful CMS, but also an appealing application platform.

All of the above listed features of Tux CMS are module-accessible. Theoretically, therefore, it is possible to create an entire web application, capable of doing very sophisticated (or perhaps just very specialized) tasks that only the most content-specific CMSes are capable of handling, built on top of Tux CMS, and fully integrated into its UI.

Modules are free to create new database tables at will, so any new types of content can be managed there. Application-specifc settings can be handled via the Tux Preference System-- Tux CMS itself uses the preference system for all of its configuration, so it should be powerful enough for most applications. Notifications represent an innovative way of getting in touch with users and site administrators, one that both Tux CMS and any additional applications can tap into, and an on-the-fly dymanic URL scheme makes it very easy for applications to create syntaxes to fit their needs. But the real power comes with the addition of dynamic posts and pages.

With this new feature, applications can first make database queries, and then format their output, which will then be displayed directly in a Tux CMS page, as if it had been written by the user, providing an unparallelled level of user interface integration. Couple that with complete UI integration on the admin side, and you just might have something worth looking at. 

Hey everyone, just thought I'd let you know I just created a mailing list for anyone who's interested in testing and then providing feedback on Tux CMS. The list is (coincidentally enough) available for posting at tux.testers@blogwithtux.org. Interested? You can signup for the list!

The Tux CMS project is very pleased to announce its first official public release, version 0.1 (codenamed "Kickstart" ). This PHP content management system, in development for over two years, provides a wide array of features, strong support for current web standards, and an easy-to-use administrator interface.

This 0.1 release marks the beginning of what we hope to be a long line of Tux CMS releases. Although the project is still in its relative infancy, it is already quite robust, and has a feature set comparable to that of some of the early releases of WordPress 2 (http://www.wordpress.org). From small- to medium-sized personal blogs and websites, to large corporate websites, Tux CMS can handle whatever you can dish out.

For more information on Tux CMS, visit the Tux CMS website at http://blogwithtux.org. You can download this release from the Tux CMS download page, http://blogwithtux.org/download, or from the SourceForge File Release System.

Keep a lookout for future developments in the Tux CMS project, there are bound to be some good ones!

Well, as I move to fix yet another stupid mistake on my part , Tux CMS 0.1 RC3 has just gone live, and it seems to be the most stable candidate yet.

With any luck, I should be making a final release of 0.1 within the next week or so. Keep your fingers crossed, and enjoy! 

A number of popular open source web applications (among them Drupal, Typo, and phpMyAdmin) have recently joined a new effort, GoPHP5, which aims to set the date of death for PHP 4 support at February 5th, 2008. Tux CMS is now joining this initiative.

As of February 5th, 2008 (I know, a long way off, but hey, it's still a goal), Tux CMS will no longer pay any regard to compatibility with PHP 4, and will begin to accept PHP 5-only features into the codebase. The minimum required version for Tux CMS will become 5.2.

It's exciting people, clap!