It's been a while since I've posted to this blog, and there's really no excuse I can give except this: I got bored.  Of course, there was plenty of work to be done, but I really just got tired of DotNetNuke.  My solution to break free from this crushing boredom?  Switch platforms!

I'd been toying around with the idea of learning a new framework, and I really thought that I wouldn't want anything else until there was a legitimate CMS built on top of Microsoft's MVC platform.  While I still believe that MVC will be the future of Microsoft's web stack (sorry WebForms!), I finally faced up to the fact that there won't be a mature contender in that category for a bit longer.  So, my other options?

Umbraco

I had really liked the concepts behind Umbraco when I tested it out a few years ago, but it was far from perfect and lacked much of the drop-in functionality of DNN.  It's still not perfect, but two years of dealing with DNN's obvious design deficiencies finally got the best of me.  After giving it a few days of solid examination, I'm sold.  Unless I have a compelling reason to use DotNetNuke, Umbraco will be my new framework of choice.

Drupal

I recently built a site for a local political candidate in Drupal.  They had already purchased hosting and instead of trying to get the money refunded, I decided to see why it was so popular.  It turns out, Drupal is a lot of fun to design for, giving you as much freedom as Umbraco.  The administration terminology took a little time to get used to, but with the right modules, it's easy to use.

WordPress

I've also had the opportunity to build two sites in WordPress, and I am constantly amazed at the level of thought given to the user experience.  I don't use the words 'stupid simple' often, but WordPress is the yardstick I would measure that concept by.  You'd think something as simple as a feedback form would be installed by default, and getting a backup script installed took a little shoehorning.  Overall, though, I have trouble recommending anything else to someone just looking to turn a key and blog.