Real CMS vs. Source Control

[wbrisett]

I'm wondering if anybody else laments the lack of a real content management system options vs. source control options? While the current crop of source control tools is OK, but once you use a real content management system, it's really hard to see how a source control system can replace it with 50 writers scattered throughout the world working on different and common projects.

I keep hoping that Madcap partners with some content management system vendor to at least offer some option.

Wayne

[RamonS]

What systems do you propose should be supported? WordPress? Joomla? Drupal? And what specifically do you want as features that make Flare a true client to a CMS?

I like the idea and see a lot of benefit from it. Did you already submit an enhancement request for this?

[wbrisett]

Pick your poison as far as CMS systems go. The real key is what is needed is individual locking/checking-out/versioning of files. In our case, it's essential that multiple people be able to access, use, and share files among projects. A code management system/source control really lacks some of the essential things when we're dealing with a topic-based environment.

But, I have spoken with MadCap about this on multiple occasions, but since they are still a small player in the market, I don't see CMS companies jumping out trying to integrate Flare into their tools. FrameMaker being the old warhorse in tech pubs has a few systems that have integrated with it, as has some with DITA, but since Flare's implementation is XHTML and very specific I would think MadCap would have to initiate the integration with a CMS company.

Wayne

[RamonS]

I think the interest is based on how many more sales such an effort brings. I've been asking them to support ODF for years now and that didn't happen either.
I am not quite sure that I understand why using a CMS is the solution to file contention. If 20 people work on the same ToC file you end up with issues unless the source control / content management system has a decent merge tool. I further think that CMS is more geared towards content (as the name says), so while crafting help you are working on sources rather than manage the actual content (would be the output of Flare).