Design a Simple 1-Man CMS

Trying to make a simple CMS is not so simple. The urge is always there to produce a CMS which can do “everything” because of the risk of producing a CMS which is “too simple” and just can’t do some things. In fact, I want to produce a CMS Framework which CAN do “everything” BUT by clever use of defaults CAN ALSO be simple.

But what is “everything”? What types of websites are there out there? Can we list the main types of site which differ fundamentaly? I’ve tried to formulate a list leaving off sites which obviously require server side scripting (dynamic sites) such as forums, online stores etc.

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Directories
• News Platforms
• Portal
• Projects

I’m sure there are other types but I can’t think of any and there seems to be no other such lists on the web - at least I can’t find any.

A Wiki, in the classical sense, will not be possible with a static CMS because it require collaboration from multiple users. However a single user could create a Wiki for a private or publich Knowledge Base where he/she really is the only author.

Now I need to start thinking about what sort of CMS Framework would support all (or most) of the different types of sites.