I still maintain a few static HTML web site for some commercial customers. They are simple to maintain, good for “look and read” web pages. They also run the quickest as nothing is built “on the fly” like a Content Management Systems (CMS) web site.
All my personal websites are now running in CMS and are what is called “dynamic” web sites. They all require the use of a database server as well as the main webpages. The CMS systems are hugely complex and could never be built without the use of a dedicated teams maintaining the literally tens of thousands of files (software) that create the background operational system.
Thankfully there are many freeware (no cost) systems available to webmasters like me. One of the best known and therefore moist popular is called WordPress. I have a lot of sites (including this one) using this system. Its popularity and open software availability makes it a huge target for hackers.
All such freeware is and will always be targets for the kiddie hackers. So it is a continuous “cat and mouse” game of break and fix.
I have gone to two other freeware CMS systems. One is called Joomla and the other is Drupal. I am competent using all three. I have mentioned them in order of ease of use.
All these CMS systems are constantly probed for weakness so they all constantly receive upgrades and improvements. All three are very feature rich for site developer’s use. Follow the hyperlinks to see all the features.
I just finished converting a WordPress site to both a Drupal and a Joomla CMS. Probably 40 hours work on each version. My old WordPress site was hacked and had some broken plugins that quit working together.
I like the Joomla version the most, so my DimensionalArt.org site is now operating in the Joomla CMS. It firmly holds the middle ground in ease of use. I spent the time creating the two additional CMS system versions as a learning experience, and so that I could compare. It is difficult to maintain competence in three CMS systems, so it requires some effort to keep my skill.
It also gives me the credentials to make my personal opinions public in an article such as this.
All three systems are capable tools. My current favorite is Joomla as it has a great support system and many features. Drupal is the most difficult as its on-line support is very fragmented and intended for the very experienced. WordPress is probably the easiest to use and is extremely well supported.
I will continue with all three, just because I enjoy the challenge and the learning pains.