CushyCMS - Take the work out of managing content

I’m researching what might be the best approach for creating a web page for a client with some limitations (i.e. html only hosting). Probably the most fantastic approach I’ve found so far is CushyCMS CushyCMS lets you define editable areas in your plain HTML then lets your client edit a page’s content without touching the page itself.

It’s similar to Adobe Dreamweaver or Contribute’s template functions, where users can only edit the sections you define as editable. Unlike Dreamweaver though, it’s cross-platform, and doesn’t have a $400 price tag. An extra bonus is that the client doesn’t have to buy it either. I’ve also looked at a number of similar programs - Rapidweaver, iWeb, Frontpage (and its progeny Expression Studio), and they all have the same fatal flaw in this case, I work on Linux and Apple, and the client works on Windows. So I could create the site, but there’d be no easy way for them to edit it without learning to get around a HTML editor, or letting them touch it in Dreamweaver. I’ve also looked at creating a CMS for them - but their hosting is HTML only. Really, CushyCMS is the closest I’ve come to a solution that keeps it simple, while giving me the options I need.

Of course there are downsides. The client has to use a third party site to edit their pages - which to some people might not be as ‘professional’ as they’d like. The system also relies on the uptime of CushyCMS - if it goes down when a client wants to update - there’d be nothing I could do about it. Another restriction (although the creators say it’s a design choice for now) is that a client could not create a new page themselves on the fly. Creating a new page requires uploading a new one and setting it up for editing by the client. It’s an easy task, but not fantastic for quick site changes.

All in all though, it looks good. And it’s made by an Australian company

• Stateless Systems, creators of Bugmenot, Retailmenot, and a few other sites - which gets it bonus points. It’s free at the moment. In future they might offer paid plans - and I might even pay a bit extra to put my branding on it, or host a version on my own site.