Overview:

E107 is a content management system that can be used to a run any small to decently sized website. Unlike systems such as Wordpress or Geeklog, E107 is meant for a generic website; not large corporate sites or small blogging systems. It can be used for anything. This can include blogs, news sites, portals, or just about anything else.

Advantages:

E107 was a breeze to install. The only thing that compares to the ease of installation was Wordpress; and even then, Wordpress barely beats E107. It comes with a decent default style and installation look, so no customization is needed if not wanted, though it is readily available. The main advantage I noticed with the E107 content management system was the admin panel administration system with it’s various backend features. It reminded me of Mambo; similar features like that of Mambo and Joomla were present, but they were simplified. It was easier to use than Mambo on the admin side. It also has an easy to use news system and RSS integration, as well as valid XHTML.

Disadvantages:

While the E107 package may be easy on the admin end, it is somewhere in middle ground when it comes to template customization. It all depends on your taste, I suppose. Also, while they have a growing support base, they are somewhat new and still growing. Because of this, support and commercial modifications and templates may not be readily available. As a whole the E107 system is good, but is also still developing from it’s infant stages.

Best Uses:

E107 is a very general CMS. In it’s nature and purpose, it can be used for whatever you’d like. It manages content - that is the only restriction. However, by design E107 fits more as a stand-alone website. It can have static content like most content management systems, but likewise you can have pages that update periodically. So to summarize, it isn’t made for a blog, but it could work as such. You choose it’s use.

Platform:

E107 simply requires web hosting, PHP, and MySQL. Apache is also recommended, but not always necessary.

Templates and Modifications:

Templates and modifications are a rather hard thing to rate on a scale as it widely depends on personal opinion. They have a good range of hacks and modifications, but they’re a little skimpy on the themes and templates. Most are crude and not professional looking, though you likely could hire someone to skin a unique one for you, or you could customize an existing one yourself. The ones I saw personally weren’t too colorful, and all I found were 100% width.