In recent times, the CMS market has been flooded with numerous products that pretty much do the same thing, give or take a few capabilities. Though all aim to simplify the time consuming challenges that come along with managing web content, ease of use is never guaranteed with such robust and complex software applications. Most CMS products are marketed as user-friendly, but Firerift is one that actually lives up to those claims.
Three years in the making, Firerift is a much improved reincarnation of a PHP-based CMS formerly known as Cobalt. The software boasts a clean and well designed interface with great features that look good beside some of the most revered commercial products. Below is a brief rundown on what Firerift has to offer:
Intuitive Core Technologies
Firerift is a truly a unique CMS, a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) server solution that serves up content in the increasingly popular JSON format. It also runs on the Titan framework, which interacts with JSON on behalf of the user to return the content in JavaScript or CSS. This makes creating a website simple for the less experienced, allowing you to literally create everything in CSS and HTML without writing a single line of Javascript or PHP.
Independent Template System
Unlike many other CMS products, Firerift does not limit its users to default templates. Instead, the software provides you with the freedom to design and develop the site how you want with no restrictions and limitations in regard to the layout. Firerift is a true CMS in the sense that it effectively manages your website and leaves the design aspects in your hands.
Perfect for Blogging
The blog engine built into Firerift makes it an ideal platform for blogging. Some of the most notable features the engine offers include full screen editing, quick preview, quick linking and a CAPTCHA system to protect your comment section from spam. If you already have a blog, Firerift makes it simple to import your content from popular blogging platforms such as WordPress or Blogger. You don’t have to worry about copying and pasting your blog posts as this CMS enables you to complete the switch with automated simplicity.
Extensive Multimedia Support
Firerift allows you to create vibrant galleries that contain either images, videos or both. It also allows you to easily incorporate code to add content from popular communities such as YouTube and MySpace into your galleries. Multimedia content can be edited and customized to your liking and even tagged with built-in support for Geotag.
System Requirements and Availability
Firerift certainly appears to be a worthy competitor on the commercial CMS market but there are some drawbacks. For example, the product only partially supports Internet Explorer, which is the most widely used web browser available. It fully supports Opera and Chrome but requires Adobe Flash to work efficiently on Safari and FireFox. Firerift requires a platform equipped with PHP 4.3.2 or higher, MySQL 4.1 or higher and the GD 2 library. The product is currently available for $49.00 and comes with free upgrades.
