Front Page looks....ideas?

[Swordfish]

The front page of the Coranto webpage has to be more like a commercial for the program. Is anybody up to the task of writing a text that will "sell" Coranto to people whom visits this page. We also need something that will catch some attention from the get go so that people will read on.

Please post some suggestions here.

[Dale Ray]

Coranto is a flexible content management script that can be integrated in almost any web site - small or large. Coranto is a server side script written in Perl that enables you to manage content on your web site from any web browser.

Features:

* Flat file database - no need for MySql or other database
* Small server footprint - about 300 Kb
* Allows multiple users - and user levels
* Works with and alongside other web technologies (server side includes, php, javascript, etc.)
* Can generate dynamic content, static content, or a combination of both
* Integrates into your site design - does not dictate the look of your site through rigid templates
* You can manage your site content from any computer with a modern graphical browser and internet access
* Custom features can be added with the built-in addon system
* Numerous addons are already available to extend functionality

Requirements

* UNIX, LINUX, or Windows server
* Perl 5 or better - A web host supporting CGI scripts.
* FTP access to your site (for installation)
* The ability to set permissions on your sites files (chmod on UNIX or LINUX)

[Jackanape]

At first glance I realize something's missing:

We need to concentrate on the Open Source, and FREE aspects, too. I actually see no mention of it anywhere.

When a new user comes, it needs to grab 'em like Sword says, but it needs to Hook 'em with the Open-source free angle...

[Dale Ray]

Coranto is a flexible content management script that can be integrated in almost any web site - small or large. Coranto is a server side script written in Perl that enables you to manage content on your web site from any web browser. Coranto is an Open Source project that is free to use.

Features:

* Free
* Flat file database - no need for MySql or other database
* Small server footprint - about 300 Kb
* Allows multiple users - and user levels
* Works with and alongside other web technologies (server side includes, php, javascript, etc.)
* Can generate dynamic content, static content, or a combination of both
* Integrates into your site design - does not dictate the look of your site through rigid templates
* You can manage your site content from any computer with a modern graphical browser and internet access
* Custom features can be added with the built-in addon system
* Numerous addons are already available to extend functionality

Requirements

* UNIX, LINUX, or Windows server
* Perl 5 or better - A web host supporting CGI scripts.
* FTP access to your site (for installation)
* The ability to set permissions on your sites files (chmod on UNIX or LINUX)

Added FREE

[Stoneage]

The features list sounds great! To this list please consider some of these features:

* Full CSS support - all document styles and positioning can be controlled through CSS
* HTML-compliant code - no <font> tags and other outdated code
* Search engine-friendly pages - when output to a static html template
* Easy installation (well... at least I think it is easy)

The full CSS support and compliant code are big features, in my opinion.

Another complaint I hear often from other web developers is that some of the CMSs out there offer too many options to the person performing the site updates. For example, many developers don't want the user to have the option of changing font colors, type styles, and sizes. Maybe this would be called:
"Simplified user interface - Allow only the content to be edited, not the styling."

-----------------
Deborah

[Swordfish]

I think the list that Dale posted was sufficient. It's just suppose to be a teaser that will hook people in general, and I think that CSS compliant goes without saying. But I could be wrong...

Take a look at the testsite too see how I have put things together so far.

(the testsite is a work in progress...it WILL look strange from time to time...)

[Jackanape]

I have cobbled together some of the changes we discussed, and refined some of the code, they are here:

http://coranto.org/testsite/homepage.html

[SrNupsen]

<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="[an error occurred while processing this directive]">

I guess this isn't meant to be...

[Swordfish]

How observant No, but I havent gotten as far as doing everything yet...patience my friend, patience.

EDIT: I've changed the /testsite folder too suit our new setup.

[SrNupsen]

No, but I havent gotten as far as doing everything yet...patience my friend, patience.

It's always hard to tell which errors are intentional

[SrNupsen]

Couple of thoughts on the front page (and/or site in whole):

- How about a "Last topics in forum" thing for the third box on the right side of the new front page?

- One thing I missed at the old site was the possibility to subscribe to new posts in the forums as a RSS feed. Should be useful for us forum junkies.