OneManShow
OneManShow (OMS) is a simple Java/XML/XSL-based, static, client-side Content Management System.
It stores projects (entire sites) in single XML files and uses an XSL stylesheet to transform a project file into something which is then processed to create XHTML files in a remote FTP directory
OneManShow is under heavy development (or would be if I had the time for it). However, it is already being used to maintain this website and my dad's. If you would like to give it a go, point your browser here. That should start OneManShow in Java Web Start.
Source will be available (and GPL'ed) soon.
Why another CMS?
Because my dad wanted me to do his website. He wanted to maintain it himself, but wasn't likely to become an HTML-pro anytime soon, so he needed a CMS. No CMS I could find fit the bill, so I had to build one from scratch.
Why static and client-side?
Because he insisted on keeping his web hosting contract which is just static webspace. *sigh*
Why Java, XML and XSL?
Java, because that's what I'm fairly proficient at, because I'm using Linux and he's using Windows, and because it's SOTA.
XML for configuration, because it's convenient. XML as a data format, because that makes sense for XHTML-related data, and XSL, because it's relatively easy to write stylesheets that transform custom XML documents into pretty, standards-conformant XHTML documents.
Why should anyone else be interested in OneManShow?
I didn't find any static, client-side, general-purpose CMS when I set out to do my dad's website. The concept itself is certainly contrary to the current Web 2.0 development on the internet today and thus doesn't get a lot of attention. However, you may be tempted to use one, if you
- are the only maintainer of some website.
- don't need dynamic content
- are concerned with the security issues involved with dynamic content
- like the fact that even the smallest webserver can serve out static content fast like lightning
granted, those aren't very convincing reasons for many people, but they might be for some.