Upgrade for Key Jay Compound

Key Jay Compound will be going under a major upgrade really soon. With the recent opening of the front page for Key Jay Compound Comix, it has always been my goal to improve the way KJC (Key Jay Compound) is administrated. Certain procedures like upgrades and article publishing currently take a little too much work than desired and was programmed in my opinion, in a way that was pretty messy; I believe it could be smoother and cleaner. Earlier in the year, I was working on the new backend for the website, but then realized that based on the many CMS solutions that already exist, it’d be easier and faster to just use those, also considering my focus is not really the technical design aspects of the site, rather the content itself. I could get lost in a void, talking about how it’s not truly this or that if you use other third party solutions, or that it’s not a “true” website as it focuses on “site by click” solution, etc. etc. etc. While some of this is true, in the end, what do you really care about? Being a developer, or a content publisher?

So I’ve been looking into different solutions and think I might be settling on Drupal right now. I’ve played with and test many different CMS solutions up until this point: Silverstripe, Plone 4, Textpattern, Typo3, Contao, Phire, Umbraco, and many others, but as a complete package, Drupal is providing everything I need and then some. For me, I needed something with:
1. An active community
2. Clear and focused documentation or tutorial videos
3. Front AND Backend User Administration (with Banning)
4. Multi Template based or current script mapped interface
5. PHP Compliant that does not need anything weird installed directly to the server (Like some of the stuff from Zend)
6. Works with shared hosts
7. Easily expandable, or has a myriad of solutions available that can give me what I want.
8. (This is stupid but you’d be surprised) Can read an external XML file from within Flash documents.
9. Front end and backend is visually appealing
10. Templates aren’t bound to a set structure (THIS WAS ANNOYING)

While most of the solutions above where great, they each lacked there own specific function from this list. Drupal doesn’t comply with everything on this list either, but in it’s scope, doesn’t seem that difficult to get it to comply, also consider the number one thing on this list is present: an active community.

The new site update will become the backbone support for both the KJC website, as well as the upcoming KJCC Website. Also with these updates, I will be managing my client service request system a lot better. Interested clients will no longer have to keep and/or memorize a long service ID number; rather they will be able to create a user name and password instead! That personally I’m exited for. Other new features are in the works, but check back here as new information develops!