Chris G wrote:
I've been around this loop before and not really got anywhere but still there's no harm in asking.
Is there anything as simple and straightforward as Wordpress for creating web sites that *isn't* a blogging platform? There are many much more heavyweight CMS/Portal systems such as Drupal and Joomla but there really doesn't seem to be a site creation application as simple to use as Wordpress.
I'm not acquainted with Wordpress, so I can't compare. It depends on what you mean by 'simple and straightforward' - I use a text program, and there's nothing so simple and straightforward as that.
However, I guess you mean 'effortless' or WYSIWYG, the second of which I have not much experience of. The odd page I've made by conversion in Open Office has been acceptable, and if you have a windows box or emulator, Dreamweaver seems OK and doesn't make bloated pages - indeed, I think both Open Office and Dreamweaver render to XML.
I *can* use Wordpress to create a site which isn't fundamentally a blog by turning off loads of options and using its static 'pages' but it somehow seems silly to turn off so much of what it's intended to do.
I have to admit that I've never visited a blog, so have only a hazy idea of what one is, but if Wordpress will do what you want, there's no point in discarding it in favour of something less versatile on the grounds that you can't bear not to use all the available bells and whistles. You never know, you might want lo ring one one day, or have a brief blast. (Just so long as it's not on a vuvuwossname...)
I already have ways to create utilitarian web pages from restructured text and that's fine for 'own use' internal web pages but I'm looking for something just a bit more sophisticated between that and a full-blown CMS.
Sophisticated? You mean 'Oooh, *SHINY!* ? My experience is that it's content which matters, and while presentation is important, gizmos tend to be quickly forgotten - unless as often happens, they hooter-up the works.
My three pennorth.