[TABLE] [TR] [TD="align: left"]I like using HTML to build my websites from scratch because I like full control of my website when designing. Word press is OK but I feel that I am limited when I am trying to put my ideas on the site. Does anyone else feel this way? [/TD] [TD="align: right"][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
I like building from scratch with my own code, but I generally prefer to use server side generation with PHP driven by a mysql database. There is no value in writing a lot of code, when you can automate the process and generate. In effect you can use your own templates with 100% flexibility, and you can build new sites and maintain what you already have, just a quickly as if you were using templates, and without the hassle of trying to modify someone else's code.
People moved on to CMS not because they didnt want control over their website, but because they got hundreds of page to manage. Sure, with a self coded HTML site you get a complete control over pages, but what if you have hundreds of them ? Suppose, you have some inevitable change in the title tag that you must do, would you change it separately in every page ? This is where CMS comes in. And even with CMS like wordpress, you still have a complete control over your website with the help of modules. I cannot think of anything you cannot do with CMS but can do with HTML.
If u have a big site and u make posts all the time u need wordpress or another cms . If u want a small site and u dont post anything in there u can make your own html site . It deepends on the situation . A better idea is to make your own wordpress theme and the control is maximal . There are diferent php frameworks out there .
It all depends on what you need. If you are going to design a static, information page and want the full control on the layout, theme, design.. then started from scratch using HTML may be suited you. Personally, seldom i will create html from scratch, but I will start will wordpress, at least I know the backend is ready and expandable, and I only need to concentrate in frontend touch up.
I spend a lot of time on a lot of tech Q and A sites. One of the most common problems is someone trying to make changes in a theme from a CMS without breaking the theme. They spend 2 or 3 days digging around trying to make a change that should take 30 seconds because they do not understand the code. A custom solution using server side generation from a db is a custom CMS without all the bloat an obfuscation that makes maintenance difficult. If you want to use an off the shelf CMS it is a mistake unless you have the coding skills to maintain it. If you can't code, a CMS is not a solution. You either need to learn to code, or you need to hire someone to do the work for you.
I fully agree with you. Using any templates you always tied with ideas on them. I think it's always better to build your website from scratch using your own ideas and graphics but on other hand such environments like wordpress will give you more functionality and less efforts in creating that functionality by yourself. So maybe I will try wordpress and I will see it is useful to build good website.
I built a cms that worked really wel, but I learned very quickly that having a pre-built cms can sometimes be really sweet. Think about the effort that it takes to build a well-built survey, and then imagine all of that already done for you.
You have got the same idea as me. I don't mind using software's for building big websites like Wordpress and Joomla, but for a small project that you want a lot of control over you need to code it from scratch. You learn a lot more doing it that way too.
HTML is just meta data for the browser. A CMS is server intensive and need to be done using a database and a flexible scripting language like PHP. The whole point of doing a CMS is to avoid having to do a lot of client side coding. There is nothing wrong with using off the shelf stuff an integrating it into your site. As long as you have some coding skills you will be able understand the imported code, and be able to bend it to meet your requirements. The problem comes when a novice without coding skills uses the third party stuff, and then can't do anything with it to extend the functionality. They either end up with a boring cookie cutter site, or turn it into a real disaster zone.