MediaCore: Open Source Media Publishing Platform

MediaCore is an open source platform for publishing audio, video & podcasts which makes distributing media on any website so easy.

The platform supports many media formats like FLV, M4A or MP3 which can also be played via the integrated FlowPlayer.

It can pull media from any source (Youtube, Vimeo, Google Video, etc.) & a site-owner can publish media from the administrative interface or let users create the content via the upload interface.
MediaCore has RSS feed support for iTunes & Feedburner.

It can display the page views, comments or how many viewers “liked” a video to th eend users like Youtube.
And, a powerful admin panel helps controllingall the system from managing media to approving comments & much more.

The application is built with the TurboGears Python Framework and MooTools Javascript Framework.

Requirements: Python 2.5+, MySQL 5.0+
Website: http://getmediacohttp://getmediacore.com/re.com/
Demo: http://getmediacore.com/demo
Download: http://getmediacore.com/download

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Open Source Digital Asset Manager: Razuna

It generally becomes a problem for creative agencies to manage the project files (designs, mockups, contracts, etc.) created within years.

Razuna is an open source application for storing, categorizing & sharing digital assets easily.
It can manage files in every format (Word, Excel, PDF, images in all formats, videos, etc.).
The application has an advanced search & categorization system for locating the files quickly.

Razuna has an open API for integrating it with 3rd party softwares (there is a plugin for Wordpress integration), using data stored in websites, etc.

It is a multilingual application that also has an Adobe AIR-based desktop tool besides the web interface.
Razuna is totally based on open standards (J2EE/CFML/SQL/XML).

Requirements: Tomcat J2EE Server
Website: http://www.razuna.org/
Download: http://www.razuna.org/download
Via: http://twit88.com/blog/2010/01/24/open-source-digita...

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Tiny Content Management System: OneFileCMS

OneFileCMS is, just like it sounds, is a tiny content management system which is formed of one file (20.4kb).

It is a database-less PHP script that enables you to view/edit/delete/upload files & folders very quickly.

OneFileCMS is very ideal for anyone who updates their websites by editing the source of the files directly.
It is also a backend for anyone without the need of a FTP connection.

The application has a validated, semantic & commented markup. It is unobtrusive & can be re-branded with ease.

Requirements: Unix/Linux host/Apache, PHP5
Compatibility: All Major Browsers
Website: http://onefilecms.com/
Demo: http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/details.php?scr...
Download: http://onefilecms.com/download.php

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Free PHP User Management System: UserCake

Every web application that works member-based needs a functionality where visitors can register & manage their profiles.

UserCake is a free user management system, built with PHP/MySQL, which aims to be a foundation to ease creating the application.

UserCake is object-oriented, cleanly written, well commented, formatted & documented.

It offers the following functions:

• Login
• Register
• Lost password
• Update password
• Update user details
• Email templates (optional)
• Account activation (optional)
• User groups (Basic, id – group_name)

The system comes with frequently used member-page functions like isUserLoggedIn() or isGroupMember($id) which will help developing faster.

And, in means of security, UserCake uses salt along with a SHA1 hash.

Requirements: PHP 5+ & MYSQL or MYSQLi
Website: http://usercake.com/
Download: http://usercake.com/download.php

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9 Open Source Microblogging Applications

Microblogging, with the wide usage of Twitter, is a hot subject in today’s web.
Using few words & spending less effort compared to the standard blogging, it becomes possible to share knowledge, feelings, etc. And, it keeps users connected to other users with the simple yet powerful community features.

While there are very popular microblogging services like Twitter, Tumblr or Plurk, being a rival may not be (or may be) the best idea. However, in order to create something unique, a community for a closed group or a microblog for a single user, there are still huge opportunities.
Here are 9 open source microblogging applications to create your own:

StatusNet (PHP)

StatusNet (previously Laconica) is the engine which runs the popular microblogging site Identi.ca.
It is built with PHP/MySQL & offers a smooth usage as it is a widely used, mature application.
P.S. The source can be found here.

Yonkly (Asp.Net)

Yonkly is an Asp.Net-powered Twitter-clone for creating your own microblogging community network.
Besides the open source version, it has a hosted & an advanced standalone version.

JaikuEngine (Python)

Jaiku was the microblogging site of Google. However, they decided no longer to develop the code but make it open source under the name JaikuEngine.
Anyone can set up and run their own JaikuEngine instance on Google App Engine. Alo, there is an open source mobile client & frontend.

Floopo (PHP)

This free microblogging script is built with PHP & MySQL.
It functions very similar to Twitter & provides a powerful backend to manage the whole system.

Jisko (PHP)

Jisko is a PHP microblogging application that offers a Twitter-like API for developing it further.
Users can have their profile pages, message with each other easily & Jisko is compatible with mobile devices.

PageCookery (PHP)

PageCookery is a single-user microblog which can pull data from social networks like Flickr, last.fm, etc.
It offers an Ajaxed interface where users can comment to the entries easily.
P.S. The original page is Chinese. However, you can view the English version behind Google Translate.

EchoWaves (Ruby on Rails)

EchoWaves is a ready-to-use hosted application where the source code is offered for free.
It is a collaboration tool & a social network which is focused to conversations rather than the users.

P2 Wordpress Theme (PHP)

This is a Wordpress theme which can convert your blogging engine into a Twitter-like interface.
It has real-time updates where new posts & comments come in without reloading. There are also inline comments, posting from homepage & more.

Motion (Typepad – Python)

TypePad Motion enables publishers and marketers to create vibrant, branded communities that deepen loyalty and increase page views while giving you total control of your brand.
It is based on Pownce & MovableType Motion and built with Django.

Blurt.it (PHP – Added on 19 October 2009)

Blurt.it is a fresh microblogging application that requires PHP/MySQL to run.
Very similar to Twitter, users can easily connect with each other with open or private threads.

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CMS For Flash Websites: FlashMoto CMS

When we hear about a Flash CMS, there is mostly a prejudice that it may not be that functional.
FlashMoto CMS is a totally different one which is quite impressive & really works for managing Flash-based websites.
With the help of a good-looking & easy-to-use interface, a website is controlled just like a standard CMS but with the extras that Flash offers.

What does it offer in a snapshot?

Using FlashMoto CMS, it is possible to:

• add unlimited number of pages, update or delete them
• manage your website menu (with sub-menus)
• create image galleries & add-remove images to them
• create forms
• upload videos & music
• insert shapes or other Flash files

The content is created using a WYSIWYG editor. There is a media library where you can upload images, video or SWF files & use them in any part of the website with a few clicks.

It has a built-in gallery component for displaying a list of images and/or videos. This feature is specially useful for designers, photographers or anyone willing to present a portfolio.
Adding a standalone background music or embedding videos from popular services like Youtube, Vimeo is also a breeze.
Similar to HTML websites, websites created with FlashMoto CMS are indexable by search engines & every page has their own URLs + titles.
It also allows you to define the Google Analytics details & statistics of the website will be tracked (every page will tracked even it is a Flash website).

Like mentioned in the beginning, FlashMoto CMS is like a standard CMS, it controls websites that are prepared to fit the XML-based templating system it offers.
Any Flash developer can build new templates (a detailed documentation is provided) or there are FlashMoto CMS templates offered which are ready to go.
Besides all these features, there are much more like:

• various other built-in components like scroll bar, progress bar or paginator
• ability to upload custom fonts
• infoModule to display news
• & much more..

Conclusion

This Flash CMS is a very flexible & powerful product which is handy for:

• any designer that creates websites in Flash & wants to provide a backend to customers
• anyone willing to create a website easily & quickly using ready-to-go templates

It is possible to give it a try with the demo provided & better see how functional it can be.
P.S. This post is a sponsored review.

Requirements: PHP 5.2.1+, Zend Optimizer 3.3+
Website: http://www.flashmoto.com/
Demo: http://www.flashmoto.com/demo/

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Powerful Ruby on Rails CMS: Refinery

Refinery is a lightweight, modular & open source CMS application that is built with Ruby on Rails.
It has a slick user interface to manage a website where new pages (with unlimited sub-levels) or images can be added, contact inquiries can be managed, etc.

The application offers a permission-based multi-user environment where it is possible to define which users can access to which modules.

It logs almost every action that makes it possible to view the activies easily.
Refinery is not an all-features-included CMS but includes the most-used ones which makes it a simple-yet-powerful application.

Requirements: Ruby on Rails enabled hosting environment
Website: http://refinerycms.com/
Demo: http://demo.refinerycms.com/admin
Download: http://www.refinerycms.org/

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Powerful And Open Source CMS: Symphony

Symphony is a XSLT-powered open source CMS that is created with PHP & uses MySQL for storing data.

It offers a very flexible usage as the data, logic & templating layers are all independent, meaning that whatever you implement can be modified, added or removed with minimum effort.

When compared to other popular CMS applications, the biggest difference is the template engine used. It is XSLT-based which makes it possible to output much more than just web pages (dynamic CSS & JavaScript, PDFs, SVGs..).

Symphony has a light & elegant backend that helps you focus on your work with features like bulk editing, drag'n drop ordering of items & much more.

The application has a growing library of extensions (130+) which can help you improve the functionality it offers.

Requirements: PHP 5.2+, MySQL 4.1+, PHP's LibXML module with the XSLT extension enabled
Website: http://symphony-cms.com/
Download: http://symphony-cms.com/download/

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Powerful CMS For ASP.NET: Kentico CMS

Kentico CMS is a powerful, flexible & complete content management system that is built with ASP.NET.

It has various modules that make building any type of website possible from blogs to e-commerce or wikis to social networking.

The application comes with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor for creating/editing the content.
One of the unique features Kentico offers is the worklow management. It allows you to control the process of content creation & modifications by creating custom approval steps (like proofreading, editing, approval, etc.).

Kentico is multilingual & can manage multiple websites from the same administrator panel.
It has an API that allows you to script any Kentico CMS operation (like creating a new document, user or even the whole web site) which is great for integrations with any 3rd party software. On the other hand, with the modules integrated, there is almost no extra function needed. Here are all the modules it offers:

• Blogs
• Booking system
• Content Rating
• Content Staging
• E-commerce
• Event calendar
• Forums
• Friends
• Geomapping
• Groups
• Image Gallery
• Media Library
• Message Boards
• Messaging
• Newsletter
• On-line Forms
• Polls
• Reporting
• Taxonomy
• Wiki
• Web Farm Support
• Web Analytics

which simply show what the application is capable of.
And, these are not all it has. Kentico generates SEO-friendly URLs, has full-text search support, a powerful role-based security system & much more..

Besides the paid versions, it offers a limited free version which is ideal for smaller websites. The free edition have no time limitation & can be used even for commercial purposes with no additional cost. It can be downloaded from here.

Kentico CMS is reliable and stable product & I didn’t came to any bug. But if that occurs, the company promises to fix it within 7 working days, furthermore they plant a tree in the name of the client who finds the bug. You can read more about this interesting initiative here.

The product can be evaluated by downloading the TRIAL or FREE editions. Other way is to use the Virtual Lab service which allows you to test-drive Kentico CMS on-line, without installing anything on your local PC.

P.S. This post is a sponsored review.

Requirements: ASP.NET 2.0+ & MSSQL 2000/2005/2008 support
Compatibility: All Major Browsers
Website: http://www.kentico.com/
Demo: http://www.kentico.com/Demo.aspx
Download: http://www.kentico.com/Download.aspx

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Create Gallery-Themed Websites Using W-Script

W-Script is an open source application which is originally aimed at creating "wallpaper download websites".

But, it is a very ideal resource for building any gallery-themed or image-oriented website like CSS galleries, photo galleries ,etc.

The application is built with PHP-MySQL & it can handle large number of images.

Some features of W-Script:

• unlimited categories, subcategories
• visitors can submit images (and optionally register)
• images can be rated & commented
• advanced search
• auto-thumbnails in various sizes

It has a Smarty-based template engine which makes creating new templates pretty easy.
Also, W-Script can be extended with modules like tag clouds, color browser, user stats or anything custom.

Requirements: PHP & MySQL
Website: http://www.wallpaperscript.net/
Demo: http://www.wallspaper.net/

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Multi-Website CMS: jCore

jCore is a free, open source & multi-website CMS which is created specially for webmasters who maintain multiple websites.

It is built with PHP/ MySQL & has 2 parts:

• jCore server (main system which holds all the libraries and modules)
• jCore client (stripped version of the core system which uses the files from the server)

jCore has various great features like:

• multilanguage
• dynamic forms
• RSS feeds
• banner management
• member management
• SEO friendly links
• custom 404 error pages
• & more

The system can be extended with the modules support as there are already ready-to-use ones like photo gallery or contact form.

Requirements: PHP & MySQL
Website: http://jcore.net/
Demo: http://demo.jcore.net/
Download: http://jcore.net/downloads

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Instant Website That Displays Content From Multiple Feeds/Services: Pubwich

Pubwich is an open-source PHP application that enables anyone to display the data from multiple websites/services in a single HTML page.

It is a perfect "instant website" for anyone who is active in social networks.

Besides the ability to show content of any website via RSS/Atom feeds, it supports popular web services like:

• Delicious
• Facebook
• Flickr
• last.fm
• ReaderNaut
• Twitter
• Vimeo
• Youtube

Although the default theme already offers a nice presentation, it can be easily themed (uses Savant template engine) for a unique look & feel.

Requirements: Apache Server, PHP5, & PEAR
Compatibility: Alll Major Browsers
Website: http://pubwich.org/
Demo: http://remiprevost.com/

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9 Widely-Used And Free Forum Softwares

Forums are clearly one of the most standard ways of sharing knowledge on the net. With easy-to-use interfaces & strong community features, they are still very functional & popular.

They can be easily integrated into a website by customizing the look & feel or used as a framework which is sometimes a good idea considering the features they offer.

Here are 9 widely-used, open-source & free forum softwares, where most of them are built with PHP, that you may consider using:

phpBB (PHP)

phpBB is one of the oldest & widely used forum softwares around. It is being updated frequently with improvements in speed, security & features.

It comes with a powerful administrator panel where all aspects of the system can be managed & supports almost any database.

The software has a very crowded community which makes it easier to get support.

MyBB (PHP)

This free forum software works with MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQLite.
MyBB has nice features like calendar/events, mass mailing to members, a built-in theme editor & more.
Besides an admin panel, a moderator panel helps managing the system by multiple users.

Simple Machines Forum (SMF) (PHP)

SMF is the PHP successor of the Perl-based forum YABB. It comes with a comprehensive template system, polls, groups, calendars & more.

The software uses MySQL for storing data & has 40+ ready-to-download language files.

Vanilla (PHP)

 
Vanilla is an open-source, standards-compliant, multi-lingual, theme-able, pluggable discussion forum.
It is built on the Garden, a PHP development framework, which is easily extendible with a powerful plug-in architecture. And, there are already 450+ plugins that are ready-to-use.

Vanilla requires MySQL as the database.

PunBB (PHP)

 
PunBB is a fast and lightweight forum application which aims to be less graphically intensive compared to other discussion boards.

It supports with MySQL, PostgreSQL & SQLite. The design can be easily updated with the theming support. It is multilanguage & can be extended with the extension support.

FluxBB (PHP)

 
FluxBB is a fork of PunBB which supports both PHP4 & PHP5 with MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite.
It generates "XHTML 1.0 Strict" valid pages & can be easily translated into any language.

bbPress (PHP)

 

bbPress is a forum software from the creators of Wordpress which is plain, simple & fast.
It can be customized with templates & extended with plugins. And, it integrates perfectly with Wordpress.

Phorum (PHP)

Phorum is also one of the oldest forum softwares. It has support for theming & modules.
The software uses MySQL for storing data

YetAnotherForum.Net (ASP.NET)

YetAnotherForum is a free application that is built with ASP.NET (C#) & uses MSSQL as the database.
It has a feature-rich administrator panel, supports unlimited categories/user groups, templating & more..

Which forum software do you think is the best one, do you have a favorite?

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Wiki System With One HTML File: TiddlyWiki

TiddlyWiki is an open source wiki application which works with only one HTML file.
It uses the power of CSS & JavaScript (with jQuery) to enable displaying, editing, saving, tagging & searching of the content.

Considering the ease of use, installation & portability, it is ideal for creating an instant (maybe temporary) website, a personal notebook & so.

It is possible to import/export content from other TiddlyWikis & improve the features with the plugin support.

Website: http://www.tiddlywiki.com/

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Open Source Job Board Application: JoobsBox

JoobsBox is an open source job board application which is built with PHP (Zend Framework) & MySQL.

No membership is required to add new job listings & they can be posted under pre-defined categories.
It comes with a plugin system which makes it possible to extend the application easily. There are already several plugins like iPhone plugin or the Twitter plugin (auto-posts the listings to Twitter).

The application offers an admin panel where all the categories, listings, plugins & other variables can be controlled.

JoobsBox is multilingual & themeable. The project is currently in alpha stage, not mature but promising.

Requirements: PHP, MySQL
Compatibility: All Major Browsers
Website: http://www.joobsbox.com/
Demo: http://demo.joobsbox.com/php/
Backend Demo: http://demo.joobsbox.com/php/admin
Download: http://www.joobsbox.com/download/

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Smart CMS For Small Sites: GetSimple

GetSimple is an open source XML-based CMS application that is very easy to setup & customize.
The use of XML rather than a SQL database for storing the data makes it ideal for small websites. But this is a "plus" on the performance side as the risk for a "possible slowness while connecting to a SQL database" is eliminated.

GetSimple is built with PHP & offers a great feature which is the ability to "undo" almost every action, a time-saver on mistakes made.

The application has a simple & slick admin interface that is so easy to learn.
With a detailed documentation, it is possible to findout the details of GetSimple like "theme customization" or "how to create a contact form".



And, GetSimple enables you to backup & restore the entire website with just a click.

Requirements: PHP 5.1.3+ With *nix Host
Website: http://get-simple.info/
Demo: http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/details.php?scr...
Download: http://get-simple.info/download

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Free Lifestream Application: AmpliFeeder

Besides anything we write on a website, we also create content on 3rd party services by:

• uploading images, videos (Flickr, Youtube..)
• saving bookmaks or voting (Delicious, Digg..)
• listening to music (Last.fm..)
• logging "what we are doing right now" (Twitter, Facebook..)
• & more..

AmpliFeeder is an open source lifestream application which can combine every activity we have on other services & present them.

The application is already integrated with many popular services & new ones can be added easily.
The look & feel can be totally customized with the theming support (there are 10+ ready-to-use themes).
AmpliFeeder is built with ASP.NET & uses MSSQL for storing the data.

P.S. The source code is not yet available for download but it can be downloaded in the next few weeks.

Requirements: IIS6+, ASP.NET 3.5, MSSQL 2005 Express+
Compatibility: All Major Browsers
Website: http://amplifeeder.com/
Demo: http://amplifeeder.com/demo.html
Download: http://amplifeeder.com/download.html

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ProFolio: Free And Instant Portfolio Website

ProFolio is a free & ready-to-go script for creating portfolio websites easily.
The application is very ideal for presenting the portfolio of artists, designers, photographers, or anyone who needs to display their work with style.

ProFolio is built with PHP - MySQL and it comes with a web-based installer (check the read_me.rtf file).
You can create categories & upload images (works) under these categories (auto reize support). They will be displayed as an image gallery. Also, you can update your about & contact pages via the admin interface.
And, for customizing the look & feel of the website, check the customization options.

Requirements: PHP, MySQL
Website: http://myprofolio.sticktacular.com/
Demo: http://profolio.sticktacular.com/

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Powerful PHP – MySQL CMS: ImpressCMS

ImpressCMS is a powerful & free PHP – MySQL content management system which is, currently, based on famous XOOPS but developed in another direction.

It is a community developed application and has already 150+ addons including e-commerce, forum support & more.

Some features:

• Fully modularized
• User registration & personalization
• User permissions management
• Multilanguage
• Theme-based skinnable interface
• & more..

Requirements: PHP,MySQL
Website: http://www.impresscms.org
Download: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?&group_...

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TypePublish: CMS For Corporate Websites

TypePublish is a fresh CMS application that aims to be the Wordpress for "corporate websites", specially with the simplicity it provides.

It is a well-planned application for any user (novice & expert internet users and developers).

Management of the content is well-organized & descriptive in every step.
Website content can be created in multiple languages & TypePublish supports this in the front-end.
Logo, favicon, contact page settings & similar basic (although handy for corporate users) information can be updated easily.

Using the admin panel, any statistics script can be installed too.
To summarize, TypePublish will probably meet the needs of a big percentage of corporate websites very well & nothing more, which is good in most cases.

Requirements: PHP 5+, MySQL 4+
Website: http://www.typepublish.org/
Backend Demo: http://www.typepublish.org/article/demo
Backend Demo - User-Pass: User: demo@typepublish.org - Pass: password

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