alfresco for internet/extranet/intranet?

[lefnire]

I'm currently looking at sharepoint, which is great for inter/extra/intranet.  Sure there's document collaboration (which is all alfresco seems to feature), but then there's WCM wherein users can add common modules/web parts, wikis, blogs, forums, calendars, etc. 

All I see in alfresco is document management and WCM in the form of html.  no modules, no wikis, no forums… no goods.  Am I missing it all?

[lefnire]

BTW, after reading my post I realized I sound like a Sharepoint fanboy.  i'm actually trying to make a business decision, and I hate Sharepoint's pricey CALs.  I want to choose Alfresco, but I haven't discovered in it the features our department needs.  RTFM, sure–and I have–but I haven't found what I'm looking for yet, so I was hoping someone could direct me.

[kvc]

We do indeed have a robust WCM offering, which was made available with out 2.0 release this past February.  WCM is a separate module that installs atop your Alfresco server (some people may not want to use Alfresco for WCM, and do it is packaged as a separate component).  Alfresco WCM module adds the following key capabilities:

*  Multi-site management
*  XML authoring via XForms
*  Multi-channel ouptut
*  Virtualization and in-context preview
*  Sandboxed development, change set management, and content staging
*  Site snapshoting and rollback
*  Support for JSP templating, .NET sites, HTML-based sites, script-based sites (PHP) and more all on a single server
*  Integrated multi-server deployment (available via our 2.0.1E maintenance release)
*  Integrated sample website framework and example site
*  Configurable editorial review processes, both serial and parallel (jBPM-driven)
*  Configurable document promotion from collaboration space and document libraries via Content Rules

The WCM add-on can be downloaded here:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=143373&package_id=207402&release_id=488012

More information on Alfresco WCM, including release history and roadmap, can be found here:

http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/New_Web_Content_Management_Plan

And, if you'd like to discuss further any comparisons between Alfresco and Sharepoint, do not hestitate to ping us.  We'd love to assist you in your evaluation.

Kevin

[netsyphon]

If you think CALS are pricey for intranet you oughtta see how expensive the extranet/internet connector is!

Im currently a sharepoint guy, for the past 6 years.  and hopefully soon i can be an alfresco guy.  even moss 2007 doesnt deliver what this product is capable of OOB (other than integration with a 600$ office suite and a 200$ OS).

[kvc]

Well, we hope you become an Alfresco guy too!  But hopefully not because of Sharepoint shortcomings, but because we help you do what you need.

Keep us posted on the forums, and let us know if you have any questions.

Kevin

[kvc]

All I see in alfresco is document management and WCM in the form of html.  no modules, no wikis, no forums… no goods.  Am I missing it all?

Please note:  with our upcoming 2.1 Community release, we provide support for web components, called web scripts.  These web scripts are the functional equivalent of Sharepoint web parts, with the exception that they are simpler to develop (based on Javascript and Freemarker, and allow any web developer using a standard text editor to create and upload new modules for use in the server).  These web scripts can be parameterized and support user-friendly URLs, where parameters passed in via the URL can generate completely different views of Alfresco content and content services from a single common component.  These web scripts can be used in conjunction with Alfresco web forms to allow business users to create web pages by adding multiple web components in any order in any column and specifying unique parameters for their custom instantiation on a web page (for example, you can have a common index component where a business user can add multiple instances of a that component to a page and on each add specific what search results to return and what number of items to display from the returned list).

2.1 also provides out of the box AMPs (Alfresco Module Packages) that implement blog spaces, wiki spaces to complement our existing forum spaces for team-based collaboration.  We also include a team calendar AMP as well.  Each of these AMPs are community contributions, built on Alfresco, and are for use within individual team spaces and wholly complementary to enterprise wikis and blog and forums like MediaWiki, WordPress, and phpBB, each of which we plan on integrating in the second half of the year. 

Do take a look at our wiki for more details on Web Scripts, and took take a spin on Alfresco 2.1.  Please post additional questions to our forums!  We would appreciate your feedback on 2.1 and what gaps, if any, you see remaining with Sharepoint (plus any feedback on what you like and don't like).

Cheers.  We look forward to additional posts and questions!

Kevin

http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Web_Scripts

http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/ECM_Plan

http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/New_Web_Content_Management_Plan

[dennis]

Hello Kevin, could you please point me to the "Team calendar amp" you mentioned before?
I am apparently ingooglepated in such a way that when searching for "alfresco team calendar amp" google only finds this topic and some mentionings in official Alfresco pdf's. The calendarspace project is still quite empty.
I am currently using the 2.1 community edition and could not find a packaged team calendar.

[emichbe]

Hello Kevin, could you please point me to the "Team calendar amp" you mentioned before?
I am apparently ingooglepated in such a way that when searching for "alfresco team calendar amp" google only finds this topic and some mentionings in official Alfresco pdf's. The calendarspace project is still quite empty.
I am currently using the 2.1 community edition and could not find a packaged team calendar.

I also am interested in this and noticed there still hasn't been an answer to your question 🙂

[robbiefpi]

Hello Kevin, could you please point me to the "Team calendar amp" you mentioned before?
I am apparently ingooglepated in such a way that when searching for "alfresco team calendar amp" google only finds this topic and some mentionings in official Alfresco pdf's. The calendarspace project is still quite empty.
I am currently using the 2.1 community edition and could not find a packaged team calendar.

Me too!! I am interested in a calendar feature!

can anyone give further indications or links to try this amp?

[jbdev]

Yes. I have been searching all over for the "team calendar" that is supposed to be available, I guess since it is Community Developed it has gone the way side. That is sad.too..
I wanted to roll a Intranet site and that does not look possible.

I will be sticking with a drupal front end for now

If I could get a calendar, blog and forum(discussion. all ready there) module I would drop any other front end tool and hit alfresco directly