jules
06-24-2004, 12:45 PM
I've been find a document management system (preferably open source, or at least affordable [<$250] and not based on custom server setup). Unfortunately, because of different ways that people use the terminology, research via google has been very frustrating - document management more often seems to mean documentation/help/bugtacking systems.
what i'm looking for is an easy-to-manage web system for distributing (mostly) non-html projects to clients and manging an approval process. For example:
we design (let's say) a print brochure for a client.
we upload it as a pdf (but with some projects it will be .exe, others will be quark documents, etc.).
we send out an email to client(s - sometimes teams of people) sending them to a page where they a) login and b) download the pdf.
they review, then (logged in) they use the site to make comments/flag issues/sign off (approve)
they may also use the site to upload peripheral materials (last year's brochure/word docs from copywriter/etc.)
obviously, group/user permission system is a key componenet.
and as a designer, a system that is fairly easy to skin/adjust (css, etc.) is important - i find most CMS/DMS/projectware's default design U-G-L-Y!
I don't know if this is 'document management', 'content management' or 'projectware/groupware', but any recommendations or experiences would be helpful.
as a side point, I do prefer mambo as a traditional CMS (let clients manage their own site content). I looked into (a little) the mambo-docman module, but again, it seems to be more about documentation & bug tracking than a manageable document repository/approval process, but I may be wrong here.
what i'm looking for is an easy-to-manage web system for distributing (mostly) non-html projects to clients and manging an approval process. For example:
we design (let's say) a print brochure for a client.
we upload it as a pdf (but with some projects it will be .exe, others will be quark documents, etc.).
we send out an email to client(s - sometimes teams of people) sending them to a page where they a) login and b) download the pdf.
they review, then (logged in) they use the site to make comments/flag issues/sign off (approve)
they may also use the site to upload peripheral materials (last year's brochure/word docs from copywriter/etc.)
obviously, group/user permission system is a key componenet.
and as a designer, a system that is fairly easy to skin/adjust (css, etc.) is important - i find most CMS/DMS/projectware's default design U-G-L-Y!
I don't know if this is 'document management', 'content management' or 'projectware/groupware', but any recommendations or experiences would be helpful.
as a side point, I do prefer mambo as a traditional CMS (let clients manage their own site content). I looked into (a little) the mambo-docman module, but again, it seems to be more about documentation & bug tracking than a manageable document repository/approval process, but I may be wrong here.