Anti-Moronic Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hi, I have a client who owns quite a large website built with Drupal. It has maybe 3 or 4 major modules (classifieds, some social aspects, payment system setup). She now wants to extend the website, redo the whole thing and we're discussing whether it would be a good idea to continue to use Drupal, or move over to a custom framework. My argument was that Zend or a custom built app would be less overhead than Drupal, which has more features than she needs. Any thoughts? Should I mash up this Drupal app or rebuild? My only concern would be the work involved in rebuilding weighed against the *actual* benefits of porting to something more custom. For arguments sake, let's say I am equally competent in both Drupal and Zend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Sounds like if you move it to Zend, it will be additional work, which the client might not be too keen on paying for, unless you can make a really good case for why it would be better in the long run. But even then, the client and her resources may not even know how to work with Zend, so it will be harder on them to use Zend (more time/resources spent on them learning Zend). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anti-Moronic Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 I see what you mean. The budget is not a problem at all. In fact, I'm currently below budget so the additional work would be fine and fit in ok with the deadline. Another requirement for this rebuilding of the app is to make it more 'automated' so really a hands-off approach is better. I don't mean that by managing the site, I mean that by literally how the site functions. A custom admin panel will more than suffice. This is the problem I'm having. The changes are so drastic and the current Drupal app is such a mess that the only viable option is to start again. I guess in that respect I could have just asked Drupal Vs Zend Framework for complex websites. Thanks for the input. I'd welcome any other input as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnoTheDev Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I find that the more complex and bespoke the requirements are, the more need to create a solution tailored only to those requirements. Yes it may take more time to start from scratch and build up, however in the long run, updating and adding more functionality will take less time. This is the pro/con argument. An off the shelf system that does not meet the requirements will sometimes need to be hacked to function in the way the end user wants it to. More hacks added over time lead to spaghetti code and even understanding it yourself will be a problem when you come back to it in the future. I have no problems with the likes of Drupal & Joomla. I have never opted to use them, but I do know what they can do and the functionality & addons available. However, when working for clients their requirements are often quite specific so choosing one of the many CMS to do the job is not always the best choice & leads to what I have described above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 well I guess if it's all the same to you and to your client, go for the one that makes you more money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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