Sitecore

So, enough about me and more about Sitecore. We are in the process of running up to the release of Sitecore 6 and man I am excited. The latest release is a HUGE step forward from Sitecore v5. The developers have been inspired to make changes to the product that have really brought the product to the front of the web CMS market. I personally think that this will be a huge success for Sitecore and will push them way up the ladder from the heights they are already at.
The improvements are large and various, from a new Page Editor that means that people can edit data directly on the web page without developer help, to a new security model integrated using the latest .NET architecture. They have got rid of something that has bothered me since I came here, and I know that it has bothered users too. MASTERS HAVE GONE. Hoo-bloody-ray if you ask me, I never did completely understand how they worked. The new templates are so easy to understand that I told my 16yr old daughter how they work when I was showing her the product and she understood without any more than one explanation. Even I understood it (lol)...
The security makes sense, it uses .NET architecture and will be so much easier to provide and is so flexible and infinately more secure than the old Sitecore model.
I also like the way that the way the Page Editor works. The ability for an unskilled computer user to have the ability to directly edit text and change pictures with no need for Sitecore knowledge will be a godsend to some businesses, allowing their staff with skills and knowledge to contribute to a web site without waiting for a developement schedule for things to be changed. Imagine a health worker being able to add the latest news and update the latest medical details on a site immediately, just by clicking on a text area and editing the text directly on the page. Cool feature, and I think it will be an instant hit with those who have been used to the more unwieldy WebEdit features and also with those new to Sitecore.
Combined together these features along with the host of others, like reducing the databases from seven to three and having each database have its own recycle bin and archive integrally and the content management improvements make Sitecore look so stunning and easy to use that even I have finally got round to trying to design a web site with it. :)