We have been vetted and had our mettle tested. We are ecstatic to announce we have been listed as Hong Kong web developer representatives for the MODX framework/CMS!

What is Open Source Software?

Open Source Software has an open development process and includes a license that allows the source code to be accessed by anyone. In fact, not only can other programmers access it; they are free to modify it, enhance it and adapt it to their own projects.

This is the opposite to most proprietary software that is often referred to as closed source. Closed source software is usually compiled or obfuscated so the source code is difficult to read and comes with restrictive licenses to prevent modification. Due to the limited visibilty of the inner workings, you're never sure about what the software is really doing; you are put in a position where you just have to trust the providing company to be honest in their intentions.

Why is it such a big deal?

Open source software allows global collaboration and removes the need to reinvent the wheel so to speak. If there is a common task that needs to be done for each project, you can be sure there is a piece of code out there that does just that. Not only will it exist but it will have been improved upon by other developers over many iterations. If it doesn't quite fit the use-case, then you are free to enhance the code.

Being able to re-use components rather than writing everything from scratch allows agencies such as Digital Penguin to cut down on development time which means a lower price tag for our prospective and repeat clients.

Some open source projects are so popular they gain international traction with millions of downloads and large teams of developers who contribute code. One such project is a Content Management System called MODX which allows a user-friendly way for clients to manage their website or app content while allowing developers and designers complete creative freedom.

MODX: Our Favourite CMS & Framework

If you haven't been lucky enough to discover MODX yet, you've probably still at least heard of the blogging software called Wordpress. You may have even heard of some other CMS projects such as Drupal or Joomla. Similar to MODX, these are all open source projects that are intended to be used to manage the content of your website, app or blog. We have invested time with all of the above, and in fact before finding MODX, our lead developer used to primarily build websites with Drupal for larger projects, and Wordpress for blogs or quick brochure sites.

All have their own strengths but after a taste of being able to develop without constraint and still keeping everything user-friendly and editable for the end-user, we feel it would be doing our clients a disservice to return to more restrictive systems.

MODX is blazingly fast, as secure as they come and completely customisable. Truth be told, it's really an object-oriented PHP framework with a CMS built on top. It has been coined a Content Management Framework (CMF) as it's much more than just a standard CMS. Designers love it as they can realise their designs without compromise; developers love it as they save time and don't have to fight the system if their use case is even slightly outside the norm; and most importantly our clients love it because the manager interface makes sense, looks slick and lets them edit their site quickly and easily.

At Digital Penguin we develop quality bespoke websites and applications. As such we demand our tools offer us the customisablility and capability our clients deserve. We believe contributing to the tools will continue to enhance our clients' experience.

Get in touch with us to see how a great CMS can make managing your site so much easier.