Eye on Development
Eye on Development aims to be a portal, supplying information on publications in the field of international development. It’s slogan is something like ‘Knowledge center for development cooperation’.
It’s a non-profit thing, sponsored by the Dutch NGO X-Y and they’ve been working on it for about a year.
Before I joined the team, one developer had left due to ‘creative differences’ and another had quit because of too much stress in his life. They had started creating a homegrown solution to their problem but I convinced the remaining team to switch to one of the many available open source CMS solutions.
After some struggling with Mambo, a very powerful solution, however lacking in some areas we really needed, we opted for eZ Publish. Also very powerful, very versatile, very flexible, but with the worst documentation imaginable.
However, after some more struggling, I managed to get a working site up. Now, if only the content would start flowing in.
Tonight, we were supposed to have something of a handover meeting. I’m leaving in less then two weeks, Sander, the X-Y guy overseeing the project, is leaving for Mozambique in about two weeks, so a handover is needed.
However, the person who was supposed to take on the project, from an organizational perspective, couldn’t come because his daughter was ill and he couldn’t find a nanny and the two editors who should be responsible for filling the system with content appear to be slowly backing out.
A ‘bloody shame’ since the project really has potential. eZ Publish is a very robust system and allows for a really complex and professional site, still easily maintainable. But with not many people staying behind, on board as it were, I don’t think this project will survive much longer.
It seems this baby died at birth. A pity.