Feature
Fuzzle CMS is an attempt by a group of Russian developers to bring Flash-based sites with CMS functionality to the masses.
In the latest 2.6 release, the Fuzzle CMS group has localized the Web CMS for English-speaking markets, translated documentation and launched an English version of the developer blog.
Fuzzle CMS Features
Fuzzle CMS makes administering a Flash site a simple matter of dragging and dropping blocks. On the demo site, default block types are limited to images, image links, scrollable text areas, flash movies and a customizable photo gallery.
Fuzzle uses a widget system to allow developers to extend the functionality of a Fuzzle site with, for example, a 3D model viewer or a 3D photo gallery. Widgets, which are editable right on the page with a simple double-click, include a wide array of formatting options and animation settings.
An optional PDF publishing widget supports converting and uploading documents to a Fuzzle site. Users simply print their documents as PDFs. The publishing widget wizard then converts them on a remote server into SWF files.
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SEO Solution for Flash Sites
Based on the Adobe Flex open-source framework, Fuzzle has an ingenious solution to SEO, a common challenge facing Flash developers. When an administrator creates a new page on their site, Fuzzle CMS creates a pure HTML version in parallel, which is readable and fully indexable by search engines, including Google.
The designers have also implemented support for Google Analytics and limited support for other web analytics products.
Extending Functionality
On the developer end, Fuzzle CMS provides a library of Flex components, which can be leveraged to create new widgets and extend the default functionality of a Fuzzle install. Meanwhile, designers can upload specially compiled SWF files, or simple PNGs and JPGs to create new designs with little to no knowledge of Flash.
Yet Another Simple Flash CMS?
For the moment, Fuzzle lacks features needed by developers for sites with heavier publishing schedules, workflows or content editing requirements. It is not clear, for example, whether the PDF publishing wizard module supports batch uploads.
Fuzzle is still brand new to this market. And, with the existing Flash CMS players like Yooba, Flypaper and others, Fuzzle certainly has some competition. Fuzzle blog in English is just getting underway. Plenty of awkward translations on the web and demo sites, as well as in their documentation, further attest to the newness of the CMS in the English-speaking market.
Overall however, the Fuzzle CMS looks promising and could prove to be an ideal tool for developers delivering small- to medium-sized Flash-based CMS sites to their clients. Version 2.6 of the Fuzzle CMS ships for € 470.00. Prices for widgets vary and can be found on Fuzzle's online widget marketplace.
