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You can install any CMS and like EE, it will function. Adapting it to exactly YOUR design is tricky in any system because you have to get into the very basics of the software. Any CMS has a modular system that you need to tweak to call the entries. In your design you need to calculate the repeating elements.
If you are happy with existing templates, Wordpress could be something for you. But I must repeat that I choose to work with EE, because this gives the best options as a designer on the long run.
Yes, in the beginning it is not easy, but if you take a few hours to watch the video tutorials, you will get started quickly.

I think gonna start off using WP and choosing a theme I like then editing it, learning xhtml and css by editing this and when I feel more confident Ill go EE.

Might as well start with EE Core, is all I’m saying.

I’d definitely go with Ingmar on this one. I have used what must be near to 150 different CMS systems over the years and I can honestly, hand on heart say that EE is a dream both from a designers perspective and also from a programmers too.

I can design my templates by hand coding them and then literally just copy and paste the templates into EE, drop in a few magic weblog tags and what not and have a site up and running in less than a day when required. Admittedly this comes from knowing the system really well but in the past I had always used CMS systems which had such clunky templating systems and tags which just didn’t make any sense that when EE came along it was as if I had found my partner in life (not withstanding my wife of course 😊 )

If you get started with EE core then I am pretty sure you won’t regret it and also won’t want to look back. Not only is EE an excellent tool for just about any site you can imagine but you also get the un-paralleled support both from the fantastic Tech Support crew here and also from members in the forums.

Just my two-penneths worth really! 😉

Hope you do well in whatever you decide though.

Best wishes,

Mark

I’d definitely go with Ingmar on this one. I have used what must be near to 150 different CMS systems over the years and I can honestly, hand on heart say that EE is a dream both from a designers perspective and also from a programmers too.

I can design my templates by hand coding them and then literally just copy and paste the templates into EE, drop in a few magic weblog tags and what not and have a site up and running in less than a day when required. Admittedly this comes from knowing the system really well but in the past I had always used CMS systems which had such clunky templating systems and tags which just didn’t make any sense that when EE came along it was as if I had found my partner in life (not withstanding my wife of course 😊 )

If you get started with EE core then I am pretty sure you won’t regret it and also won’t want to look back. Not only is EE an excellent tool for just about any site you can imagine but you also get the un-paralleled support both from the fantastic Tech Support crew here and also from members in the forums.

Just my two-penneths worth really! 😉

Hope you do well in whatever you decide though.

Best wishes,

Mark

so you telling me I can use any template, lets say from wordpress, in EE ? how come?

EE is template-agnostic.

The only way to understand what we’re talking about is to try the (free) EE core and learn to use a template. YOU control the content, using template tags where useful. It’s very handy, but you have to try it yourself.

It’s a valuable lesson, even if you don’t choose EE. Really! 😊

Michael Boyink does a great walk-through on building a site in EE - and yes, he shows how to just grab any old template from anywhere and put it into EE:

http://www.boyink.com/splaat/comments/building-an-expressionengine-site-chapter-1/

Michael Boyink does a great walk-through on building a site in EE - and yes, he shows how to just grab any old template from anywhere and put it into EE:

http://www.boyink.com/splaat/comments/building-an-expressionengine-site-chapter-1/

very useful, but as he says, you need some skills on HTML and CSS to be able to follow the manual. I better start building up my HTML skills.

Yes, you’ll probably need those skills. On the other hand, to get anything serious done with WP requires semi-advanced PHP skills. (Unless you are satsified with on of the stock templates.) With EE, PHP is optional.