I asked Google for examples of Composr CMS websites and the attachments below show the disappointing results. Is it really that difficult to find, current and updated examples of what Composr users are creating with Composr?

Unfortunately, yes, for a couple of reasons:

• The use of Composr CMS is on the decline; this has been going on ever since Chris left the scene, and I have not been able to keep up with the bugs that need to be fixed due to my own financial situation.
• The name "Composr CMS" is not unique; it matches other software and companies because of the word "Composer". I have a tracker issue where I want to rename the software again in the future to something that can be marketed:

https://composr.app/catalogues/entry/tracker-6144.htm

You can view v11 sites that opted in to being featured here, but there are only a few:

Community Site Showcase

Community Site Showcase. These are some of the sites who have elected to be featured on composr.app . If you would like your site to be featured, select the ap…

View

There are no v10 lists except the community-maintained one here (but no one can submit new v10 sites anymore because compo.sr is read-only due to the UK's Online Safety Act):

Community Site Showcase

Open Source CMS with advanced social, interactive and dynamic features. Fully flexible, themeable and extendible: suitable for building powerful websites.

View

I have just been using composr for my current website and floating along. I haven't spent so much time on the forum in recent years as I used to and wasn't aware that Chris had left. Are you in charge now?

Hello,

My wording was probably bad. Chris didn't leave necessarily, but he is not developing for Composr anymore at this time due to having a family and a very demanding job.

Currently, I am the only active developer for Composr. However, I am also struggling to maintain the software because my financial situation is critical. I recently put a lot of development on hold because I need to do something to pay my bills; Composr doesn't pay my bills, especially since Chris does not fund me anymore for development.

Well this catches me at a time when I was (in my head) preparing to see whether version 11 would provide more expansion/refinement of Composr CMS. I had purposely built my current website (a few years back) to conform, without much customization of templates or even CSS, to the current (at that time) "stock" program in order to avoid having to 'start over' should v.11 be too dramatically different than v.10.

So now I feel a crossroad is approaching me. For any new digital creations using the Composr CMS platform I ask, "Do I invest my time and energy using Composr (I became an OC Portal user in 2009) to further expand my website(s) or should I move on to try to find some other CMS?" I am 73 now, and coping with change or learning new techniques is not as easy as it used to be, so I am be cautious.

My main website is probably no big problem at present, it can coast on a legacy version of Composr til something catastrophic happens and I have to start over again anyway… or on the brighter side, (my hopes would be to) stay with Composr while it finds a way to move through the current challenges it faces. I guess I asking for insider information… Is Composr coming to an end with no white horse reinforcements on the way to rescue it? …I guess then, otherwise is there hope for a future here?

I'm guessing, no one wants to answer that question, as much as we (is there anybody here? (echo, echo, echo)) would like to get the answer. I'm sure the pressure on you (as sole survivor, or last man out? …or even no way out?) is tremendous!

I'm sorry for you and how things have become loaded on you, but I'm also glad to hear a voice helping me understand what is happening so I can begin to plan out what it means to me and what I should be doing.

I had purposely built my current website (a few years back) to conform, without much customization of templates or even CSS, to the current (at that time) "stock" program in order to avoid having to 'start over' should v.11 be too dramatically different than v.10.

Wise. Granted, v11 is not as different from v10 as v10 was from v9. v9 -> v10 required a special upgrader to work. But v10 -> v11 can be upgraded by standard methods (I wouldn't recommend doing it right now, though). The big issue is themes. You won't be able to upgrade v10 themes to v11 and will need to re-create them from the new default theme in v11. This is largely because v11 uses a new JavaScript framework.

I guess I asking for insider information… Is Composr coming to an end with no white horse reinforcements on the way to rescue it? …I guess then, otherwise is there hope for a future here?

I wish I had an answer, but I don't. This largely depends on whether anyone can fund me to continue maintaining Composr, or if more developers can join the project. Unfortunately, the chance of either happening is pretty slim. Therefore, Composr will probably stay in a stalled state until and unless I can get a job decent enough to afford me time to work on it again (this isn't looking promising either; I've been on the job hunt for 5 months, and 400+ applications, with no offers).

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What would I suggest? Start planning for the possibility of using another CMS. I'd say that you don't have to migrate over to another CMS right away, but be ready for the chance that you will need to should Composr come to an end. One person switched to Drupal, and another to WordPress.

As much as I really want to keep this project alive, and for people to keep using it, I must be realistic and say that Composr's future, right now, isn't looking promising. It's not dead, but v11 probably won't ever get finished (e.g., reach stability) unless I receive help on it.

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EDIT: Should you have the financial capability, if you were to hire me to maintain your websites (I could even perform a careful, manual upgrade to v11 for you, like I've been planning for another client, if you wanted), then that funding could help immensely and put me back on track for working on Composr again.

I'm hoping to eventually get beta9 out. When it comes out largely depends on how quickly I can sort out my critical financial situation. But for the time being, that's as far as I can go development-wise. After beta9, there won't be any more versions without funding or additional help (unless by some miracle I get hired somewhere).