So what CMS / Applications can I install with php safe mode on.......

[#1]

Hi, almost put this in the rant section  :D.
The only websites I have create are with hand cut HTML and I have a site for a client that was only ever designed as a holding page.  Lots of people use it though, for reference etc.
We spoke before Xmas about updating the website and I said, get a professional OR I'll look at installing a CMS.  I am paranoid as installing a gaping sore of an application that lets the world and their hacker wife rip the site to bits scares me.  First I try drupal in cgi, had problems with globals or something, then found out about the Preview, signed up, couldn't install Drupal, people suggested I set up cron jobs to do xyz, suddenly felt like baby with a gun, what havoc I could cause.
All went quiet, I gave up and got back to work that paid.  The subject has come up again.  I dug out my credentials and find Drupal / Joomla / Mambo all sat their waiting to be installed, but I can't because PHP safe mode.  Off to the forums to learn more than I want to and there is info about the problem and various workarounds (back to baby with the gun).
So to my Q:
1) What CMS can I install from the Plesk apps that will work akin to me unlocking a door with a key and switching the light on (i.e. it just works)?
2) When is there likely to be a solution that allows me to install Drupal etc.
Is the hope of me managing a CMS that is robust, secure and doesn't require me to learn too much about the widgets and nuts and bolts of it realistic?
Thanks for listening, I feel better now 🙂

[#2]

I note that there has not been a reply to your question! I am equally frustrated about the safe mode situation as you will see.
I was impressed by the PAYH service when it was introduced and installed several CMS systems to work out which would be most suitable, Joomla, Wordpress and CMS Made Simple (manual installs rather than Plesk). All worked very well until Safe Mode was turned ON, now they don't. I can work around many of the problems this has introduced but this defeats my objective of a SIMPLE way of creating and maintaining a website. For example, Wordpress runs happily but the auto update feature no longer works. Yes, I can update manually but I wanted this feature.
So I have spent some considerable time looking for a CMS which will fully work with Safe Mode ON and which offers the features I want but with absolutely no success. Having researched tens of systems, they all recommend or require Safe Mode to be OFF. The only way forward appears to be to use an alternative hosting service and many will say well you were not paying for Plusnet hosting so I have not lost anything. From my point of view, however, the price I am paying represented good value for money taking into account all the features I used including hosting. It now it offers less value.
It appears, to me at least, that Plusnet no longer sees much utility in its hosting provision (at let the non paid for version) and is doing very little to address the issue. We have been provided only with repeated comments about doing something about Safe mode but are not told what or when it might happen. I am particularly frustrated after the initial success of PAYH which solved the issue of CCGI servers being too slow to be usable, only to then be bitten by the Safe mode issue.
So the answer to your questions:
1) In my view, none (that will work fully as per the documentation including plugins/modules etc),
2) Well we would all like to know that!
I feel slightly better now as well.

[#3]

OK, thanks for the confirmation.
I am looking at SiteGround hosting on Drupal.
Any suggestions, most of my traffic would come from the UK.  Want to start slow, looking into more advanced features later.  Also, might like to host an internal version on my MS LAN.
CMS?
Hosting?
Regards and Thanks in advanced.
Jason

[#4]

I am afraid I have too little experience to recommend a hosting provider. I do have some web hosting accounts for live sites but they either are based abroad or have special requirements.
I have, however, been looking around to see what one can get in the way of UK based hosting but am confused by the choice available and unable to test the marketing messages. What I need is clear, not too expensive £60-£100 per year (for me this is just a test bed rather than a production site), several mySQL databases so I can run multiple CMSs without the possibility of interfering with each other, PHP perl etc, access to cron and ideally ssh access, backup with free restore if necessary, and paying monthly would be nice in case I get it wrong. The sort of things I have been looking at are tsohosts http://www.tsohost.co.uk/linux_webhosting.php or http://www.nativespace.co.uk/web-hosting-professional.html These are NOT recommendations just things that look interesting to me! Both seem to provide everything I need and are reasonably priced. But there are many others and I am struggling to make a decision - partly because I have been waiting for Plusnet to fix the Safe Mode issue. siteground appears to have a very good range of features but is based in the US. I would prefer something in the UK where support might be easier to obtain although email might overcome the time difference.
Now I have given up on Plusnet, I am ready to take the plunge but have always found decisions difficult! Not sure what I am going to do but I will have to decide soon. Any recommendations or experiences gratefully received!
As to choice of CMS then again there are so many to choose from! If you want a blog Wordpress seems hard to beat. I have found Joomla very powerful but frustrating. My favourite for small sites is CMS Made Simple - fairly easy to template, appears robust with a reasonable range of addons. It is really horses for courses though and something you are comfortable with is better than bashing your head against a brickwall!

[#5]

I use nativespace and eukhost, bot very reliable and I have no problems I have  xoops and smf running one and xoops, ezerecipe and phpgedview (genealogy) on the other never a moments bother.
I am an affiliate for both .

[#6]

I have just started experimenting with the LightNEasy CMS http://lightneasy.org/index.php, which advertises itself as running in PHP safe mode. I've uploaded the no database version to my PAYH site and after fiddling with the file permissions as described in the manual http://manual.lightneasy.org/manual.php, it seems to be working well.
I initially put it at the root of my web space but had problems with the 777 permission that I had to set on the httpdocs directory apparently being reset to more restrictive ones (by magic?), so I've now put it in a sub-directory. I'm hoping to use this CMS to set up a simple website for a local tradesman to manage himself.
I've just put up the demo site for now. If anyone wants to have a play, it's at http://pentrehouse.plushost.co.uk/ and I've left the password as 'demo' for now. If it gets broken or unacceptably defaced, I'll probably change it.
Leila