A Robust Yet Challenging CMS Solution.

It seems that the best way to customize Magnolia is with light-modules, which requires technical skill beyond the scope of what most end users know. It adds a roadblock between content authors and Magnolia, making it feel inaccessible to new or "non-technical" users. When it comes to actually using the interface, it feels clunky and dated. With limited ways to interact with Magnolia like it's seeming lack of click-and-drag to move apps around (as one example) and limited use of right-click for expanded options, it's reminiscent of early OS X as desktop operating systems were just starting to hit their stride. Simple operations like publication are complicated rituals, and complicated operations are completely out of reach as they require code changes or serious digging into the already cryptic configuration app.

While I do get occasional "freezes" where the page takes long pauses in loading apps of trivial size (only a handful of entries), I cannot definitively say whether this is caused by Magnolia or the AWS instance on which it's deployed. Most of the time, pages load quickly.

It's well suited when there are requirements and handling for content after it's been authored, and highly specific workflows. I would not recommend Magnolia to anyone who wants something that "just works."