Content-centric applications are becoming more and more componentized. This trend is turning traditional content management approaches inside out. Rather than having a single, monolithic system responsible for all aspects of a content-centric web application, loosely coupled subsystems are being integrated to create more agile solutions.

This approach requires that your Content Management System (CMS) has a flexible and lightweight interface. You don't want to be locked in to a presentation approach based on the content repository you are working with. In fact, in some cases, you might have very little control over the tools that will be used to talk to your CMS.

Consider the exploding rate of Next Generation Internet (NGI) solutions, the growing adoption of wikis and blogs within an Enterprise ("Enterprise 2.0"), and the increasing popularity of mash-ups both inside and outside the Enterprise. These trends are driving implementations where the CMS is seen...