Actually it started when the web developers started providing php and database driven websites at a low cost to the market. Soon the competition grew and free limited or trial versions were offered to boost sales. The demand wasn't very big by today's standards, but for that time it was huge. Soon enough free systems saw daylight and they grew ever since.
How is it looking now?
The number of content management software (free and comercial) available today is huge and it is growing exponentialy due to the increase of internet usage. Also the development of php and database software offers more and more features and at the same time makes it easier to use.
Why use a CMS?
There are some that say "I want to create my website from scratch so that i'll be familiar with every aspect of it and i won't be begging for support when my site has serious issues". In most cases this is a bad approach to this subject and here's a few ideas why:
1) If you are not entirely familiar with the programming language you are using it might turn out that the script has lots of bugs , either it is consuming lots of server resources, thus creating a big hosting problem.
2) It will take a lot of time to create the code from scratch
3) The features probably won't even come close to the complex content managent software already on the market today
The advantages of using a CMS are, on the other side, quite obvious:
1) A group of professionals that use a lot of time to make sure that the software they are creating is usable, bug free and has no security problems
2) Continuous updates to increase the number of features and functionality
3) Support and documentation to help you use it
And the best of all: Easy to use admin tools so that everyone can create a website without even having to dwell with the code.
How's the future looking?
We are currently just at the starting point of the CMS boom, supported by the competition and huge interest in this domain. In the following years we'll probably see their number increase daily to fill out the gaps that other software neglect.
The content management systems have created a small revolution in the way websites are created, helping the www gain in quality and interest. Almost every internet-able user can now build his own website, thus making the web a richer place for all of us.
