slightly OT -- content management systems and php

I am a nonprogrammer--or enthiusiastic amateur--looking into various open source content management systems and finding myself bewildered by the possibilities. Couldn't think of a better list to pose these questions and hope I don't offend by going slightly off topic. First, what's the differnce between a CMS and an API? Can onyone point me to some good lay articles or faqs covering this stuff? How essential is a CMS for producing scalable sites? PHP strikes me as being almost a CMS in and of itself--with a little work. I am afraid of losing flexibility by embracing somebody else's system. Should I be? What are the pros and cons of various systems such as Typo3, SiteManager, etc. Anybody have any experience using these php-based systems? What about Zope? Is it all it's cracked up to be? Does it work with PHP? Daniel ____________________ Daniel Goldin daniel@blue-lamp.com 323-225-1926 Daniel Goldin daniel@blue-lamp.com 323-225-1926 www.blue-lamp.com