We bit the bullet and are using Salesforce Knowledge with the "Sample Public Knowledge Base for Salesforce Knowledge" (https://sites.secure.force.com/appexchange/listingDetail?listingId=a0N30000001gFH9EAM).

So far, with a little Visualforce tweaking, it looks like we'll be able to get some GREAT control on segmented Public Knowledge Bases that run on a Force.com Site. And, unlike the sold-school Self Service Portals…there's no passwords. Woohoo!

However, there seems to be an issue with the PKB Site Setup Sample that we can't get past. It seems that even though only one Root Data Category is supported in PKB Site Setup, if an Article uses ANY other Category within another Category Group, it will not display in the Public Knowledge Base.

Does anyone have any wisdom on how can we work around this?

David

P.S. Any new Developer Accounts have Salesforce Knowledge already active. You have to open a Case to request it be activated for any other Developer Accounts.