bigger sites, displaying content

Today I found this article over at postnuke
http://news.postnuke.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2382
about a new, quite large website. My eyes sore when I read that it was
neccessary to install postnuke *7* times! It´s already lots of work to
make just one installation work properly, adjust as one wants it,
design it and everything - but 7 times!!?? Again the only reason why
people do that is because of little shortcomings of software that
claims to be content management (but not displaying content
management). It´s imho a real pity that seperating categories or topics
completely from each other is not really supported, and since Xaraya
exists, I´ve been putting my hopes into you guys (and girls ;-) ).
Third party modules like CE, EZCMS, htmlpages or PagEd had to be coded
to make up for some shortcomings, be it the problem that you didn´t
want the right block showing up or the default theme, but another
theme, etc. (I´m not even talking about complete lack of an automatic
creation of a menu/navigation system)
Would for example a feature that enables admins to choose i.e. a preset
"look or display template" (not theme) be useful? Right now, every page
looks alike as all pages display the same array/combination of blocks.
Let´s say, certain pages don´t need any other block except the main
menu i.e., others need more blocks... creating display templates that
decide which blocks, parts of the default are shown and which are not,
and being able to assign individual pages to a group of those, what do
you think?
bye

Tomi