Hi guys, I'm a newbie to CMS. I actually just started using wordpress for blogs for the first time a few months ago. Now I'm looking into putting up a CMS on the front page. (see avatar website if you're interested in my current theme/site). I've read so many mixed reviews about joomla and many positive reviews on wordpress. I for one can say wordpress is awesome and there are so many themes and plugins for it. I've been skeptical of Joomla, cause so many people talk about the learning curve and funky backend. So I finally had the chance to use joomla (demo) and I thought it was amazing! So many options (and ability to rearrange the modules) and to be honest, I find it more intuitive than wordpress. Joomla has some awesome paid scripts (from what I've seen) that could almost work for any CMS application. However, I'm no programmer. I'm awful at doing any work, i can't even install a plugin in wordpress or even insert a button (I tried and failed miserably) --So I understand Joomla coding my be more difficult, but I don't think that matters if you outsource, seems everyone and their brother on DP freelance their services here. My concerns about joomla is the SEO aspect of it. Wordpress is superman on steriods. I cannot explain why wordpress is so amazing, but it is. Is joomla as good in SEO? I don't think anything can compete with wordpress in this department. All-in-all, I'm giving wordpress in the edge just because of the SEO and the hundreds of free plugins and themes. I'm looking to build a CMS like THIS one, and though that one is a Drupal script, every programmer that I talked with said wordpress can be built to work similar. Even so, REVOLUTION makes a use-able CMS theme for a very inexpensive price. I'm thinking about going with Wordpress.. but darn it that Joomla has to be so NICE! It makes choosing the right script hard and debatable! Anyone else like to add their thoughts....?
I strongly suggest you to try MODx (modxcms.com). It is a great object oriented CMS, a very flexible one.
For me, Joomla is a mixed bag. All of those options and capabilities from different developers and development team create a mish-mosh of ingredients that may or may not work together now - and in future upgrades. I first looked at jReviews, a few months ago, and at the time the (lone) developer was talking about doing a 1.5. migration. He has been working on it for at least a couple of months, and still no product. Even if a new version comes out, how long will it take to debug it and how dependent do I want to be on a single developer to continue to maintain and upgrade it. Parts of the code are encrypted, and require Ioncube libraries. For me, this kind of environment is a major challenge and pretty risky. And yes, it all matters. Outsourcing is considerably more expensive for complex environments. It is much easier to find a low-cost solution for Wordpress when compared to Joomla, or Drupal. My own preferences are to: 1) Use a simple architecture 2) Minimize the number of modules, plugins, developers I am dependent upon. 3) Use a platform that provides reasonable backward compatibility (Joomla is a mess in this regard). All those bells and whistles at the end cause one major clanging headache. Rich
I looked into MODx a few times and I just don't really find anything that stands out or spectacular about it. I have not used it or read much as most everyone talks about Joomla and Wordpress. MODx is overshadowed by the big guys. Is there a place to have hands-on demo use of it?
I looked at MODx. It is a nice work in progress, and provides a good developer framework, however, it is really designed for professional developers and who knows whether this project will take off, or die off like enumerable other CMS projects. One really stable and well thought out product is ExpressionEngine, but the developers have put very little effort in assembling an organized set of documentation and tutorials. I think what you want to do, can be reasonably be put together with one of the Revolution Themes and possibly one or two paid plugins. You may have to compromise a bit, but ultimately you will have a workable site that can be maintained and upgraded over time. Rich Rich
Thanks for the insight rich. I totally agree that bells and whistles can create problems down the road (and this goes with anything). Being a mixed-bag also goes with pretty much everything. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think wordpress took more than one developer to help create it. My phpprobid (auction) script was paid, works great, and it has many authors in different stages of the script. The thing with Joomla and Wordpress, is they both invested to be built better, better mods, better themes, and more freelance workers. I have 3 freelance coders that I hire, when one is busy, I have another (it's good to have backups) anyhow, they don't charge much more for Joomla work. And work doesn't need done unless I'm doing upgrades on the site. And I understand that when the next (updated) script comes out, the mods will need to be updated for the new version. again, this goes with everything, right? My 'edge' to go with wordpress is because of the SEO aspects of it. You're 'deal-breaker' is the the 'haggle' of joomla. I can't really debate this, cause I know nothing about scripts. But I'm sure it can be maintain for minimum costs. --key is finding a good reliable tech. --One guy sent me a message with an estimate to get me up and running on Joomla for $400. I was really taken back by this, and was turned off on Joomla. I talked to one of my techs, he totally laughed at this guys fees and said he'd do it for $40. Or he'll do wordpress for $40, my choice. I'm still researching, but at this point, wordpress is in the lead for me.
HI there, It is difficult to directly compare the development teams, since I haven't met them. But I have seen the results of their efforts. For me, the Wordpress is a more tightly controlled environment, with a considerable amount of design and programming effort put into concepts such as ease of maintenance, ease of customization, documentation, completeness of new releases, and very importantly backward compatibility. When I looked at what happened between Joomla 1.X and 1.5, I nearly fell out of my chair. Is Joomla a business, a laboratory, or a hobby. I can't tell. Ditto for Drupal. The primary issue I have with these kind of scripts is support going forward. I really need to have a solid foundation for my website, since it is an important business. I can't depend upon the whims of a part-time, remote, development team that may decide to go on vacation, quit the effort, go in a different direction, etc. Far to risky for me. Building better is one thing. Having a cohesive design that can withstand the test of time, is another thing. Most of the packages I have looked at have poorly designed databases, unmanageable code, and a patch-quilt of developers. Ugh. I would gladly pay money for longer term stability, if I could find it. If I could find reliable support, it would help. But freelancers may or may not be available, may or may not want to take on the work, may or may not want to do the work within the budget that I have. Certainly, I have found Wordpress designers/developers more likely to be available, and therefore more reasonably priced. Also, more dependable, since Wordpress is a more predictable environment. To address this problem, I usually stick with very popular plugins which have a high likelihood of being maintained and updated with new releases. Of the thousands of plugins available for all platforms, only a fraction are really maintained. Most others are simply 'link baits". Because of the large Wordpress user base, it is easier to find very popular plugins which have some chance of being available in future releases, though there are always surprises even with these plugins. If there is a paid user base for the plugin, the chances are increased, because it is a real business. Yes, I can see why initial installation would be about the same. Neither are especially difficult in this respect. The issues come online, when you try to develop a working website application. I think too many times, website owners should compromise, and instead go for the whole ball of wax, and end up wasting their budget. Good luck with your project! Rich
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to this thread Rich. I've read all your posts (in the content management boards) and I was thinking about shooting you a PM to pick your brain a little more. You've clearly have invested a good amount of time researching and have a good solid view of both scripts, therefore, I hold your analysis in high regards. My hope is that more theme builders will go in the direction of "magazine" style templates to evolve wordpress more and more into the CMS field (with more hands-on options). The REVOLUTION theme, I must say, it is absolutely stunning! And I know as time goes on, theme builders will start taking that turn (I hope). btw Rich, I have the coupon code for 25% off any REVOLUTION theme. If you would like the code, I'll gladly send it your way. I think I'm going to make the REVOLUTION purchase today
Hi there, Glad I have been of some help. 25% off would be great. If you could PM me with the code, I would really appreciate it. If you purchase Revolution, I'll probably see you on their forums. I am already on there, doing my own due diligence. Looking forward to seeing you around. Rich
I prefer Joomla myself, but I've been using it for years, since it first came out, and can get it to do pretty much anything I want. I might feel the same about Wordpress if I'd chosen to use that a few years ago instead, but I didn't so I don't like it. I've bought a few sites off people here, many of them WP sites, and instantly converted them to Joomla before I go any further with them. There are hundreds of free templates and plugins for Joomla, and there are lots of paid plugins too. That guitar site is made with Drupal by the way, another CMS that I may have used if I'd discovered it first.