Joomla and Drupal are the most commonly used open source content management systems and both are used in thousands of sites, many of which would not, at first sight, be seen as CMS sites.
Structure
Both share the same basic structure with:
- A core containing the main workings of the CMS, its infrastructure and most of the' sine qua non' of a structured site
- Menus and information structure
- Access control and security
- Content generation facilities
- Modules and Plugins extend the functionality of your site so that you can do things not included in your core. The 'Superfish' module creates menus that expand to show sub-menus when touched by the cursor.
- Templates control the appearance of your site, controlling layout, colour schemes, fonts etc.
Joomla has a larger, more inclusive core meaning that you need to upload fewer modules, and when you do need an additional module the process of uploading is simpler.
On the other hand Drupal has more modules available allowing a greater range of functionality.
You might think that Joomla, being more inclusive, has the advantage in the early stages when you can do more in the core, whilst Drupal has the long run advantage.
Intuitive
By intuitive we mean doing what you expect it to do. That of course depends on what it is you expect it to do, and the logic of some elements of both packages defies normal day-to-day logic. For instance both Joomla and Drupal default to non-search engine friendly urls.
It's a technical issue, but very relevant. The URLs of your pages should be as simple as possible, "yoursite/yourpage" so the search engine can read them.
User friendliness
On the face of it Joomla wins hands down on the user friendliness count. Its core is larger, meaning much more can be achieved with the core package, and the procedure for uploading modules, plugins and templates is much simpler for the user. Unfortunately simpler for thus user invariably means more complex for the system and I have always found the uploading process flaky.
The use of modules etc. on CMS sites, particularly the open source sites, has always provided discipline issues with modules often lagging behind core upgrades.
In general, and despite the clumsier uploading processes I find Drupal superior in this aspect.
Content
The critical element for any new starter on the internet and particularly in CMS sites is 'how easy or difficult is it to create content', and at this very basic level the advantage has to be with Joomla. Straight out of the box, and with no IT skills a page can be created by simple typing. The border of the Article Text box allows you to create a wide range of textual content including bold, underline, headings, lists etc.
The Joomla system for inserting images is definitely better than the Drupal equivalent.
However, and at a later stage, any serious site builder will want to learn a little HTML and if this is the case might be wise to go with Drupal from the start.
Multisite
It might seem a strange consideration, battling as you are with getting your first site up and running, but Drupal has a facility not offered by Joomla. In Drupal you can run several sites on the one core and modules set.
As a matter of personal choice I think Joomla definitely has the edge at the entry stage, but when your needs get more sophisticated Drupal is more flexible.
Roger Webb is a retired CEO from Small and Medium Sized (SME) companies in the UK and Continental Europe. In thirty years' experience at life at the top he has been instrumental in turning around and setting up a number of specialist subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and beyond, in every case producing stable profits in some of the most testing corporate environments imaginable.
Finding retirement a bore, he set up two social networking sites gathering up the business experience and knowledge of their members and visitors.
The first, http://computer-virgin.net deals with the issues raised when a newcomer sets out to start a new business from scratch.
The second, http://mywebtrade.net builds on the first and covers the issues specific to on-line business. This article is one of a set for newcomers to the CMS scene.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_J_Webb
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7151284
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