It’s 2:30AM and I’ve just upgraded my blog to WordPress 3.o
I spent 30 mins taking a backup of my database and my files, afraid that something would go dreadfully wrong and wipe out my whole online existence. Maybe I am just a cynic. Then I hit the “Upgrade” link and held my breath. It took all of 30 seconds or less and I had the latest and greatest edition of the best blogging platform known to man.
It looks like the WordPress folks, have added a lot of new features in this new release, but the ones I like best are the custom menus (can’t use them with my current theme unless I use a custom menu widget) and the one click update all plugins feature. They have also integrated WordPress MU, into the single user installation and added the capability to create custom post types (similar to the Drupal CCK). However, I have yet to figure out, what’s really changed for Buddypress.
Here’s the demo video – check out the new features in WordPress 3.0
A twitter post I retweeted sums it all up – “RT @sethmac: @drupal has Custom Content Types, Revision Control, strong User Management, Excellent Documentation, and Community. SIGN ME UP!”
If you have ever tried to create a database driven portal in Joomla – you know how much of a pain it can be. I’ve created all kinds of sites in Joomla. From classified ads sites, to real estate directory, and even a order tracking system, Joomla can be used to create almost any kind of a site. But it is definitely not easy.
Joomla was primarily designed as a easy to use open source CMS. I’ve seen it being used to create complex applications but it is difficult to create forms and databases.
For example I once created a order tracking application for a international foodgrain exporter. They needed it to be able to track shipments. I used Fabrik – a form and database component of Joomla. Fabrik is nice – but it has almost no documentation. If you want documentation – you need to sign up for a paid membership. I decided not to register as a paid member. Instead I tried to tap the forums and blogs. It was not an easy task.
I managed to build the application and my client was quite happy.
I recently discovered the CCK module in Drupal – I wished I had discovered it earlier. This module makes user maintained databases very easy to create. It took me just a couple of days to create a real estate portal, where users can post advertisements for free. I also create a classifieds travel portal for Darjeeling.
The concept that I’ve used in both cases is the same. I’m creating a new content type with the fields I want. A content type correlates to a table and each content article is a record. I’ve created a new content type and when the user needs to create a record in the database – he simple creates a new piece of content.
Later I can use Taxonomy and Views to view the content and create the navigation.
I am just amazed how many companies still use clunky, inflexible proprietary content management systems like Sharepoint and Documentum – when open source alternatives like Drupal and WordPress (and so many others) are available for free. Is it just ignorance or is it plain stupidity.
I am going through the Lynda.com – Drupal Creating and editing custom themes tutorial series. Drupal is very exciting. There is so much I can do which I couldn’t do with Joomla. It’s a whole new world.
Lynda.com has a couple of very useful tutorial series. The Drupal essentials video tutorial series and the custom theme series. There are several video tutorials available from Lullabot and several videos on YouTube. So much to learn.
I especially like the way I can add custom HTML and PHP directly to a post or a page, without any 3rd party module, and at the same time maintain different security roles and limit general users from using malicious code.
I guess it’s obvious – I just love Drupal and the flexibility it offers.
I’m still making my way though the Drupal videos I downloaded. I found a couple of good video series offered by Lynda.com and a few titles from Lullabot. There are also a lot of ebooks out there. The Lynda.com videos include a Drupal Essentials which gets you started with almost everything you need to know to start a Drupal site. There’s another slightly advanced series on Drupal Themeing, to help you create a custom theme in Drupal.
The more I learn about this amazing CMS, the more I regret that I did not explore it earlier. I spent the last few years working on Joomla. I use Joomla for almost every kind of site. From blogs to complex interactive applications. Joomla is a great CMS, but getting it to look exactly what you want it to look and do exactly what you want it to do can be a lot of pain.
Comparing Drupal to Joomla, I feel that Drupal offers more flexibility. Joomla is good to create simple sites. But to create something more like an order tracking site or a real estate portal, is very difficult in Joomla. It has too many limitations. I’ve created several online applications and portals using Joomla but it has not been easy.
Drupal is not easy either, but as I explore it’s capabilities, I feel that using Drupal to make dynamic portals will be easier. I’ve started to create a real estate site. After working on it for 2 days, the basic site seems to be working fine. I do need to add content and promote the site, but the basic framework is working fine. The site is well on it way to becoming a full-fledged real estate portal.
Someone once told me that “Designers love Joomla and developers love Drupal”. There might be some truth in this statement. I noticed that Drupal lets you include HTML or PHP code almost anywhere on the site. Joomla lets you do this too – but you need a third party pluggin like Jumi. I’ve not really explored Drupal themes yet, so I am not sure how easy it is to apply a theme on Drupal or to create one’s own custom theme. Themeing is on my “Things to learn” list.
Like all CMS software, both Joomla and Drupal have their advantages and disadvantages. If you are trying to decide which one to use, you should check out some on the free online demos and see which one fits the bill. My endorsement is Drupal. If you are familiar with HTML or PHP, it will be a heady experience.
A couple of days ago, I started building my first Drupal website. I’ve known about Drupal for a long time. A friend of mine had suggested it to me a couple of years ago, but I tried it and couldn’t really understand it. So I passed it by and adopted Joomla. Joomla is a good CMS system, simple to use, but very bulky. It takes ages to load.
Drupal seems to be much lighter than Joomla. It loads faster and although it’s very different – I feel that once you understand it, it is quite easy to use.
I built my first website in Drupal. It’s a real estate site for India, with elements of social media thrown in. The site is ekbigha.com – do visit it and let me know what you think of it.
I deleted my previous website which was built in Joomla and re-installed WordPress. Joomla is a great CMS, but using it to maintain a blog is too cumbersome. I just decided that WordPress will be a much better option for a blog.
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