Joomla Vs Drupal

Web development has grown in sophistication due to the transformation of CMS or Content Management Systems. The concept of a dynamic CMS first gained traction during the early 2000s with the development of Mambo. Previously web owners were required to understand two distinct and sometimes complicated languages - HTML, CSS. Hyper Text Language focuses on identifying the overall layout of the site and its structure. Cascading Style Sheets identifies the specific colours, positions and margins of each section within the site. In an attempt to simplify the process and allow for ease of use and customisation, web communities designed specific content management systems, which spurred the creation of  Drupal  and Joomla.

Joomla was born in 2005, with a former development team designing the first PHP code. Initially a repackaged version of the original Mambo, the development release in 2008 led to a standalone open source CMS.  Drupal  is an older style of CMS with the first release in 2001. Accounting for a much smaller percentage of downloads (about 1%),  Drupal  is a specialised style of CMS. Some of the key differences between both open source communities include:

•  Drupal  is a community / membership style of Content Management System, whereas Joomla was designed for specific website / blog usage

• Joomla has an extensive plugin and component directory, with almost 6000 available add on features (these range from SEF Urls to Forum scripts).

•  Drupal  can be easily transformed from a basic HTML /CSS structure, whereas Joomla requires extensive php and coding knowledge.

• Both CMS offer an easy installation function, which can speed up the process. Many hosting providers offer this as part of their overall package to entice clients.

• Support and Education is more readily available for Joomla in comparison to  Drupal . Joomla.org offers a comprehensive tutorial and forum for developers and web owners.

Joomla and  Drupal , although offering unique and different features can be quite complicated for the web novice. Understanding the concept of a dynamic site, which can be customised on the go with new content, modules and plugins is still a new concept for many designers and industry people. Recently industry experts highlighted the impact CMS had on the growth and sophistication of the web design industry. Although there has been a shift away from the traditional HTML to open source CMS, many website owners still lack the relevant coding knowledge or experience to develop a Joomla or  Drupal  site from scratch.