Criteria Joomla! By Open Source Matters, Inc

From that point, developers created a website called OpenSourceMatters.org (OSM) so that general information could be distributed users, developers and web designers. Shortly thereafter, over a thousand joined OSM. Within that same year, the new name the open source website was called Joomla!. Joomla! is a mutated spelling of the Swahali word jumla, meaning “all together.” With that Joomla! was born with its own guidelines, a brand and logo. ⁴

Joomla! won the Packt Publishing Open Source CMS Award several times. As of this year, Joomla! has been downloaded more than 35 million times. It is thought to be the second most popular CMS after WordPress. Joomla! is being used in various sectors including: corporations, media and publishing companies, government, non-profits, schools, and personal pages.

Joomla! 3.1 is the newest version. Joomla! 3.5 is in development.³

It was in 2003, that Drupal got significant recognition. A presidential candidate, used it for his campaign. It supported a decentralized network of about 50 unofficial websites that were communicating about the campaign. To that end, the Drupal developers created a web platform for political activism. In suit, other companies contributed to the Drupal development. By 2013, Drupal had hundreds vendors offering services.

From 2007 to 2008, Drupal software has been downloaded more 1.4 million times. As of August 2013, almost a million sites have been using Drupal, which include sites for corporations, media and publishing companies, government, non-profits, schools, and personal pages. Drupal won several Packt Open Source CMS Award and won the Webware 100.

The latest version is Drupal 7.23, which was released in August 2013. Drupal 8 is still in development.⁵

PHP (Magic Quotes GPC off) with a minimum 5.3.1+

Supported Databases include MySQL (InnoDB support required) with a minimum 5.3.1, MSSQL with a minimum 10.50.1600.1 and PostgreSQL with a minimum of 8.3.18.

Supported Web Servers include Apache (with mod_mysql, mod_xml, and mod_zlib) with a minimum of 2.x+, Nginx with a minimum of 1.0 and Microsoft ILS with a minimum of 7.

You need a minimum of 15 megabytes of disk space to install a default website. The need for more space will grow with the increase of images. ³

The following is a list of web hosting companies that support Drupal: GreenGeeks, Bluehost, Arvixe, InMotion Hosting, High Performance Drupal Hosting, and Web Hosting Hub. The minimum technical requirements for Drupal 7 include:

PHP with a minimum 5.2.5.

Supported Databases are: MySQL 5.0.15 with PDO, PostgreSQL 8.3 with PDO and SQLite 3.37.

Recommended Web Servers are: Apache, Nginx, or Microsoft IIS

A minimum of 15 megabytes is required for a default website. Drupal website further notes that 60 megabytes is needed for website that has many modules and themes installed.¹

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  There is registration system that facilitates various levels of permission for accessing, editing, publishing and administrating.
  
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  Users could existing account information, such as Gmail, to link with Joomla!.
  
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  A Media Manager is available to facilitate managing media files and configure any type of file with versatility. It is linked with Article Editor tool.
  
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  A Banner Manager is available to manage advertising campaigns, public statements, endorsements and Partners promotion.
  
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  There is a Contract Manager to help users reach someone as needed. Multiple contact forms are available for various entities.
  
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  You could poll your users to learn more about your audience.
  
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  Users could efficiently search for needed information and provide administrators with search statistics.
  
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  You can group links into categories based on the counts of clicks.
  
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  Management of content is facilitated with a three-tiered system with the Extension Layer, Application Layer and Framework Layer. The Extension layer management of content with templates, modules, and components. The Application Layer facilitates front-end, back-end and remote management. The Framework Layer provides libraries, plugins and hierarchical categorization.
  
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  There is a WYSIWYG editor for all to use and cater various editing needs.
  
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  Pre-installed modules could point out the most sought after articles and recent new items.
  
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  There is the ability syndicate content and management newsfeed. Users subscribe to new content via their RSS reader. RSS feeds from other sources could be integrated.
  
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  A Menu Manager is available to create all the needed menus, which could be hierarchically arranged. Rollovers, dropdowns, flyouts and others are available.
  
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  There is versatility of available templates. You could use one template or several. You customize the templates.
  
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  A help section is available with a glossary, “version checker,” a system information for trouble-shooting.
  
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  Page caching, module caching and zip compression for efficient page loads.
  
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  There is a debugging feature and error reports
  
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  An FTP Layer is available to make all files and folders writable sans administrator permission
  
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  You can use Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). With XML or HTML you could cause another procedure to occur from another computer within same network.³
  

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  Drupal allows various levels of control for different roles. Content managers, administrators and developers all levels of control in accordance to their roles.
  
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  There is a flexibility in allowing multiple content types along with their specific functionality and whether or not you allow user comments.
  
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  You can categorize your content with a menu structure that you customize to fit your needs.
  
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  You can use HTML and CSS to fully customize your website behind the presentation layer.
  
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  There are templates to expedite the design so you don’t have to build from scratch.
  
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  There is the flexibility to be used on various mediums, such as mobile and other devices. Drupal can detect which medium is being used and adjust accordingly.
  
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  Drupal is generates effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) through links to content, page metadata and XML.
  
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  Drupal engages online community via forums, commenting, polls, blogging and RSS feeds. Online interaction to likened to what is found with YouTubes, Flickrs and Facebooks.
  
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  You could track users for statistical profile, which could be integrated with Google Analytics.
  
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  Modules facilitate seamless workflow and management of content.
  
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  There is a WYSIWYG editor provided by a range of modules catering various editing needs.
  
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  All pages and sections of the website could be published as an RSS feed and could be integrated with different types of external systems.
  
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  You could have a standard or advanced mode of searching. You customize the search engine. You could use Google as the website search engine by installing a module.
  
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  There thousands modules that could be used if a core module doesn’t suit your needs. Developers contribute modules to a database from which you can search from. ¹
  

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  Apple iPad
  
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  Apple iPad
  
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  Apple iPod
  
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  Android Mobile
  
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  NexusOne
  
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  Blackberry
  
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  Windows Phone³
  

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  Apple iPad
  
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  Apple iPhone
  
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  Apple iPod
  
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  NexusOne
  
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  Android Mobile
  
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  Blackberry
  
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  Windows Phone¹
  

The following are sources of technical support :

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  Search the site to see if your question has already been answered.
  
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  An Absolute Beginners Guide to get you started with learning the basics.
  
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  There are instructions for developers, users, administrators, web designers and code contributors.
  
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  Online user groups are available located within different parts of the where people could exchange help from their peers.
  
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  A forum is available for you to ask and answer questions with your peers
  
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  A functional Resources Directory will soon be available within the online community.
  
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  Joomla! Community Magazine is available online with helpful tips.
  
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  Joomla! has different listservs for exchanging ideas.
  
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  Daily webinars are available to learn more.³
  

The following are sources of technical support:

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  Search the site to see if your question has already been answered.
  
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  Forums are available to ask and answer questions with your peers.
  
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  Online documentation for Drupal.org is available to keep up with latest changes.
  
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  There is an online chat feature to get more immediate help
  
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  If you are experiencing a bug, you could enter this concern into a queue that notes the status of it is addressed.
  
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  There is a project issue queue representing different module categories.
  
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  A person may be able to install work with Drupal in a language other than English.
  
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  You could locate people and organization to provide professional help with installation, design, hosting, module development and site building.
  
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  You could locate organizations that provide training on how to use Drupal. ¹
  

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  More efficient with regards to installation. It is straightforward with its step-by-step demo.
  
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  Much more efficient and less expensive to establish a structured site content because there is a given support for basic content types.
  
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  Unlike Drupal rigidity when it comes to rearranging menu items, Joomla! can be moved between different menus.
  
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  Facilitates the formation of templates more efficient for Web site design.
  
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  Has greater access to third-party designs to implement into the site.
  
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  More built in editorial tools and controls.
  
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  Provides ready-made tools for management and presentation of rich-media content.
  
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  Has an SEO features that are easier to implement.
  
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  Facilitates this process setting membership with more ease.
  
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  Has a wider variety of third-party software options for ecommerce capability.
  
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  Can cut software engineering time with its capabilities and third-party features.
  
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  Easier to implement effective caching abilities.
  
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  Allows for multiple users to make adjustments to the site offline.
  
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  No need for as much technical knowledge, more user-friendly
  
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  Much easier to handoff developer work . ⁵
  

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  More amicable to balancing multiple computing resources as well as servicing multi-site capabilities then Joomla!. Requires less time for server planning and setup.
  
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  Focuses more sharing and developing within a community.
  
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  Has more potential than Joomla! to facilitate more extensive customization for editorial workflows.
  
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  More efficient capacity for content versioning.
  
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  Does not have ready-made tools for rich-media support, there is definitely more room to customize for specific needs.
  
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  Requires more work for SEO optimization, it doesn’t run into the snags that Joomla! has when working with third-part extensions.
  
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  Offers more customization, workflow options and specified permissions.
  
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  Has an ecommerce feature called Ubercart that is more capable than Joomla! for tending to the specific requirements for shopping carts and catalogs.
  
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  In spite of high software engineering costs, developers have a much more leeway to customize.
  
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  Offers more specific level of caching that Joomla! doesn’t offer.
  
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  Content producers may have to work less support their work since they are only dealing with the necessary control and the rest of the work is left to the super administrator. ⁵