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 Joomla! firmly occupies one of the leading positions among other content management systems for website development. Joomla! is a free open source CMS which is written in PHP, uses MySQL database and is well documented. Joomla! is an independent product which was presented in 2005 as a result of separation of the developing group of a famous large CMS – Mambo.
There are two versions of Joomla! today: version 1.0 and version 1.5. Joomla! 1.0 is a successor to Mambo compatible with almost all components, modules and mambots of its predecessor. Joomla! 1.5 is a completely new independent product which was developed from zero. Among the advantages of version 1.0 we can name a great number of ready-made extensions with the help of which you can create a full-functional site even without deep knowledge in the sphere of web programming. Version 1.5 is more resource demanding that is why it sets high hosting requirements.
How to start work with Joomla!?
To start working with Joomla! you have to install it on the hosting or a local server. Following technical requirements are obligatory for correct fork with Joomla!:
- PHP 4.2.x or higher;
- MySQL 3.23.x or higher;
- Apache 1.13.19 or higher.
Installation of Joomla! starts from downloading of an archive which contains Joomla! distribution kit. As is has been already mentioned above Joomla! is free and its original version can be downloaded from many websites, for instance joomla.org. Next step is creation of a database for Joomla! in MySQL. The user of this database should have all access rights. During creation of the database you will have to choose user name and password. You will need this information during installation of Joomla! too so it is better to write it down. Downloaded archive with Joomla! should be unpacked into the root directory of the site on the server. After this you should launch your Internet browser and type the name of your site (e.g. www.site_name.ua) in the address bar. The installation window will open.
Installation process itself consists of 4 main steps. During the first step the system checks if your server supports all Joomla! requirements. If everything is all right installation moves to the next step – acquaintance with Joomla! license. After getting acquainted with the license we move to the third step – database configuration. During this stage you will need database user name and password which you have saved before. Such parameters as “database type” and “host name” are usually left on default – “mysql” and “localhost”, respectively. If your hoster has provided parameters which are different from default ones you should enter them. Then installation program offers to configure FTP access to the site. If you do not need this option you can switch to the final step. During this stage you enter the name of the future site, contact e-mail of the site owner, set the password for access to the administration panel of the site.
Installation is successfully complete! If you want to start working with Joomla! components immediately you should enter site administration panel. Its default URL is www.site_name.ua/administrator.
What facilities does Joomla! provide?
Joomla! provides broad facilities for site administration. Here are only some of them:
- opportunity to create unlimited number of pages;
- opportunity to create your own description and keywords for each dynamic page;
- opportunity to make an original design thanks to completely customizable schemes of elements arrangement in 5 areas;
- availability of template manager which provides an opportunity to download templates and install them on your site within a couple of seconds;
- opportunity to create your own library and then use it from any part of your site;
- availability of various modules: latest news, counter, detailed statistics, guestbook, forum etc.
- generator of random article display;
- availability of module which permits to receive news, articles and links from remote authors;
- opportunity to create more than one feedback form for each contact;
- availability of archive manager; you can store old articles in the archive;
- choice from three visual editors; it facilitates editing of materials to the level of editing a text in a word processor (e.g. MS Word);
- availability of article preview before publication;
- availability of modules for creating personal pages is an opportunity to “enliven” your site;
- economical use of place on the server thanks to use of MySQL database;
- availability of banner management system.
Besides Joomla! is compatible with Mac OS X server, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and AIX servers. It facilitates its wide use irrespectively of the server used by the hoster.
Joomla! is a multifunctional instrument. It permits to create sites of any difficulty: small business sites, corporate sites, Internet portals. Joomla! also permits to create online shops. For this purpose you have to install a special free (!) component called Virtue Mart.
To develop your first site on Joomla! you do not need deep knowledge in the sphere of web programming – Joomla! is ready to do everything itself!
TAGS
joomla,
website development,
joomla installation,
web programming,
web design,
small business site,
internet portal development |
website development 
