Where have you been?

Some might have noticed that I’ve late with the final article(s) on Content Management Systems.

I sincerely appologise. Work caught up with me and I also started a new private project. A community site aimed at all developers. The ideas kept coming and I kept adding.

All I can say is: “Watch this space”.

M.I.A. (Read: Been Busy)

I know we’re all anxiously waiting for the next chapter on “Which CMS?”. but I’m experiencing a small problem.

Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 was announced to be released commercially on 12 May.

I have been "”playing” with SharePoint 2010 for a while now, which leaves me with a bit of a problem.

Do I write the SharePoint part of the “Which CMS?” article on SharePoint 2007, or SharePoint 2010 as a potential Content Management System?

What are the thoughts on this one?

Which CMS? Joomla!

Joomla! (www.joomla.org) is an open-source PHP and MySQL based framework. It runs on Linux, but with some configuration, it runs just as well on Windows Server.

1. Cost
   Free. There is no cost to the Joomla! framework. It managed by a community of developers.
2. Installation
   Installation couldn’t be easier. Upload the files, create the MySQL database and user and your basically done. Open the URL of your site and follow the steps. Very quick and easy. Just remember to delete the Installation folder after installation has been completed.
3. Customisability
   Themes and modules allow you to customise Joomla! to exactly the way you want it.
4. Features
   The features of Joomla! are quite extensive. Almost too many to mention. HTML editor, security, articles and newsfeeds are only some of the features.
5. Additional Modules
   Some are free, some have a price tag. Bottom line, anything you can dream of is available for Joomla!

Which CMS? DotNetNuke

First on the list is DotNetNuke (www.dotnetnuke.com).

DotNetNuke runs on the Microsoft .NET Framework. Database options include MS SQL Express and MS SQL Server.

1. Cost
   There are currently four versions of DotNetNuke. Community, Professional, Elite and Elite Premier. The Community version is free, while the other versions do have a different fees attached to it.Here is the comparison between the different versions:
 
http://www.dotnetnuke.com/Products/EditionComparison/tabid/1250/Default.aspx
 
2. Installation
   Installation on DotNetNuke is actually quite straightforward. You unzip the package downloaded from DotNetNuke. Upload all the files to your web server. Create a database. Then simply open a browser window and type in your site URL. After that it’s simply following the prompts on screen.
3. Customisability
   DotNetNuke is  highly customisable. You can change the complete look-and-feel of your site; you can also create your own modules. A simple search on DotNetNuke or DNN skins and modules tutorials brings back hundreds and thousands of links.
4. Features
   OOTB (Out-Of-The-Box) you get a few modules and providers.
   1. Events
   2. Wiki
   3. Form and List
   4. Gallery
   5. Forums
   6. Active Directory Provider
   7. Users Online
   8. Announcements
   9. Survey
   10. FCKEditor
   11. Blog
   12. News Feeds
   13. Repository
   14. Documents
   15. Links
   16. Help
   17. Map
   18. Text/HTML
   19. CardSpace Provider
   20. Feedback
   21. Chat
   22. iFrame
   23. LiveID Provider
   24. OpenID Provider
   25. Store
   26. XML
   27. FAQ
   28. Media
5. Additional Modules
   Additional Modules are numerous. Providers, modules and skins are available everywhere or you can create your own.Prices for modules, called extensions, vary from free to thousands of Rands; depending on what you want.

Which CMS? Comparison Criteria

As discussed in the first part of the “Which CMS?” series, I said I’ll post the criteria which I’ll be using to compare the chosen CMSs.

1. Cost
   Cost is important. I believe we all agree on this one.
2. Installation
   How easy is it to install? Can it be done relatively easy or do you need to be a rocket scientist. Another important factor is the time is takes to install.
3. Customisability
   How easy is it to customise the system? Is there sufficient documentation available? Can you get access to the source code?
4. Features
   What features are available out-of-the-box?
5. Additional Modules
   Are the any additional modules available? Mostly free or are there costs involved?

Hopefully this will give us a nice basis to work from and compare the systems. If anybody has any other ideas as to what else needs to be compared, please leave a comment.

Which CMS? Introduction

Having worked with a lot of content management systems, CMS for short, I started wondering which ones are best for which situations.

I decided to tackle this question by addressing a few different areas and seeing how they measure up. Because of this, I’ll do this article in several parts.

To start, I’ll be comparing DotNetNuke, Joomla! and SharePoint.

Stay tuned for the first installment, where I’ll put down the criteria for the comparison.

My aim for this Blog

I decided to (try) explain what my aim for this blog is.

This blog is more a learning tool for me. As a developer, I have found that it’s difficult to explain to a client exactly what I plan for a project. Sometimes it feels like developers and clients speak different languages.

My aim is to try and bridge that gap, by trying to put things in a way that both a developer and a client can understand. In doing so, I hope to teach myself as to better communicate with my clients.

Welcome to SharePoint Translated

Welcome to my blog. I’m sitting here on a hot Tuesday night wondering how to start this blog. A good friend of mine suggested that I introduce myself. Well, here goes.

I’m Jacques Murray. I live in Kyalami Hills, in Northern Johannesburg in South Africa. Married to a wonderful and understanding wife, seeing as I’m writing this close to midnight.

I started with SharePoint in 2005, working with SharePoint 2003. That’s the year it started. I fell in love with this powerful platform and wanted to know more. I received my Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Certifications in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 – Configuration as well as Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 – Application Development in 2007.

Since I started with SharePoint projects have come and gone, each one growing in complexity from its predecessor. Each project requiring new skills and insights. It’s been a steep learning curve, but well worth it.

I found that playing with SharePoint and experimenting with it’s capabilities was a wonderful way to learn and discover.

I left developing for SharePoint for a period of three months. Funny, it was the longest, most frustrating three months of my life. The challenge was gone, the excitement about the sheer power of this platform was missing from my daily efforts.

I’m back developing for SharePoint and I’m not leaving again.