So what is “Joomla”, and why should you care about it? Joomla is a free, open source CMS, written in PHP that uses object-oriented programming, storing data in a MySQL database, does page caching, RSS feeds, news flashes, blogs, polls, search — things that every CMS should do. How did it get this name, fame and massive downloads??
Opensource at its essence is driven by a community of developers who contribute their knowledge to improvise the use of the software. Unlike other opensource CMSs, Drupal and WordPress have a figurehead or CEOs pulling the strings or making product decisions. Joomla is purely updated and expanded by its community. However, three leadership teams provide legal and financial support and ensure that Joomla acts autonomously, is socially responsible and remains accountable to its community. These teams do not control product decisions in any which way.
Continuous improvements
Heard of the Japanese way of work, kaizen? Small improvements at regular intervals for big change – that’s what Joomla walks on. The Joomla is works on a time lifecycle which means a new version of the platform is released every 6 months.
Focus on what’s important
Instead of having the lead developers write codes for every sporadic release of new features, Joomla allows its community to make patches, fix bugs or the design for end-user.
When small is big
Compared to Drupal, Joomla has traditionally been focused on smaller companies and novices who aren’t necessarily experienced developers. Joomla might not seem like the very ‘sophisticated’ software for your giant company. But the ‘little guys’ love it. They don’t have deep pocket for pricey enterprise CMSs but can easily use Joomla and do most of their content management without much technical background.
Simplicity for success
Joomla’s strength lies in being ready to use, no spending on software and it works with a wide variety of SQL and noSQL databases. It is currently being used in 200+ countries by more than 2500 international government agencies including the US Air Force, US Army and NASA.
Simple steps can get you big time success. Joomla stands testimony of it with millions of downloads and being trusted by its users around the globe.
