Open source CMSes prove well worth the price

We look at five free offerings boasting solid Web publishing features that challenge their commercial competitors

I found that other aspects of Drupal follow this same basic formula: There's not much you can't do, but it may take installing a module or some additional steps. For example, translating text is best done with a stand-alone editor. Or consider search: There's an internal site search system, but you need to manually schedule the indexing jobs.

Some of the more interactive features I liked include the news aggregator, which gathers content from news sites and Weblogs; RSS feeds of your Drupal content; and user authentication using an LDAP server.

Drupal has attracted interest among users and developers over the past four years. Usability -- for administrators and content editors -- might be better and the range of functions could be expanded. This application's modular design, however, lets community members keep it updated and in the CMS race.

Open Source Matters Joomla 1.0.13

If there were celebrity breakups in the open source community, Mambo would provide great tabloid fodder. After disagreeing with Mambo Foundation management in 2005, the core developers jumped ship, forked development, and Joomla resulted. Technically, both systems continue to be enhanced, and modules created for one system generally work with the other.Joomla administration, though, is more improved and, based on discussion board activity, Joomla appears to have the momentum right now. There's also more tangible backup, where some hosting providers market Joomla as their site-building solution.

Joomla satisfies Web publishing needs that range from small business Web sites to corporate portals and extranets. The central package is relatively easy to install and those with basic skills can manage a Website. As delivered, this CMS includes fundamental components such as news articles, polls, blogs, calendars, search, and RSS feeds. Add-ons and extensions (some that require purchase), include document management and e-commerce engines.

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Joomla lets registered front-end users enter content while back-end administrators change design templates, alter page layouts, add modules, and manage users. My administration testing started at the Web control panel, which has four areas for arranging content, installing features, and handling overall system maintenance. I understood how to use most functions, such as creating folders and uploading media, right away.

The harder part of this CMS is learning the menu system and also managing the various content containers. Still, I believe after a week of reading and experimentation that even relative newcomers could have a small production-ready site -- and that time that can be compressed if you're experienced with a commercial CMS, such as Ektron, Eprise or Red Dot. That's because Joomla Web sites follow common design and publishing methodologies used in the enterprise.