Rob Yardman » Joomla

WordPress: Plugin Update Available

Rob — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:14:13 +0000

Today I came across something that I REALLY appreciate in WordPress that is not available with Joomla. Or at least I’m not aware of it and have never seen this feature from Joomla. I logged into my admin panel today just to make a quick edit and add the Ubuntu Calendar. In the corner of my eye there’s a small, red notification icon next to the “Plugins” drop-down menu. I click it expecting to see the worst and to my surprise, “Plugin Update Available.”

My first reaction was “Hmm, a new version of contact form. Do I want to go through the trouble of downloading and jumping through whatever hoops to install that update?” But at the end of that notification was a link to automatically update the plugin. I clicked it and my contact plugin was updated and all was good in the land of Rob.

That is a truely awesome feature and something that would have solved a lot of headaches for me in Joomla. One click and everything is simple. I don’t know if this is a feature that’s available with all plugins. Thanks to the developers that have built that feature into their software.

It’s very typical that when a web application or ANY application is updated or changed, there are a lot of hacks that go into migrating to that new version or update. Being able to simply click and update your code is awesome.

More WordPress Vs. Joomla and a New Theme

Rob — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:46:45 +0000

So I have continued my journey into WordPress and so far so good. I haven’t had to “hack” anything yet but I’m not holding my breath. Some things to be considered: I really like the WordPress admin interface. It’s simple and easy to work with. I have also discovered the automatic installation for “official” or WordPress.org endorsed extensions. I guess I should have looked for that feature before commenting on it in one of my previous posts. Although it’s not as user-friendly as Joomla’s extension/component installation methods, it is convenient. I mean, who wants to download a .zip file and ftp into their web host just to install an extension? That’s so Web 1.0.

The differences between Joomla and WordPress have become even more apparent now that I’ve been able to become a little more familiar with WordPress. Joomla has A LOT more available to it from the initial install where as WordPress is simple and allows you to build from its simplicity. Joomla takes a different approach because of the fact that it’s a CMS in its entirety and not just a blogging platform. WordPress however seems to start off being easy and highly customizable without the headaches of how everything works and how it all comes together. I can appreciate both applications in what they do and how they approach the end-user experience. They’re both very great in their own right. I started this blog expecting to completely dis-own and bash the Joomla platform – if you want to call it that – only to realize that in it’s own right Joomla is an awesome application when used correctly. There is a definite learning curve but in the end it offers so much out of the box, it’s amazing.

On the other hand is WordPress. Simple and small but with an enormous user-base and wealth of support from it’s community of users and developers. I really appreciate the fact that it starts off easy and as simple as possible. I keep using the term “simple” because that’s exactly what it is: simple. For me this is more of a hobby that I anticipate being able to make a little money on for people/clients wanting a web presence with their business or personal endeavours. So I don’t want to spend a lot of time configuring and editing an interface on top of skinning a theme and creating menus or hacking components. So with that in mind, after the WordPress install and a few graphic modifications, I was off and running creating content.

The first thing I did after my WordPress installation was look for a blank and easily customizable theme. Initially I was using something a little more generic when I stumbled onto Thematic from ThemeShaper.com. The install was fairly simple and so was the skinning of the theme. I obviously didn’t change much besides the page background and header graphics. That of course, is the beauty of open-source. No need to build what’s already been built and made available to you. So “thank you” Ian Stewart for your work and dedication on the Thematic theme. Here’s your plug.

The theme isn’t completely finished and I have some IE tweaks to finish but for now the logo shows up fine only the background doesn’t in IE yet. Did I mention I can’t stand IE? If I haven’t stated that yet, I do.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll obviously continue my ventures and hacks into WordPress so stay tuned for more. If you’re interested in my latest involvements or just “what I’m doing.” You can follow me on Twitter. Thanks for reading and comments are appreciated.

My Dig Into WordPress So Far; Vs. Joomla

Rob — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:36:10 +0000

So I’ve started “digging” into WordPress and like what I see so far. I did have a application error installing a plugin yesterday but after refreshing the page, all was well. I will say - and I may be clueless so far – that Joomlas theme (template) and plugin (component) installation process is a lot easier. I’m new to it all so I may be completely off base but from what I’ve seen so far suggests my opinion.

What I’ve noticed so far: the two major differences between WordPress and Joomla are 1) WordPress themes (templates) are much easier to customize and edit than with Joomla, and 2) The user experience with the actual WordPress application is very user-friendly and WORLDS beyond what Joomla offers.

When I first started using Joomla there was a slight learning curve. The administrator interface was a little overwhelming at first. I’m a pretty intuitive person and very keen on learning software applications straight from the install but with Joomla there was a slight frustration. I would be completely overwhelmed if I were a non-tech-savy content contributor. With WordPress however – and quite possibly cause I’ve had experience with a CMS – I was very comfortable with the interface. It all made sense.

In the last couple of days since the install, this has been my experience. It’s been great and I think WordPress has the right approach to a content management system. I like it a lot and don’t think the transition was a major deal. Hopefully this weekend I’ll have a little more time to really start developing an awesome theme and get this site off the ground.