Gosh, I have been very busy for the past few days especially when there was the Merdeka Day Celebration on 31st August 2007. At the same time, I’ve been busy redesigning my friend’s website which I expect will be done in 2 days time.

The website just need some tweaking here and there and its done. Previously, I was using Xoops for his website. After one year, I decided to change the overall layout of his website to a much more friendlier look and features. I did some testing on various CMS available before I decided on Joomla!.

Joomla! is one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the planet. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

Why did I choose Joomla! over Xoops?

Don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying that I dislike Xoops nor did I say Joomla! is better than Xoops or the other way around. Xoops for me is a great CMS that has great support throughout the web. However, Xoops is a bit unfriendly to people like my friend who is not IT savvy. Anyway he will be using his website more than I, therefore, I’ve decided to give him and his existing community a try Joomla!.

These are some reasons why I choose Joomla! over Xoops:

• Personally, Joomla! interface [in terms of its web design] looks more modern to me as compared to Xoops. I like the various template (free and commercial) available in the net.
• Joomla! admin interface and interactivity is much more beautiful and friendlier than Xoops. It looks like a window’s interface to me. However, Joomla!’s admin will require sometime before you get use to it but then again I think my friend will be able to handle it better than Xoops.
• I love the various plugins, modules, components, mambots and tools available for Joomla! It’s so easy to install as compared to Xoops. Moreover, most of the stuff are updated which I find it important. Xoops on the other hand have various modules also but most of it are way back in 2004. Importantly, the stuff are usable by the community
• I’ve also tested integrating Google Adsense into Joomla and it offers exactly the stuff I need - Just like my blog, a Google Adsense at the top, at the bottom and one when it’s in single page view. I tried this in Xoops before and it’s quite tough to customise it in a way I want Google Adsense to appear.

As a conclusion, each CMS either its Xoops, Drupal, Joomla! and others would have its own drawbacks and pros, therefore depending on your wants, needs and requirements on your site, pick the right one that suits best for you and your community.