Duncan
Joomla vs WordPress Round 2 – Joomla
Joomla! – The Pros & Cons
First, we are going to look at Joomla! and discover the options and attributes that may make this the CMS choice for you. Joomla! is a free and open source content management system (CMS) for publishing content on the World Wide Web.
Joomla! is written in PHP, and uses object-oriented programming (OOP) techniques which is stored in a MySQL database, and includes features such as page caching, RSS feeds, printable versions of pages, news flashes, blogs, polls, search, and also supports many languages.
Between March 2007 and February 2011, there have been more than 21 million downloads, with over 7,400 free and commercial extensions available from the official Joomla! Extension Directory and even more available from private companies! Continue reading
Joomla vs WordPress Round 1 – Similarities
To keep up with the times, most websites need a Content Management System (CMS) with database integration to be able to store and retrieve data based on what the client interacts with on the website. Most of the average users out there think that using a CMS is a very expensive idea. Truth is, there are several open source CMS systems available that are free to install on your web hosting space and use. Of the CMS options available, the 2 largest and most supported Content Management Systems are Joomla! and WordPress. Continue reading
Top 3 Indicators it’s Time for a Website Redesign?
In this day and age, everybody and their brother has a website. With the ability to use free software to build a cookie-cutter simple websites, even the less than tech savvy people are now blogging away, trying to promote themselves to the world.
However, any of you professionals out there know that having your website up and running, plus having great content is not enough. Humans are fickle creatures and get bored easily with the “same old, same old”, tired websites that at one point were on the top of the popular reading lists and now are a memory.
So what are the indicators, that it is time to refresh/upgrade your website? Continue reading
iCloud unveiled at Developers Conference
NEW York – On Monday Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iCloud, which is a free wireless storage and syncing service, at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in downtown San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The service automatically stores a user’s content to all their Mac Computers & Apple devices. This is definitely not a feature to be overlooked! Both Google and Amazon users have to upload the songs themselves. Users will receive 5GB of storage for free, with the option to upgrade. For a $25 fee users can store up to 20,000 songs on iCloud, which is a great deal compared to Amazon’s $200 price tag. We may indeed be seeing a bidding war in the future.
iCloud is comparable to Amazon’s Cloud Drive, but integrates seamlessly with iTunes, which currently is the software that controls all syncing of media to Apple computers or devices. A feature known as iTunes Match, will scan users’ hard drives and automatically make the songs it finds available on iCloud.
Besides music, iCloud will be able to sync apps, books, documents, contacts, photos, and videos to any apple device the user owns. Set to be officially released this fall, and is said to replace Apple’s previous cloud service, MobileMe. Being fair, Apple plans a refund for users already paying the $99 a year for the same service. Anyone having an active MobileMe account as of today will have their service extended at no charge through June 30, 2012.
The plan for this service is undoubtedly to sell more iPods and iPads, and seems like the next necessary step for Apple to compete with Google and Amazon. Definitely something to keep in mind when it comes time to plan your online media storage.
Microsoft Officially Reveals Windows 8
REDMOND, Wash. – June 1, 2011 – At the D9 Conference, Microsoft officially unveiled their new operating system, internally named “Windows 8” for the first time. The operating system leans heavily on the Windows Phone User Interface, with a tile-based Start screen, optimized for touch screen users. Don’t worry though, Microsoft says that the operating system still works “equally well” for users using the mouse and keyboard.
Windows 8 looks like a natural progression for Microsoft, as the company tries to compete with the popular touch screen devices, like Apple’s iPad line and its iOS software. The operating system is not complete, but the current prediction is that it will launch in fall of 2012.
The video from YouTube below shows off a few of the basic elements of the new user interface.
Some of the key features included will be:
- Fully touch-optimized browsing, as Windows 8 will come with Internet Explorer 10.
- Web Applications built in HTML5 that will work great with the full power of the PC.
- Fast launching apps from a tile-based Start screen, which will replace the Windows Start menu, which will include live application tiles.
- Possibly the new Protogon file system that may replace the current NTFS file system.
- A new “Hybrid Boot” option that uses “advanced hibernation functionality” on shutdown to allow for faster startup times.
- The swipe up login screen.
- Allegedly, the OS will also come with its own PDF Reader.
Another key feature, if you can afford the Windows 8 Enterprise edition is the ‘Portable Workspace’. This great feature will allow you to run Windows 8 from a USB storage device.
So be prepared! With tablets taking over the world and everyone attached to their cell phones doing anything but calling someone, it is only natural that the Windows Platform would adapt as well. The live applications, touch screen functionality, and HTML5 Web Apps will enable Windows 8 to brings laptops and PCs up to speed with their highly portable cousins, the tablets & smartphones.
