Difference between Drupal and Joomla

Anyone trying to evaluate open source content management systems is aware that there aren't a lot of recent, useful comparative reviews. What's surprising is that this issue is true even for such popular solutions as Drupal and Joomla.

Stating in January that, "most comparisons of Drupal (news, site) and Joomla (news,site) conclude that you should select the one that best suits your needs. However, they give too little guidance about how to do that," Webology eBusiness Solutions set out to quantify the pros and cons of each by releasing a survey.

The Survey

The survey divided questions into five categories:

1. Developers
2. Documentation
3. Performance/Functional Aspects
4. Appearance
5. Ease of Use/Learning

Users were classified by their response to "CMS most experienced with," with those answering "Not Applicable/Don't Know" to this question being removed from the analysis.

In general, the respondents were slanted a bit more toward Joomla users than Drupal users. Their roles when working with their respective CMS's break down to the largest group being Project Managers, and other large groups including Programmers and Designers. The Drupal users were, somewhat unsurprisingly, more experienced, with a median of 7 years experience in web development, while Joomla users claimed 5.

The Results

In general, there were a lot of responses that fit expectations.

Drupal Users Love Drupal, Joomla Users Love Joomla

Drupal users list the highest client satisfaction with Drupal, and Joomla users list the highest satisfaction of their clients with Joomla. Drupal developers feel that Drupal is easier for developers to learn, and Joomla users feel that Joomla is easier to learn. After all, if you already chose Drupal or Joomla, there was probably a reason you chose it at the time.

Drupal Better for Extensibility and Large Sites

Once you get down to slightly less biased issues, it gets more interesting.

Drupal users rate their CMS higher than Joomla users rated theirs in areas such as documentation (especially core and module documentation) and bugs (core and modules). Drupal users apparently feel that their add-ons integrate better with the core, and their framework makes it easier to extend their CMS's capabilities.

Drupal users also rated Drupal higher than Joomla users rated Joomla for their support of multimedia, social networking, SSL, forums, event calenders, blogging, document management, SSL, internationalization, user management and permission features (a huge gap of 40%), ease of external integration, the ease of developing large, complex web sites, and the quality of add-ons for enhancing functionality.

Joomla Easier for the Non-Geeks

However, Drupal didn't win in every aspect. Joomla users rated Joomla higher than Drupal users rated Drupal when it came to the ability for non-technical people to learn the CMS interface (another large gap), maintenance and upgrading, the ability to create a new and functioning site quickly, the ability to teach clients to use their CMS effectively, and their willingness to put time and money into improving poorly performing extensions.

Which Web CMS is Better?

Sorry, there's still no cut and dried answer, and for that matter, we at CMSWire don't even believe in the question.

If this survey proves anything, it's that the choice of Web CMS depends on what you're trying to do — which is what we've been saying all along. At least now folks have a more quantifiable set of opinions to look at.

For the complete list of questions and responses, along with all of the numbers, see theWebology eBusiness Solutions blog. And if you want more CMS data (and a little controversy), see our coverage of Water & Stone's most popular open source CMS survey.

Benefits of PHP Programming in Custom Web Development

The original full form of PHP is Personal Home Page but in programming sense it stands for Hyper Text Preprocessor. HTML is client side language means Browser translate the HTML code into the “byte code” that is easy to follow for a computer. The “byte code” then translated into the out put as we see on the screen for instance in to the Text or Image.

Server side language in web development

PHP is server side language means PHP has an interpreter that interprets PHP code into the HTML code for a browser means every time it writes the HTML for your PC’s browser from the server where it resides. That means it can generate HTML for so many browsers at a time. Rest of process is same for the HTML as we have discussed earlier, means HTML get translated in to the byte code and byte code in to the computer screen Text or Image. With server-side scripting languages, you don’t need anything adding to your browser or computer, as the interpreter inside the machine that hosts the particular Website does most of the work.

Dynamic language in web development

HTML is static language therefore it creates static pages whilst PHP is dynamic language. Here dynamic means? Suppose you run a forum and you have a page written for today. You have to edit the whole site for its update if it is written in HTML, for a page for tomorrow you will again edit the site and so on for the next days. If your site is written in a PHP you need not go to edit it every time you write a post. This process is automated for a server side language.

What dose PHP do here? It sends the data of your written page for forum to the server. On server it saves in “pre-defined” variables (things that store a value), and using something called a “while loop” that continually loops all the posts saved in the Web page – and that’s it! PHP stores the posts in a MySQL database (something that holds data, if you like, like member accounts, etc) and uses that as long-term memory.

Fast and better in web development

PHP is compiled by PHP engine on runtime this makes its execution rapid so it is running fast. Its codes are highly optimized means it never put any strain over the server as well as nothing left for the machine of the browser where it runs means computers of the users. PHP is effective with a rational database like MySQL so it is fast with database use too.

Other benefits in web development

The code of PHP is simple and easy to understandIt is most suited to the needs of small business as it cost less compare to other languages and give better performance.PHP is highly adaptable to the most of the databases connectivity.PHP has cross platform compatibility means it can run on all OS like windows, Linux, Mac etc.PHP is cross browser compatible means it can run on any browser.PHP differentiate the presentation layer and data layers very well.It can be used in command line scripting.

PHP Tools useful in web developmentHere I did try to give you links of some of useful PHP tools during web development.Debugging Tools

Webgrind (code.google.com)Xdebug (xdebug.org)Gubed PHP Debugger (gubed.mccabe.nu)DBG (php-debugger.com/dbg/)PHP_Debug (php-debug.com)

Testing and Optimization Tools

PHPUnit (phpunit.de)SimpleTest (simpletest.org)Selenium (selenium-rc.openqa.org)PHP_CodeSniffer (matrix.squiz.net/developer/tools/php_cs)dBug (dbug.ospinto.com)

Documentation Tools

phpDocumentor (phpdoc.org)PHP DOX (phpdox.net)

Security Tools

SecurimageScavengerPHP-IDSPixy: PHP Security Scanner

Image Manipulation and Graphs

PHP/SWF ChartspChart – a chart-drawing PHP libraryWideImageMagickWand For PHP

PHP Code Beautifier

PHP_BeautifierPHPCodeBeautifierGeSHi – Generic Syntax Highlighter

Version-Control Systems

Phingxinc

Useful Extensions, Utilities and Classes

SimplePieHTML PurifierhtmlSQLPHPMathPublisherphpMyAdminPHPExcel

PHP Online Tools and Resources

Minify!PHP Object GeneratorgotAPI/PHPkodersPECL

In-Browser Tools (Firefox Add-Ons)

FirePHPphpLangEditorPHP LookupPHP Manual Search

Frameworks for PHP

DwooCodeIgniterYII Framework

PHP IDEs and Editors

PhpEDphpDesignerZend Studio

curtsy: kinjal

Tips for Learning Simple Php

When you are trying to learn a new programming language like PHP, it can get a bit intimidating, especially if you have never had experience with other programming languages before. But trust me, the toughest hurdle is really the starting point. Once you have gotten over that, it is really just a matter of keeping your focus and practicing. Be patient and learn the steps one at a time and you will get there. Here are some tips to help you learn simple PHP:

Learn the basics.

To learn a new language, specifically a programming language, you will need to have basic computer skills. Before you can learn PHP, you need to have a basic background on HTML. This is necessary to make PHP easier to grasp. Plus, you can alternate between the two later on using the same document.

PHP is a language that uses scripting and often used with HTML to supplement functions that HTML lacks. With PHP, you can collect and process data, make comparisons and calculations things that you can not do with HTML. Using this skill, you can create other functions to produce data that is more specialized.

Get the tools.

To create PHP pages, you will need a text editor. A plain text editor is a program that lets you edit files in plain text. These are the ones that come with extensions such as. php, .cgi, .html, etc. These types of text editors will not save formatting on the file, only the plain text. If you have been using a text editing program for your HTML file, that will do. you will probably use either Notepad (for Windows) or Text Edit (for Mac).

Get an FTP.

A File Transfer Protocol or FTP is used to exchange files from your computer to a remote server. This is the one we use to connect on a LAN or to an Internet site.

Get busy.

Once you have the right tools, you will have to practice creating files using PHP. There are some very important stuff that you will need to learn, including basic mathematics and IF statements and using variables. you will have to go through these first before you can hope to build a reliable PHP file.

Once you know your way around these skills, you can then start learning about loops. Loops are just your basic true or false statements that will perform repetitive actions again and again until certain conditions are met. After mastering the loops, you can then learn how to write your very own functions. Once you have learned how to manipulate the codes to create your desired result, there is virtually no limit to what you can do.

Online resources for learning simple PHP

You can not possibly learn simple PHP from a single short article like this, so it is best to expand your knowledge and turn to other resources like books and online sites. Some sites to check out:

PHP.About.com

There are several articles on this site that discuss the most basic information you need to know to learn simple PHP. This is a great source for web based tutorial that features clear step by step instructions on using PHP, HTML, XML and MySQL databases.

PHP Buddy.com

This site contains Quick Start tutorials on PHP and scripts that will make it easy for you to learn the program easily. This includes a brief introduction and learning basic PHP syntax. There are also valuable tutorials on using cookies, data inscription and working with functions and sessions using PHP.

PHP Freaks.com

This is a site for people who want to learn both PHP and MySQL. The site has 90 tutorials on PHP, more than 400 PHP code examples and nearly 3,000 articles that discuss various information, tips and tricks to make learning simple PHP quick and easy.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/programming-articles/tips-for-learning-simple-php-159206.html

Flash Builder for PHP 4.5.1 Gets iOS Support

IBM i shops that use the latest release of Zend Technology Flash Builder for PHP can now compile their Flash user interfaces into native iOS applications that will run on Apple devices. Flash Builder for PHP version 4.5.1, which was released late last month, enables developers to target all major client devices--including Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs; Web browsers; and iOS, Android, and Blackberry Playbook mobile devices--with a single development effort.

Zend launched the first release of Flash Builder for PHP (version 4.5) in May. The offering combines Adobe's Flash Builder development tool with a full copy of the Zend Studio IDE, enabling programmers to write slick Flash-based interfaces from the IDE they use to write back-end PHP apps for IBM i, Windows, Linux, and every other server supported by PHP.

The Eclipse-based software makes it relatively easy for PHP developers to use Flash to power their GUIs. Adobe and Zend have built a layer of integration into the software that allows developers to work on Flash and PHP projects from the comfort of a single IDE.

But why would somebody want to use Flash to begin with? There are pros and cons. On the plus side, Flash (formerly called Flex) provides a rich library of objects that make it quite easy to build so-called rich Internet applications (RIAs) using drag-and-drop motions. Also, the Flash Player (a layer that is normally required to run a Flash interface) is ubiquitous. It's installed as a Web browser plug-in on more than 99 percent of the world's PCs.

But there are downsides. For starters, some think Flash websites are annoying (these people were probably happiest in front of screen scraped 5250 apps, or 1990-era bulletin boards that resemble DOS.) But the biggest knock against Flash has been that it doesn't run on iOS, the Apple mobile device operating system that is taking over the world.

This is why the version 4.5.1 update is important. According to Zend's IBM alliance director Michael Scarpato, the new release of Flash Builder gets around this roadblock by using the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), a cross-platform runtime that can run Flash applications on any supported device. Since iOS supports AIR, Flash Builder (and Flash Builder for PHP) developers can now target iOS devices with their i OS apps.

"AIR is the technology to run Flash," Scarpato says. "That technology has been extended to run anywhere. So it can run on iOS, Android, and Blackberry Playbook. It can run on desktop OSes like Linux and Mac and Windows. And it can also run in the browser."

Flash Builder for PHP 4.5.1 supports iOS by compiling the application and making it available to users through iTunes App store, Scarpato says. "You get that down, and all the components needed from AIR are bundled or compiled in the application, enabling it to run natively, so you don't need Flash and you don't need the browser at all," he says.

"This gives people the ability to create a common code base of Adobe flash code, along with Zend's PHP code running on the IBM i in Zend Server, and basically build the application once--build it in a way that it will run anywhere--and get to all of these different devices at the same time," he says.

While users will appreciate the modern look of a Flash interface, developers who use Flash Builder for PHP will appreciate the integration work that Zend has done to hook the PHP and Flash environments, according to Kent Mitchell, senior director of product management for Zend.

"Probably the single biggest feature that developers love is integrated debugging," Mitchell says. "When you're trying to figure out why code doesn't work--and some of the code is in Flex and Flash, and some is in PHP--if you have separate debuggers and they're not integrated, it's really a giant pain in the butt. So with this integrated debugging, you can literally start debugging on the mobile device, follow that request from the mobile device into the PHP, figure out where PHP is doing something wrong, then fix it, and then basically watch the flow all the way back out and make sure everything's working the way you expected it to."

The joint Flash offering with Adobe comes on the heels of last year's release of Zend Studio 8, which introduced JavaScript into the IDE for the first time. JavaScript, of course, is another technology that developers can use to create compelling Web 2.0-style applications. And the fact that Zend Studio supports several different JavaScript libraries, including jQuery, Dojo, ExtJs, and Prototype, gives customers choices.

The choice, then, to use Flash Builder would mainly be made if an organization had a substantial investment in Flash technology and had a lot of people with Flash skills in house. The capability to target nearly every device with a single development effort (something that is not yet possible writing just JavaScript) is another advantage of going the Flash Builder for PHP route.

It's worth noting here that Flash Builder can be used without PHP. In fact, the standalone Flash Builder product can create very compelling interfaces from RPG business logic. Check out Shannon O'Donnell's recent Four Hundred Guru story, "Adobe Flash Builder for the iSeries Programmer, Part 1", for more info on using Flash Builder.

There was a problem with the first release of Flash Builder for PHP that had a big impact on users who had installed Adobe's Creative Suite on their PCs. The problem, which caused the rest of the Creative Suite to stop working, has been addressed by Adobe in this knowledge base article.

Zend and Adobe are selling two versions of Flash Builder for PHP, including the standard edition and the premium edition. The premium edition, which costs $799, gives users access to advanced features, such as improved support for large apps, memory and performance profilers, a network monitor, and a command-line build, that aren't available in the standard edition, which costs $399.

IBM i customers should go through Zend to get access to the Flash Builder for PHP. Most IBM i customers are eligible for discounts from the listed price.

curtsy: Alex Woodie

PHP Frameworks

Before you can actually implement PHP frameworks on your web designing project it is important to fully understand the way they function and how they can work to enhance your project. PHP is actually the most popular and common script language used by web designers worldwide, and there is a definite reason for its popularity.

First of all it is simple to use and flexible, as many times coding and scripting can get tiresome and boring. PHP will help you to apply applications rapidly, saving time and generating more stable applications. It will also cut down the codes that recur frequently and are used by web developers. This is why web designers and developer favor this method, which is also very suitable for beginners.

You can build very stable applications and provide a precise data base of coding and interaction. This will save time on writing down repetitive codes and allow you the time for creative issues. There are various reasons for using PHP frameworks, the main one being that it speeds up issues related to web development.

If you can use the recurring codes for different project without having to insert them manually each time, this will save a lot of time and effort. You can use pre-constructed modules that will allow you to take care of all coding tasks that are recurring. Web designers can then concentrate in developing the various applications and avoid having to create a new foundation for each project.

The beauty of PHP lies in the simplicity of the system; this is why many prefer to use scripting language. However, the simplicity can also cause problems, although for beginners it is easy to implement, as you could be writing wrong codes and not realize you are doing so.

The problem is that when using PHP your applications will still work although you may have created a big security problem in the coding that you would not be aware of. This will mean that your website is not secure, as PHP will forgive a lot of misuse in coding, but unfortunately put you at a risk.

With PHP you can use many different frameworks as it offers an extensive choice of available tools to work with. PHP also allows you to create your own framework if you wish to add more creative ideas. However, many web designers use the available frameworks offered by PHP as they are extremely popular and are enhanced by support teams and forums.

You can use the forums to exchange views and ideas when using the same type of framework, which can be of create help when you are just starting. Before you use a determined framework you should examine it properly and decide if you can use it for the type of project you have in mind. To determine whether it is the right one to use, ask yourself if it will save you time and work, and if it will provide the stability you need.

The expenditure of PHP web development decrease for PHP developers

Personal home page: PHP is often a mostly used, general-purpose scripting language that is basically planned for web development to create dynamic sites and application. PHP great for server-side web site development, and this usually exercise on a web server. Hypertext Preprocessor doubles to create client-side GUI applications and command-line scripting.
Recent time this scripting language popularity is increasing each day for business web development. There are particular reasons for this popularity. First reason is this :, it’s available cost-free, along with the PHP owner provides complete source code for users to set up, customization, and extend for manage a webpage. That way, the expenditure of PHP web development decrease for PHP developers and it also advantage will receive Merchant.
To make a website using PHP certainly a simple and easy and not other development tool like ASP.Net and Java. The functions, methods and syntax for this scripting language simple and easy, and developer and programmer are aware of it easily. It is actually full supported with HTML. These way developers and programmers are increased, and then we can hire PHP web developers in low payment for your business.
PHP contains free and free libraries along with the intent being core build. PHP also embedded free open source database like PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQL ite, LDAP servers, as well as others. This scripting language also supports relational database management system. It decreases the web development cost.
PHP is generally used in combination with Linux the gw990, and it is an also open source and free as replacements. The development of the business website using PHP and Linux it is going to decrease the cost. PHP is usually deployed of many web servers, many os and platforms, and can be employed all sorts of relational database management systems.

curtsy: maryr.johnston

PHP.Net: 5.3.7 Upgrade Warning

In a quick note from the PHP.net site, they have a warning for those running PHP 5.3.7 (the most recent release) – there’s a bug that’s serious enough (with crypt) to where upgrades should probably wait until 5.3.8.

Due to unfortunate issues with 5.3.7 (see bug#55439) users should wait with upgrading until 5.3.8 will be released (expected in few days).

The issue causes the crypt() function to only return the (MD5-only) salt it was given instead of the correctly hashed string. If you need to replace this immediately, you can pull the latest from the snaps site (or binaries for Windows). Keep an eye out for PHP 5.3.8 in the near future.