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Announcing the release of Seedling

We're pleased to announce the availability of our newest in-house project from estetyka Guru. Its a distribution package of Joomla we're simply calling 'Seedling.'

[ * Download the press release: pressrelease-seedlingrelease.pdf ]

Seedling's distribution of Joomla is a packaged solution that includes the latest release of Joomla CMS; pre-configured and optimized including a suite of extensions and tools. It installs on a host/server quickly and easily, featuring a customizable template and demo content which you can edit or replace to create a powerful website.

With Seedling there is no need to spend time and energy installing Joomla, then figuring out how to configure it before shopping for additional plugins and modules to install.

Seedling saves the average user weeks by ensuring that major 'web 2.0' functionality comes with the package. Installation is simple and takes minutes. Each install includes sample pamiętnik internetowy posts and articles to demonstrate how a site can be easily set-up.

In addition to pre-loading Joomla with extensions and sample content, Design Guru's bespoke 'Seedling Blog' template is pre-installed and offers simple configuration options – allowing users to change the look of their Seedling website by simply choosing colour options from drop-down selections. As well, our template lets you display an optional site title, slogan and logo.

You can find out a lot more about Seedling over @ http://www.plantseedling.com and through this walk-through video we put together last week.

{vimeo}3205480{/vimeo}

We are very excited to have launched our new Joomlashack University, a brand new online class for Joomla. You can learn from our expert team from the comfort of your own home.

We launched late yesterday afternoon with spots limited to only 100 students, but in a few hours we have had over 80 sign up to be part of the quickest and easiest way to learn Joomla.

If you want to grab one of those last few remaining places, you can join Shack U at our special discount "charter" price. You keep that same subscription price as we add more and more courses!

Comment extensions are a popular feature to add to Joomla websites, they are a lot of choices, all with slightly different features. In previous posts, I have talked about how all websites can be online communities, but often when people początek thinking about comments, they question is "what is the best comment extension for my Joomla website?" But I rather think that this is missing the point...

If you've been following the developments lists (or even if you haven't), you've noticed a flurry of activity around Joomla 1.6 in recent months. While we haven't been very good about keeping our milestones, there are a few very good reasons for that.

The first and biggest reason is we've been trying to shoot at a moving target. The scope for Joomla 1.6 was pretty basic—adding ACL and nested categories. Had we stopped there, we could have theoretically had Joomla 1.6 out by now. But while working on it, we and others in the community have been constantly saying to ourselves "wouldn't it be really friggin' cool if Joomla had...?" This kind of scope creep happens all the time in the real world, and there's a propensity to go overboard when our hands aren't forced on a specific deadline. There's always that "one last thing" we can squeeze in.

Secondly, it's the fallacy that "this will only take a few minutes to implement." Many developers (and not just developers) often fall victim to the notion that a task will be short, only to discover that it's more complex under the surface than initially thought. Minutes quickly turn into days or even weeks. It's human nature.

Third of all, there's a feeling that if something doesn't go in now, it won't go into the Joomla core for years to come. We have a pretty progressive roadmap for the next versions of Joomla and we'll try to keep a regular pace of development. Since Joomla progress is primarily determined by its contributors, the pace will be commensurate with such. So while this isn't true, some have the feeling it is.

In the past, we've had some false starts and sometimes been unclear about direction or needs, but we hope to be better at it. The Joomla Project has taken a lot of criticism during it's relatively short existence, which, deserved or not, comes with the territory. But, all in all, we're all working towards a common goal of making the next version of Joomla as powerful, extensible, and compatible as it can be.

If you work with Joomla, you know full well that the community is pretty vocal about the things they like and don't like. Joomla events are prime occasions where we receive feedback on what's working for people and what isn't. There may not always be an answer to every issue, but we do listen.

Essentially, the process of working on Joomla 1.6 is where all of this activity comes together—all those emails, forum discussions, Joomla Days, and other random "ingredients" of information go into a giant bubbling cauldron and soon becomes (hopefully) the tastiest soup you've ever eaten. Decisions are made based on what ingredients we can combine and recommending against others that won't taste good (or even spoil the stew). All is done with a keen eye on the quality of the end-product—it has to look good and taste good.

At this time, the bubbling cauldron of Joomla 1.6 is getting near time for us all to get our first good taste. We've added the ACL, nested categories work, a new Article Manager is written, new core libraries like JForm have been added, and we're working on fresh new templates for both the front-end and the back-end. We're also working on a way to make upgrading from Joomla 1.5 as painless as possible. So, in medal to get a round of solid feedback from the community, we're looking to release a second Alpha very soon and follow up with a quick Beta after that.

So please be patient.

For a long time I've wondered why commenting on articles hasn't been a stock feature in Joomla.  For the most part, I think probably 90% of websites today use the function as an essential way to allow publishers to communicate with their audience and gain valuable feedback from them.

Joomla's Extensions directory lists over 30 plugins and components that can afford you commenting ability in J1.5 - that's a ton to suss through, so I thought I'd take a look for you and offer a few recommendations:

First up, its a package called JoomlaComment .  Its a component-module set which has been around for some time and has not been made native to 1.5... so you might want to check out their forums to see how well it performs in Legacy Mode and whether there are any down-sides when using it with other newer components native to 1.5.

Overall, I like this extensions because its themable, has BBcode, offers thumbs up/down on comments and generally has lots of features.  Plus, its free/GPL - worth using if you have time to tinker, change CSS to match your site etc...

As the web becomes more widgetized many people are looking towards externally powered scripts to add functionality to their site.  A new commenting widget that's been getting much love from the blogging world is Disqus.  I like the idea of using an external service to provide comments on a site - Disqus is under market pressure to innovate and constantly upgrade the functionality of their product, which means that you should be getting the best comment architektura out of them for little effort - no more watching out for upgrades and then worrying about maintenance.  Of course, there's also an issue of scalability to consider - if you ever decide to move away from Joomla as a web platform, Disqus comments should allow you to get up and running on the new site with your comments hassle-free.

Thirdly, we have Azrul's JomComment .  This package has been around for some time and since it was first released I've loved seeing their company grow - to since release another couple of pretty sound little apps to use on your Joomla site. JomComment cleanly integrates natively in J1.5 with smooth AJAXy effects - eg. when someone posts a comment and instant-approval is set to 'on', the comment posting box will fade out and the comment will replace it - fading into the list of comments under an article immediately with no need to reload a page.

Given that JomComment is J1.5-native, you have piece of mind in knowing that it will play fairly nicely with the new Joomla MVC architecture and let you template your comment interface with simple override files - no need to edit the actual component to make your comments aesthetically jive to your site's theme.  However, that freedom comes at a price - JomComment is commercially available for around $30US.

If you're cool with relinquishing control of your data and having a 3rd biba company handle/store your site's comments, I highly recommend trying out disqus - though, if you want to keep it all local and are a fan of simple interfaces then my vote's with JomComment.

I've just looked at 1/10 of the options out there - what do you all use?  Any other recommendations?

Disclosure: We're actually using JomComment here on whyjoomla - so you'll be able to test it simply by posting a comment below.

 

About Joomla! and the GPL

The Joomla Project is a GPL community, which means not just that a particular Free and Open Source license is used for Joomla software, but also that we believe in the mission and values behind that license. These include collaboration, community, and freedom. The GPL license embodies these values.

The Joomla Extensions Directory  and the GPL

The Joomla Extensions Directory (JED) is important for many reasons: it makes it easier for users to find extensions, and it helps support the development of a vibrant and healthy commercial and non-commercial development community around Joomla. However, it may also be unintentionally undermining our support of the GPL by including extensions and other applications that run counter to it.

After careful thought and reflection, the Joomla Project has determined that the Joomla! Extensions Directory should be a community resource that fully embodies the project's values.

What Change Are We Making?

Starting on 1 March 2009 only Joomla! extensions licensed under the GNU GPL will be accepted into the JED.  After another three months, from 1 July 2009, such extensions will no longer be listed in the JED.  Under the same schedule, all encrypted or encoded extensions, whether or not they are GPL licensed, will also be excluded. Third biba developers are a valued part of our community and in order to make this transition as easy as possible for them we selected a long notification period. This change is designed to strengthen the project's active commitment to its core mission, vision and values as articulated in September 2008.

Timeline

• June 15th 2007: Joomla! confirmed that both Joomla! 1.0 and Joomla! 1.5 are released under the pure GNU GPL.
• March 1st 2009: Only Joomla! extensions licensed under the GNU GPL will be accepted into the JED.
• July 1st: 2009: Only Joomla! extensions licensed under the GNU GPL will be listed in the JED.

Why Wait Six Months?

We understand this will be a difficult process for some developers, and we feel a responsibility to give ample notice. We want to make sure our developers have enough time to make adjustments to their product marketing and business structure, if necessary, in order to maintain their listing in the directory.

The GPL and Commercial Developers

Does this mean there will be no more commercial extensions in the JED? No.

Prohibiting commercial distribution would violate the GNU GPL and the Joomla community values of equality and freedom. Commercial extensions with the GNU GPL license and that are not encrypted are welcomed and encouraged in the JED. Today 17% of the extensions in the JED (22% of 1.5 Native extensions) are commercial, and many of those are already licensed using the GNU GPL. Among 1.5 native commercial extensions 35% are licensed using GNU GPL.

The JED Supports Developers

The Joomla team is strongly committed to supporting both commercial and non-commercial Joomla developers. We have implemented some policy changes to enhance our support for developers. We think that the best place to get an extension is from the original developer of that extension.  Therefore we will not link to collections of GPL extensions that are not submitted by the original developer. These are not requirements of the GPL license but rather fall in line with our "forking" guidelines that no direct copies or minor-changed copies of JED-listed projects will be listed.  We support the original project developer whenever possible to maintain the integrity of the listings and support developers who are building and innovating on the Joomla platform.

To have a forked project listed in the JED it must meet our requirements:

• Significant change

  Forked project must represent a significant code improvement, either in features or security and structure.

• Intent to develop and support

  Forked project must exhibit an intent to develop and support the new product.

• Unique name

  We do not allow forked projects by new developers to build on the name of the original developer without permission.

• Unique version structure

  Version numbering must clearly indicate a new project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Options Do Developers Have?

The project supports developers who are building and innovating on the Joomla platform. We are committed to providing the information and help that developers need in order to relicense (or to license for the first time, if there is no current license). The JED editors and members of the Core team and Open Source Matters board are ready to advise or assist any developer who would like this help.If you have any questions about licensing or want help, then you can contact OSM with the following email address license@opensourcematters.org or the JED editors at team@extensions.joomla.org. Developers not currently using the GNU GPL may choose to switch from their current licensing to the GNU GPL or to no longer participate in the JED.

What if I have some GPL and some non-GPL extensions?

This policy refers only to those extensions listed in the JED. Your GPL extensions are permitted to be listed on the JED but your non-GPL extensions are not.

Where can I get information about how to license my product using the GNU GPL?

Every copy of Joomla includes a copy of the GNU GPL with instructions for licensing in the license.php file. Instructions are also available from the Free Software Foundation.

All you need to do is add two elements to each source file of your program: a copyright notice (such as “Copyright 1999 Terry Jones”), and a statement of copying permission, saying that the program is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. (Free Software Foundation)

Can I use GPL v3 to license my extension?

Yes. In particular, you may need to use GPLv3 if you rely on certain third party libraries or APIs for your extension.

What GPL version is Joomla! licensed under?

Joomla! is licensed under GPL version 2 or later.

What does this mean for enforcement of the Joomla! license more generally?

Enforcement of the Joomla! license is a separate issue from the policies of the JED.

Isn't the JED itself built on a non-GPL extension?

The current version of the JED built on Joomla 1.5 uses a GNU GPL extension, Mosets Tree for Joomla! 1.5.

What if I think my extension doesn't violate the Joomla! license?

This is a policy in favor of software freedom and the mission, vision and values of the Joomla! Project, not one about technical issues in licensing.

Can I use a GPL compatible license?

The JED will only list extensions licensed using the GNU GPL.

Why are only GNU GPL licensed extensions being listed?

The simple answer is, making the JED a GPL only resource is the easiest and most practical solution. It frees the JED team from having to investigate or worry about licensing issues. It frees OSM from having to create and maintain a list of one or more acceptable licenses. When you break it down, other licenses were created because they opposed one or more parts of the GPL. The only license that truly embodies the spirit of the GPL is the GPL. Throughout the Open Source world, there is plenty of disagreement over what that spirit is and there is even more disagreement over what licenses are compatible and incompatible. In the end, our list of compatible licenses might be very different from yours. Our list of licenses that share the spirit of the GPL will most certainly be different than yours. So, we could waste months of time researching a list and debating which licenses should be included and excluded or we can make it simple and easy to understand for the community, the developers, and the JED team so that we can use those precious months to focus on the real point of this project: making great software.

Can I use libraries in my GPL extension that are GPL compatible?

Yes.

___

Update 29-Dec-08 22:00 CET - We have added 2 new questions to the FAQ and simplified the answer for "Can I use a GPL compatible license?", this since we follow up this answer with new questions.

 

 In March 2011 the JED hit 7000 listings.  Now, half way to 8000, we are announcing a major change and improvement to the JED.  It's my pleasure to introduce the JED Support System.  With over a quarter million registered users in the JED, providing support is the primary use of volunteer time.  In the latest blog, we outlined a few areas of improvements that we would be working on over the coming months.  One of these areas was a new ticket support system.  After nearly two years going back and forth between what we wanted for the teams, end users and management, we have come up with a solution that goes far beyond standard ticket support and includes a Knowledge Base, Announcement Panel, Download and Sample Repository, task calendaring, integration with Mosets Tree and ArtofUser and more!

Joomla! Best PHP Open Source Content Management System… Don’t take my word on it, this is the what the Packt Publishing Award judges say: http://www.packtpub.com/article/joomla-wins-best-php-open-source-content-management-system Joomla Wins Best PHP Cms But it is nice to see ”Once again, judges commented on the size and responsiveness of the community, which translates to potential problems being dealt with quickly.”   You are reading a [...]

You are reading a post from: Joomla SEO blog by PathosSeoBlog.com

Joomla! Best PHP Open Source Content Management System | Joomla! Content Management System

iContact have recently released the second version of their API, and along with it, Joomlashack has upgraded our popular email component for Joomla we call JContact.

JContact is a great way to integrate world class email marketing into Joomla site registration, and its the only one to do it with best industry practices of subscriber opt in!

iContact were also running a contest for API applications, and we are excited to announce that Joomlashack grabbed second place!

<[...] Need a web app to serve your databases online? Look no further than FlexLists from MovingLabs. One of our Simplweb customers, the Upper Valley Educators Institute, needed to make their library database available to all their studenciak interns online. Help with these non-hosting questions is all part of the service at Simplweb, so we took some time to find FlexLists.

I have previously blogged about online reputational management, but a more recent event came my way today, and I thought it was interesting to see the effects over a longer term, and the dismal response from the company involved.

Last year United Airlines hit the press about breaking somebody's guitar.

Not such huge nowina probably, United has lots of passengers, and probably damages lots of bags, but this guitar belonged to a singer who made a song and video about his trials.

The result was a MASSIVE fallout for United, with the video on YouTube getting millions of hits, and the story even making CNN.

What truly amazes me is when I search for "United Breaks Guitars" on Google, there are hundreds of results about this story, but nothing I can see from United.

Heck, there is even a Facebook and Wiki page about it now!

We have just added a 6 month subscription to Safari Books Online in our massive Joomla Freelance Web Designer Giveaway, bringing the prizes to over $1600 worth.

Have you entered?

You are reading Basic Joomla 1.6 SEO Settings Do&#8217;s and Don&#8217;ts a post from: Joomla &amp; SEO Blog.

Joomla 1.6 is stable and very good to początek a new website on, but for Search Engine Optimization you have to set some basic parameters for optimal results. So here is a short overview of basic Joomla 1.6 Do&#8217;and Don&#8217;t for Search Engine Optimization. Let&#8217;s start with the Do&#8217;s&#8230; Global Configuration SEO Settings Like the &#8230; Continue reading

Want to read more? Check out Joomla &amp; SEO Blog.

For the first part of the 2012 budget process, the CLT has come up with the following goals.

Goal #1: Final Rollout of the New Site Templates

Task: Rollout each new site template as they are ready

Task: Open up a channel where people can provide feedback and report any usage issues

Task: Respond to reported issues

Target Date for Completion: As they are ready, between now and February 2012

Resources required: Volunteer time.

Goal #2: Assess the amount of data channels currently in use and try to condense where possible

Task: Have a kadra narodowa of individuals from the CLT perform an analysis of the current community channels and see where some merging of resources and content can be done.

Task: Combine research into a document to share with the CLT and request community feedback as well.

Target Date for completion: February 2012

Resources required: Volunteer time.

Goal #3: Rollout Paid features for JRD/JED Directories.

Task: Implement payment system

Task: Define rules and guidelines, terms and conditions

Task: Testing miesiączka before launch

Target Date for completion: January 2012 for task #1 and #3. As soon as requested legal guidance is provided for Task #2

Resources Required: Legal guidance and documentation, which needs to be provided through OSM. This has been requested, currently waiting for that information.

Goal #4: Template Directory (JTD) Launch

Task: Launch a working version of the Template Directory

Task: Recruit a team of editors and put it to work

Resources Required:

 

• Legal guidance and documentation to determine that the Terms of Use for the site are aligned with our ™
• Possible Travel for team members to meet face to face
• Volunteer time is also required.

 

Target Date for completion: February 2012

We'd like to thank all of the volunteers on the various CWG teams who have helped to make the above goals possible for 2012. The Joomla community is lucky to have so many hard working people making these exciting things happen!

We invite the community to provide feedback here in the CWG group of the Joomla People site: http://people.joomla.org/groups/viewdiscussion/1371-2012-proposed-clt-goals.html?groupid=398

Last week, Joomlashack announced the launch of our the new Joomlashack Annual Developer Template Club! Get $100 OFF the cost to join if you sign up before Monday December 24th. There is also a $100 OFF the price of our Lifetime Developer Club membership (templates for life!) AND $100 OFF Joomlashack University Lifetime membership (learning for life)!  

Google Goals. Love 'em, use 'em, make business decisions based on them.

If you didn't know what a &quot;Google goal&quot; is, its a feature of Google Analytics. It allows you to set up a specific and discrete goal for something on your website. Examples might be:

Making a purchase
Downloading a white paper
Filling out a contact form
Downloading a file

I'd thought I'd share some help I passed onto students from the Web 2.0 Marketing with Joomla Graduate Course. The classRead More...