Immersing deeper through Joomla - I

As I have posted earlier, I installed Joomla, the content management software. It is not to launch my web site immediately, but to learn web development. I am running the software in my own PC as a localhost. Since I do experiment and learn, this can not be a public hosted site.

The picture above shows original Joomla page cropped to show the top portion. The picture below shows the modifications I carried on Joomla template. 

I started from the front page. I did change the news flash items that appear on the right top of the site. This news flash changes randomly with loading or reloading of this page. I changed the names of the top menu that appear below news flash. I did not change the contents of these menu items. I changed the logo of Joomla. I used Inkscape program to create my emblem. It is a simple one. Later I embedded in the logo using Gimp and incorporated my motto and my site name.

I am not content with just changing the contents. I started poring over the codes and learning the bare bones of a complex web sites like this. It is interesting and absorbing. In the process my web development learning has accelerated. Now, I am more comfortable with php and database administration. I use phpMyAdmin for administration of the data base. It is an enormous task, since I have to pore over a thousand files with probably a million code. I am not fazed by the enormity of the task, since I have structured my learning properly.

I am really happy on the progress, especially after installation of Joomla.

PS: I am using all open source software in this project.

• Platform - Ubuntu
• Web server - Apache
• Data server - MySQL
• Scripting Language - PHP
• Code editor - Gedit
• Graphics editor - Inkscape
• Image editor - GIMP

Joomla – CMS (content management software)

Joomla is a content management software of web sites. This provides a tool for a novice like me who is slow in learning web coding. This software provide readymade templates for different types of web sites. What one needs to do is change the contents, links, logos, pictures, menus, etc to create his/her own web sites. It does not require deep knowledge of coding. After changing the contents, the files can be hosted in the internet for active use. To run and test the Joomla before hosting, one requires web development tools like web server and data sever. For content modification, just any browser is enough. If some one wants to venture into coding, then PHP software and a PHP editor are required. This software can be used in  any platform and browser. Since I am interested in learning and still not decided on my project, I am just experimenting with the software and not hosted any web site using Joomla.
I installed wamp server package in my windows PC and lamp server package in Ubuntu PC, a requirement to run Joomla. WAMP stands for Windows, Apache web server, MySql data server and PHP scripting language. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache web server, MySql data server and PHP scripting language. Please note Apache, MySql and PHP are free software. Linux (in my case Ubuntu) is also a free software. These have become my testing beds for my web sites development. I did some changes to messages, links and graphics. I will change the style sheet in future and also do coding changes in future. I am currently using Net Beans as PHP editor in Windows and gedit in Ubuntu to pore over the Joomla codes. I have not ventured into changing the codes yet. It is a good starting point for me to enter into developing complex web sites. As I am learning PHP and javascript, it may not take far too long to create my own web sites. Thanks to Joomla.
Magento is another similar CMS software. Its target is mostly e-commerce. Joomla has templates for various types of web usages. I am not an expert on these software yet to asses them, but I find Joomla easy to use and learn. My focus now is on Joomla only. Please click here to know about Joomla and downloads,