Anyone who has ever attempted to design websites by handcoding with HTML, CSS and Javascript will greatly appreciate the value of using a CMS (Content Management System). Instead of spending many months, possibly years, gaining proficiency in those coding and markup languages, the task is reduced to (1) deciding which of the several CMS frameworks to use and (2) choosing a source of instruction. The first task usually amounts to deciding between one of the three most popular CMS implementations: WordPress, Joomla! or Drupal. For my purposes, I quickly decided on Joomla! for a variety of reasons. Then came the second task: how to learn to use it well in the shortest possible time.
After perusing the available texts on Amazon, I initially settled on Eric Tiggeler's book,
Joomla! 2.5 Beginner's Guide
, which appeared to be the most up-to-date and had good reviews. It covered Joomla! 2.5, the current version at the time, and I learned a lot from that book. Nevertheless, I finished it still pretty confused about the organization of Joomla! itself.
That was when I decided to buy the Kindle edition of _Joomla! Explained_, by Steven Burge, and I'm very glad I did. Burge's approach to teaching the fundamentals of Joomla primarily involves (1) using what he calls the CAShflow sequence of steps to add content and (2) repetition of core tasks. For me, it worked beautifully. I later learned that Burge runs a highly successful website that provides both online and classroom training in WordPress, Joomla! and Drupal, with an impressive list of satisfied clients. After finishing his tutorial book, I finally felt I had a good understanding of not only specific important tasks in Joomla!, but how everything fit together; i.e., the organization of Joomla! itself. This made it much easier to continue exploring on my own.
On one occasion I had to contact the author with a question. I received a personal reply within 24 hours. After answering my initial question during a couple of email exchanges, Steve turned me over to one of his excellent staff on his training website, OSTraining, who continued to provide knowledgeable help to several subsequent queries.
It should be noted that Burge's book targets version 1.6 of Joomla!, whereas the current version is 2.5, with 3.0 on the horizon. For the most part, this was not a problem. Almost all examples and instructions worked with 2.5, which I was using. The few inconsistencies I found were easy to identify and work around. The one major exception occurred in a later chapter on templates, where I was instructed to download and install a template that was apparently available free when Burge wrote the book. When I visited the download site, I discovered that the vendor now required registration and a substantial signup fee, which I declined! Again, this hiccup didn't seriously impact the lessons on templates. Also irritating was the fact that the book's errata referred to page numbers in the hardcopy version of the book. Since my Kindle edition did not have page numbers, only "locations", the errata were pretty useless. But, again, this did not represent a significant problem.
Having taught college-level computer science and programming courses in the past, I can only express my admiration for the organization and didactic techniques used by the author in this book. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in learning the basics of Joomla! I look forward to an updated version of this book and, personally, intend to enroll in OSTraining for ongoing instruction from a tutorial school that seems to be both effective and surprisingly affordable.
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Top reviews from other countries
Petar
El libro perfecto que explica todo paso a paso y se aprende facil !
Reviewed in Spain on March 23, 2013
dtanderson
Excellent step-by-step guide for a complex subject
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2012