brendon hatcher joomla distros
TRANSCRIPT
Joomla Distros
The example of IdealJoomla
Brendon HatcherTechnical Director: BrilliantWeb
Introduction
What is a distro?Why use one?
What is a distro?
A pre-packaged combination of the following:
The Joomla core (and configuration settings) A set of extensions (and configuration settings) A template framework (and configuration
settings) A default set of content (e.g. Newsletter
unsubscribe page, news items) A default menu, with default items
Why use one?
Speed of development Manually install and configure each item Install and configure the whole lot at once
Saves about 10 hours of installation work for each site
Consistency– The base install of the distro is always identical
Good business practice– A standardised web site package, contractual elements
and costing model
Building
a distro
What’s in, what’s out, and why?Building the distroJ1.6 and beyond
What’s in, what’s out, and why? The extensions & settings are conservatively
selected We think long and hard before adding something
Avoid bloat, and flavour-of-the-month– Maintenance
The more extensions, the more we need to monitor and upgrade
– SecurityIf a site isn’t using a particular extension, there is a tendency to ignore it and it is unlikely to be upgraded
Criteria for inclusion
Important feature– Improves upon the core Joomla features– Adds a feature that every site needs/should have– Improves site security
Stable release Reasonable update cycles Isn’t “dead” (abandoned by developer) Upsell extensions
– Time-consuming to install and configure– Installed, but “invisible” activate, rather than install
Must not introduce “weirdness”– e.g. a completely different admin interface
Building the distro
Maintain an “ideal” site– Install, configure and upgrade the distro elements
Use Akeeba Backup – Create a custom installer of the whole distro site (a .jpa)
file
Protect the distro site
Document all settings ss you build the distro– Resolve support issues– Rebuild the distro in a new Joomla version
Licencing issues
Mainly free GPL extensions - no licencing issues–
2 commercial GPL extensions (JCE and sh404SEF) – Commercial fee is for access to the downloads, and for
support, and does not restrict the distribution of the files
– We don’t share the username and password, so non-BrilliantWeb users of the distro have to independently subscribe for support and upgrades
J1.6 and beyond
Challenge of the new development cycle - maintaining parallel distros for each Joomla version
Some extensions in the distro are not compatible with Joomla 1.6 and beyond
Some 1.5 extensions have been frozen, and all new features are being added to the 1.6/1.7 versions
Some new extensions are only available for 1.6
I am still scratching my head about this…
Using
the distro
InstallationCustomisationActivation
Installation
Create the new hosting account
Transfer file to new account– Use wget– FTP file
Use kickstart to unpack, install and modify the IdealJoomla distro on the new hosting account
Total installation time: 6 minutes!
Create hosting account
Transfer file
Kickstart
Customisation
Login to the new site and begin customising to the client’s specifications:
– Install additional extensions– Skin the template framework– Add content, menu items etc
Activation
Tweaking the core settings and the settings of the extensions that are included in the distro
Examples:– Add the site owner’s email address– Add the site name– Add the site’s Google Analytics code– Etc
What’s in
IdealJoomla?
Site management and interface improvements A file manager
– Online editing of files, file uploads etc
NoNumber extensions– A set of extensions to make Joomla site administration
easier
Akeeba Site backup AJAXify plugin
– Saves on page reloads some of the backend functions
Joomla core updater– Update to latest Joomla with a few clicks
Faster loading admin template
Site management and interface improvements Session monitor
– Tells you how long until you are logged off
Display the non-SEF URL of the currently loaded page– Essential for building links on sites that use SEF URLs
IE compatibility switcher– Causes IE8 and 9 to behave
Caching tools– Speed up site loading
Captcha system– For core Joomla forms and for extensions
Content editing and presentation Advanced content editor
– JCE WYSIWYG editor with subscription extensions
A basic image gallery A typography plugin
– Adds fancy content styling to pages
Fancier Tables of Contents– For pages that have page breaks
Google Maps plugin– Add Google map to contacts, articles, modules etc
Automated site footer– Adds an automated copyright footer
Web site marketing and SEO Testimonials system *
– Collect and display client/site visitor testimonials
Newsletter system *– Share and social media buttons *
Content slider– Slide featured content on home page
Home page article summary– Mini-blog on frontpage to showcase news (title,
thumbnail, intro with more control than core feature)
* These are examples of dormant extensions ready for upsell and activation
Web site marketing and SEO News blog and sidebar list sh404SEF
– SEF URLs, additional security and Google Analytics
Google Site Verification tool– Verifies site ownership to Google, so that we can access
Google Webmaster Tools for the site
Design
Template framework Header bar rotators
– Static header– Random header– Header slideshow– Specific header images per page
Distro
commercial models
Outsourcing distro managementBrilliantWeb’s distro offeringsWeb site in a box
Outsourcing distro management The concept
– A third party builds and maintains the distro– You pay a subscription fee to download and use the
distro
Why outsource?
Distro developer’s Joomla expertise– Monitors new extensions– Monitors growth (or demise) of extensions– Applies their understanding of client needs to shaping
and building the distro
Saves lots of research time– If you don’t know Joomla well, and don’t want to spend
ages learning about the various extensions and installation steps
Why outsource?
Saves distro maintenance time– The system updates are managed by the distro
developer– You just download the latest version whenever you build
a new site
BrilliantWeb’s distro offerings IdealJoomla
– Monthly subscription and a per-use pricing model– Installation and activation guide
Your IdealJoomla– We create and maintain a distro for your company
Contact Ingrid Jordan at [email protected]
Business idea for you
Web site in a box– Reduce the cost of serving vertical markets– create a full-featured standard package for specific
markets
JoomlaShack created a distro for schools:http://demotemplates.joomlashack.com/school/about-joomlashack-school-shack-pack
Next steps
Please answer our market research survey to help us build an appropriate product offering
Visit our site to download this presentationwww.brilliantweb.co.za/resources.html
…
Credits
Brendon Hatcher is the compiler of this presentation
The presentation is released under the Creative Commons Licence – Attribution, Non-commercial, No derivatives
If you don’t know what this licence means, find out about it at creativecommons.org