LAB #1 Part A

1.

XAMPP vs node.js

What's the difference?

Xampp: A development toolkit consisting of Apache, MySQL, PHP and Perl

A simple, lightweight Apache distribution that makes it extremely easy for devs to crease a local web server for testing & deployment. It operates across different platforms such as Windows, Linux and mac.


node.js: A JavaScript framework.

A platform build on chromes JavaScript run-time that allows easy building fast and scalable network applications. Known as lightweight and efficient, suited for data-intensive real time application that run across distributed devices.

Paypal
Netflix
Uber
LinkedIn

Node acts as a web server and server execution engine, xampp is a full stack toolkit. It is recommended to use the MEAN stack for a toolkit that includes node.js within it.

Sources
https://brainhub.eu/blog/9-famous-apps-using-node-js/
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32990253/whats-the-difference-with-node-js-and-xampp

https://globalhealthdatamanagement.tghn.org/community/blogs/post/5122/2013/07/xampp/
Global health data management is a clinical research related website, and is owned by a medical group based under MORU http://www.tropicalmedicine.ox.ac.uk/thailand-moru. The author is  a Data Manager at Centre for Global Health Research, Ghana.

2.

Install Wordpress, Joomla and Drupal

While I still feel a little lost among these new technologies the install process of each framework has definitely reflected community feedback on how easy these frameworks are to operate, installing Drupal has stumped me for the moment after awhile of digging inside settings code. The other two were rather simplistic to install with easy to follow instructions.

While I managed to find the install instructions inside the drupal files it appears to already "assume" I have am familiar and have configured xampp previously. Likely I have made an oversight somewhere in the install process, starting from scratch and following instructions more closely would likely resolve this issue.

I could not get drupal up and running along with Joomla & wordpress. I decided to opt for using bitnami to try & install drupal but near the end of the process my laptop would freeze up. Due to it being a small portion of my marks & my work weekend being flat out this week it dropped off my priority list.

3.

Wordpress vs Joomla vs Drupal

A comparison table

Upon a brief google search with ease I came across several comparison tables made by multiple different sources, each table different in some way but the overall theme of the differential patterns between these three frameworks remained consistent. In my table I will put together what is the most relevant information that stuck out to me as quite the newbie.

Feature	Wordpress	Joomla	Drupal
Ease of use	Simple	Medium	Complex
Frequency of version updates (on average)	Once every 17.8 days	Once every 25 days	Once every 36 days
No. of websites	74 Million	2.8 Million	750 Thousand
Market share	65%	13%	8%
Number of plugin/addons/ extensions	14,629	7,608	8,039
Average setup and customization cost	$250 - $15,000	$2,000 - $20,000	$5,000 - $50,000
Average monthly maintenance cost	$250	$500	$1,500
Best used for	Blogs, Corporate websites, Small-medium sized websites	E-Commerce, social networking sites	One size fits all

I am most intrigued by wordpress simply because of its popularity, holding a firm grip on the market share, secondly I am interested in drupal and what complexities it can offer. Wordpress sounds like a valuable skill to have, low maintenance costs coming hand in hand with a wealth of extensions gives me the feeling that wordpress is the choice environment for anyone new to developing with frameworks.

Below are multiple tables I used for information, keeping in mind some tables are older than others I chose the information which remained the most consistent.

Sources

https://www.digitalpacific.com.au/blog/drupal-joomla-and-wordpress-which-cms-to-choose/

https://prototaph.com/protoblog/86-joomla-vs-drupal-a-comprehensive-comparison

https://convergenceservices.in/blog/corporate-blog/437-wordpress-joomla-drupal-comparison-chart-for-2015.html

http://www.seohero.com.au/blog/platform-reviews/top-3-cms-content-management-system-comparison.php

https://websitesetup.org/cms-comparison-wordpress-vs-joomla-drupal/

4.

Wordpress

Free, open source, excellent community and support

This framework is an absolute powerhouse due to its ease of use within the industry, practically anybody can set a blog up within minutes as apposed to what might take hours with competitor framework packages. Originally wordpress started with the sole purpose of being a framework for blog websites but has since evolved into a more comprehensive framework due to its flexible customization options. This framework however does skimp on some complexities  in favor of usability. Needs code for major visual customization.

Notable websites:

techcrunch.com

newyorker.com

bbcamerica.com

bloomberg.com/professional

starwars.com/news

variety.com

mtv.com/news

sweden.se

usainbolt.com

Joomla

Free, open source, favors social networks, updates integrate seamlessly

This CMS appears to shake up as a middle ground between WordPress and Drupal. Not far behind WordPress in terms of usability, Joomla is a welcome stepping stone. Modules are hard to maintain using this option.

Notable websites:

Gsas.hardvard.edu

Ace.nd.edu

Joomla.org

Thehill.com

Linux.com

Unric.org

Drupal

Free, open source, enterprise-level security, performance option

The advanced option of the three, users need a basic knowledge of HTML, PHP and other web development languages in order to pilot this CMS, succeeding at this users are rewarding with increased website performance, higher website security, better scalability and advanced customization. This CMS also has a wide variety of free plugins available.

Notable websites:

leg.colorado.gov/

gov.bm

rainforest-alliance.org

redhat.com/en

Sources

http://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/wordpress-vs-joomla-vs-drupal-which-one-is-better/

https://themegrill.com/blog/drupal-vs-wordpress-vs-joomla/

https://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-tools/compare-top-3-cms-2017-wordpress-vs-joomla-vs-drupal/