Mambo...

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Ree
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Mambo...

Post by Ree »

So I checked Mambo and it surely does have various stuff in it. Not all clients come to you with custom requirements, many of them don't know exactly what they want, so you offer them. In latter cases, Mambo seems like a good choice: you can offer different modules. So, everyone should use Mambo (or any other similar FREE product) for this kind of clients. Do they? Why would one want to develop a simple site with 10 pages + product db + service db by hand when they can use Mambo? Is there a slightest reason not to use Mambo for rather simple websites? Do you use Mambo? Why?

The questions above came up from this. I'm pretty new to PHP, and as a rule, new guys do simple stuff at first. Now I feel like since I'm a beginner, my services (say, simple website as in the example above development) should have no chance against what Mambo offers. So it would seem I should better focus on using Mambo instead of trying to offer my 'hand coded' services... :roll:
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feyd
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Post by feyd »

Mambo, like most frameworks/cms-engines has certain limitations, some due to development constraints or others... Building your own also gives you a lot of experience.
Charles256
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Post by Charles256 »

A LOT is a HUGE understatement for the record...
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feyd
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Post by feyd »

I have to add this: Joomla is a retarded name.. :lol:
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Buddha443556
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Post by Buddha443556 »

feyd wrote:I have to add this: Joomla is a retarded name.. :lol:
:lol: Whatever they call it, it's still Mambo to the core.
Is there a slightest reason not to use Mambo for rather simple websites?
All websites have the potential to grow and everything has a cost. Mambo though free can be very costly choice for you and your clients. The largest cost of a website, like any software project, is usually maintenance. Hosting is usually only a small part of the cost of maintenance although I've yet to convince a client of that. Probably because hosting is easy to total up: hosting cost per month X 12. Yet I digress. :oops: Maintenance generally consists of one or more of the following (not an all inclusive list):

1. Maintaining an existing site.
2. Modifying existing site to support changing requirements.
3. Adding new features to an existing site.

Mambo, and other CMS, make maintaining an existing site easy. However, when you begin modifying or adding features you lose that ease of maintenance such CMS afford you. You need to make sure updates don't break your modification and/or additions. You begin to own the actual nuts and bolts of the site's maintenance and that's a cost you'll be passing onto your clients. A cost that's hard to put a price on and takes experience to even understand.

I usually have an on going relationship with the my Mom & Pop business clients because of maintenance. Mom & Pop businesses are usually not interested in owning code and my clients usually agree to use my code under GPL and/or LGPL. They understand the site is their's but the code is mine and they have my permission to use the code forever. Like most developer I find maintaining my own code much easier than someone else's.

Not trying to discourage your enthusiasm just pointing out that everything has a cost.
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robster
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Post by robster »

I have to say I was going to go phpnuke (which was the stuff back in the day for newbies like myself) and I'm so glad I didn't. Although I played with it and learned about this and that (well recommended) when I started to lay out my own code (copies of others code at first, well positioned to do the job) the satisfaction and the growth potential of my site/s became apparent.

If I want to add feature X now, it's easily do-able. I've learned/learning about database design and can use that foundation to grow to levels I'd have never thought.

I have to say, I'm a newby in the grand scheme of things, but I also have to say my skills are growing faster than ever before. I STRONGLY recommend you take the slower road and then you can whip up sites that are specific and streamlined on demand.

I would like to ad, everything I've learned, has come from the php.net manual and even more so, the stunning support and sharing I've found in this community. In my mind there's no other programming site out there like this, I've tried quite a few indeed.

So yes... ahem.... </rant>

;)
Ree
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Post by Ree »

Buddha443556 wrote:Not trying to discourage your enthusiasm just pointing out that everything has a cost.
Actually my enthusiasm is targeted to using my own code instead of Mambo. I'm not enthusiastic about Mambo at all, just thought why some casual guy would want me to code for him when anyone could setup him a site in a day with Mambo. Thanks, Buddha, your post was informative. :)
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