What are the best Content Management Systems for an online newspaper?

kimchi

The online newspaper is going to be a high school newspaper. I'm looking for something that is efficient and easy to use (and still affordable). Something that has ease in accompanying videos would be great. If people who do not have experience with HTML/PHP would be able simply update the site with news articles, that would be great, too. I've researched software a bit and found Drupal or Joomla to be the most popular, but I've also heard of a program called PHPCow ($100), which claims to not require advanced skills such as coding. I don't know much about the differences between Drupal and Joomla, however.

Answer
Go for drupal.org or wordpress.org

I would prefer wordpress.org for its simplicity, easy of use and very search engine friendly.

Others full blown cms's include Joomla (joomla.org) , Xoops (xoops.org)

How do you use, Install and maintain an Apache Server?

Michael M

Hi.
I am going to make a website with News and Articles and I need a Content Management System. I decided to go and get Joomla. The problem is that I need an Apache Server, but don't know what to do with one. Do I install the software on the hosting site or my PC? If the second one, if my PC turns off does my website completely crash (because my entire site will be dependent on Joomla)? How much space does it take up? Also, how do I maintain it?

I don't want to spend £1000 for a server in that popular E1 Datacenter in Texas. It is just a fansite for a game I play. If I have to spend thousands I'll just get Cute News because I know that works without a MySQL database.

Answer
You don't run a dedicated webserver for running websites of this scale. Purchase a web hosting package that has php + mysql. Packages are usually purchased for a minimum period of 12 months. The hosting company will also help you in getting a domain name. Again it is cheap too and it is also purchased and renewed on yearly basis. The hosting company will do all the leg work for you, including helping you setup Joomla. Godaddy is a renowned company that provides both services -- hosting + domain and good support.

Having said that, just before you go online, you can set up a Joomla installation on your home computer to see how it works. Google for something called "JSAS" -- Joomla Stand Alone Server. I am sure its free but it does not get you "on-line". If you are wondering then yes, JSAS includes apache and mysql and all the stuff you need to test-drive a joomla installation.

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Good website hosting that's easy to use?

popular news for joomla image

Muck

I would like to make a tech news site in my native language. And I'm looking for a good website hosting site where you could do such a website.

Any suggestions?

Doesn't have to be free, but a free trial would be good.

Answer
I recommend one of these: http://www.webhostinglist.org

iPage is currently on sale for just $2.95/month!
The full price for one year of hosting is $35/year.

Their hosting plan includes:
- Free domain name (.com, .net, .org)
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Unlimited email addresses per domain name

They include a free point & click online site builder so you can create a website without any programming (easily, just by drag and drop) or you could install Wordpress (they include easy, one click install from their control panel), choose a theme that you like, and start adding content.

They also have a great custom control panel with OneClick installs of all the popular software like Wordpress, Joomla, Forums, Chat, Galleries, Online stores and a lot more.

Do I have to know PHP to create a dynamic website?

hollander

I am a little bit confused here! Do I have to code in PHP in order to construct a website that will take data from a database, or I can make it only with a tool, like Dreamweaver for example??
Thank you in advance!
If yes, what tools do you recommend?

Answer
Dreamweaver can do SOME of it for you automatically, whether your scripting language is PHP or something else like ColdFusion or ASP. However, if you ever DO need to look under the hood and modify the code, you'll find that it's a horrible, mangled mess.

As to WHICH language, PHP is the most popular, especially with web hosting companies, because it's open-source, and thus 100% free... no need for licensing costs from Microsoft or Adobe or some other company.

On top of that, there are some things that you'll need to do for a dynamic website that Dreamweaver WILL NOT do for you... like setting up a database and creating tables. For that, you'll need to know SQL, or use an administrative tool like phpMyAdmin.

Far better to learn some basic coding and do it the right way from the beginning.

The good news... when it comes to working with code, there are programs out there that are FAR better than Dreamweaver, and some of the best are actually free. Have a look at ActiveState Komodo Edit, and Eclipse with the PHPEclipse add-on.

Even more good news...if you don't start "from scratch" then you really don't have to know any coding at all to have a dynamic website. Again, all the good content management systems are free. Have a look at Drupal, Joomla, or WordPress. These are all PHP programs that you install on your webserver. At that point, you can use a design tool like Dreamweaver or NVU to build or modify a theme to give your site a unique look, and the rest of your site you build by logging in with an admin account.

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