Hey all...
anyone here using Mambo which I guess is the CMS attached to my w2k3/IIS6 server? dont know much about that one, but if it's already there and installed, etc...maybe I would like to hear from any here using same.

is it easy for a user to learn? problems with same? fast and quick and reliable...

???

Jim

I am a linux guy but I can tell you mambo is not included. You are going to have to get php up and running first on your server, the mysql, then you can install mambo.

Mambo itself is pretty easy but php/mysql may take a bit to get running. There are a lot of guides online for how to do this.

I like Joomla better than Mambo, it was forked off from Mambo by some of the core Mambo developers.

The problem I had with mambo and joomla when trying to use them casually vs. full time a year ago was that when you want them to create a site slightly different than the stock (for example when you need different menu structures, etc.) you need mods to achieve some things. Then when a new version comes out frequently because of security patches, the mods break and must be redone frequently, which can take more time than just coding the site in dreamweaver.

Now if I had used mambo and joomla more than a couple hours a week this probably wouldn't be an issue because I'd be familiar with the code inside and out, but in terms of "ease" it's easy if it exactly fits your needs out of the box, probably good if you put a lot of time into it, but if you plan to use it casually and then need it extended slightly beyond the stock functionality, I found the complexity of the application a bit of a steep learning curve to maintain and keep updated needing "small changes" from stock functionality. At that time it wasn't to the "plug and play" functionality of vbulletin for example, where the hook and plugin system allows mods or "products" to be added which rarely break from minor version upgrades anymore and don't need to be reapplied with each security patch any longer, being more modular.

Sorry, maybe I didn't explain well enough.

The server I'm interested in offering up client CMS on, aleady has php and mySQL installed on it, and they're up and running fine. I do not want to "use" Mambo at all, but just offer it to clients who're on that server as their "built-in" CMS system for them to edit the content on their own sites. In my control panel, it appears to be available to install as a feature of the package I have with thePlanet, so it comes to mind as my first choice.

I do not want an "environment" like DotNetNuke; I want only CMS for clients to login, change their text/images, add events..the ususal client changes...and nothing more.

I want to offer however, only something that is easy to operate by clients or their staff -- ie something reliable and easy to learn. I dont' want to use it myself to build sites, etc. etc. as I already do that on my own....

So...is Mambo that option, I guess is my question...

???

Jim

My feeling is that you will either spend enough time working with it to learn to love it, or else you will come to hate it.

Of course it all depends on your users and how basic their needs are. If everyone has pretty basic needs, there's a bit of a learning curve, but you could well fit within the basic mambo stock install. Once you start needing to extend a little bit though, things become complicated if you haven't spent enough time with it to understand the framework inside and out (at least this is what happened to me, because I didn't spend enough time to learn to love it, yet!)