Content management system for relative Newbee

[DanFahy]

Not sure if this is in right forum.
I have been approached to design a website which will require a content management system and a secure access website.
Never done this before.
Built websites with css and html happily.
Dabbled in Javascript coding, happy enough with that too.

Currently learning PHP and MyQL (all going well so far but early days)

Would it be better to walk away? Though he's not in any rush, i'd really like to get a project like this under my belt.

Should I consider using open source content management like Joomla or drupal, if so which one?

Would it be better to build from scratch. If so how?

How do I price the job.

[tanis]

If you're just learning PHP and MySQL, building this from scratch is ambitious but ultimately probably a bad idea.

Joomla is easy to use but may be a bit overwhelming at first. Joomla 1.5 makes heavy use of the MVC design pattern so if you're completely new to programming you might not be able to quickly add any custom components or modules. On the positive side though there are thousands of Joomla extensions in the Joomla Extension Directory so unless your client needs something very specific you can probably accomplish the project with little to none PHP coding and just custom styling.

I've never used Drupal so I can't comment on that. Bottom line, there are a lot of wheels in the world and you'll save yourself time if you don't reinvent them without a good reason.

[somanweb]

Hi,

Yes, tanis is correct.

You can use Joomla or Drupal to make the website easier.

For blog related websiste, you can use Wordpress.

For ecommerce website, you can use Magento.

Using CMS, you can get lot of free components, modules.


Soman.

[~kev~]

Originally Posted by DanFahy

Built websites with css and html happily.
Dabbled in Javascript coding, happy enough with that too.

If you have never used a CMS, and only built sites with an html editor - its time to step up and run with the big boys. Static sites are ok if you have just a few pages of content that rarely changes. If you are going to be publishing hundreds of pages, or updating on a regular basis, you need a CMS.

When people are going to high school and college, what you learn about html, webpages and websites is all wrong. Out here in the real world we use a CMS. And the one on top right now is Wordpress. Its lightweight, simple to use, has tons of plug ins and its secure.

NEVER, under any circumstances use joomla. Its not secure enough to use on a public site. If the site is on an internal LAN, then it "might" be ok. But even then I still would not use it.

Think of wordpress as a rabbit, its quick, fast and flexible.

Think of joomla as a beached whale. It aint going anywhere fast. And when it does move, the sharks are out in the water waiting for it.

[maria05]

I don't know if this will help. but I came across this site, it's related to LMS just found it out recently. you may check it out..