Drupal and Joomla

I don't know anything about either, aside from that they're both CMS. However, I'm trying to set up a site for my computer repair business, and I'm already tired of screwing around with HTML (not a natural)

So which should I use? Drupal seems overall more... polished.

I suppose I should say what I want to do: I don't want my site to look like a blog, but feel like one to me, from an editing standpoint. I can go from there.

Am I even thinking of the right thing?

WordPress doesn't *have* to look like a blog. Your front page of WordPress can be a static page (admin -> settings -> reading). Fiddle around with it a bit and see how it works for you.

-Scott

I'm looking to have no more than about 6 pages. From there, I might have a forum, some sort of ticketing software (for support requests), contact me, and perhaps a blog. But these are all links from whatever the "top" level of my site happens to be.

Am I thinking too heavyweight? Would I be better off with HTML, with links to blog software for my blog, and forum software for my forum?

EDIT: I tried out the Drupal demo (http://www.opensourcecms.com/cms/drupal/) and it seems to work pretty nicely. I'm just worried that it's too full-featured (if that makes any sense)

Edited by slimjim8094 on 10/16/08 05:48 PM (server time).

In reply to:
I tried out the Drupal demo (http://www.opensourcecms.com/cms/drupal/) and it seems to work pretty nicely. I'm just worried that it's too full-featured (if that makes any sense)

Drupal is very capable and has a lot of features, but you'll find that Joomla has many more. While this makes Joomla very flexible it also means that the admin interface can get pretty complex.

I do not have experience using any ticketing software so I can't suggest anything in that regard.

You can see my personal Drupal site in my sig, and many that I am workin on in the links... I am a totally sold Drupal nut. I tried ALL kinds of CMSs in search of the perfect one, and NEVER found it... but once I spent ENOUGH time in Drupal I experienced an enlightenment of sorts... it is a very beautifully put together system, and I have even found that the flaws that it has have helped to steer me into some cool directions I would otherwise never have gone.

NATIVELY, with NO outside modules, it will handle ALMOST everything you are wantin... it has simple but wonderfully zen and "ergonomic" forum functionality built in, and blogging... you simply choose the content type you'd like to create and it puts it in the right place.

I would DEFINITELY recommend spending one solid month working with Drupal on test sites... explore it all you can during that time, and I will just about mail you a check for a nickle if you don't find yourself sold on it.

I found Joomla to be very counter intuitive out of the box, and did not "feel" good about it at all... tried three versions now, so far... but I know of some super websites that use it!

Thanks to everybody who helped. I figured that I wouldn't really know what worked for me until I tried something... so I did. I ended up setting up Drupal, and it does fulfill my (somewhat minimal) needs, and it looks like I can customize it easily.

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

In reply to:
Would I be better off with HTML, with links to blog software for my blog, and forum software for my forum?

Absolutely! Especially if your base content doesn't change much.

Primary: XHTML for base content. - "Always" online!

Secondary: OsTicket, PHPBB3. - Ticket Troubleshooting, Self-Help.

*Tertiary: WP for blog. - General & personal communication.

They're easy to tie together to give the appearance of constant flow within your site. If the database goes down you still have your "Main Site" (which is your primary consideration) with all necessary information (email, phone, address) for current or potential clients to get in touch with you. The only time your site would appear to be "down" is during a server reboot - unlike sites that require database connectivity or larger server resources to function which is the main point of failure in a server environment.

*You stipulated in your original post that your primary concern is for your computer business, that's why I relegated a blog to a tertiary status. I'm not suggesting that you're boring by dropping it down the list.

Give me a hollar if you wind up needin help. I aint no Drupal genius er nuthin, er even anywhere close... but I can recall some times of spendin a while wrappin my head around somethin that seems real simple and effortless now, and if I can help save you some pains in your ass I'd be glad to be of service.