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WHAT IS JOOMLA?

Joomla is an open-source content management system that runs on a web server. Joomla is free to download and to use to build websites.

Wow, what a mouthful! What the heck did I just say?

The best way to understand open-source software is to first understand proprietary software, the direct opposite. Microsoft Office products are an example of proprietary software. When you purchase Office, it comes with a license that specifies how you can use the software, how many times you can install it, and other restrictions. If Office lacks a feature you'd like it to offer, you can write a letter to Microsoft and ask them to include it, but you can't change Office yourself to include that feature.

In a free, open-source software (FOSS) model, you don't purchase the software. You simply download it, as many times as you like, and use it as desired. It also comes with a license, but generally one that's less restrictive than a license for proprietary software. If you want to add a feature to the application, you can access the source code for the product and then program the feature you want. Source code is the programming that makes the software do its thing. The programming language used to write Joomla is called PHP.

A content management system (CMS) manages and tracks all aspects of your website, including simple content like images, movies, and text; more complex content like forums, blogs, and comments; and the users of that site and what they are doing. The big advantage ...