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By jcavell on
Yes, it's true, Drupal frightens me.
It frightens me because sites that run it seem very slow
It frightens me because this cannot be a good way to create a hierarchical web site http://drupal.org/node/28162
It frightens me because this website is so disorganized
It frightens me because a lot of people rate it highly
It frightens me because it's meant to be the best CMS out here
It frightens me because I don't know whether that's true
Comments
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I think it is useful...
...whatever it is, with or without specific points. To me it is a lot of very valid questions, very useful in my own decision process - is drupal the way to go? Or, as I really hope, the drupal design process. But I am not sure hierarchically structured sites (or hierarchically structured navigation) are "natural" to any CMS. I tried it in Joomla - now I hope for Drupal ;-)
it's OK to be frightened, but not scared...
Can I guess that you are new to Drupal?
Drupal is almost a cult! Once you get to understand that it does not come with a npre-determined content structure (you already have and are scared), and that it all depends on what you can imagine, then you will feel empowered. Flexibility can be scary when one wants to be hand-held and told how to structure their information (niche CMS). That is why some people choose Web CMS applications that already choose content structure, layout, workflow and sometimes meta-data for the installer/user. Drupal does not lock you into an hierarchy and it does not even suggest one; it is even debatable if Drupal is a CMS or just a framework to build on.
There are quite a number of seemingly disorganised sites out there because many people have yet to device a hierarchy for their sites... but you will also find some very well structured websites (http://www.filemarshal.com, or browse http://drupalshowcase.com/ for a pick of what you like). I tried many a structured CMS and got to a dead-end before I recognised that structure and limitation is not what you need in a CMS.
Unlike what the norm is in the world of proprietary commercial products, Drupal like many opensource applications is community driven. We do not have the technical sales guy that will show you 'how to install and structure an application'. Like most of us, what you have to do is take a plunge on a test area and read these support forums often.
Speed: It all depends on how you configure your platform and how many competing and overly power-hungry modules you install. Naturally, if someone has a setup that queries all kinds of DB tables before out-putting even the simplest static information, then even the most expensive commercial CMS will be on it's knees.
Are you still afraid?
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iDonny - Web Content Management System Design, Development. & CRM
Less afraid now
Thanks for the reply. You are right, I'm new to Drupal, and I was almost put off persevering with it, but I've changed my mind. Like you say, it's almost a cult, and the community seems very active and keen to help people like myself, which is great.
I'm still wondering about a couple of things. Is it easy to rearrange a site if you decide that needs to be done (I know, it depends.. but say with taxonomies)? If there is a speed or database issue, how easy is it to pinpoint which modules are competing with others? Do you forsee Drupal getting slower or faster as it evolves and sporns more modules?
Thanks
Jonny
devel.module
That's an essential part of any troubleshooting with drupal. it lets you look at the memory footprint of any module, AND look at the SQL queries being generated by each page-view. since database access is one of the costliest things a drupal site can do, it lets you see what modules (and even what specific actions) contribute to bloat.
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Eaton's blog | VotingAPI discussion
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Eaton — Partner at Autogram
easy only for hobby sites
Drupal is very easy to learn if you just want to set up a simple hobby site. However, you have to learn a great deal if you want to build a professional site. On the other hand, getting something like this as hosted, proprietary software could run you several thousand dollars a month.
Drupal ecommerce, at http://www.drupalecommerce.com
http://www.drupalecommerce.com/troubleshooting
http://www.drupalecommerce.com/modulesexplained
http://www.drupalecommerce.com/47vs46
http://www.drupalecommerce.com/howto