George asks:

Having heard about what Content Management Systems such as Joomla potentially have to offer a web site owner or web designer why haven't I heard about them before? Where have they been all of my life? Lastly - and I expect on a related note - what does that 'Open Source' bit mean when you say Joomla Open Source Content Management System.

Dean:

Content Management Systems have been around for quite a while - but because they were so useful and had so much value to organisations they have been expensive to buy. Even now there are some expensive 'proprietary' systems around.  Just recently one of my clients was approached with this sales pitch:

"Your organisation can't actually afford our system - but if you can find another NINE similar organisations we will let you share a joint package for £30,000 - yes that is just £3,000 each".

That price was just to buy the software. 'Consultancy fees' and training fees would undoubtedly have pushed up total costs significantly.  My client and I have a good laugh about that offer - fortunately development of his site was already well under way and my total charge for his site including training and implementation came in significantly under that figure.

So that is a proprietory system - one owned by someone - who will not let you see or alter underlying code or make adjustments and who usually will not open up their framework for other people to make useful additions.

Open Source on the other hand is a growing movement of developers and associated communities who contribute freely in a spirit of openness where anyone is free not only to see the underlying code and learn how it ticks - but they can freely make changes, suggest improvements, build their own add-ons, set up related business around the edges of the movement offering help and support services. At its extreme anyone at anytime can take a copy of the whole project - walk away and create their own different (and over time diverging) version. This is important - this movement is about being open, being collaborative and about being FREE (as in FREEDOM).