Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress
reviewed by Mike Swope, November 2006
Authors: Robert T. Douglass, Mike Little and Jared W. Smith APRESS http://www.apress.com/book/bookDisplay.html?bID=10031 Released: May 2006 $50 USD, $35 CND, £26.89 GBP, 41,75 € Euro Pages: 560 ISBN: 1590595629 Target Audience: Experienced webmasters and developers who will be using the open source php applications Drupal, phpBB and/or WordPress. Strengths: Reasonably in-depth information about installation, configuration, modification and maintenance. Three sections organized chronologically. Clearly written for the most part. Weaknesses: Information becomes outdated when the open source subject applications are updated. Sometimes assumes more familiarity with these applications than some readers will have. Fewer illustrations, diagrams, charts or screenshots than expected. |
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The Basics and More for Working with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress
Drupal, phpBB and WordPress are popular open-source web applications for building online communities. Drupal is a CMS, or content management system. phpBB is a forum (bulletin board) application. WordPress is a blog application. But Drupal, phpBB and WordPress are not necessarily user-friendly applications for the average, every day webmaster. Installing, configuring and editing the behavior and appearance of Drupal, phpBB and WordPress involves creating a database, installing modifications and extensive source code editing. Not for the faint of heart! The average webmaster must turn to some resource for help. A resource such as Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress. Experienced webmasters turning to these open source applications may likely find the book even more useful.
Like most computer instruction books, each section is ordered chronologically, from system requirements and installation to configuration, modification and maintenance. Readers may implement any of the three web applications, switching between reading and the next logical task. In fact, this is probably how most readers will use this book, as they get started.
Readers must expect to spend considerable time not only reading from the book but experimenting with their installations, since these applications are mature and feature-rich. Some readers will undoubtedly experience great frustration (as I myself did) as they work through the book and work on their installations. If source code is not entered exactly as shown, pages may not render correctly, or render at all. Some items may not be presented as expected. To fully realize a branded web presence, readers will need to delve into the complexities of themes, perhaps the most challenging of tasks.
Unfortunately, Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress could use more illustrations, diagrams, charts, tables and screenshots. Though the book is written by coders for coders, that does not excuse the lack of visuals to illustrate points and relationships. Such visuals, for example, help readers understand at a glance how parts fit into the whole, that they're on the correct screen, & etc. Though approximately 70 illustrations appear in the first 215 pages of the book, there are fewer illustrations for the more complicated tasks of customizing content and altering appearance than the simpler tasks of installation and configuration. It may be that the publishing deadline came and time had simply run out to develop the more complicated illustrations and diagrams.
For web designers and developers entering the Drupal, phpBB and WordPress open source world, Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress is a very good introduction and manual for these powerful and complicated web applications. The book is most useful for readers with an installation of one of these applications and time on their hands to work with it. In general, readers will be hard pressed to find any better, more complete printed reference for Drupal, phpBB or WordPress.
