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I want setup joomla, how to make it?

In my final of three Joomla book reviews, Joomla <explained> is coming the boys and girls of the Joomla organization themselves, that's right, they came out with their own beginners guide to this book and so now I really messed everyone up if you read my other two reviews on Beginner Joomla books. Then you are either pulling your hair out or ready to hunt me down and beat me for wasting all your money, but there is where your wrong my friends. Why are you wrong, simple this is the second book that has come out by the boys and girls of Joomla and this time it covers Joomla 1.6 instead of 1.5 so there. So whats the premise, its simple, you follow the book and you design the example Joomla website that is built for the book and low and behold your a Joomla expert. Well, not really an expert but you will get a better understanding of Joomla, but sadly though just like the other two books I mentioned, this one is also outdated, but the messed up part is that Joomla 1.6 did not last long as they went straight to Joomla 1.7. However, if you decided that 1.5 wasn't worth the upgrade and your decided that it is time for an upgrade, unless of course you got hacked. Then this book is a great jumping off point for you. Unless, you decide that 1.7 was too much of a pain and your going to stick to 1.6 for awhile (not really). While this book doesn't go into much detail on the changes themselves, and at this point does it really matter? This book is your basic guide that covers everything you need to get started in sixteen glorious chapters (Yeah I know Jen has 33). The book isn't technical in nature so it is an easy read for you non-techies out there and it won't make your head explode and so it should be a fun experience to learn about Joomla if you were to purchase this book. At this point I realize that I review three books that covered the same thing and I will say this you could go with any one of them at this point and the kicker being that this book is even more current then the other two so clearly it is up to you on what book to purchase if any at all. That being said, this book is just as good as the other two and so it is a matter of preference.

The next book I like to talk about is called Joomla 24-Hour Trainer written by Jen Kramer, who is also the author to Joomla Start to Finish and just like her first book this one also provide a how to guide to getting started with Joomla from downloading, to installing to maintaining a Joomla based website. However, there is an added bonus it comes with a DVD with videos tutorials that go along with the step-by-step process this trainer book goes through. Another thing I like to point out that this book also covers Joomla 1.5 and like I mention in my previous review, and also mention in this book, Joomla 1.5 is still the more popular version out there as Joomla websites are slowly converting to 1.7. So what is different about this book then her first one? Well, for one its double the chapters at 33, while her first book is capped at 15. Which means this book goes into a lot more detail and covers a lot more then in her first book. So what should a Joomla user to do? Well, my thoughts are this, while both books cover the same material and the trainer being the more updated version, I would recommend getting both books just because the compliment each other and well not everyone is keen on videos. Still, this book is still a great starting point just because it goes through the process step by step and by the end of the book you will have designed the website that is built around this book. That of course, is the other reason why you would want to get the first book as your are building your own website while in this book your building a website that you won't use. Now I am not saying there is nothing wrong with that just because a lot of books do this kind of stuff, but for some strange reason I am not keen on that kind of learning. Regardless of my thoughts though, this book is still filled with useful information and it will help you prepare for your Joomla needs and odds are when I start working into Joomla websites more often, they will provide a way to make life easier as well as yours when you build in Joomla.

The next book I will be reviewing is one of two this author has written, and here is the kicker I actually know this author as she was the former head of the Master's program I am in and a former teacher at the school, was a co-leader in the Adobe and Joomla User groups as well, runs a descent size Joomla designing business among many other things as well. Now on to the book. Joomla Start to Finish - How to Plan, Execute, and Maintain Your Website is your beginners guide to running your very own Joomla website. To start, what is Joomla? Joomla is a CMS or Content Management System and to date is one of the most popular CMS's out there. So what does book have to offer? Well to make your life easier it starts off with how to install and configure Joomla on to you web host, descriptions of the various Joomla modules, adding content, Joomla templates, maintenance, tips and tricks, and more. While this isn't the Joomla Bible, it is still a invaluable source of information and while this book is already outdated as of Joomla 1.7.3, Joomla 1.5 is still pretty common enough in terms of Joomla templates, extensions, and modules. So, you could use this book to get you going and once you feel comfortable enough with understanding how Joomla works, you can go to the next step of upgrading from 1.5 to 1.7.3 and begin to work out all the new features 1.7 has to offer and believe me there are plenty. Like I said, this book is a great place to start, but when your ready to move on, there are plenty of books that get more advanced with Joomla.