Businesses today are bombarded with hip jargon lingo as ASP, SaaS, RIA, ‘BI/CRM Strategy’ to name a few. Such waterfall of words apparently is the typical sales-pitch for many representatives in the industry and it takes some effort for the unfortunate layman to extract a meaningful message from this mistreatment of language. It’s probably one of the main reasons why companies hire brigades of consultants to setup a common dictionary presented in fancy reports to management.One thing that is clear however is that executives do want to know if their software and processes are on par with the latest developments and are aligned with their business needs. In addition companies want to eliminate the continuous aggravation within their IT infrastructure such as viruses, licenses concerns, OS upgrades, dealing with different program versions, installations and maintenance, etc. Can solutions be offered that do away with these monstrosities? Enter the world of browser-based applications.

Browser based applications run anywhere, anytime on any system. Maintenance and updates are done centrally without the hassle for upgrades on local workstations. True, a general perception is that such applications offer a degraded user-experience especially compared to regular desktop software but nowadays functions are on hand that provide virtually the same bells and whistles common to desktop applications. Such flexibility and independence is making traditional business applications seem like coal powered machinery. In addition, browser based application tend to be lightweight that do not require hardware renewals over time. It always baffles me how customary software upgrades tend to grow into bloated atrocities, constantly adding superfluous features and moreover risking incompatibilities thus rendering new versions nothing more than lipstick on a pig.

Web based solutions, for businesses that is, are adequate to handle most functions and requirements: managing client-details, articles, stock, orders, documents, invoices, contracts, subscriptions and correspondence. Of course desktop software is here to stay; who in their right mind is going to shoe-horn huge complex spreadsheets into a browser? The essence however is that core business data, -methods and -logic are easily accessible and maintained centrally regardless of IT infrastructure and environment, basically recycling the thin-client approach (you know those old desk-aquariums).

The benefits boil down mainly in two categories: access and costs.

1. access

Access, connectivity, web 2.0 (whatever that means) basically relates to the ease with which internet applications can communicate and be employed. Things that come in mind are linkage with other websites (e.g. web based ordering), outsourcing customer-services, facilitating home employment, email listings, merger of business units and online payments. I’m sure the list goes on a bit but once management starts to realize and appreciate the potential it will unleash ideas of possibilities. The acquainted trendy internet terminology will by then make more sense and proudly be espoused during office meetings.

A nice showcase example I participated in was to merge various (international) branches into one database system, where the server was (and still is) physically located in one place. All methodologies and procedures are shared by employees and management, websites have their ordering directly linked to the database, external call-centers is are used for contacting clients and prospects and third party partners can access real-time information online like billing details, order statuses, stock insights etc.

2. costs

The second benefit is the cost aspect. Web based solutions are durable meaning they do not tend to require a lot of maintenance once they are up and running. Fossilized websites from 15 year ago still work fine and are not subjected to change in operating system, updated hardware or reliance on deprecated software. If a company has in-house developers to manage applications, tools and technologies for web-development are available in a various forms, both proprietary and open-source, so costs can be allocated to line up proposed budgets.

Interface, data and business logic are maintained and backed up centrally and help solve bugs and other defects should they occur. This way the end-user will always have an up to date application available without the need to deploy or distribute these adjustments. Also online documentation and manuals remain well supervised.

Moving over?

Moving to new technologies requires planning and there certainly must be a compelling business case to do so. Many companies upgrade their software just to join a bandwagon of techie enthusiasts and as such it performs a nice window dressing tool towards others. If you think that’s farfetched try urging a client if they can resend you an attached document in a WP5.1-format because you couldn’t open it. You can always defend it by stating you’re currently involved in a migration to Windows 3.11 to add more ridicule to the experiment.

For start-ups or companies that require updated software, for more adapted integration, choosing browser-based solutions seem the most fitting and strategic approach that makes businesses in the long run more independent and unconstrained. Such applications and services are available out-of-the-box, both for free and licensed, or can be developed custom-made of course.

There are many reasons why you would want to create a hidden page in Joomla but unfortunately within the Joomla administration there are no simple ways of figuring it out. Learn why you may want to create a hidden page in Joomla and how to easily create links to those pages.The main reason you may wish to create a hidden page in Joomla is for subscriber thank you pages that work alongside your mailing list provider software. When you set up your mailing list, whether it is with Aweber, Constant Contact, GetResponse or any other mailing list provider, you will want to customize certain pages with the look and feel of your website rather that using the mailing list default pages. This will give your mailing list sign up process a more professional and streamline look and feel to it.

Another reason may be that you are holding a special event just for your subscribers or are offering extra discounts for your joint venture partners and want to create a hidden page that your normal website visitors cannot find. Having a hidden page, so long as you don’t link to it from any other source apart from in an email, will mean that the search engines won’t pick up the hidden page either.

No matter what the reason, creating a hidden page in Joomla is very simple to set up.

The first thing you need to do when creating your hidden page is to create a new article in your Joomla Article Manager. Put whatever information you want those who land on your page to see and once you are finished, save it. Once you have saved it and your screen should now be showing a list of all the articles you have written. Find your newly written article and check the article id number which will appear on the far right hand side column under the column heading ID. Take a note of this number.

Next you need to go to your menu manager and create a new menu called “hidden”. It is easier to set it up like this so that you can keep track of all your hidden pages. Once you have set up your hidden menu, you need to link the article you have just written to a new menu item within this newly created hidden menu. After attaching the article to a menu item, take down the id number of the menu item as you will need this later. It will appear on the far right hand column under the column heading ItemID.

Finally, the piece of code that you need to help your visitors find this page is:

youdomain.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=xx&Itemid=yy

Replace the xx of the article&id with the id number of the article you have written (ID) and replace the yy of the Itemid with the menu id number (ItemID). It is always a good idea to test that it has worked by placing the completed code into your browser.

Remember to keep this piece of code in a safe place for the next time you want to create a hidden page.

Go to a webmaster forum on the Internet and ask, “What is the best content management system for me to use for my site?” Differences of opinion will sprout faster than crabgrass in a front yard.Following are three brief reviews of what are arguably the most popular free and open-source content management systems available on the Internet — WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. These briefs are the opinions of a webmaster who has built and maintained sites on all three systems.

WordPress

Pros: Anyone venturing into building a Web site on a CMS for the first time should consider WordPress as a strong choice. It is simple, intuitive, easy to use and easy to install. Templates and plugins are readily available on WordPress.org and easy to install as well. This system is ideal for someone with light technical skills.

Cons: Being one of the simplest systems also makes it one of the most limited systems. As sites grow, they require more features and functionality. WordPress is largely known as software ideally used for blogging; anything beyond blogging requires something more sophisticated. The community forums at WordPress.org are moderately helpful for new and inexperienced users.

Joomla

Pros: Joomla is designed for the masses, just like WordPress. It is extremely popular in part because it has a nice visual interface that makes it easier to use than other systems. The community forums at Joomla.org are extremely active and helpful for new users. The site also has an extensive number of available plugins, which are easy to install. Joomla is best suited for someone with moderate technical skills.

Cons: The quantity of plugins is weakened by the quality of plugins. Not all of the plugins integrate effectively and must be discarded. The HTML editing interface is quirky at best. Security also is an issue; the community forums tend to show a high number of hacking problems on member sites. Like WordPress, the software is limited in what it can do with the layout and presentation of pages.

Drupal

Pros: By far, Drupal is the most technically advanced of the three systems. It is highly respected for its tightly built architecture, speed and effectiveness. Security clearly is a top concern. Layout and presentation are less limited than WordPress or Joomla. As a result, Drupal is a CMS that appeals to webmasters with strong technical skills.

Cons: The interface is the least intuitive of the three systems. Drupal is well-known for having “a steep uphill learning curve,” a quote that has appeared often in discussions about its strong points and weak points. In addition, the forums are the least helpful of the three systems if the post comes from a new and inexperienced user with weak to moderate technical skills.