Battleangel

I’ve been installing and testing modules and components for Mambo to see what it really can do. Among other things I’m very impressed with the TTF Menu (although I would be hard pressed to use it) and the StaticXT component. I found that StaticXT could even eat up static php pages such as the schedule. Nice.

Mambo 4.6 seems to be on its way also. I have to say that a total conversion is looking better by the day. The only thing stopping me is the fact that it is not as easy to use PHP in modules (without actually writing a whole new module from scratch that is). So it would be bye-bye to all the nice little scripts that I’ve been using. Coppermine SSI, Shoutbox, Winamp-now-playing, VideoDB. Polling and calendar functions do exist natively however. And PHPBB integration seems possible. Some would argue that there is a ShoutIT component (also module) but I do not like the implementation. While it’s brilliant that it is linked to the authentication system, I much prefer the functionality of the standard Shoutbox, at least the way I’ve modified it to work. But I guess that with time there will be all kinds of stuff released to augment Mambo. There was for example talk of a Coppermine module/component that would solve my problems and more.

The only REAL problem as I see it with Mambo is that they have users that develop commercial content. There aren’t that many but I sure do not like the trend. It’s a prime example of how copyrighted software stands to hamper an open source initiative. It’s gonna take a very long time until someone develops similar components as long as they know it has already been done. Much of the excitement with software developing is doing something no one else has. But I guess that in this case the satisfaction will come from putting people like this out of business.