I have a domain name and hosting account sitting there just burning to be used. I purchased a script a few days ago that looked like it had lots of promise. After installing it, I learned that it was nothing but full of bugs. Since I didn’t have the time or patience to fix someone else’s mess, I asked for a refund, which I got. Really, if a script gives me issues again and again, I can just imagine the emails I will receive when real people start using it. Sometimes these computer dudes really don’t have a clue.
Anyway, I have been looking into Drupal lately. I have heard so many good things about it. Obviously, I use WordPress already (for this blog). As I research Drupal, I am noticing many similarities between the two applications. I am reading that WordPress is great, but Drupal can do what WordPress does and a whole lot more. I have even heard that you can use Drupal for a social networking script (by the way, I did find THE social networking script, but it costs $20,000 per year for licensing).
So my question is, what exactly are the differences between WordPress and Drupal? Which one is older? I know they both have very dedicated and large communities of developers and followers. Will they both end up being the same thing as they grow through the years? Can I set up Drupal to be automated…like a link directory or an article submission website?
So many questions…
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If you are not a computer dude go with WordPress. Drupal does do much much more but WordPress does what it does very well and very simply..
I’m not exactly an unbiased source of Drupal information (I’m one of the horde of devs that contribute to that project). I’ve used quite a few other systems though, and I like to think that I’ve got a fair grasp of the strengths and weaknesses.
WordPress, simply put, is blogging polished until it SHINES. It nails the 80% mark for functionality most bloggers need, and its administration tools and user interface are honed for those tasks and functions. Its ecosystem of themes and addons covers most of the other 20%, and stretches it in directions that more demanding bloggers require (photo galleries, more robust page and document management, etc.) For the most part, though, taking it past single-or-multi-contributor blogging starts to feel like a bad fit. You CAN do it, but it’s obvious that you’re taking the system in a direction that it doesn’t want to go.
Drupal *can* do blogging, and quite a few people blog with it, but it’s badly suited for the kind of focused-just-on-blogging use that WordPress is great for. It takes more customization, its administrative tools and content management interface offer loads of bells and whistles that are unnecessary for plain old bloggers, and the selection of prefab styles and themes for Drupal is downright anemic by comparison. (I tend to see Drupal’s available themes as much more flexible, in comparison, but that doesn’t help someone who wants to drop in a cool looking skin that isn’t already being used on dozens of other high-profile sites.)
On the other hand, Drupal’s extension architecture is very deeply integrated into the system. Revisioning, multiple kinds of content with different permissions and metadata, advanced moderation systems, new caching mechanisms, social networking systems like buddy lists and invitations, relationship-based access control, and more are all possible without ugly hacks. The downside is that it takes time and understanding to combine and configure those pieces. In some cases, a LOT of understanding.
Obviously, neither system is perfect. For blogging and theming of blogs, Drupal is going to be like swatting a fly with a Buick: most of its bulk is unnecessary, and will only get in the way. WordPress, on the other hand, is a very uncomfortable fit if you want to go beyond blogging and blog-like site architecture.