Joomla Now Optimized for Mobile Devices

October 2, 2012 Alex Woodie

Websites created with the latest version 3.0 release of the Joomla content management system should look the same whether they’re accessed from a smartphone, tablet, or PC. What’s more, the use of the Twitter Bootstrap is also expected to enforce greater internal consistency across Joomla extensions that power segments of individual websites. The update, which is free, gives IBM i shops another choice for delivering Web and mobile content from IBM i servers. Twitter Bootstrap is an open source framework of tools designed to make Web development faster and easier. The software, which was originally developed by the folks behind Twitter, provides pre-developed HTML and CSS templates for typography, forms, buttons, charts, navigation and other components, as well as optional JavaScript extensions.

The idea behind Twitter Bootstrap was to provide a consistent set of tools for Twitter developers, thereby eliminating inconsistencies and maintenance burdens. It also implements a responsive design element that automatically adjusts the widths of columns when it detects different devices. This provides consistent page rendering on everything from high-resolution PC monitors to 4-inch-by-3-inch smartphones.

Joomla is the first major CMS that includes the Twitter Bootstrap framework, and the framework enables Joomla-powered websites to be 100 percent mobile friendly by default, according to the Joomla project.

“As accessing the Internet via a mobile device is becoming more common than accessing it via a desktop computer, the mobile version of a company’s website will soon be more important than the desktop version,” states Paul Orwig, president of Open Source Matters, a non-profit group that provides support for Joomla. “By optimizing Joomla 3.0 for mobile devices, there is absolutely no doubt as to whether what was designed for the desktop will transfer seamlessly to a phone or tablet.”

Twitter Bootstrap should also bring greater consistency across Joomla extensions. Currently, the lack of standardization between extensions means that websites that use several Joomla extensions can look cobbled together. Organizations can either live with the differences in look and feel on the different pages in a website, or Web developers can spend a lot of time enforcing style rules.

Joomla 3.0 brings several other new features, including a PostgreSQL database driver, new template copy options, new user profile and user name security features, and easier installation of language packs.

The open source Joomla CMS is one of the most popular website management tools in the world. According to the Joomla Project, the software drives public websites and private intranets for some of the biggest companies in the world, including Citibank, General Electric, and Ikea. And the fact that it’s written in PHP and uses the MySQL database means Joomla runs on the IBM i server just as well as it runs on any other server. In fact, several IBM i user groups use Joomla to power websites on IBM i servers, including COMMON, the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association, and the Young i Professionals.

Much of Joomla’s popularity stems from the ease in which users can create polished-looking websites. The software automates much of the work behind managing users, files, menus, language encoding, search functions, and archiving. The core CMS ships from the factory with the capability to run polls, handle links, use RSS newsfeeds, share postings with friends via email, and manage banners. About 9,000 Joomla extensions provide more advanced functionality, including, calendars, forums, and ecommerce functionality.