For the website builders and designers, there seems to be a standing question, which open source CMS (Content Management System) is best? I have been trying to answer that question myself for a very long time. The field used to be so cluttered with CMS and blog software, you didn't know where to begin. Now, at least, there appears to be only three real choices, Drupal, Joomla, or Wordpress. Choosing any one of the three will put you way ahead of all the other available open source CMS and blog software, in my opinion. Each CMS has it's own individual advantages over the other two.

Wordpress, it seems, is the number one choice for bloggers. It's 2 or 3 column, single page layout appears to be a perfect fit. When you add in all the nifty widgets, it's hard to argue against this choice. Drupal, on the other hand, appears to be designed for the web builder who likes to be different, but likes all the bells and whistles. With Drupal, given enough time, you can have your website any way you like it. You can have slideshows, e-commerce, flash, you name it you can have it, and you can arrange it just the way you want it. With Joomla, you can have all the bells and whistles, but many of them come as commercial add-ons. It's not as hands on as Drupal, or as easy as Wordpress, but it works right out of the box, with a little tinkering.

My personal assessment of the three, and I must tell you I've used and I like each of them, is this. If you want a blog in 1 or 2 days, go with Wordpress. If you want a website in 1 or 2 weeks go with Joomla. If you want an original, award winning website in 1 or 2 months, go with Drupal. I realize that each CMS has a loyal following, and there are plenty of different opinions on this subject. What's your opinion, leave a comment.

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