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Xoops is a truly out-of-the-box intranet solution and installation couldn't be easier, with database fields, file permissions and a user account set up automatically. Once installed, the design of the system is clean-looking and intuitive. It also differs from other systems with its object-oriented design, which simplifies programming and customization of Xoop's operation. This month I'll be giving you a rundown of Xoops's features, pros and cons, and comparing it with the packages already examined in this series.

The Xoops system is modular, with your first task being to select which modules are appropriate for your intranet. These modules are installed at the touch of a button, with the associated access rights and tables self-configured. The framework of the system has been very well thought out, with pages of the system accessing reusable classes to perform common actions. This objected-oriented approach is highly efficient, although a lack of complete documentation on the developer's Web site makes it far harder to utilize.

The Xoops installer doing its thing, with very little intervention.

Thge process to customize the operation of the system could be easier. While much of the code of the core classes is commented and easy to follow, there is little explanation within the modules (such as News or Sections, explained below). The Smarty template engine makes life easier, and creating a new visual theme is easy enough by following the online documentation.

As for the system itself, let's take a look at some of the features included:

• Blocks: This feature is common in a number of content management systems, and allows for the easy positioning of interface elements around the screen.

• Groups: The user management system allows users to be categorized into groups with specific access rights. Each module can be granted or denied to a group of users — a far more efficient system than having to set privileges for each user.

• Mail Users: Tying into the groups system is a facility for sending messages to all of your users. This can be done either through the internal messaging system, or via e-mail. You are made aware of any new messages through a block visible on all pages, and the interface allows you to receive messages in much the same way as any e-mail client.

• Sections: Sections provides a basic way of creating articles, and as the name suggests storing them in discrete sections:

The Xoops article editor, which lacks tools for formatting, fonts, or colors, but does the job.

Needless to say the interface (above) is quite basic. The ease with which an article can be made to span multiple pages is excellent, and the system will record the number of hits each article has received.

There are several more modules included that provide similar features to rival systems, such as forums, a polling system, a frequently asked questions (FAQ) database and a downloads manager. But how does these compare to the other open-source CMS systems reviewed in the series? Let's compare.

Series Conclusions

Ease of Installation
Xoops has to come out on top. It's the little things that count, and the attention to detail is excellent — information that would normally have to be looked up, such as the physical path to the root folder, are automatically entered. Only a few very basic settings are required, such as database name and default password.

Digger comes a close second, with very little configuration needed. PHP-Nuke (at the time of writing) requires packaging software to decompress the .tar.gz file. This software is always included with Linux systems, not so under Windows. Drupal is similar in its installation requirements, requiring the decompression of a .tar file.

Ease of Use/Interface Design
A cluttered front page is no good to anyone, and can lead to important information being ignored. Xoops and Drupal have clean and simple-looking interfaces, although blocks can be added or removed as required. With all the default settings, PHP-Nuke is a nightmare of interface design with pieces of information pining for your attention left, right and center. Digger is really the middle ground, with a crowded yet compact front end. When it comes down to it, good interface design is highly subjective. The survey systems included with all of these systems provide an easy way to effectively gauge user feedback on the design.

The administrative side of the interface is quite similar for each of these systems, although Drupal's did seem the most confusing at the begining. They do, however, have very comprehensive documentation; you'll likely be needing this close to hand when you get started.

Range of Features
For the complete management of company activities, from logging calls with clients to managing projects, Digger is an unbeatable free solution. If you have simpler requirements: you only need to have a database to act as a central pool of information, for example, then Xoops, PHP-Nuke, and Drupal are all up to the task.

Stability/Reliability
An important issue when deciding on a business-critical software package is how much testing it has received. On the one hand, open-source systems are often more stable due to their community of users finding bugs, reporting them, or even producing their own fixes. The success of Linux is testament to this. However, smaller projects may not have had sufficient users or time to conduct substantial testing, with errors rearing their heads at the most inconvenient of times.

All of the systems tested in this series have large user communities, and have gone through a number of incarnations, with each new release building upon the previous. PHP-Nuke has been around for a long time, and now in its seventh version has established a reputation for reliability.

Expandability/Customization
You will find a wide range of modules for PHP-Nuke around the Internet, normally free of charge. For Drupal, too, there are more than 100 modules available that have been submitted by users (found at http://drupal.org/project?tid=14). Ensure you test these thoroughly before implementing them, as there are no guarantees of their reliability. The Digger CMS doesn't quite compare, with the essential add-ons carrying a $99 price tag. However, while Digger doesn't have Web sites bustling with free modules, the number of features included is impressive.

• http://www.phpnuke.org
• http://www.drupal.org
• http://www.xoops.org
• http://www.diggersolutions.com