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By estevan_carlos on
I don't want to frame this as an either/or discussion. Like some of you I also do Wordpress work and find it to be a good solution for small businesses. However I sometimes buy Wordpress themes in order to have a collection of instant features that I later customize and I've reached a point where I'm annoyed that the marketplace doesn't turn to Drupal for some of those needs.
Diving deep into these pre-made themes really shows you the limits of Wordpress. I'm using one now that is dependent on four 3rd party plugins that do everything Drupal core does. Now again, I know why some people use Wordpress. One obvious reason, "It's what they know" so I'm not faulting that. What I'm faulting is that I suspect people don't even know what Drupal core does.
For those of you who don't eff with Wordpress much, there is no core admin access to content types, taxonomy, nor is there a "Views" concept in WP core. These is also no granular role/permission system. That means there are many WP themes that kludge this functionality. It's become a big mess. A lot of work is put into this. A lot of kludgy work. It's an area that I know Drupal can solve more easily and I wish more of the WP community knew.
I'm ranting because all of this just dawned on me. I though WP was mature enough to handle these features effectively and I realize that it's still pretty unfocused.
Just wanted to rant about that for a sec.
Comments
I agree
I had a look at Wordpress recently, and concluded like you, that it is a bit of a mess. I was looking for something light weight, for simple web sites and ended up settling for the Flat-File Grav CMS in stead. Everything seems very well thought out, and it was quite easy to build a web site with it.
So from now on I will use Grav CMS for simple web sites, and use Drupal if the requirements gets a bit more complex, like Views, permissions, taxonomy, Solr based search, etc., where Drupal truly shines.
Whatever CMS fits the bill to
Whatever CMS fits the bill to do the job. People that use Wordpress regularly get automatic updates, and don't have to worry about things like "Does this module require composer to work?" Focus is on getting the job done and moving to the next job as opposed to living in the wordpress development ecosystem. A good analogy is buying a car to drive to the location of choice as opposed to buying a car and having to figure out if it meets the emissions requirements to get to Grandmas. There's a reason for Wordpress's popularity. Caveat - I really enjoy Drupal - but, as a graphic designer, not a developer - it's tremendously frustrating. My 2 cents.
That's sort of what I'm
That's sort of what I'm discussing. I'm seeing scenarios where I suspect a developer should opt for Drupal8 IF they were aware of Drupal's features. I suspect that lack of knowledge is the only factor preventing people from selecting D8 over WP in specific cases. There are still scenarios where WP would be optimal though. I also design things and I'm not even sure how to wrap my head around the design process in Drupal.
The cost of entry - from the
The cost of entry - from the learning curve to uncertainty regarding its' future - is really too high for most. Most people using Wordpress are like this: "My budget is X, I know exactly what tools I need and how much time I can use customizing what I need to - and can then move on to the next project."
I went too far the other way as a freelancer: "Here's my budget, buy a template, I can do it in a week and move on." Treating the process as a commodity. [A LOT of WP users do this.]
I have a day job which provides the means for me to learn a new process without worrying about cost/time factors. Mind you, I have deadlines - but can stretch my horizons so to speak to meet the objectives of the project.
People don't have that luxury - so they see Drupal 8 and Drupal, in general, as adversarial as opposed to the cool tool it is.
I just asked some WP users on
I just asked some WP users on reddit if they've tried the core features of D8. No one says they have and I received a series of downvotes. How disappointing.
I'm using wordpress, i don't
I'm using wordpress, i don't know any thing about drupal core, but i agree with you that we rely on third party plugins for content types, taxonomy, and views concepts.
Well, it's awesome if you're
Well, it's awesome if you're new to Drupal. I'm a pro. I know Wordpress more than Drupal however I also know a lot about the core features available. Based on some shaky Wordpress projects I've seen, I think Wordpress user should really learn more about Drupal before deciding to use Wordpress for some of their projects. The WP third party plugins are fine but I've definitely seen projects that seem less stable when they could've just used the built-in features of D8 instead.
Why drupal
Have tried joomla. Its good but it can "run away with your wallet" you and up paying for this. Payingfor that . Drupal has it as standard.
Have tried majento. Yes community edition is ok but support can be hit and miss. OR you go premium and BANG wallet takes a big hit.
Have tried WordPress. it looks like it's stuck on netscape. It looks dated. It's not intuitive. It's not user friendly. It a module for this a module for that (yes free modules ) BUT that's where it falls down IMHO. To get the best out of it is a steep learning curve plus a big wallet.
Then there is drupal. Ok support can be somewhat hazey ( especially on the commerce side) BUT the plus points are cost.
Everything nowerdays boils down to cost.
Personally I would rather invest a client's money into TIME in making an awesome site, rather than investing a client's money on MODULES to make a mediocre site.
Yes it is a learning curve but it is intuitive and plenty of helpful stuff out there. (Agreed commerce can do with some work but another issue).
In essence drupal works out of the box. Install it and start. You don't need to mess about installing it then install an admin menu. Or add a blog module at $49.98 (yeah like WTF fifty dollers for a blog module...REALLY).
Drupal isnt perfect by any means but its open source and can be made as near perfect as you want.
Another big plus is drupal STARTS with security and builds from there. Not adds security as an optional extra (at a price). In today's age when playing with php and sql security is something that you don't really want to be trying to sort out id you can just have it as standard.
We don't buy a new car and then add high security locks immobilisers and alarms. We expect it as standard. How long would Ford survive if they started charging extra for an ignition key or a set of door locks? .
Drupal all the way. The other cms platforms really are playing catch up.
Good point
A brilliant thought!
Agreed
I'm replying to this as a way to save it, because this is spot on and as Max stated
is Brilliant