The roots for CMS Expo run deep with Joomla!. If you're looking for experts representing the Joomla! open source community, this is the place to be. I've been looking forward to this presentation on Molajo which follows a Tour Joomla! presentation I've also been watching. I'm here not only because of the impressive speakers, Jen Kramer and Amy Stephen, but also because I sense that Molajo offers something new and different for the Joomla! community.
Molajo means from Joomla! - it's name is created from the letters of the Joomla! name. In much the same manner, Molajo is a distribution created from the powerful and flexible Joomla! 1.6 application framework. In the future, it is anticipated many Molajo distributions will be shared, each crafted for different vertical markets.
Amy Stephen is speaking in the session. Her first emphasis is that there are a number of Jommla! members, including Joomla Elders, that have been involved or consulted with this project. The idea of a distribution in Joomla! is a rather new concept but there are already distributions in the wild. For instance Nooku Server is a multi-site distribution of Joomla! 1.5.
Some notable impressions I'm getting from this session include:
- Molajo is working on using Joomla! framework as is, but there are obstacles at the present time. Molojo introduces some solutions adding to what currently isn't present in Joomla! As an outsider, I'm not fully understanding the background here but sense that because of the limitations this is why an application framework is introduced along with MVC abstraction changes.
- Through Molago, they're heading toward an environment where people that know little code can extend the CMS. Create Extensions with no code is the goal.
- DRY code - Don't Repeat Yourself
- An administrative template is introduced and being worked on.
- Social plugin suite for content is being added.
- Construct Template Framework - a designer/developer oriented template framework. This would include comments, ratings, social book marking, activity logs for Joomla! 1.6 Components.
- New router for Joomla! being worked on. A faster, more flexible, easier way to code for URLs.
- A pluggable access control level...which could also offer improved LDAD or ACL simplification.
Two prototypes are being introduced depending on how much the Molajo group wants to interrupt the Joomla! core (that's my take). A lot of the issues here is working with core's ACL versus the direction Molajo wants or needs to take it.