Is wordpress any good?

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Faevilangel

Because that's not what he's saying - he's saying every Wordpress user should just blindly update when a new version is available and hence there is no problem in the Wordpress world. This is not sensible advice to resolve the potential issues since (a) most users will not have access and/or not understand what that means, and (b) the "update straight away" mentality makes you more susceptible to these bugs. This is, after all, why there are beta testers, why people don't install XP service packs for a looooong time to ensure there are no others issues introduced, and - no doubt - why those people who installed the broken version of Wordpress mentioned above, wished they had just waited until it had been tried and found to be flawed by other users first.

If for example, you know Honda had safety flaws in some of their cars, do you not think it would be sensible to know which models to check for which flaws before you buy? Or do you take Faevilange's attitude which is to not worry about it, buy the car without checking the model or whether the known fault has been fixed, and happily drive it down the motorway with your kids in the back... but make sure you take the car back if they send you a letter advising there's a safety issue? After all, Honda sell lots of cars so they must be safe and his Honda has never gone wrong...

You're just reading between the lines. I have had NO issues with wordpress getting hacked or dodgy updates. I have been running WP sites since version 1.5. If no one updated the latest version then how would you know if it was broken.

WP isn't 100% secure as nothing can be, but updating to the latest versions of WP will eliminate the chance of problems.

You may still get hacked but that could be down to your host or even a dodgy plugin. By telling people not to update WP then you're leaving them open to the hack that the update would have fixed :rolleyes:
 
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Faevilangel

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Faevilangel

Thanks for this mate.

As you are a designer yourself, how would something like this compare to say for example CubeCart v3/v4?

Thanks

It depends on your needs, WP would be perfect for selling 1/2 items but anything more then it would be better to go for the cubecart / magento etc

Feature wise wp wouldn't be much cop either, a full on ecom system will always be better but it does depend on your needs and your plans for the site.

Designing wise, WP is incredibly easy to modify where as cubecart / magento etc take a little more time and patience (due to their vast size and complexity)
 
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Great, I'm sure UK2.NET et al's out-of-hours support teams jump to it every time something is available ;) There is something called platform stability.

I don't think you'll find (m)any hosts that allow you to install and update your own versions of software on their boxes, not unless you are paying for dedicated hosting on a standalone server for a few grand per annum.

Rubbish.
By definition they have to give you FTP access, so that if you want to build a static HTML web site, you have access.

Since they have FTP access then they also give you the ability to update Wordpress!
 
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I forgot to mention to the OP, time spent researching through and testing schemes to find one as close as possible to the end result you want would be very well spent.

I've found quite a few themes are not compatible with the latest release of Wordpress hence install and test them first.

Regarding getting a theme which is as close as possible to what you want in the first place, amending a schemes code to try and fit your requirements can sometimes be like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

If you primarily want to blog and select a decent scheme, Wordpress is an excellent solution.
 
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ecohome

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Mar 17, 2010
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Anyone who knows how to sign into wp, will see the "update wordpress" option when it glows yellow.



Wouldn't suprise me, the only wp blogs that get hacked are ones that don't update them. It's not upto a host to do it as they will have hundreds or thousands of wp blogs on their servers.



How many actually get hacked? Open source means anyone can see the source code, so some one is going to try and hack it. No code is unhackable, as long as you keep wp updated, it will be fine.

My sites have never been hacked, I use WP and I keep it updated.

You know what lllc, I'm getting a bit of a headache with you banging on and I'm only on page 4, I think you're right to point out issues but you're doing yourself no favours with the scare-mongering.

I'm newish to this site but I'm desperate to use WP (WHY?) because I buy into the open-source ideaology. Why not let people who have positives about WP, who can help people thinking about giving it a go. The templates, plugins, scripts, updates, the how-tos etc so we actually 'encourage' people who maybe dont have the html skills but have a good idea for a start-up business to try it out??
 
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The reality is probably somewhere in the middle of all the opinions expressed here.

You'll get a lot of Wordpress developers that will say it is brilliant, you'll also get a load of developers that hate Wordpress and will come here saying it is rubbish.

My personal opinion is that I would never use a free or bought Wordpress theme (template) without also making some significant changes to it.
Otherwise there is a danger your site will look like hundreds of others!

BTW I agree with Brownie, test a lot of themes.
You can download them, install them and then within wordpress switch between them to see what they look like.

I found some don't do what they say on the box (if that makes sense).
Also you need to consider the content that will be on each page, some themes are very restrictive, whilst others are very flexible.
 
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I tried Wordpress for around 15 minutes and it seemed to be very bloated as in the amount of code inside the main template files. I should've downloaded a free website template I guess as a better starting point!

Any security issues with Wordpress are due to it's popularity not the fact it is open source. There aren't many people who would say Linux is less secure than Windows. It's purely down to the fact that people spend time trying to hack Wordpress, as they do Windows and Internet Explorer.

I think Wordpress has it's place for rapid website development but if you are a developer and want to produce a custom site there are better CMS systems available.
 
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BusinessIdeas

I have only recently started experimenting with wp. I created a site very quickly and easily added a theme. The thing I liked most was that when I created a new page, a link tab was added automatically to the nav bar, without me having to mess about with code to add the button. This part at least could not be easier IMO. Needless to say I will be using wp more and more in the future, then I might have a go at joomla then drupal. :)
 
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I would say Wordpress is good for a basic website or blog or something similar and there are some really cool Wordpress templates you can download for free so it offers the start-up or casual user wanting a website a really good and fast option of getting online.

Anyone who needs their site to be something more serious than just a quick reference about their company might want to consider something more professional but saying that I have seen some really good ones online but far outnumbered by the many bad ones.
 
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I think Wordpress has it's place for rapid website development but if you are a developer and want to produce a custom site there are better CMS systems available.

It might be down to the understanding of what a CMS is, I'm a traditionalist and do not see Wordpress as a CMS platform more like a blogging solution.

With my understanding of what a CMS is, which provides far more flexibility than just a preformatted blogging solution with extensions, I would be looking at Joomla, Drupal, etc.

Wordpress has its place but people are trying to extend it into areas where there are more appropriate solutions.
 
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SteveSant

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Jun 10, 2010
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Just to echo a lot of what has been said. Wordpress is a mature CMS, and VERY configurable. I run a number of them for people. The main problem with any CMS is not the CMS itself, but who's installed it, and how well it is maintained.

I also run a hosting business, and it would make your toes curl seeing how often sites are probed for vulnerabilities. The worst WP installations I have seen are those that were hurriedly created with Fantastico, and then left to the elements.

We run an application firewall in front of our servers - we have to, because frankly, most web developers aren't really server/security people, and they often leave all manner of security holes in finished jobs. Running an app firewall is expensive, and most cheap hosting won't offer this protection. I guess it's horses for courses.

But to go back to the OP... yes, WP is as good as you're going to get, provided it is hosted in a secure environment... I have a good article in my blog about Wordpress security sant-media.co.uk
 
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5aq1b

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Jun 14, 2007
102
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sorry for digging up an old thread here - i've heard wordpress being branded about for a few years now. Just exactly what is it ?

I am by no means a web developer but i do know my way around editing HTML and CSS code. For example, if i wanted to create my own website, i would create the code on my local PC using say, Dreamweaver and then upload the code to my domain.

What exactly would do with Wordpress? And wordpress templates? There's a good wordpress template i saw on the first page but what do i do with it? Someone mentioned "installing" wordpress?
 
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Zeal

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Oct 3, 2009
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If your savvy with html + css code... then your savvy with google :p lol.

http://wordpress.org/ < Go there, download it. Install locally or to your webhost
• Use it as a blog or a website cms.
• they are some tutorials on how to export a html / css site to a wordpress theme ( google has lots)

Essentially though, as soon as wordpress is installed... you in theory 'have a website'.
 
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First of all there are 2 Wordpress installs: .com and .org. Wordpress.com is hosted by Wordpress and is WP-lite. It's OK, but the funky monkey is WP.org: go straight there, passing Go on the way.
You can do basically anything you want with Wordpress, although some heavyweight uses will be clunky and better done with other platforms.
If you have hosting, chances are the host will have Fantastico or Softaculous which do an autoinstall at the click of the clicky thing. This gives you a base, core install with the new Twenty Ten theme, which is quite tasty and a good starting point.
By logging on you get to the dashboard. Just dig around, getting help from the Wordpress Codex as needed. The Codex is a great resource. Start loading up a few plugins, maybe a theme or so to play with.
There are loads of groups, forums and things de Google which will help. I suggest setting one up and having a good play, for instance setting the Home page to a static page so using Wordpress as a website rather than a blogsite.

One of my blogs is a WP install.
(Note to self; update the bloody thing...)

Good luck, have fun.
 
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5aq1b

Free Member
Jun 14, 2007
102
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thanks for the quick replies guys. Yup i am savvy with google but nothing better than getting other peoples opinions (although you could get them off google too i suppose! :D)

If i set up a website rather than a blog - (i have something in mind), can money be made through advertising revenues such as google adsense if enough traffic is generated? Nothing major like, just something to get the rounds in at the end of the month.
 
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That Guy

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Dec 23, 2008
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www dot wisteriabusinessplans.co uk

they wont let me post URL properly until have posted 15 or more posts

OK when you are writing a page look to the right and you will see a box to order the pages, that will sort the order of the tabs at the top of the page.

As for the text at the top PM me you admin details for wordpress (just setup a temp account) and I will sort it.
 
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also, when adding a new page, how do you order the tabs?
When setting up or editing a page there is a 'Page Attributes' box on the right. In this there is a 'page order' selector box: just order by number how you want your pages in the tabs/menu.

As a digression; there is a plugin called 'exclude pages' which gives you the option of not showing a page in the navigation. I find this very useful.
 
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That Guy

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Dec 23, 2008
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also are there any other features of wordpress that I might be able to do other than just posts and new pages??

Would be easier to ask you what you want to do with the site.

Some must have plugins are:

Helps make the site more SEO Friendly:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

Generates a sitemap to submit to Google Webmaster Tools:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/

Allows you to track visitors on Google Analytics:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analytics-for-wordpress/

Adds a Contact Form to your site:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Also have a look at changing your permalink structure (in settings menu) to this:

Code:
/%postname%/%post_id%/

It will change your Page and Post urls from this:

Code:
http://www.wisteriabusinessplans.co.uk/?page_id=59

to something like this:

Code:
http://www.wisteriabusinessplans.co.uk/business-plan-services

Much better don't you think? :)


as in it is aligned with the posts?

No its not.
 
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