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Latest XOOPS Web CMS Release Bolsters Admin Usability

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Geoff Spick avatar
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The latest release of the open source web content management system XOOPS (news, site) brings some welcome usability improvements. Version 2.4 packs a revamped administration interface and a preload extension mechanism making this a significant update for those of you who operate XOOPS-powered websites. Here are the details.

Tidying-Up The Back Room

It's good to see a release of an open-source CMS that focuses on the work that goes on behind the scenes. While celebrating 25,000 downloads of its last release in five months, it's those in administration who will be taking a keener interest in the latest edition.

This release is packed with features for those who have to look after the system, not just monkey about on a slick front-end.

Among the new features are:

Learning Opportunities

  • User-friendly administrator's user interface called Oxygen
  • Pre-loading allows modularized and extensible core
  • Central support for jQuery
  • Sight Impaired Assisted Forms (WCAG 2.0)
  • Themed administration area
  • Support for WYSIWYG Editors
  • Support for PHP 5.3

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XOOPS 2.4 -- A Nod to Admin Aesthetics

Top of The XOOPS

Having picked up several awards in the last year and using its popularity, success and global reach to release market-specific versions quickly, the future looks bright for the project. This success is summed up neatly by XOOPS' recent Grand Prize OSS Challenge win in Korea.

The preload feature extends on the basic modular concept of the CMS,  where modules can be installed or uninstalled, activated or deactivated with a mouse click. The preload system provides a mechanism for modules to extend the Core functionality.

Another part of the success of Xoops is in the hundreds of themes and modules available for free download. With the most popular modules like News, Discussion Forums, Photo Galleries, Calendars, Jobs and Classifieds sections, Polls, Video presentations,

Check out our just released 2009 Open Source CMS Market Share report for details on the 20 most popular open source content management systems.

About the Author

Geoff Spick

Geoff Spick is a Bournemouth, England-based tech writer with over 25 years of experience across Gartner, Infor and a host of startups and SMBs as a freelance marketing content creator. With fingers on the pulse of digital business, automation, no/low-code and productivity solutions, he is familiar with most bumps on the road to digital transformation. Connect with Geoff Spick: