Today we welcome Louis back into the fold as a Development Co-ordinator. Louis returns to start a new team of people working on research projects building on the Joomla! Framework. These will extend the Framework beyond the CMS to new and interesting systems. Louis has spent some time away from Development after being heavily involved in the creation of Joomla! 1.5 and was working as Project Manager in addition to helping create the Communications Team and new sites. I'm sure Louis has a lot to write about his thoughts about the future for Joomla! and how he hopes to help shape that future with his new team.

So, today's controversial (no doubt this blog will elicit replies bemoaning the built in Joomla search, why we use Google etc etc ) subject that I'm tackling:

Searching for 'stuff' on the Joomla.org suite of sites

What is one thing that Google knows how to do? Search. Therefore, we've setup an excellent tool, using Google to help you locate resources from almost all the Joomla sites in one place. To use it, you will need to start here: http://forum.joomla.org

Next, note the search box up the top right. After adding your search term and searching, be sure to use the 'refinement' tabs that appear on the next page. 

You'll notice from these tabs just how many of our sites this particular search tool uses. It works, and it works very well IF people use it.

I hope you enjoy that tip for today. Make sure you spread the word about it as well.

PS Thanks to all at that NYC Usergroup who listened to my voice for over an hour today while I answered their questions and shared Joomla "stuff" with them.

There are currently 5 Joomla! Amazon bookstores in the following countries:

• United States
• Canada 
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• France

These bookstores are one of the ways that OpenSourceMatters generates income to fund the Joomla Project: from providing servers to host our sites, purchasing marketing materials such as banners and brochures, promoting Joomla at Expos, conferences and Joomla Day events as well as to provide accounting, legal and administrative services.

Depending on the volume of books and other merchandise sold from each of the Joomla Amazon bookstores determines the commission received. Currently, it is anywhere from 4% to 6.5%. Our United States bookstore averages 6.5%. 

The Joomla Project receives a commission on all merchandise purchased though our bookstores, not only the purchase of Joomla books. This includes all other books, as well as music and other merchandise. Most people tend to purchase more than one item to save on shipping costs.

So the next time that you are planning to purchase a book or music, etc... please purchase it in one of the Joomla! Amazon Bookstores! Every little bit helps in generating the necessary income to fund the Joomla! Project.

Well... another day in the Stupid Section' (Security) of the forum. The cycle still continues though, and it's been a few weeks since I blogged about it, so it's that time again.

First off, WHY oh WHY do people not read the stickies and the forum note in this section? If they did, they would start off with this post and then follow this link to the Security Checklist. Are these links not clear enough? Do people these days, in the modern world, lack the ability to use the big box up the top right - SEARCH? 

My personal favorite (insert other word of your choosing) post for today is this one. These people *think* that a feature of Joomla! is an admin password expiry. Instead of bothering to consider that such a feature makes no sense at all, and perhaps entertain the fact that their site and/or host may well have been compromised they claim that we (Support) are hiding something from them. 

Anyway... that subject for another day, the one that we, the Joomla! Community should (obligated, must, have to, help me now) be providing free support to people. 

Seriously though, have you seen how extensive and well written the Security Checklist is?  Is it too hard to find? Perhaps we should close the entire security forum, as these days 99% of the posts come back to 2 things (the same two I have blogged about many times):

1. Users keeping their sites updated/patched and 

2. Secure Hosting setup (php5, suphp, among other things).

Are we not doing enough to educate people? Or are the webhosts to blame such as the one spoken of here. Surely it is not too much to expect that users will at least *try* to help themselves before they blame the Joomla! Community? Surely peoples hosting providers have a part to play also in placing the blame in the correct place (usually with the user or the provider) and if need be, learning from it?

Maybe I live in a different world.. or maybe we should just lock all threads in that forum from now on? People don't read the stickies or the notes up the top, what good is it?

Proof there is a problem:

• How to make joomla very secure ?
• User login error linked to security update for 1.5.7
• Hacked By X
• Hacked - Please be merciful

.. actually.. just read the entire forum. I can't find a single thread on the first page that is not down to one of the 2 issues I posted above. I can't find a single thread there either where the user would not have benefitted from using ultra-hidden-blend-into-the-rest-of-the-forum search box.

Now it's time I go and find a drink to calm myself down.

Previous posts of mine:

• Hosting Companies with Joomla Users: Listen up! 
• Joomla! Security, do you take it seriously like we do?
• Hosting providers - Isn't it time?