Joomla Announcements

Joomla! 1.5 Template Contest

Details

Category: General News

Created on Friday, 24 August 2007 12:39

With the release of the eagerly anticipated Joomla! 1.5, the time hascome to allow one of the skilled designers in our midst to become apart of the success that will be Joomla! 1.5.  The Joomla! 1.5Template Contest is open to anyone with a passion for design and adesire to have their design seen and used by millions of people globally as theydownload and install the stable release of Joomla! 1.5. 

Contest Prizes

• The five finalists will each receive a Joomla! prize package that includes a Joomla! laptop bag, Joomla! shirt, Joomla! hat, and a Joomla! 256MB USB memory stick.
• The grand prize winner will have his/her template added as the third template to the Joomla! 1.5 core distribution to be downloaded in every Joomla! 1.5 package.

Contest Timeline

The Joomla! 1.5 Template Contest procedure will be very similar to the Joomla! Logo Contest from 2005:

1. Contestants will have until the 22nd of September 2007 to submit their designs via a contest thread set up in the Joomla! forums.
2. Entries are submitted by way of a post titled "Template Contest Entries" which includes a brief introduction to your design and a link to the template package.  The template package must be available without registration and must be available until the five finalists have been announced.
3. At 23:59 GMT on the 22nd of September 2007 the thread will be locked and no further entries will be allowed.
4. The Core Team will go through all contest entries and create a short list of their favourite 5 designs that meet the design and technical requirements of the Template Contest.
5. At 23:59 GMT October 6th 2007 the contest finalists will be revealed in a poll thread on the Joomla! Forums and all five templates will be made available via a demo site provided for the duration of the voting period.
6. Forum members will have exactly one week, until the 23:59 GMT October 13th 2007 to cast a vote for their favourite design.
7. The winner of the competition will be revealed in the final release of Joomla! 1.5.

Contest Rules and Requirements

• Template packages must be installable via the Joomla! 1.5 extension installer.
• All template files must be licensed under the GNU/GPL version 2.
• Templates must be an original work of the person making the design entry.
• Templates must run natively in Joomla! 1.5.  They must not require Legacy Mode in order to function.
• Templates must use the Joomla! sample content as-is and not require any moving/modifying of modules/content.
• Templates must utilize at least one Joomla! 1.5 template parameter.
• Templates must provide an example of custom module chrome or template overriding.
• Templates must be valid XHTML 1.0 and CSS.
• Templates should look and function similarly in Internet Explorer 6+, FireFox, Safari, and Opera.
• Templates should not break with any of the sample content.
• Core Team members may not submit entries in the template contest.

Re-introducing Andrew Eddie Lead Developer

Details

Category: Team News

Created on Wednesday, 15 August 2007 06:29

Joomla! is happy to announce today, that following a much deserved break from official duties, Andrew Eddie has accepted an appointment as the third Lead Developer of our project, joining Louis Landry and Johan Janssens. Many will remember Andrew's previous role in the project that goes back to early 2003 with his involvement in other projects including phpDocumentor and dotProject. Andrew is among the top 1% of open source developers in the world.

The 'masterchief' (his forum handle) has never been too far away though.  He has been an active member of the Development Working Group and his assistance with bringing Joomla! 1.5 to where it is today is noteworthy. 

Andrew's lead-level contributions are properly recognised with this appointment — without the administrative burden that comes with core team member responsibilities. In short, this mean Andrew is now a lead dev but not a core team member.

"I don't regret my time in the top job, though it's not one you really ask for because it is very tough on your person and your family," Andrew said, "but being down in the engine room once again has been good for me, and ultimately for the project.  We are really quite lucky I think, because we have a great team at the moment and continue to attract people to the Joomla! project who are fair-dinkum about Open Source and have genuine outward-giving hearts.  That's a pretty good legacy for a project in my book."

When asked about his favourite bits of the next version: "There are lots of things, but I'd have to say the biggies are the the MVC architecture we have in the frontend, the revamped template override system, and the new menu manager.  These are among the many new features that release so many of the shackles we had to 'hack' around as developers in the current version."

When asked about his vision for Joomla!: "The CMS genre is very different from what it was when I entered back in 2003.  Back then it was about putting content back in the hands of the regular folks.  Now, with the advent of the Web 2.0 phenomena, the requirements for a CMS to provide artistic freedom for designers is also being pushed to the limit.  I can never forget when we were back doing Mambo, I don't think a release was out for a day and people were pushing the envelope and asking for more.  The people I've had the pleasure of working with over the years have always had the knack of being able to find a good balance between user needs and toys for developers.  So, my vision would be that this continues, and that Joomla! continues to embrace the new technologies that will come and craft them in such a way that it empowers the regular user to do more and more with their websites."

Andrew lives near Toowoomba, Australia, with his family, and the red-back spiders and brown snakes from the farm next door.  Prior to being a full-time Joomla! consultant, Andrew worked at the Toowoomba City Council as a developer of their Content Management Systems and Web Based GIS, and as a Civil Engineer before that.

Do you want to look sensational with ...

Details

Category: General News

Created on Tuesday, 07 August 2007 13:19

Do you want to look sensational? Joomla! today announces the launch of two newproducts with the Joomla! embroidered logo in its official merchandise range.

You can now proudly show your Joomla! colours with an official Joomla! Cap, ourJoomla! Laptop Bag, or both!  We hope these new products will provideJoomla! fans with a strong visual statement to demonstrate their support. Allprofits from our online shop go back into the project to further itsnot-for-profit aims and ambitions.  Look cool and support Joomla! at thesame time.


Joomla!Fitted Cap

The ultra-light brushed cotton of this low profile cap looks sensational withthe Joomla! embroidered logo. You'll enjoy the comfort of 96% cotton and justenough spandex to provide pleasant flexibility for long-term wear. The NU-FITband provides a fitted cap look and is designed to absorb moisture whilemaintaining its shape. You won't believe how comfortable this cap is to wear andyou'll look great from the first moment you put it on.
Price: $19.95


Joomla!Laptop Messenger Bag

If you rely on your laptop, you need a reliable laptop bag. Our Joomla! LaptopMessenger Bag is built for the long haul. With 1680-denier, advanced ballisticnylon and super-tough polyurethane coating on one side for water resistance. Thepadded computer compartment will hold up to a 15" lap top and is designed tokeep it safe, but this versatile travel companion can hold a whole lot more. Twosets of interior organizer pockets help keep everything you need at yourfingertips. Measuring 16.25" w x 12" h x 5.75" d, this solid unit features adurable, PVC bottom; an adjustable, padded shoulder strap with a guided releasebutton; a padded handle; superior stitching; and reflective accents. Carry theJoomla! embroidered logo proudly on this Laptop Messenger Bag.
Price: $49.95