What is XOOPS?
XOOPS, the software
XOOPS is an open source set of scripts that, when installed on an Internet host with a PHP-capable web server (e.g., Apache) and a database (e.g., MySQL), allows administrators to easily create dynamic, complex and content-rich websites. It is an ideal tool for developing small to large community websites, intranets, corporate portals, weblogs and much more.
A shorter definition would be this: XOOPS is an object-oriented open source content management system that handles the creation and management of dynamic websites.
XOOPS is the acronym of eXtensible Object Oriented Portal System. The standard pronunciation of XOOPS should follow English rules, so you should say the name to sound like 'zoo' [zoops].
In legal terms, XOOPS is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) and is free to use and modify. It is free to redistribute as long as you abide by the distribution terms of the GPL.
What you can do with XOOPS
Though born as a portal system, XOOPS is in fact evolving to become a full-fledged Content Management System. In fact it can serve as a web framework for use by small, medium and large sites. In addition, one of the reasons thousands of users all over the world prefer XOOPS is because it's a safe, easy to use, flexible, powerful and friendly option to manage your content, your users and your sites.
* You can use XOOPS to easily create a personal weblog or journal. For this purpose, you can do a standard install, and then use its News module only. Or a core focused module, such as the WeBLog module.
* For a medium site, you can use modules like News, Forum, Download, Web Links, etc., and create a sophisticated community to interact with your members and visitors.
* For a large site, as an enterprise portal, you can also develop modules of your own, such as eShop, and use XOOPS' uniform user management system to seamlessly integrate your modules with the whole system.
Key features of XOOPS
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Database-driven
XOOPS uses a relational database manager (currently MySQL) to store and retrieve the data required to run a dynamically generated website.
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Fully Modularized
Modules can be installed/uninstalled/activated/deactivated with a click using the XOOPS module manager.
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Personalization
If the site manager wants it so, registered users can edit their profiles, select site themes, upload custom avatars, and much more!
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User Management
A site's manager has the ability to search for users by various criteria, and also to send email and private messages to users through a template-based messaging system.
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World-wide support
XOOPS was created and is maintained by a team of several hard-working volunteers operating from all over the world. The XOOPS community has more than a dozen official support sites around the world that freely offer support to non-English speaking users.
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Multi-byte Language Support
XOOPS fully supports multi-byte languages, including Japanese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, etc.
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Versatile Group Permissions System
XOOPS has a powerful and user-friendly permissions system which enables administrators to set permissions by group.
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Theme-based skinnable interface
XOOPS is driven by a sophisticated but easily managed theme system. Both admins and users can change the look of the entire web site with just a click of the mouse. There are also dozens of themes available for download!
XOOPS, the network
Of course, there's more to XOOPS than just the software we all like to use. XOOPS is also a web of Internet sites focused on providing you with the tools needed to give you the best experience as a XOOPS user, whether novice or experienced. Some of these sites are completely open to you, while some others are working areas for our core teams. As of this writing, the XOOPS Net is comprised of:
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https://xoops.org The Mother of All the XOOPS Sites, the original one, the place where it all began, this is the largest and most visited community site.
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http://modules.xoops.org This will be the official repository of XOOPS modules and the home of the XOOPS Modules Registry.
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http://themes.xoops.org (
This will be the official repository of XOOPS themes and the home of the XOOPS Themes Registry.
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http://wiki.xoops.org This is another community space to contribute our knowledge and experience to the rest of the XOOPS users.
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http://dev.xoops.org This is a closed site, where XOOPS developers thread their magic to give you the best core and the best add-ons.
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http://docs.xoops.org This is a closed site, where the XOOPS Documentation Team works to create the documentation of your favorite CMS.
XOOPS, the community
And of course, there's also YOU, the XOOPS user, perhaps the most important part of the XOOPS Universe. It's because of you that we work; it's because of you that we keep moving ahead; it's because of you that we're striving to give you the best open source content management system there is, period.
It's also you who can help us improve both the software and the XOOPS sites. So raise your voice and tell us your needs, your wants, your dreams. We'll look for a way to make things happen, and in the process we'll all have a good time.
