As a follow up of my previous blog post "The Future of T3" I want to share with you my thoughts about the following question:
Why there are so many frameworks?
Every new technology will create new communities. Similar with Joomla, a new content management system came to life in 2005 and various communities have been developed around Joomla (template clubs, extension developers, integrators etc.). At JoomlArt, we created the first T3 version to give Joomla users and our team a flexible framework to create templates. At the same time other template providers have created their own frameworks to solve their templating problems. That’s the reason why many frameworks have emerged in the past 8 years. However, over time we can observe that with constantly changes in technology (RWD, HTML5, JS, browsers etc.) and user needs, template frameworks are converging.
An user made a good point on JoomlaBamboo’s T3 adoption blog post, and I believe this is one of our main reason
Each web studio (Rockettheme, JoomlArt, YOOtheme, GavickPro. YouJoomla, ThemExpert, JoomShaper, etc.) want to stand their framework and show that they are the best.
Advantages of Different Frameworks
- Variations are good for the end users because they have options.
- Each framework addresses in particular a specific problem. HTML5, Generic modules, Cross browser compatibility, you call it.
- Competition creates innovation
Disadvantages of Different Frameworks
- An advantage can be also a disadvantage. Too many options confuse end users, especially for those who are new to Joomla. The Joomla evolution has brought us 10 remarkable Joomla template frameworks. Gantry, Warp, Gavern, Zen Grid, Helix, Construct Template, Morph, JV framework, Wright and our T3 framework. (I think out there are even more)
- Repeated solutions/features (try to reinvent the wheel)
- Little knowledge and information exchange between competitors
As a new Joomla user you may ask:
- What’s the best for me?
- Which one provides what I need?
Questions which a user nowadays requires days/weeks of evaluation before he/she can start with Joomla. Is this what we want? Is this our mission as Joomla contributors? No, I believe that we want Joomla users have a quick learning curve, get quick support when required and build an awesome website based on Joomla, period.
I think it is time to consolidate all our efforts for the sake of Joomla and its community. Too many frameworks has evolved and most of them will have more and more similar features and user experience. Why not get the best of the best features into the core of Joomla so we can grow a stronger community around it?
How do we achieve this goal together? Let’s hear your opinions and comments.