Hi:
I have read a lot about the drupal core and contributed modules and am excited and ready to download and begin using it.
But, being very much a beginner, downloading (e.g. modifying via the terminal) and setting up the local development environment for the three website projects I want to create seems daunting so I'm looking for a simple way to do this. (I do have MAMP PRO, but even so, it seems very complicated.)
In the course of my research, I came across an apple.com download...
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/unix_open_source/bitnamimampstack....
...so I'm thinking that maybe bitnami, which states ...
"Each installer includes all of the software necessary to run out of the box (the Stack). The process is simple; just download, click next-next-next and you are done! BitNami Stacks are completely self contained and will not interfere with other software on your system." (bitnami.org)
... may be an easy way to go, seeing I could download a stack for each website, and if a website doesn't work out I could just delete the entire stack without it interfering with the others...(I realize this may be overkill as the whole stack will be duplicated, but...it's easy... and until I learn more, I'm thinking this may be a good way to get started and get my feet wet until I get more sophisticated with it all....?
Does this make sense?
Would very much appreciate and welcome any and all input and thoughts about my 'plan of attack', and if there are any known downsides or issues with using bitnami (e.g. am I then dependent on them for updates??).... Or would CVS be simpler?
Thanks,
yin
Comments
Checkout acquia for a
Checkout acquia for a kickstart.... They make an installer for a couple different environments.
http://acquia.com/downloads/
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mike stewart { twitter: @MediaDoneRight | IRC nick: mike stewart }
Thanks
Hi Mike:
Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at it, and it looks great, except I'm on a shoestring budget the Professional/Enterprise pricing is a bit steep... :-)
Bitnami seems to be free....Is there a reason you nixed that idea?
Ursula
Acquia is also free
Acquia is also free. You have to pay if you opt to use their support services (getting a search slice on their servers, troubleshoot with any module/theme for Drupal 6, site gone down, etc) which you are not required to run. That said, Bitnami's installer will likely do exactly the same thing Acquia's installer will do (The biggest difference between the installers is that Acquia's installer comes prepackaged with a set of modules that are very useful for building a site. With Bitnami, you will likely have to do some hunting for the modules). I suggest reading more at http://acquia.com/documentation/acquia-drupal-stack
Regarding your plan of attack...it sounds reasonable (you've already mentioned the overkill aspect of it but whatever works best for you as a start. I ended up using MAMP (non-pro) and I simply have my various sites in different directories and it all works fine (instead of calling on http://localhost:8082 for a particular site, I call http://localhost/my.site.com (my.site.com would be the name of my directory)). In either case, you will probably need to download additional modules and know the appropriate place that the module is copied to). I hope that all helps.
Acquia download is FREE.
Acquia download is FREE. "DAMP" Installer supposedly works on Mac or Windows.
The Drupal portion of the install is the same exact code as going to Drupal.org, downloading, and then setting up. The Acquia version includes a couple custom Acquia modules and some other "must have" contrib modules. If you're new to Drupal, it should be noted Acquia puts the contrib modules in a non-standard folder (/modules/acquia/.. versus /sites/all/modules or /sites/project_folder/modules, etc.) - but otherwise its standard Drupal.
They just take some of the headache out for newbies to get setup and started. also a next, next, next. You also have the option of buying service from them - but it's not required.
Any reason I nixed the btinami? nope. just haven't used or heard feedback. (I'm not on Mac). I've heard good things about the Acquia download.
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mike stewart { twitter: @MediaDoneRight | IRC nick: mike stewart }
One more vote for the Acquia
One more vote for the Acquia Drupal Stack. They have a control panel that lets you create multiple sites on your localhost machine, each with its own custom modules and separate database. That would eliminate a lot of the duplication you would otherwise get with 3 separate stacks.
Thanks
Thanks Mike, BTMash and samirevah for you very appreciated feedback.
I read a lot on the acquia website and also called them with questions, and I do believe the three of you are right. :-)
...Wonder why apple.com doesn't offer a download link to acquia, too? ....Maybe because it offers commercial services....?
Anyway, thanks again...