Drupal is content management system software that is much-beloved by a large and thriving developer community. The ever-evolving magnum opus of developer Dries Buytaert, the system, its modules, users and developers value flexibility, simplicity, utility, modularity, extensibility and maintainability in the code. The theory here seems to be that the core files are made light and feature-less – a blank canvas on which to create.
This philosophy obviously isn’t for everyone. The code is clean and light (only a few M
but that’s because you will need to install/tweak many (20-30) plugins before you have the site of your dreams.
Standout Features
* Modules – thousands of them for utility, content, third-party integration, admin, content, media, e-commerce, and on and on.
* Intense levels of personalization – considered to be the “core of Drupal.”
* Fully indexed and searchable content.
* Role-based permissions – not so different from our other highly ranked systems, but vital nonetheless.
Built-in Applications:
Main criticisms of Drupal include that the countless modules are also its biggest drawback: a site in this system is nothing without many installed modules and conversely maintenance on 20+ modules is a nightmare. Also, this system is not object-oriented, which a lot of potential users find off-putting.
Some say Drupal is the best they’ve ever used – some say it is the worst. This just seems to be more proof that a content management system software is only as good as its user – meaning know what you need before choosing any CMS.
Back to Drupal, as stated before, this system is lacking in built-in features yet can’t really be compared to any other system nor directly penalized in our ratings for same. The Drupal stalwarts all contend that handling large amounts of modules and working around the bugs is completely do-able and worth the time.
User forums also reveal this system is weak when dealing with image modules – there are three that overlap but no one does it all on its own. So beware to photo-heavy sites.
Management:
This CMS does offer a lot in the way of built-in management – almost everything on our list. Analysis, tracking and statistics are built-in and you will definitely need these if you are running an online business of any kind. Having a site is almost pointless if you don’t pay attention to how it’s performing traffic-wise and make adjustments based on that research.
The web-based administration is a great plus here – you can administer your Drupal site from a web browser anywhere in the world and doesn’t require any additional software or installation for such.
Performance:
Caching is a must with this system since you will be running plenty of modules in addition to your core files, especially if your site has a lot of visitors as well. You can configure this option from the Administrator>Site Configuration>Performance path. This reduces queries to the server and will help a busy site stay up and running fast for its users.
The system also performs load balancing between multiple servers as another way to keep the site running smoothly and quickly. This is a built-in feature.
Commerce:
All commerce options in Drupal are available as plugins. This system doesn’t have a point-of-sale function.
Ease of Use:
Server page language and friendly URLs are the only built-ins here. Everything else on our list (with the exception of UI levels) can be added on for free.
Support:
Drupal content management system software offers the full complement of support, with smoke tests available – you guessed it – as a plugin. The forums and documentation aren’t perfect, but they are active and if you do have a nailbiter of a problem, you should be able to find someone or something to help you out.
Summary:
Drupal is an amazing assemblage of Open Source development, working from scratch and creating something totally unique. It’s most certainly made for developers, though. It's not content management system software for the faint-of-heart.
If you are planning a community site or a high traffic site, Drupal might not be the best choice. For less developer-heavy features, try another of our highly ranked products such as Wordpress.org or Joomla!
Reference Site : http://cms-software-review.toptenreviews.com/drupal-review-pg2.html



