Joomla is a content management system (CMS). This is software uploaded and installed on a web hosting account that then handles all of the editing and publishing of articles on a website. This removes the need for software to be installed on a local computer so many people can contribute to a site.

This latest release, 1.0.15, is an important security update and should be installed as soon as possible. Always make sure that the site is properly backed up first. There are upgrade versions available rather than the full version downloaded from the link above. They can be downloaded from here.

Installation requires PHP and a MySQL database, both of which should be provided by the webhost. It is worth checking if a database is included as many cheaper web hosting packages do not come with this. Unzip the files in the download and upload them to the webspace to start the installation.

A website based on Joomla can be extended by using Extensions, many of which can be downloaded from the Joomla site. Real enthusiasts can, of course, write their own.

As a CMS, the style of the site is held completely separately to the content so a radical site-wide change can be made by changing the template. Free templates are available from many sites on the web including Joomlashack.

The next version of Joomla, Joomla 1.5, has now been released. Joomla 1 is still supported so there is no immediate need to upgrade. Instructions on how to upgrade are on the Joomla website.