Difference Between DotNetNuke & IBS & Portal Starter Kit

10-17-2003, 7:36 AM

JWhite

IBuySpy
- VB.net and C#
- Started January 2002
- Static codebase
- Cannot support multiple portals from one database out of the box.
- SQL Server/MSDE

Portal Starter Kit
- basically a small refresh of IBuySpy released in mid Feb. 2003
- moved some global items to a cached XML file to save on DB calls
- fixed some bugs

DotNetNuke
- VB.net core with a active and growing code base (version 2.0 will be the 12th release in less than a year) supported by a core team of over 30 developers
- DNN's goal is to give you the basics (at 20+ basic modules, it still has over 10 additional modules over IBS) out of the box and let you add those modules that are necessary for your implementation. The private assembly type Modules that DNN uses makes adding a module as simple as uploading a file through the browser. DNN has many modules available both free and commercial but they are not included out of the box to allow for the greatest customization
- Shaun Walker released DNN (then known as IBuySpyWorkshop) around Christmas 2002. It started as a modified hybrid of IBS
- create and manage multiple portals from one codebase and database
- Multilevel menus, On-Tab module management, a rich text box editor, and many, many more enhancements have been added and the code structure has been re-architected in many ways.
- Skins will be included in the next major official release of DNN (2.0)
- Localization/Multi-language will be included in an upcoming official release of DNN
- Good Vendor and Ad management
- Currently uses SQL/MSDE but will add a Data Access Layer in the upcoming 2.0 official release which will let DNN be easily adapted to any database.
- nearly 30,000 registered users
- A community that is unmatched in a .Net portal framework. The DNN Forum (graciously provided by Microsoft and the ASP.Net Team, thanks guys) gets the most posts of any Source Discussion forum on ASP.Net including Microsoft's own I Buy Spy portal

Intangibles: IBuySpy is just too static and unmoving. Many new features are being developed for future releases of DNN and I feel DNN is the best, most well structured portal out there, but DNN has something that's hard to match and that is community interest and activity. DNN certainly has the buzz of the .Net Portal communities if you know what I mean. This is what ultimately drives most members here I think.

I hope you find DNN meets your requirements. I am firmly in belief that DNN is/will be the best Free Open Source .Net Portal framework available. Stick around you'll see that this is a great community.

My suggestion, Download it and install it, you will see the difference immediately if you have ever used IBS. (and you'll never go back!)

Happy DotNetNuking
Jeremy

Copyright 2003