First and foremost, Mambo is a Content Management System (CMS). It is the engine behind your website that simplifies the creation, management, and sharing of content.
There is an excellent article on
How to evaluate a Content Management System (written by James Robertson) that covers the features of a good content management system in great detail.
The goal of the Mambo project is to meet most of the requirements highlighted in the above article. As each day in development goes by we are getting nearer and nearer, while at the same time building a solid core which can be extended by third party developers.
In the hands of a custom developer, this makes Mambo a powerful platform for a wide variety of Internet applications that go far above and beyond the simple creation of content.
What Mambo isn't!
Mambo is not a typical "portal" solution.
While Mambo can be modified or extended to provide this style of site this is not the goal of the project. Mambo is aimed at the more squarely at corporate websites or sites for small to medium businesses, families or personal sites.
The Mambo Team focuses on building a solid application framework rather than on add-ons that are typically found in many portal solutions. This keeps the Mambo core extremely lightweight and efficient, thus making it easier for anybody to extend Mambo through custom third party component and modules that directly serve their needs.
PowWeb offers their own proprietary one-click installation of Mambo. They provide you with a single free domain name upon sign up, but will allow unlimited domains to be hosted under one account. PowWeb offers enough features to entice advanced users, but with support and simplicity that will entice first time bloggers. Give PowWeb a try, if you don't like 'em you can get your money back with their 30 day guarantee.
