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Choosing the Right CMS for Your Business among the Many Open Source Options

There are multiple open source platforms and based on usage, purpose and business goals you can pick the right platform for your CMS.

WordPress – WordPress is the most popular platform for CMS and powers more than half the CMS sites worldwide. The system is comprehensive and intuitive and every new version that has been released has been impactful. The developers’ community contributes magnificently and there are innumerable free extensions with simplest interface. If you are seeking an uncomplicated CMS with powerful scaling capacity, WordPress CMS is the easiest to create with simple steps – create a page, add it to the menu, post something and your content is reflected on the frontend of the website.

Joomla – Joomla is user-friendly and offers multiple customization options though it is more complex than WordPress. Despite its rather complex framework, Joomla extension developers and community have contributed immensely smart solutions for common design problems which can’t be found on WordPress. Joomla has innumerable extensions, plugins for modules and countless layouts that can be manipulated for highly standardized CMS website.

Drupal – Drupal is the ultimate platform for CMS development as developers can pull off any kind of magic trick on this platform without the need for custom coding that is often required on WordPress and Joomla. There are many ready-made solutions on Drupal and these can be enhanced with third party extensions. If you are after a heavy website that will have full-time administrators, then Drupal is the best platform.

Open Source – the Good

Price – the thing about open source platforms is that it is free. Many resources come free of cost and maintenance is also cheaper. Also, you are not hackled by the restrictions of a licensed platform while making customizations within the price-band.

Development Community – the perk of open source platforms is the developers’ community support. Many minds put together contribute extensively to make the thriving platform feature-rich and meaningfully agile.

Open Source – Being open source itself is a major perk since there is wide scope for customization and fine-tuning. Also, without waiting for the platform owners to push forth the new update, coding can be one to create unique extensions that are requisite for specific business needs.

Open Source – the Bad

Development Community Dependence – the development community are independent developers of the platform and if you post a query, firstly, you have to wait for a response and secondly, you have to wait for a response that will be best-suited to your problem.

Non-proprietary – Since it is non-proprietary, the owners of the platform are not answerable and security becomes an issue as much as resolving an issue.

Stability – As the platform thrives on the developers’ community contribution, it’s open source and non-proprietary, the system is not entirely stable.

Selecting the Right Web Development Company

Support – developing a CMS does not end with that, post-development support is also essential. Many companies offer some amount of post-launch support and have extended maintenance and support packages. Check the maintenance packages and opt for companies that make best offers.

Business Understanding – apart from being technically sound, it is essential that the website development company has sound knowledge of business application of the system so that the solution provides relevant business support.

Community Support – open source platforms are largely dependent on the communities for resolving issues, and hence it is important to ensure that the developers’ community is equipped to resolve and issue that might arise on your CMS.

While opting for a good website development company India or elsewhere, the most important thing is to ensure that they can inculcate some important features on your CMS, main ones being responsiveness, high customization capabilities and relevant themes and modules.

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The Impact of FCO Travel Advice on Your Insurance

Travelling these days can almost be described as a science. Where many used to romanticise about throwing caution to the wind and fearlessly embarking on an adventure to the unknown, now we must sprinkle those impulsive urges with a healthy dose of caution and common sense.

Thankfully you do not need to pack a crystal ball in your luggage to be ‘in the know’. The magic of modern technology will provide you with all the information you need. When travelling to some of the less-frequented, hidden gems of the world such as the Middle East, travel insurance is a must, and it is best to read all the fine print.

Play by the Rules

The world is still, most definitely, a beautiful oyster, filled with amazing experiences and curiosities. Many travellers feel drawn to less standard destinations in pursuit of a genuinely authentic experience. Since many of these places are not deemed ‘typical tourist/holiday destinations’ their landscapes, cultures and way of life have been all but untouched by the modern western world.

However, when visiting these countries it is even more important to research their laws, rules and customs prior to travelling to ensure your own safety and to be respectful towards your hosts. For example, when visiting the Middle East, travel insurance is an absolute must but so is recognising and respecting local traditions in regards to clothing, manners and behaviour.

Due Diligence

Once you have researched your proposed destination it is time to read all the fine print in regards to your travel insurance. It is best to frequently refer to the FCO’s (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) website for the most up-to-date reports on any world destinations’ physical and political status. Fortunately, these updates are easily accessed by computers and phones these days, so staying alert and vigilant before and during your visit can become second-nature.

Also, know that the travel insurance industry, with your best interest in mind, is also monitoring and following all of the FCO’s recommended travel guidelines. Thus, if the FCO says ‘don’t go’, you simply won’t be able to purchase decent and comprehensive travel insurance for that destination.

Hot Spots

If your destination is in the Middle East, travel insurance may very well be more expensive and may exclude certain geographical areas from your plan. For example, currently the FCO has advised ‘against all travel’ to Yemen. Despite Yemen’s paradise-like beaches and landscape, the country’s escalating civil conflicts and terrorist attacks have flagged them as an official ‘no-go’ zone. The FCO even goes so far as to advise all foreigners to leave as soon as possible. Consequently, no matter how determined you are to spend your Christmas on one of Yemen’s idyllic beaches, you will not be able to purchase travel insurance, and may struggle to find travel options to the country in the first place.

Other advisories from the FCO are more precise and detailed. If you are travelling to Jordan in the Middle East, travel insurance will probably be obtainable but may have geographical restrictions for coverage within the country. The FCO advises extreme caution while visiting Jordan in general, but elevates their warnings for the areas that are within 3km of the entire Syrian border. The potential for stray mortars, small gun fire and terrorist attacks have increased in the past few months and poses a significant risk to both residents and visitors.

Stay Vigilant

The FCO is an excellent source of up-to-date information on both the political and geographical status of any destination. Most travellers prefer not to put themselves at risk while travelling, especially when travelling for pleasure. The FCO monitors the pulse of the world’s conflicts so that travellers can make wise decisions regarding their safety. Sadly, until there is less political unrest and violence in the Middle East, travel insurance will remain high or possibly unobtainable. The beauty of these countries will have to wait to be discovered.

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Why Should Anyone Buy Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Wide Format Printer?

The Stylus Pro3800 is one of Epson’s top-class printers that can print up to 17″ wide paper. The Stylus Pro3800 is the ideal printer for both enthusiasts and professionals, producing the best print quality at its price. For proofing purposes Epson provides a professional edition that has the same hardware, although it also comes with the professional RIP software.

In spite of all the major developments that have occurred in home photo printers in the past few years, big time prints still need a big printer. But, still it is a lot bigger than most home printers, Epson’s Stylus Pro 3800 manages to fix the same print engine as that of the brand’s much revered Stylus Pro 4800 into a unit that can fit contentedly, if a bit closely into a home office.

Design and Attributes

The Stylus Pro3800 is loaded with some wonderful features – wide tonal array, durable prints, outstanding black-and-white printing and accurate colour prints with support for an extensive collection of paper types. With the front panel tossing down and sliding forward to turn into the output tray, you just require to be careful with the ink cartridge door, as you can only open it all the way through the printer controls. So, trying to force it open physically, could lead to tragedy.

The Stylus Pro3800 has a tiny monochrome LCD screen, a set of controls as well as a power button. The screen shows several information like ink status, the type of black ink presently in use. It also offers direct menu access for upholding and paper handling, along with status reports for actions done by the printer.

What’s more the regular paper input tray, the printer can keep up to 120 sheets of plain paper or 60 sheets of Epson photo paper (depending on the kind of paper). There is also a provision for fine art papers that can be put only one at a time and is known as Manual-Rear paper source in its driver.

The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 offers a utmost resolution of 2880x1440dpi with a low amount of ink droplet size of 3.5 picoliters (some printers go as small as 1 picoliter) and the MicroPiezo print head provides 180 nozzles per colour that is a bit low for a high-end printer. The exciting part is that Epson is making use of the Active Meniscus Control (AMC) technology, mixed with new control algorithms, ensures that the prints attain a more accurate ink placement.

The printer has nine cartridges of Epson’s UltraChrome K3 Stylus inks – Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, Matte Black, Photo Black, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Light Black and Light Light Black. One of the most popular Epson ink cartridges that is compatible with the Stylus Pro 3800 is Epson T5801 Black Ink Cartridges.

Performance

The Stylus Pro 3800 printer from Epson is not the fastest printer – a 6×10 print took 2 minutes and 8 seconds with the printer quality set to 1440dpi in place of its highest 2,880dpi option. It offers the best performance with original Epson ink cartridges.

Service and Support

The Stylus Pro 3800 is available with a one-year warranty and also offers online access to drivers, FAQs, and documentation and an interactive troubleshooter.

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