If you have gotten this far, it means you have unzipped the Joomla package to either a remote web host or your local computer. Now for the fun stuff—actually installing Joomla. This installation process is done via a browser and consists of several steps that set up and configure your Joomla site.

Choose the Language

Using your browser of choice (mine is Firefox), navigate to the location of all the Joomla files. In my case, on a localhost, it is http://localhost/Joomla. You will see the first installation screen

Figure 2.7

Pre-Installation Check

Figure 2.7 shows the first look at some of the internationalization features of  Joomla 1.5. You can select among many languages for the installation instructions. After you have selected your language, the next screen you are presented with is the Pre-installation Check screen (see Figure 2.8).

Figure 2.8

A critical part in the installation process, this screen checks to see if all the  minimum system requirements are met.

The first set are required minimums for installation. If they are red (not met), then you need to find a new environment (change hosts) or talk your hosting provider into changing their environment (upgrading PHP for example). Note that the last item, whether configuration.php is writeable, is a permissions issue on a file that is much easier to rectify. You can usually change permissions through the Cpanel  rovided by your host. This is a tool that is standard with almost all hosting companies.

The second set is recommended settings. If you don't meet them, you can still install Joomla, but you might experience problems with functionality and security

License

When all items are green, you are ready to proceed. Click Next, which will bring you to the License screen (see Figure 2.9).

Figure 2.9

Joomla is released under a GNU/GPL license. One of the most common questions regarding this license is, "Can I remove the footer link that says Powered by Joomla." It's actually perfectly OK to do this; you just have to keep the copyright statement in the source code. However, I would recommend that you keep the link.

Why? Because Joomla is an open source project and is not sold, its development receives no funding. The bottom line is that hundreds of programmers around the world are developing this software that you are using right now. If you had to pay for that coding, it would cost over $2 million www.ohloh.net/projects/20), but you get it for free. In return, keep the link; it will help the project gain in popularity and grow. Don't hide the fact that you are using Joomla—be proud of it! Don't be concerned about any kind of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) dilution with an extra link off your page. Links to authoritative sites actually help your SEO!

Database Configuration

The next screen is Database Configuration (see Figure 2.10).

Figure 2.10

The Database Configuration screen is one of the main pages of the installation process; it's where you need to enter important information about the database that your Joomla site will use. Note you will see a drop-down for the database type. Joomla 1.5 only really runs on SQL, but some of the foundation has been laid to use more types, for example Oracle, in the next release, 2.0.

The hostname will almost always be "localhost." The username and password are provided by your hosting company, usually in an email you got when you created the account.

If you are installing on a localhost using WAMP5 or XAMPP, the username is usually "root," and the password is nothing/blank.

Pick a database name for the SQL database that Joomla will use. Use some sort of name that is not confusing because other scripts use SQL databases, and before you know it, you might have several on your server and will need to tell them apart. Don't use spaces in the name.

If you are running several Joomla sites but only have access to one database, you will need to use table prefixes to distinguish them, which you need to enter in the advanced settings.

If you have an existing site and are reinstalling over the top of it, you need to select Drop Existing Tables. If you need to keep a backup of them, select Backup Old Tables. Using "jos" as a table prefix is conventional unless you have multiple sites in the same database.

If all was successful, when you click Next you will populate the SQL database and move to the next step.

FTP Configuration

The previous version of Joomla, the 1.0.X series, had issues with ownership of files on a server. It's a little bit technical, but this should give you the idea: It's possible for files on an Apache web server to be owned by a user called "nobody." Go figure. But there would be conflicts with who owned files, whether it was the FTP account or Apache itself. This lead to permission problems when Joomla tried to upload files.

Joomla 1.5 has the solution: It actually uses an FTP account for everything, so no conflicts arise. If that was all a little confusing to you, just create an FTP account (or use the one provided by your hosting company) for Joomla to use and enter the details in the FTP Configuration screen shown in Figure 2.11.

Figure 2.11

Main Configuration

The Main Configuration page is where you enter some information about your new site and determine how you will insert content into your site (see Figure 2.12).

Figure 2.12

Give your site a name (pay attention to SEO keywords) and then enter the super administration information. The first user in the site will use this information and will automatically get super administrator status. Note that if you don't change the password, it will use the one shown on the left. Make sure you write it down! Feel free to eat the sticky note you wrote it on once you have committed it to memory, but if you forget it immediately (which I have done) you will need to reinstall.

When it comes to the content of your sparklingly new site, you have three choices:

• Install default sample data— This installs the default Joomla content that you have probably seen all over the Web with "Welcome to Joomla." Note that it also includes all the menus, navigation links, and sections/categories. If you are learning how to use Joomla, this is highly recommended. It's easier to adapt and revise than to start from scratch. If you don't click the Install Sample Data button, you'll be starting out with a blank site!
• Load local Joomla 1.5 SQL script— This is an SQL file that might have a customized set of content.
• Load migration script— This is a special function that is part of a process to migrate a Joomla site running on 1.0 to 1.5 and requires a special component to do so.

Finish

Cross your eyes, close your fingers, and click Next. Hopefully you will see the screen shown in Figure 2.13. You now have a website "Powered by Joomla."

Figure 2.13

If you do get this result, you can investigate different language options, view the site, or jump right to the administration of your site.

Make sure you remove the installation directory as directed on the Finish page

If you don't get this page, then you have some work to do. Often issues arise because of server environments. If the solution is not obvious, a useful step is to copy the error message or the main part of it and then search for it on the Joomla help forums, forum.joomla.org, and Google it. Chances are that someone else has already run into this error and has posted the solution online. (Useful trick: Include the message in double quotations in the search box so you search for the exact phrase.)