A Blueprint for Mambo

Global publisher John Wiley & Sons has released their newest Visual Blueprint title — Mambo: Your Visual Blueprint for Building and Maintaining Websites with the Mambo Open Source CMS.

The title, authored by Ric Shreves, provides the most comprehensive documentation yet released for the award-winning Mambo Content Management System (CMS). “The Mambo system is widely acknowledged as under documented,” notes the author, “with this title, Wiley has moved in to help address the need for accessible and comprehensive documentation for users.”

The Mambo system is one of the world’s most successful Open Source projects and claims more than 5 million downloads over the past five years. Shreves adds, “Mambo is an advanced content management system and a complicated software package. While the system is easy enough for most people to attain a basic proficiency without extensive coaching, it is hard to reach the full potential of the system without additional guidance.”

Wiley’s Visual Blueprint series relies on a series of short (one or two page) chapters that focus on the accomplishment of discreet tasks. The chapters are illustrated with screen shots from the system and provide a step-by-step breakdown of exactly what the user needs to do to complete a task successfully. The task chapters are supplemented by charts and explanatory screens which detail the interface, the controls and key concepts.

The Mambo Visual Blueprint was created to document the current 4.5.4 series and the brand new 4.6 series of the Mambo CMS. Both the author and the technical editor are members of the Mambo Development Team and provide intimate familiarity with the functions of the system.

“Our goal was to create a text which new and mid levels users and administrators could turn to again and again through the life of their Mambo site. The book is a hands-on reference work, not a theoretical or abstract text,” notes Ric Shreves.

The book was released on 11 July and is currently available through a wide variety of retailers. The Mambo Visual Blueprint can be purchased online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other sites. You can view more information about the book, including sample materials, at http://mambobook.ricshreves.net


ENDS



About Ric Shreves (the author)
Ric Shreves is an IT Journalist and technologist who specializes in Open Source technologies in general and Content Management Systems in particular. He is a regular columnist for ComputerWorld (Hong Kong) and for the Bangkok Post. His work has also appeared in Forbes, Hoovers, AsiaWeek, South China Morning Post, CIO, and many other places. Ric is a member of Team Mambo and sits on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Mambo Foundation. This is his first book for Wiley.

About Wiley (the publisher)
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is an American-based publisher with an extensive catalogue and global distribution. Founded in 1807, the company provides must-have content to customers worldwide. Core businesses include scientific, technical, and medical journals, encyclopaedias, books, and online products and services; professional and consumer books and subscription services; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.

About Mambo & The Mambo Foundation (the software)
Mambo is Open Source software, released under the GPL. The Mambo Foundation is a non-profit association, incorporated under the laws of Australia. Mambo CMS is an award-winning open source system with more than 5 million downloads to date. The system was recently named “Best Open Source Solution” at the LinuxWorld Conference in San Francisco. Mambo is free software.

About water&stone
water&stone is web development company that specializes in Open Source Content Management systems. Clients include Mercy Corps, the University of North Carolina, Air Compassion, SwissBel Hotels, and many other firms. The company’s award-winning designs have been featured in several publications. Several members of water&stone volunteer their time to help promote and develop Mambo


For More Information:

Mambo Book Micro-site: http://mambobook.ricshreves.net
Detailed information about the book, including images, table of contents, sample chapters and ordering information.

The Mambo Foundation: http://www.mambo-foundation.org
For full information on the Foundation, including how to join, mission, bylaws and structures, and legal information. Also contains links to the download sites for the Mambo CMS. Media resources, including logos and other useful info can be found on the Foundation’s resource site, The Source: http://source.mambo-foundation.org

water&stone: http://waterandstone.com
For more information about water&stone, including company profile, portfolio and client list.

RicShreves.Net: http://ricshreves.net
The author’s portfolio site. Contains list of publications, contact details and sample work.

Wiley: http://www.wiley.com
The publisher of the Visual Blueprint series. Includes extensive corporate and catalogue info.


Media Contacts: Please contact us by email at info@waterandstone.com