In 2005, Joomla wasn’t launched with venture capital, a corporate roadmap, or even a clear long-term strategy. It began with something far more fragile and far more ambitious: a belief.
The belief that a large, complex piece of software, a full content management system used by businesses, governments, and individuals around the world could be built and sustained entirely by volunteers.
That wasn’t normal then. It’s still not normal now.
The Fork That Asked a Question
Joomla emerged from the ashes of Mambo, after a dispute over governance, control, and the direction of the project. A group of core developers walked away and created something new, grounded in open source principles and community ownership.
We chose a name derived from the word “jumla” meaning “all together.” That wasn’t branding. It was a manifesto.
But beneath that idealism was a very real question:
Can a global, production-ready CMS survive purely on goodwill?
No Salaries. No Safety Net.
From day one, Joomla has depended exclusively on volunteers.
- Developers writing code in their spare time.
- Designers contributing UX improvements for free.
- Documentation teams, translators, testers, event organisers - all unpaid.
There is no company behind it. No “exit strategy.” No payroll.
Everything relied on people caring enough to keep showing up.
Within days of the split, thousands rallied behind the new project.
Within months, Joomla 1.0 was released.
Within a few years, it powered millions of websites.
That early momentum made it feel like the experiment had already succeeded.
The Reality of Volunteer Scale
But building something is one thing. Sustaining it is another.
A volunteer-driven project at Joomla’s scale faces challenges that don’t exist in commercial software:
- Continuity is fragile – People leave, burn out, or move on with their lives. In the commercial world they still move on but to different jobs.
- Priorities compete – Contributors scratch their own itch, not always the community’s.
- Speed fluctuates – Progress depends on who has time this week.
- Leadership is complicated – Governance without authority is a delicate balance.
Over time, these pressures became visible. The project evolved, restructured, and at times struggled to maintain momentum. Like many long-running open source projects, Joomla has faced challenges such as declining volunteer participation and questions about direction. Today there is a very strong roadmap outlining its future direction.
This wasn’t failure. It was the cost of the experiment.
And Yet… It’s Still Here
Two decades later, Joomla is still alive.
That alone is remarkable.
Most software projects, commercial or otherwise, don’t last 20 years. Joomla has not only survived, it has continuously released new versions, adapted to changing technology, and supported a global ecosystem of users and developers.
- No acquisition.
- No billion-dollar funding rounds.
- No central authority forcing it forward.
Just… people.
So, Did the Experiment Work?
It depends on how you measure success.
If the goal was to build the fastest-growing CMS, then no—others with funding and corporate backing overtook it.
If the goal was to create a perfectly efficient development machine, then definitely not.
But if the question was:
Can a large, global, production-grade CMS be created and sustained by volunteers?
Then Joomla’s existence is the answer.
Not a perfect answer.
Not an easy one.
But a real one.
The More Interesting Question
Maybe the real takeaway isn’t whether the experiment worked.
Maybe it’s that it worked at all.
Because Joomla proved something important:
People can and will be able to build incredible things together without being paid, without being told, and without being owned when they believe in what they’re building.
That doesn’t scale easily.
It doesn’t move quickly.
And it doesn’t always make sense.
But it works.
Joomla’s Technical Achievements
Beyond the social experiment, Joomla also delivered a set of technical capabilities that helped it stand the test of time.
Truly Multilingual by Design
Joomla was built from the ground up to support multilingual websites without requiring third-party extensions. Core language overrides, content associations, and built-in language switchers make it possible to run fully localized sites across multiple languages with a single installation. This remains one of Joomla’s defining strengths compared to many other content management systems.
Security and Multi-Factor Authentication
Security has always been a core priority. Joomla includes a robust security framework with features such as two-factor authentication (2FA), support for modern password hashing algorithms, and a flexible permissions model. Multi-Factor Authentication can be implemented directly within core, helping site owners meet modern security expectations without relying heavily on external services.
Accessibility as a Core Principle
Joomla has made long-term commitments to accessibility standards, aiming to comply with WCAG guidelines across both frontend and backend interfaces. This includes semantic HTML output, keyboard navigation support, screen reader compatibility, and ongoing improvements to ensure inclusivity for all users.
Extensible and Developer-Friendly Architecture
The framework beneath Joomla is designed for extensibility. Its event-driven plugin system, MVC architecture, and strong API layer allow developers to build complex applications while maintaining separation of concerns. This has enabled a rich ecosystem of extensions while keeping core stable and maintainable.
Ongoing Modernisation
With each major release, Joomla continues to modernise its codebase by embracing PHP advancements, improving performance, and refining its dependency management. This ensures the platform remains relevant and capable of powering everything from small websites to large-scale digital platforms.
A Personal Note
I am proud to have co-founded Joomla and, for over twenty years, to have played a part in something almost unique.
Times are changing, and like the software itself, the experiment continues to evolve even if I am not in favour of the next evolution.
