Where do you begin with these two content management systems? Well, once you get past Google in your first search for “Content Management System” (where DotNetNuke and WordPress show up just after each other, incidentally), you probably want to get started trying one out.

You’ll have to trust me when I say I’m trying to give an overview during this series. Most of these topics could get out of hand in a hurry. I’ll picks aspects of each main subject and then give as brief of a description as I can. Generally, though, let me reiterate, these posts are overviews that will by necessity leave out a great many details.

Also, my perspective, though experienced with each, will be as though I were a first-time user. In other words, how do these topics rate to the first-time user? If you’re an experienced developer or designer, you tend to lose track of all the code you’ve written and the stuff you’ve gone through to get to where you are.

**Download**
WordPressis a 3.8 MB download. DotNetNuke is 35.5 MB. so it takes 9 times longer to download the install package. It follows, then, that it will take approx. 9 times longer to unzip/upload.

Worse for DotNetNuke is that folks visiting the site DotNetNuke.com, when they click on the Free Download button, are actually asked to provide their email address before downloading. That’s pretty much the #1 thing to NOT do when you’re providing something like this. People HATE forms.

Winner for Download – WordPress

**Configuration for Installation**
For both DotNetNuke and WordPress, you’ll need to create a database and modify your configuration file before hitting your site to do the install. So long as you know your control panel, these are about even in my book. Create a DB. Modify config file (for WordPress it’s called wp-config.php, and for DNN it’s called web.config).

In each config file, you enter your database server, database user, and database password. It is simpler to accomplish in WordPress, but not so much so that I would give a huge win over the particulars there.

Both platforms also require your server to be properly configured for permissions to the folder where you install. Since we’re dealing with shared hosting in these scenarios, I’m not going to grant a win on that level of setup, either. Most end-users don’t have to worry about that aspect of the installation, as the hosting providers account for it.

Winner for Configuration for Installation – Tie

**Setup Screens During Install**
Initial walk-through screens when you hit your site for the first time are simple enough for both platforms. WordPress has one simple page, while DotNetNuke has a series of pages. Load time is typically much faster for a WordPress site during initial configuration, as well. So long as your configuration file is correct, you just enter the username and password for the Admin user, a site title and description, as well as your email address. Press the button and the install is done. You get a login link and immediately begin administering your new site.

As an experienced administrator of both systems, I can accomplish a WordPress install in about 1/5 of the time it takes to perform a DNN install. Mostly, that’s b/c of the responsive nature of cPanel on a Linux hosting environment compared to Plesk or HELM on the Windows side. The Linux servers tend to be lighter on their feet, so creating new databases, users, etc., is just faster. Also, take into account that while DotNetNuke’s install package is still downloading, I’m already editing the config file in WordPress and getting ready to upload to my server.

Winner for Setup Screens During Install – WordPress

**Summary**
Over the years, DotNetNuke has become quite a bit easier to install than it used to be. Just a couple years ago, WordPress would have won with a knockout in the first round. Today, I’d say DNN loses in a TKO by the end of round 3.

[box type=”tick” size=”large” style=”rounded”]Overall winner for Installation – WordPress[/box]