Intro:
Some technologies are brilliant on paper. They’re robust, secure, architecturally elegant – and still, they vanish into obscurity. Others, often simpler, sometimes even sloppier, dominate the market. Why? Because the best tech doesn’t always win. Let’s talk about TYPO3, Joomla!, SUSE, WordPress, Red Hat – and why simplicity, onboarding, and market clarity beat engineering pride almost every time.
1. The Open Source Trap: Built by Devs, for Devs – and No One Else
TYPO3, Joomla!, SUSE – they all share one thing: a deeply technical foundation. No shortcuts. Everything modular, cleanly separated, stable and secure.
But here’s the issue:
They forgot one key audience – actual users.
If your software isn’t:
- easy to install,
- easy to use,
- and easy to pay for (eventually),
…it’s not going to survive in a mainstream market.
WordPress understood this early. So did Red Hat. The others? Not so much.
2. Joomla! – My First CMS Love
Let’s be real: Joomla! was awesome back in the day. It had modules. You could move stuff around. It was multilingual before anyone else took that seriously. It had real user permissions. For someone coming from static HTML or Dreamweaver, Joomla! felt like magic.
But it never truly evolved:
- No real plugin ecosystem that exploded.
- Admin UX remained too stiff.
- No compelling cloud offering.
- No monetization strategy that pulled in a thriving dev community.
I still respect what Joomla! gave me – but it stayed in the past while the market moved on.
3. TYPO3 – German Engineering at Its Most Unfriendly
TYPO3 is, technically, a powerhouse. Enterprise-ready. Super granular. Clean permission layers, multi-domain handling, multilingual out of the box.
But using it feels like trying to operate a CNC machine when you just want to publish a blog post. It’s heavy. It’s confusing. It’s full of hidden layers (YAML configs, SitePackages, Extbase, Fluid, Composer, CLI tools, caching layers).
And worst of all:
- There’s no onboarding funnel.
- No hosted version.
- No plugin marketplace with serious monetization potential.
- No emotional attachment from users.
It’s the SUSE Linux of CMS. Solid. Respected. But nobody’s first choice anymore.
4. Red Hat vs. SUSE – Why One Thrived and the Other… Just Exists
Both Red Hat and SUSE came from serious Linux roots. Both had rock-solid systems. But only one became a global standard.
Red Hat’s playbook:
- Free developer distro (Fedora)
- Paid enterprise version (RHEL)
- Cloud integration (OpenShift)
- Support contracts
- Clear product structure
SUSE’s reality:
- Technically fine
- Weak branding
- No onboarding funnel
- Confusing messaging
- No community hype
Red Hat built a real business model. SUSE relied on “being solid.” One got bought for billions. The other still exists… somehow.
5. WordPress – From Blogging Toy to Global Platform
Yes, WordPress started small. Yes, it was messy. Yes, security was an issue at times. But it did three things right:
- It gave users instant success. Install it, write a post, you’re live.
- It built an ecosystem. Plugins, themes, agencies, tutorials, hosting – a whole economy formed around it.
- It monetized smartly. With WordPress.com, Automattic brought in SaaS revenue without killing the open core.
That’s the dream. That’s the model others should’ve copied.
6. Lessons for Any Tech Trying to Survive in 2025+
If you’re building tech today – CMS, cloud tooling, whatever – take this seriously:
✅ Build something technically solid
✅ BUT make onboarding dead simple
✅ Offer a free tier
✅ Offer a paid tier
✅ Make updates, hosting, and backups effortless
✅ Let developers earn money via plugins/extensions
✅ And most importantly: tell a story.
No one wants to “adopt a framework.” People want to solve problems, publish content, build businesses. Help them do that.
Outro: Build for Humans, Not Just Devs
I still admire Joomla. I still think TYPO3 has incredible capabilities. And I’m always impressed with how well SUSE runs on servers.
But if you want people to care, to stay, to pay – you need more than just good code. You need usability, simplicity, and a clear path from “first click” to “fully onboarded.”
Red Hat nailed it. WordPress nailed it. The rest? Still stuck in the engine room, tuning valves nobody asked for.