Matt Gullett wrote:

My #1 complaint is/was that page load/display performance was very bad, even on powerful hardware.

A lot of this was resovled with DNN 4.4.1, and other items could be resolved with configuration changes

Matt Gullett wrote:

We also came across a couple major security holes that caused me at least one long night.

A very detailed review was also done I believe around DNN 4.4.1 that addressed many of the blatant holes that existed in 3.x versions. THis is a major reason that I try to move my clients to at least 4.4.1.

Matt Gullett wrote:

Setup/config can be painful, but I've heard that its been improved in V4+.

This is still painful, but if you find the right documentation it isn't that hard.

Matt Gullett wrote:

Not sure if this is true with version 4, but version 3 did not really support web parts which is the ASP.NET/Sharepoint way of adding components

Extensibility with the DNN core is done still via DNN modules and not via WebParts, however there are third party modules out there that support WebParts.

Matt Gullett wrote:

Modules were easy enough to develop as long as there were no interdependencies. If you tried to build modules that were inter-dependent in some way, it was much harder and required hacks

This is not true, and really wasn't true with 3.x depending on what you are looking for. Intermodule Communication is supported via the two interfaces, and using the WAP (4.x) development model compiles you modules so you can have references etc.

Matt Gullett wrote:

Code was in VB.NET (yuck!)

I personally don't see this as an issue, you can customize anything except for the core using C# if you want, so it isn't anything major.

-Mitchel Sellers MCITP, MCPD, MCTS CEO/Director of Development IowaComputerGurus Inc. http://www.mitchelsellers.com

I have replied to a few other posts here but thought I would give a more solid response to the orig. question. First of all I am an active member of the DotNetNuke development community and use DNN for both my day job and most of my consulting projects for clients, so I have had vast experience using DNN in various levels of implementation from small sites to large sites. I will leave the development discussions pretty much alone, but DNN is built using VB.NET for the core, but you can use C# or VB for any extensions (Modules, Authentication Providers, Skin Objects) that you need to have custom built and everything plays very well together. The first and foremost item that is of business related process is that as people pointed out above documentation from DotNetNuke Corporation is WAY out of date, last I checked it was based on 4.4.1 and we are currently on 4.8.2 for current releases. This is an issue if you are not willing to look to other places for assistance. I run a blog site at MitchelSellers.com where I provide documentation on DNN fucntionality, installation, upgrades and other items of that nature. Many other community members do contribute this type of information as well. This is a stumbling block as to PROPERLY leverage DNN you must fully understand the configuration of the site and you MUST make changes to the defaults to obtain the best performance. Once you learn DNN and how to administer it you can leverage it as a high power tool that can save you a LOT of time. However as it was mentioned above, there are certain times that DNN is just not a right fit, but that is really something that must be determined on a case by case basis. DNN performance as I mentioned before is dependent a lot on the settings/configuration inside DNN but additionally as it is mentioned above the hosting provider has a lot to do with it as well. I personally use 3Essentials hosting (Referral link available on my site), but I also recommend PowerDNN. Both of these providers offer shared and dedicated plans. There are MANY high availability, high traffic websites running on DNN as well, a few examples of these are the Austrailian Football League (http://www.afl.com.au I believe). It all comes down to knowing DNN and knowing what hosting is needed for your loads. In terms of customization DNN offers great abilities here as well, you can customize all aspects of a DNN site, some with modules, authentication providers, skins, skin objects and

John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

1. Documentation is YEARS behind the current version

Yes, this is a true statement, however, many DotNetNuke community members such as myself maintain documentation that is of high quality and makes it easy to use.

John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

2. If you want *real* help, you have to buy one or more books.

Personally this is not true either, the current books on the market are way too far behind. If you need support, you need to use the DNN forums, or a private forum that many of the community members provide. Or optionally you can elect for a support plan from the DotNetNuke Corporation OR third-party providers.

John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

3. It's a slug once you get it running with any substantive content.

If you have not configured DNN correctly it will be slow, however, as long as the system is properly configured AND you selected modules that have performance in mind you will notice great performance, even on high scale systems. I have worked with many clients with "slow" DNN systems and a few configuration changes later they had a very quick site that was able to handle anything needed.

John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

4. The forums on the DNN home page won't do you any good because they're heavily moderated. Your question won't show up for DAYS

There are MANY problems with the DotNetNuke.com forums, however, moderation is typically under 1 hour, and goes away after activity on the site. You also have other support options. the one thing I will strongly note to everyone is that CURRENTLY e-mail notifications do NOT work from the DotNetNuke.com forum. This has been one thing that has driven traffic to my sites a lot recently.

-Mitchel Sellers MCITP, MCPD, MCTS CEO/Director of Development IowaComputerGurus Inc. http://www.mitchelsellers.com