Absolutely essential reading for absolute beginners like me. I cannot overstate how helpful Anna's Tips are. Covering the basics might seem too obvious to most, but it feels like the foundation I needed. One of the things she brings up I don't really remember seeing addressed elsewhere:
"Where can I get add-ons? Joomla has a whole site dedicated to them:
http://mamboforge.net/. Unfortunately, the descriptions of them are generally poor, and it's hard to find the right one or compare different add-ons. If only they would require all add-ons to include a good description and a features list...and how about a rating system? (Hint, hint.)"
While I have never found the development community to be patronizing to non-tech folks like myself, sometimes the amount of time you can spend researching becomes too daunting. And not much is presented for the novice given the fact that it is a community of developers. However, after checking everything else out there (for months I might add), I opted to go with Mambo and had barely begun when Joomla was born.
And now I'm confused all over again with Joomla being the clear direction. (I may not know where I'm going, but I know how I'm getting there.) I'm guessing most components/modules/mambots that worked with Mambo 4.5 will work with Joomla, but I don't know for sure. Are available add ons primarily an issue of timing right now? Could I expect the vast majority of add-ons for 4.5 to be useable for Joomla at this stage?
And, btw, if Joomla does take Anna's advice and implement a rating system, I'd go a step further and break that down into developer/user ratings since what might make something appealing to one might make it impossible for another.
I found Mambo easier to install and set up than Word Press. something I never ended up using. I've still only ever installed two things on my VPS. It was so liberating after nightmare experiences with developers. I was literally yelling like a post season baseball game was on TV. It felt like the mysteries of online development were suddenly available to even folks like me. And now I'm living in a foreign country and intend to use Joomla to build several sites, one for an historic neighborhood, a UNESCO World Heritage site ...the first European settlement on the entire Pacific Coast of the Americas actually. Joomla is so very exciting and you have made the learning curve adventurous. Thank you so much from this tech newbie. I feel like you've opened up the world to the rest of us.
My favorite section is the part where you mention the "must-haves" for any basic Joomla! package. 
(oops. did I think that out loud? 
