Jeff, I don't know what the difference is, but I have never had any issues from the DNN product regarding getting it up and running as a Portal framework. I have performed with confidence installs for proof of concepts at client sites which have taken from 10-15 minutes.
I don't really agree that the core DNN has an exclusive developer focus, (It can of course by choice because source is available) but it does compare to other products, they are in my view are all portal frameworks with additional components to add business functionality. No matter if the product is DNN, SharePoint or Community Server there is always a level of configuration to match the clients requirements.
The strength of DNN is that it is open and it follows some best practices in it's architecture. As a module developer I can provide my clients with robust modules thar fit the business requirements very well.
I have been training developers that are new to .Net and using DNN as an introduction, these developers have enjoyed the DotNetNuke product however any issues in training have resulted from a lack of understanding of .Net rather than the DNN framework. Microsoft .Net is just a very powerfull framework, it does not address the application of the framework, Microsoft patterns and practices is one of the areas that start to indroduce best practice to the appliation of the .Net framework, DotNetNuke in my view is for new developers in addition to resources like patterns and practices it introduces developers to the how to's of development, so I do think that its multiple purpose direction is of extreme value to the developer community.
Jeff, you are absolutely right, that the solution should always be based on the clients needs rather than the other way round.
No matter what Portal software you choose, from experience they all have kinks that require knowledge and or workarounds, they all have features that you like and features that you don't. Personally I do write up documentation to help me implement any software and technical bulletins that address any bugs, fixes or tips that mean that I discover and resolve along the way and don't have to depend on the gray matter for the next install.
And as Nina has already mentioned, I too have burnt many hours of effort "getting to know the strengths and weaknesses" of the product, I don't think that this effort is unique to DNN, I have had to do this with any commercial product to ensure success, I have expensed just as much time with SharePoint etc. I do have clients that have rejected SharePoint is favour of what they have seen "out of the box" from DNN, this is based on the user friendly look and feel and the features of many of the core modules.
This is a large project and I have not found any other open source project that is as focused, structured and well founded as DotNetNuke, I absolutely respect the qualities that the DotNetNuke team have adopted, if there are kinks along the way then I'm happy to provide feedback that helps the project.
In the meantime version 4.0.3 is my production version and I continue to achieve great success for clients.
Jeff, good reply, we may be deviating from the threads original direction but I'm enjoying the discussion.
Best regards
Craig Hubbard