Jentla, a Queensland-based software company, says that the new program to certify extensions for the open-source content management system Joomla will benefit small Aussie developers.

Jentla has worked with organization such as Mission Australia, the Australian Local Government Association and Urology Today. The company provides multi-site CMS for its clients' Web sites. The company was founded in 2005 and has now grown to employ 40 staff members.

Developers must submit Joomla extensions for testing by a Jentla specialist development team to qualify for the software certification.

"It tests around code quality and code security, extension design, usability and accessibility," said Damian Hickey, Jentla's CEO.

"Think of an Australian software developer building Joomla extensions. Joomla is largely from Australia. Having that accreditation process means that those software exports in Australia will be more widely accepted internationally," he said. "For a small developer, it gives them that degree of credibility - they know that if it has passed the accreditation it has been done right."

The code quality and security aspects of the software can be assessed for free through a testing Web site. However, Jentla will be charging for usability and accessibility accreditations. The company's pricing plan is on a cost recovery basis for the certification of Joomla extensions. Charges will be limited to the resources of the certifier. In addition, Jentla will also certify some of the most popular community extensions for free. For a medium-sized extension, Jentla Jestimates a certification cost of around $1000.