This has been a question we’ve heard from a good number of our clients, and there has been a lot of discussion regarding upgrading (or as it’s really called, migrating) or not. The following is my overview on the what’s and why’s about making your decision one way or the other.

1. Explanation of the release cycle

The Joomla! development team recently changed the way they manage their release cycle, and while many people have heard and read about it, a lot still do not know or understand what this means.

Basically, Joomla! development is now operating under a three year long term release cycle. This means that they will release a *major* update to the framework / CMS every three years, and subsequently support that release for the duration of its life span (three years until the next release comes out).

What this means to our clients, potential clients, or those who are interested in working in Joomla! is that you can expect that all security and bug updates released by the core Joomla! development team to continue through the end of the life cycle of the long term release. In the case of Joomla! 1.5 (current LTR), this means it will stop receiving support around Jan. / Feb. of 2012 (the next LTR has a stable release schedule set for early 2012 – Jan. most likely). If the release comes in Jan. as planned, security / bug updates will end around Feb. (1 month after is their typical kill date) for J! 1.5.

So, what happens in between those three year releases? Glad you asked.

The core Joomla! development team will be scheduling “updates” which will follow smaller version increments ever 3-6 months. Back in April of this year, they released Joomla! 1.6, which was a major upgrade (notice the difference between my usage of “update” and “upgrade”, they actually do mean different things). While it’s a major “upgrade”, it actually is still only a short term release (this is why the release schedule currently is so confusing to most people – big release with lots of new features and capabilities, but only a short term release? Yeah, we know). Joomla! 1.7 was released in August, and the next release will finally be the next long term release, which after a vote taken by the Joomla! community (us, you, anyone involved in the project that wanted to vote), will be called Joomla 2.5.

2. What’s the difference between Joomla! 1.5, 1.6 / 1.7, etc.?

Good question-it’s a big difference. Let me explain.

So, with the release of Joomla! 1.6, there was the inclusion of a lot of great and long wanted features; most notably, granular access controls. The new ACL system in Joomla!, though a bit big of a bite to chew off initially, is pretty comprehensive an powerful. It will now allow us to create as many user groups and access levels as we wish, thus allowing for greater control over content workflows, and front end / back end management and access capabilities. The setup and configuration takes a little bit to understand, and thus would be considered an advanced task that would require a greater deal of training (which means that training for sites we develop in 1.7+ would not be given training on the ins and outs of how to set it all up, configure it, etc. We’d have to schedule a separate time to work through that).

Beyond the advanced ACL (which also, I should note that this ACL will not work with every extension integrated into Joomla!, as extension developers have the unfortunately ability to not include compatibility in their components), Joomla! 1.6 / 1.7+ also include a change in content organization (no longer are you restricted to the “Section” / “Category” structure of J! 1.5 (those who used alternate content management extensions for J! 1.5 didn’t have to worry about this, naturally). Now you are given the ability to create an unlimited “Content” > “Content” structure, which allows for unlimited nesting and thus, *almost* complete control over content organization (only downside currently is that you cannot place a content item in multiple categories, we are hoping this is remedied in future releases and can actually be done still with the use of advanced CCK’s like Flexicontent & Zoo CCK).

These changes may make all the difference in your determination to:

• A) Upgrade from 1.5 to 1.7+
• B) Build in 1.7+ right away

The biggest question besides if you want these great core features or not is, are your extensions compatible with 1.7+ yet or not? Which leads us to:

3. Should I upgrade to Joomla! 1.7+ right now, or should I wait?

Ahh, fantastic questioning good sir, now you’re on the right path!

My answer would be this, if you are considering building a new website in Joomla!, or having a Joomla! website proposed as the CMS of choice for your organization or company, then yes, you should build in 1.7+ right away, granted all your functionality is covered by 1.7+ compatible extensions (we can always custom develop components, but that takes more time and costs more, which most people shy away from). You will need to make sure that you plan (or the firm that you are talking to about the project) for work to be done when the ext LTR comes out at the beginning of 2012. To date, we have heard extension & template developers state that everything should transition with little to no issue, but you do need to take caution.

You may be asking yourself now, if I need to update to Joomla! 2.5 in 6 months, why not just build out in Joomla! 1.5 and have all the extensions? Another good question!

I would say the reason for that would be that doing the migration from 1.5 to 1.7+ will be a ton more work than doing an upgrade from 1.7 to the next version, which should be relatively painless (can’t say for certain though – it will ultimately depend on your extensions, configurations, modification, etc.). It makes sense from a security and support standpoint, that if you have all the extensions available at your disposal with 1.7+ compatibility, it just makes more sense, from a logistical, time, and cost perspective.

If you’re looking to migrate from 1.5 to 1.7+, I would say to wait until the next LTR (Joomla! 2.5) comes out in a stable release, and then migrate. Less work in the interim that you would have to deal with (with smaller version upgrades). If you need to migrate now though, and the required extensions are available, then I wouldn’t say that is a bad idea either (sorry for the wishy-washiness, it’s going to be a recommendation on a case-by-case basis).

A Summary

So, in summary:

1. If you are looking to migrate from 1.5 to the newest version, I would recommend waiting until Joomla! 2.5 comes out (next long term release). If you have to migrate sooner, you should be okay as long as your extensions are all 1.7 compatible
2. If you’re looking for a new website, a new CMS, etc. and are being pitched Joomla! as the solution, or were looking into it yourself; then I have two comments for you. First, great job in coming this way, as Joomla! is a fantastic platform (better than Drupal & WordPress overall, in our opinion; but they all have their pros & cons). Second, I’d recommend you go the route of Joomla! 1.7+ if you can.

Almost all major extensions required to run almost any type of site are already 1.7 compatible (eCommerce, registrations, calendars, photo galleries, document management, user management, slideshows, newsletters, video, and so much more) and thus it just makes sense to go for the latest and greatest.

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