J and Beyond, the International Joomla! Conference, has just ended in the Netherlands. Running over three days packed full of presentations on topics such as design, development, internationalisation, integration, SEO and community, the conference highlights all of the important changes that have been made in the graphic design and web development community over the past twelve months, and the many more that are planned for the next twelve.
One of those changes is Joomla 3.0. With its release, support for Joomla 1.5 has ended. If your site is still running version 1.5, it is now vulnerable as security patches are no longer being released. Bug fixes are also no longer being issued, so if you continue to run 1.5 you are essentially on your own from now on.
We strongly recommend that you upgrade - not just for the reasons above, but also because sites running newer versions of Joomla are easier to manage and will be easier to update in the future. Making the jump from 1.5 to any newer version, either 2.5 or 3, will unfortunately not be a trivial matter. The extensions jUpgrade and SP Upgrade will help make the process smoother, though you will also still need to upgrade your template and CSS files. Finding modules and components that are compatible with your requirements can be a tedious task, but is also essential.
To save you the hassle and ensure that everything is successfully migrated, Rhye Media can complete the update of your CMS for you, with prices starting from $800. Once the update has been completed you can have peace of mind that your site is fully protected once again. If you're interested, contact us and we can start discussing your options.
How do you know which version of Joomla to upgrade to, however? The Joomla 3 series is still relatively new, and smaller updates are set to be continuously released up until the launch of 3.5 in March next year. In fact, Joomla 3.1 has just been released. The good thing about these smaller upgrades is that they are of the 'one-click' variety; quick and easy.
If you decide that as well as updating your site's CMS you'd like it to have a face-lift, then upgrading to 3.1 is the right option for you. This means you can avoid a mini-migration from the 2 series later on, and that you'll get backwards compatible support for a longer period of time; until 2016.
If you need to update your CMS but are happy with how your site looks, then going to 2.5 is probably best. As not all extensions are compatible with the current releases of the 3 series, if you were to go to 3.1 you would most likely have to change some aspects of your site.
As we aren't planning on making any major redesigns to our site within the coming months, Rhye Media are still running Joomla 2.5, as we have been since its release. Joomla! have actually suggested that if you're running 2.5 to hold off on upgrading until the next major release of 3.5 occurs. 2.5 will continue to be fully supported until December 2014, so there's plenty of time to let other people test the 3 series and iron out any bugs before making the change over yourself.
If you're running a version older than 2.5.11, you need to upgrade your CMS now. If you're an existing client get in touch with us through our Online Support System to let us know which version you'd like to be upgraded to. Click here for general enquires or to ask any questions about the update you may have.
If you'd like some more information about the differences between 2.5 and the 3 series, read these Joomla! articles:
Joomla 3.0.0 released
Joomla 3 FAQ