Joomla 1.6 Upgrade
At the time of this post, the version of Joomla! that Home Base Learning Institute recommends is Joomla! 1.5. However, we are starting to see a lot of attention given to Joomla! 1.6, its installation, and the process for upgrading. There are a few things you should know before making the leap or even assuming it is worth it.
- Joomla! 1.5 are NOT usually compatible with Joomla! 1.6. If you do perform an upgrade, be prepared for the reality that your “upgraded” website may be filled with visual and functional errors.
- Joomla! 1.5 is backwards compatible, meaning that it has the capability built into it to work smoothly with older plugins, templates, and functions. Joomla! 1.6 does not have this feature. It disregards the old as just that–old–and will ONLY run newer plugins, templates, etc. In fact, it was not even until recently that even VirtueMart was compatible with Joomla! 1.6.
- The technical requirements for Joomla! 1.6 are more stringent than those for Joomla! 1.5, so if you choose to upgrade, ensure that your hosting account supports them.
- Joomla! 1.6 may not support many of the plugins that are currently installed in your Joomla! 1.5 site. It is up to the individual companies who produce those plugins to upgrade their products, and they are not always quick to do so.
Sound scary? Ready to try it anyways? If you understand the risks of upgrading and would still like to upgrade your site to Joomla! 1.6 from Joomla! 1.5, the easiest way to do it is with the plugin jupgrade. This plugin, with usage instructions, will allow you install the upgraded software in a subfolder of your site so that you can test it out before porting it over to your www root.
cc image credit: cocoate.com