Blink and you've missed it - at least that's what it feels like with Joomla! 1.6! No sooner have we started to get used to the new version, it is superceded by Joomla! 1.7, which was released yesterday.

Our earlier post explains why there are two (soon to be three) major releases within such a short timeframe - basically it's because 1.6 and 1.7 are short term releases, with 1.8 being the next long term release (due for release January 2012).

Clicky Click Click

The great thing about the 1.6 to 1.7 upgrade path is that it can be done with one click via the Joomla! Update Manager, provided that you're on 1.6.5 as a minimum. Of course, make sure you've backed everything up before you do this, as with any update!

There is a full walk-through available on the Joomla! Documentation site here.

Should we be upgrading now?

Now is definitely the time to start planning for an upgrade, and we will be contacting our clients over the following months to discuss your options.  There are now a huge amount of extensions available for the newer versions of Joomla! and the system itself is becoming more stable.

We will be testing the latest release and upgrade process over the next few days, with a view to moving all the 1.6 sites we manage up to 1.7 if we do not find any bugs.