Open Source Support Desk

With an expected launch of the Joomla 1.6 Beta Release in early August it's time to have a closer look at what the impact for users and developers will be.

1. Significant upgrade in server requirements
   You need to make sure your hosting provider meets these minimum requirements:
   • PHP 5.2 +
   • MySQL 5.0.4+
   
   
2. The legacy mode will be gone
   All extensions must run Joomla 1.6 native. Some small changes to the code will be required to bring extensions in line with the new Access Control List features. You will not be able to run Joomla 1.0 components in legacy as you were in Joomla 1.5.
   
   
3. Access Control List features improved
   The Access Control List (ACL) allows adding of new groups, access levels and setting new "view" fields for articles at minimum. The new ACL admin area offers three types of rules, the ability to create new user groups and to create new access levels.
   
   • Rule Type 1 - Permissions related to actions, such as managing languages and the installer: What can I do?
   • Rule Type 2 - Permissions related to content, such as adding and publishing articles: What can I do to a particular thing?
   • Rule Type 3 - Permissions related to actions related to access levels, such as allowing the public to view all articles: What can I see?
   
   
4. The default template layouts will change
   For templates a legacy will be provided to use Joomla 1.5 templates in Joomla 1.6
   
   
5. The 'Sections' will be removed completely
   Sections will be moved to categories, which will give improved content hierarchies (nested categories). This will effect the frontend layout and the arrangement of menu items. Nested categories will now be supported for each core extension (articles, banners, newsfeeds, contacts, weblinks)
   
   
6. URLs will change
   As a result of removing the sections, your URLs will change and thus have a major impact on your Search Engine Optimization efforts.
   
   
7. All language files must be re-written
   Language file keys will no longer be able to contain spaces and punctuation. All core language strings are being reworked with namespacing. New local translations need to be created.
   
   
8. How to upgrade to Joomla 1.6
   How to upgrade from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 1.6 is unknown at this stage.
   
   
9. The Administrator User Interface will change
   As with any changes in a User Interface, you need to get used to the new setup. The Joomla 1.6 User Interface will allow people unfamiliar with Joomla to find key tasks faster.
   
   
10. Users in Multiple User Groups
    In Joomla 1.6 users are allowed to be placed in more than just one User Group. User Groups can now be added or modified and have a different set of permissions assigned to them.

Where Does Joomla 1.6 Stands Today

Andrew Eddie (and plenty of others) has been working hard at building Joomla 1.6. Andrew gave a presentation on the changes and new features for Joomla 1.6 at the Brisbane User Group. Watch the complete story on where Joomla 1.6 is heading.

UPDATE Februray 19, 2010: Please read our latest update here

Learn More About Joomla 1.6

There are plenty of good sources for additional information about Joomla 1.6, perhaps you should have a look at these:

• You can download the presentation notes and comment directly to Andrew Eddie on his blog, The Art of Joomla.
• Download the Joomla 1.6 Alpha release from joomlacode.org
• Read the Joomla Developer Blog
• Have a look at the current status of Joomla 1.6 in the Joomla 1.6 Tracker