Moving to Joomla 3 is critical

Joomla 2.5 is end of life and has been for some time now!

At the end of 2014, Joomla Version 2.5.28 (the final 2.5 version) became "end of support" meaning that:

• No new versions or security updates
• New or updated extensions and plugins for your website won't work under Joomla 2.5
• No vendor tech support for any issues with Joomla 2.5 sites or plugins

That together with the forced PHP Upgrade of our server recently it is imperative that all Joomla 2.5 websites are updated or replaced. 

At present we cannot update the PHP version of your Joomla 2.5 site which places your site in peril!  We are keeping your site on the air by manually adding an obselete PHP version to it but one day soon the server will simply drop it! This is out of our hands and it is possible that we will not receive any warning.

Your site will be down and there will be no quick fix!  

Each new Joomla cycle brings with it new features and usability enhancements which improve many aspects of site performance, so take advantage.

Options available to you:

There are two possible options for those with Joomla 2.5 websites.

1.  MIGRATE CURRENT SITE TO JOOMLA 3
2.  NEW SITE BUILD WITH JOOMLA 3

MIGRATE CURRENT SITE TO JOOMLA 3

The migration from Joomla! 2.5 to 3.x is considered a mini-migration. This is because the Joomla core extensions may easily upgrade with a “one-click” upgrade via the Joomla admin console.

Many third-party extensions have a one-click upgrade too. Some do not. Each one needs to be independently evaluated to determine the best path to get from 2.5 to 3.x.

The one-click update will work well for some, uncomplicated sites. However, for some larger, more complex sites, the one-click update may not be successful and in fact break your website.  The issue here is that your site may use third party extensions that are maintained, or not as the case may be, by independent developers.  If they have been a litte slack and not ensured they have kept their extension/plugin/component up to date your site will break!  The same goes for the template or theme that makes your website look pretty and provides the layout and basic structure of your site.  If there is not a compatible Joomla 3 version available, your site will break!  

If we were to just go into the backend of your site and click 'Upgrade all extensions' something is likely to break and we would then need to spend as long as it takes to troubleshoot what has caused it.  Needle in a haystack comes to mind here with the potential to take a lot of time and your money!!  Which also makes it very difficult to give you a cost estimate for the migration option.  It has the potential to take less than an hour!  But also to take 40?!?  We just don't know until it happens.

What we can offer you is a Migration Review.  With this option we would spend up to 2 hours ($220) to assessing your site's template and extensions and research a suitable version to upgrade or replace the existing.  We would then come back to you with a rough estimate of the time we would require to complete the mini-migration.

NEW SITE BUILD WITH JOOMLA 3

Some of the issues with a mini-migration are that there may be conflicts hiding under the surface of you site that we don't see until sometime later, with your site just being a little NQR (Not Quite Right)!  It will work but there is a high chance of there being those little niggly things that you can manage with but eventally just 'give you the pip', as my mother would say.

The safer option is really to simply build a new one!

Here are all the reasons to take the plunge to a new Joomla 3.x!

Creating a brand new website gives you the opportunity to:

• Revisit your site's goals and rethink its purpose.
• Ensure your data against security breaches by having all the latest software.
• Ensure your site is using up to date technology.
• Better protect your site against unwanted visitors!
• Evaluate and update your content.
• Add new functionality on the site.
• Update design and navigation.
• Add accessibility to disabled visitors.
• Make the site mobile-friendly.
• Improve search engine optimisation.
• Utilise new features.

How can we be sure we won't have to do this again with the next Joomla version update?

Recently Artful have made strategic business protocols to ensure Joomla websites 3.0 and over kept up to date as a matter of course as part of your hosting charges.  You have no doubt received the occasional email asking for permission to spend time updating any of your non-core extensions/plugins/components.  This is all part of this.  We endeavour to maintain the security of your site by updating all Joomla core extensions at no extra charge.  Extensions that we have used on your site, usually for backup and security functionality, that are created and maintained by trusted third party developers.  Unfortunately additional third party extensions, that provide functionality specific to your site, are often created by developers that we don't know and trust and can cause a risk of site conficts upon upgrade.  Often requiring additional time from us to repair and consequently we cannot provide at no charge, hence the permission emails.

Because of our committment to keeping these sites upgraded, they are always up to date with the latest Joomla version!  Joomla has suggested that unless there is a massive technology change sometime in the future all Joomla versions should continue to be able to be maintained with an update.

What next?

Whether you choose to go with a new build or a mini-migration it will be built and tested on a development domain. Once approved it will be made live overnight on your live domain therefore limiting any downtime in between.

If you would like some more information please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss. We are here to help make the switch to a more secure and functional website as smooth as possible for you. We can assist in weighing up the pros and cons of migration verses a new website in more detail based on your site’s individual requirements.

Joomla.org on the importance of keeping your Joomla website up to date.