The Joomla Project is pleased to announce the availability of Joomla 1.7 Alpha 1 for download - on time and on target. This is the first release made within the new six-month release cycle that started with the delivery of Joomla 1.6 in January this year.

What is this release for?

There are several goals for this release:

• 1. To allow advance testing of sites and custom extensions so that site administrators and developers can report any problems before the final release.
• 2. To raise awareness that the end of the current development cycle is fast approaching.

What is this release NOT for?

This alpha version of Joomla 1.7 is not suitable for production sites. It is to be used for testing only. When is the final release due?

Joomla 1.7 GA (general availability) is due to be released on or about the 10 July 2011. The planned milestone before and after this date are:

• 05 June - Joomla alpha 1 released for public testing
• 10 June - Feature freeze to prepare for beta release
• 13 June - Joomla beta 1 to be released for public testing
• 27 June - Joomla beta 2 to be released for public testing
• 4 July - Version 11.1 of the Joomla Platform to be released
• 10 July - Joomla 1.7 GA released
• 10 August - Joomla 1.6 reaches end of life and is no longer supported
• January 2012 - Next version of Joomla is released
• April 2012 - Joomla 1.5 reaches end of life

Please note that dates may be subject to change depending on availability of volunteers and circumstances beyond our control.

How do I upgrade to Joomla 1.7?

Upgrading from Joomla 1.6 to Joomla 1.7 will be relatively easy. You will just use the Extension Manager just like you would upgrade from, for example, Joomla 1.6.2 to 1.6.3. This feature is not available for the alpha version of Joomla 1.7.

If you are using Joomla 1.5 then you will still be required to migrate your site using the jUpgrade component. When Joomla 1.7 GA is released you will be able to migrate directly from Joomla 1.5 straight to Joomla 1.7 (you can conveniently skip migrating to Joomla 1.6).

What’s new in Joomla 1.7 so far?

One of the major goals of Joomla 1.7 was to separate the Joomla Platform, that is the engine upon which the Joomla CMS runs, into it’s own product. The separation of the platform from the CMS, and its subsequent reinsertion, was completed last month. The new Joomla Platform includes many new features that will be of interest to developers. More information about those features and the platform will be made available closer to the release date.

Other features have been submitted to the Joomla Feature Tracker by members of the community and several of those are being reviewed for inclusion. Some have already been added to the 1.7 alpha package.

Compared to previous huge releases, such as Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.6, Joomla 1.7 is going to be a relatively gentle release with no big surprises.

What happens to Joomla 1.6?

Joomla 1.7 is the direct upgrade for Joomla 1.6. Joomla 1.6 will be supported for critical security issues only for a period of one month after the release of Joomla 1.7. After that time, only Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 will be available for download and will be supported by the Joomla project.

For more information about this subject, please visit Joomla.org

Information provided by joomla.org