Ok, so there’s been some questions about Joomla 3.4, the next big release for Joomla. I’m quite excited to be able to be a part of this release and we have some great things planned. Timelines are always the first thing people want to know; followed closely with what features will be available. In this particular release there are some additional new terms being used which may be helpful to define. Three quick topics, let’s discuss each in order.
Have some questions that you’ve just got to get answered? The chances are good we've already done it. Check the FAQ below:
For those who love detail - you can see the full development strategy here
For those of you who want the quick, simple to understand overview - read here.
Q: Will 3.5 be the LTS release for the 3.x series?
A: No. The strategies have been modified to not lock in a specific release as the LTS release of a series. Under the revised strategy, unless superseded with a newer minor release, there will be at least two years of support for the last minor release of a series. The concept of an LTS release is being eliminated in favor of this. For example, if 3.4 were to be the final minor release of the 3.x series, it would be supported for at least two years after its release.
1. Introduction
This strategy document sets out what the community of Joomla users, from ordinary non-technical users through to high-level technical developers, can expect from the products that come under the umbrella of the Joomla project.
This is primarily about how we approach and manage change: how we adapt, develop and grow our products in an ever-changing technological landscape; how we communicate to our users and contributors what to expect from our products as they change from one release to the next; and how we guide our contributors towards making the future changes that we want as a community.
The stakeholders in our project have widely varying needs and a balance must be struck between, at one extreme, those for whom any change is unwelcome and all shades to the other extreme of those who thrive on continuous change. Change is essential if our products are to remain relevant to their intended users, so our goal is to manage that change in such a way that we minimise the disruption it can cause.
Since the Joomla project is responsible for more than one product, this strategy is written to be as generic as possible and to allow new products to be added to our portfolio without forcing any extensive re-writes.
This strategy builds on the substantial practical experience of a lot of people over the many years since the project's foundation. The reasoning behind what is written here, and the lessons learned in leading up to it, is outside the scope of the document itself and reference should be made to other sources for that commentary.