According to W3Techs, as of the beginning of July 2013, 63% of all Joomla! sites are running version 1.x. Of these, some 92% are running version 1.5. That works out to a quite considerable figure of 58% of all Joomla! sites running version 1.5.
Why is the number so high?
So why is the number so high? There is usually a long list of factors, most of which are valid. Here are the ones we hear regularly:
- Simply porting the site is going to be a lot of work;
- We just did our site a few years ago and don’t have the budget for it;
- Things we rely upon didn’t make it to 2.5;
- We hate change;
- The site is outdated – if we’re going to update it we want to redesign it and that’s a big job;
- There’s no reason to upgrade (AKA “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”);
- You’re only telling me I need to upgrade because you want more business.
Naturally, every web site is different, so each of the above reasons may be more or less relevant, depending on circumstances. At one end of the spectrum is the site that generates no revenue and little traffic, a site that could be offline for a few weeks or months and not suffer, which we shall exclude from this discussion.
The question for everyone else to ask is “what’s the cost of having my site suddenly go to an ‘under construction’ page?” What’s the monetary value? What’s the value of lost reputation? Take a serious look at your current situation and try to come up with a reasonable figure. Compare this figure with the cost of upgrading your site. If the numbers are close, it’s probably a good idea to start budgeting. If the cost is significantly higher than upgrading, find the budget now because it’s time to start planning!
Why the urgency to upgrade from version 1.5?
Here’s the real key issue: the technologies that Joomla! uses, most significantly PHP and mySQL, are also changing over time. These are installed on the web server your site is hosted on and managed by the hosting company, which will update and upgrade the software as required to ensure system integrity in the face of security risks.
In terms of PHP (currently at version 5.3, though some hosts still run 5.2), let’s put it clearly: there is no currently supported version of PHP that will run Joomla 1.5. While that shouldn’t be cause for panic, it isn’t something to be ignored. There’s a lot of code out there (not just Joomla!) that will have problems running under PHP 5.4 and lots of hosting companies will continue to support it. However (and this is a big one), sooner or later your hosting company is going to send out a notice saying that they’re moving to PHP 5.4 or 5.5. Depending on the host, you’re likely to get anywhere between a week to 90 days notice. Even at 90 days, that’s a pretty tight timeline for a mid-range site, particularly if you want to throw in a redesign at the same time.
End-of-life is overdue
If you are still in doubt: End-of-life for Joomla! 1.5 is here already. The Joomla! project stopped supporting version 1.5 in December 2012. The reasons we’ve already identified are important enough to encourage you to upgrade. In addition to the fact that your web hosting company will upgrade PHP and/or mySQL in the near future, they might also ask that you shut down your 1.5 site entirely. If the web host is a serious one, they will at some point (if not already) see a Joomla! 1.5 site as a potential security risk. We’ve already heard about companies getting warnings from their hosts about this. Also, most extension developers have abandoned further development of Joomla! 1.5 versions of their products. That means that even if there is a bug (or security risk) in the software, it won’t be fixed.
Here’s our advice: It’s better to do the migration now, before someone screams at you to do it.
Advantages of newer versions
OK, so maybe you’re still not completely sold on the idea of upgrading. In truth, you should be, but there are more reasons to upgrade your Joomla! 1.5 CMS to a new version besides backward compatibility and security risks with older web server software.
- Joomla! is free to use, but you need to upgrade to the latest versions to stay secure;
- The new version will let you serve mobile users better (mobile use is set to take over from the majority of desktop browsing in the next 18 months or so);
- At some point (soon), the web hosting company won’t be able to host the site anymore, so it’s better to do it now in a controlled fashion than be forced to do it later;
- Newer versions of extensions can’t be installed on the site (so you’ll potentially be missing out on functionality);
- Newer versions of Joomla! are faster and a speedier web site will get better rankings in search engines such as Google;
- Joomla! 3 has a simpler, more efficient and responsive admin (you can edit your site from a smartphone);
- Better built-in search;
- Unlimited nesting of content categories, tags and other new features.
Ultimately, the choice is yours whether you stay with Joomla! 1.5, upgrade to a newer version of Joomla! or switch to a different CMS, such as WordPress. Above all, you have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of doing so and, most importantly, the cost. As always, we’re here to help, so give us a shout and we’ll be happy to advise.
Edward Solomon has over 30 years’ experience in project management, technical education, computer networking, web design and development and is a Digital Business Consultant for PENNInk Productions Ltd.
