TommyRay Web Productions

     Progress on the new Joomla! 1.6 CMS platform is advancing, however it is predicted that it may take quite some time yet for this to become readily available for actual use in working sites. Currently, it's in Alpha stage which may take some time yet before being tested in Beta stage, which also takes even more time. And in addition, if you use 3rd party code, as many do, then you may have to wait even longer before you'll be able to upgrade to the new version of the Joomla! CMS.

     Alpha stage may take several months to a year, if past 1.5 development is any indication. The code is still being written and tested by code developers, and wont be ready for Beta testing stage until they're ready. Since this version has some dramatically different changes going for it, it is very possible that the time it takes for things to progress will go beyond several months.

     Then there's the Beta release. This is where websites get to test it out, and report back any bugs found with the system so that they can be corrected before final release. A controlled experiment is bound to have changes in an uncontrolled environment, so you can make a sure bet there will be bugs to be corrected that developers either overlooked or didn't foresee the possibility of.

     And lastly, there's the 3rd party code that has yet to upgrade for compatibility with Joomla! 1.6. If you have a website that uses many 3rd party developers, well, you may have a wait and a struggle on your hands. And alternatively, those with only a few may have a much easier, quicker finish when migrating. So think about that aspect while mulling over the 1.6 transition in your future.

     All in all, it WILL be worth the wait, however this wait is unlikely to be a short one. Escpecially for websites that have multiple 3rd party code and hacks installed. The Alpha test taking up to a year, the Beta another possible several months and the 3rd party code upgrades all contribute to a possible start of migrations around 2011-2012 unless there are significant advances. Personally, I'm staying with 1.5 for some time yet while keeping close watch on the advances of the new, more powerful Joomla! 1.6 CMS.

References:

Information gleaned from compassdesigns.net article. You can read it here.