Zikula Blog

It's been quite a while since I publicly reported news from core development. We are reaching very near a public beta for Zikula 1.3.0 so now is a good time to give an update.

As previously stated in other postings, the Zikula 1.3.0 will be the basis of a long term supported (LTS) version of Zikula. It will be the version where we finally cut loose from a lot of legacy on purpose and usher in new possibilities.

1.3.0 itself brings in a raft of new and exciting things, not least full database caching, but it's main purpose is to cut loose from legacy to make a clean break from modules that are not following the API standards and allow developers to utilize PHP5.

The logical next question is what next? Those of you who have followed the discussions carefully know that the Zikula 1.3.0 is the basis for much transformation in other areas of the project. For a start, Zikula Core will focus on bug fixes and adding new features, but not further breaking backward compatibility. Those of you who have seen the Zikula Core over a long time have known that one thing we lack is the adding new useful features. After Zikula 1.3.0 is released further core development will be much more focussed on bringing much requested features

The Zikula 1.3.0 release will also form the basis of the Zikula CMS distribution, which will be the main focus of our marketing efforts. The Zikula Core will remain available for download at the Cozi but it is very much to be considered a tool for web-professionals. The Zikula CMS distribution will be what we actively market to end-users. This will meet the expectations of most people who download and try Zikula.

Zikula module developers will have to make sure their modules are API compliant, but the effort will be well spent as it will mean that modules will not be broken again by a BC break during the LTS release which will last for 2 years. That's right, Zikula 1.3.0 will be supported for 2 years. Zikula 1.4.0 when it comes out will also be supported for 2 years. Adopting such a strategy means that Zikula Core versions can remain a stable platform for your web-applications without the need to upgrade to a future version. This follows the enterprise support cycle, albeit, for a slightly shorter period.

How can you help?

When we release the Zikula 1.3.0 public beta, it would be extremely helpful if you test it and indeed start using it as your development environment. This will help clarify what needs fixing and what is a deliberate break of BC. There really is nothing to fear, API compliant, gettext based module work already. If you use modules that are not API compliant however, they will not work. I can assure you however, that the Zikula 1.3.0 experience will be much less painful than the push to Zikula 1.2.0 was (which was a necessary process). The 1.2.0 experience really ignighted an explosion of activity. So many modules got love and attention in the modernisation process.

I hope this blog post gives you some idea of things to come. The Core Developer ranks also have swollen to some 15 developers, so the project is clearly and visibly on a rise and we will soon have more time to take on development of modules as promised, (and in fact the Zikula Foundation is about to release a new module in the next few weeks, first live on the community site, and then we'll open source it). Once we have a stable Zikula 1.3.0 release and the pending CMS release, then we will be able to really push the project forward with the release of more features and modules.

Thanks for all your encouragement and support and please give a big thanks to the development team who work tirelessly to bring you a better Zikula.