Community Blog

Few important changes in 1.5.15 release

Written by Klas Berlič

To accompany the official release announcement, I would like to point out few of the most important changes in this release:

.htaccess change that prevents looking at your extensions XML files - while this was not a security hole by itself, it kept open doors for hackers to see what version of particular extension you are running. To put this fix into effect you have to uncomment (remove #) from corresponding section (lines 35-39) in htaccess.txt and rename htaccess.txt to .htaccess (or copy/paste that part into your existing .htaccess, must be inserted at the same place).
TEST before you put this on live site - if your site is serving publicly accessible XML than this is not directly usable for you - you would need to make exceptions for those files or use regex based rules for blocking. Also not usable for those without apache/mod_rewrite.

PHP 5.3.x compatibility - Joomla runs fine on PHP 5.3.x now (except of OpenID library)

Core components caching - com_weblinks and com_contact are using cache for the first time. Also com_content view cache comes with more refined caching logic, so that caching is disabled only where it needs to be (e.g. for users using filters). This should result in speed increases on high-traffic sites.

Other notable bugfixes:

• TinyMCE is now working properly - all remaining bugs created by the recent TinyMCE upgrade should be gone now
• Mootols were upgraded to 1.12 to ensure future compatibility with Firefox 3.6

Note:

For extension developers that would like to enable access to XML inside their extensions, one way would be to create .htaccess in each directory that contains .xml files and put reverse rule in it (or in a directory above those directories that need exceptions - it applies to current directory and all directories bellow):

<Files ~ "\.xml$">
Allow from all
Satisfy all
</Files>

or even more explicit rule, limited only to myfile.xml:

<Files myfile.xml>
Allow from all
Satisfy all
</Files>

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A Preview of the New Template Manager in Joomla 1.6

Written by Andrew Eddie

Joomla 1.6 will include some important new changes in the Template Manager. This article gives you a preview of what you can likely expect in the final product.

Read more about the new features in the Joomla 1.6 Template Manager

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Joomla! Developer Conference

Written by Elin Waring

The first ever Joomla! Developer conference is December 5 and 6 in New York City.  Seating is limited so you should register now.  The conference will focus on working with Joomla 1.6 and is oriented towards extension developers. Speakers include: Louis Landry, Sam Moffatt, Andrew Eddie, Ian MacLennan, and Hannes Papenberg.

A limited number of scholarships are available. These will only cover admission to the conference, not travel or lodging. The final day for scholarship requests is 12 noon New York time on November 4.

Please note that this conference assumes that you already have good working knowledge of Joomla! extension development and the Joomla API. It is appropriate for extension development firms, custom Joomla application developers, and in house Joomla development  specialists.

Streaming is planned, so even if you can't come, you can watch.

Please note that hotel space in New York is very tight in December. It is extremely important that you make room reservations early; many hotels are already filled.

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Joomla 1.6 Alpha 2 Released

Written by Ken Crowder

The Joomla project is pleased to announce the immediate release of Joomla 1.6 alpha 2. This release contains many new features requested by the community; most notably, ACL. Other features are listed below as well as what you can expect in the future for Joomla 1.6.

This is an alpha release. It is intended to be a developer/hobbyist preview and is not intended to be used on a production web site.

Read more: Joomla 1.6 Alpha 2 Released

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Joomla Community Building - my view

Written by Brad Baker

Of course, everyone has their own opinions on this subject, just like everyone has their own preferences on operating system, web browser etc. So, the following brief thoughts are just an expression of my opinion on this subject. BTW I prefer Mac OS, Firefox/Google Chrome

What prompted me to write this post?
Having recently (last weekend) attended the Sydney JoomlaDay and now preparing for the Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam JoomlaDay the subject of community is on my mind. Now that is out of the way.. here goes.

Everyone has their own expectations when it comes to their involvement with Joomla. Often, people ask me for my reasons, primarily I tell them "Joomla is a great platform to make a living upon". Perhaps you feel the same way, or not. I know some people are here to 'make a difference to the world' and I also respect their reasons for their involvement in the Joomla Community.

That being said, reflecting on the times when I feel most *among* the Joomla Community, it would have to be when attending a Joomla Event. Again, you may agree, or not. So, as I prepare for my own exciting trip to Vietnam to attend the Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam JoomlaDay I'm reminded that I'm going to once again rub shoulders with the Joomla Community, in the flesh.

If there is any Joomla Community building or grassroots effort to improve things, I'd have to say, at these events such as JoomlaDay's as well as Joomla User Groups (JUGS) meetings is where it will have to begin.

So, in conclusion: Whatever your reason for being here, if you want to share that reason, help make a difference, or just increase your contacts with the Joomla Community, be sure to come along and attend a Joomla Event sometime. 

I'd also just like to add, it's always a pleasure to get together with people like Andrew Eddie and Sam Moffatt who also attended the Sydney JoomlaDay along with a large number of others. When it comes to ensuring the Joomla Project codewise is sound, and driving ahead, these are the kinds of people who deserve our support. When was the last time you thanked someone like them?

There are a few more I'd like to mention by name (though I will obviously be forgetting some) who continue to be invaluable members of our community: Louis Landry, Chris Davenport, Elin Waring, Mark Dexter, Hannes (and all the other devs working hard on 1.6) all the JED and JRD Editors, the tireless hardworking forum moderators, as well as the people like Paul and Airton who help to look after this very site. There are scores of humble people who you don't hear much from that do so much, like Wendy Robinson, Dave Huelsmann, Ryan Ozimek and Claire Mandville.. and many more who's names I know I've forgotten.

Lift your eyes just a little, and you see people doing similar things in the Joomla International Communities. When was the last time anyone thanked people like Jean-Marie Simonet (JM) for their efforts? This guy's a trooper who continues to devote himself to Joomla. I think I could go on, but hopefully you get the picture. If you call Andrew Mr Joomla, JM is surely Mr International Joomla (hopefully the Mr Joomla contest doesn't include a swimsuit part).

Ok, and now for the actual final conclusion: See you somewhere out there in the Joomla Community, on our forum etc, or even better at the next Joomla Event I attend, like in Ho Chi Minh City on November 1 2009 at the Vietnam JoomlaDay or next year at Melbourne JoomlaDay 2010.

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