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When posting a question and referring to my Joomla version, I have always been told to update to the latest version. I don't see why updating is such a big deal. What are the benefits of updating?

Lodder
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    You ask a question and answer to it with a complete answer in less than one minute ! Schizophrenia ? ;) – AsTeR Sep 03 '12 at 12:40

1 Answers1

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Whenever I see someone post a question and stating an old version of Joomla, usually, the first thing I say is "Upgrade to the latest version of Joomla (1.5.26, 2.5.26 or 3.3.5 depending what build you're on)". I shouldn't have to explain why upgrading to the latest version is important, but I will for those who have older or absolutely ancient versions. The 2 reasons for updating are:

  1. Fix bugs
  2. Fix security issues

If I was designing a site then I personally wouldn't want any bugs, such as certain functions not working in certain cases. Nor would I want any security threats which I why I ALWAYS keep my Joomla version up to date. Of course, it's never 100% secure, which is why I also use a few security extensions, just to be on the safe side.

Take this update for example:

Joomla 2.5.5 added 11 new features, fixed 2 security issues and 113 tracker issues. I deem that a rather big update therefore uploaded it the day it came out.

If you're using 1.5.26, that isn't a problem and I don't see upgrading to 2.5 a "must do", however would definitely recommend doing do, primarily for higher security and also note that most (decent) hosting providers update the PHP version on their servers, and once they update it to PHP 5.4, you're Joomla 1.5 site

Some people have also said that their site was hacked and they're using Joomla 1.5.16 (for example). Well if you updated to the latest version and took precaution, this might not have happened.

I'm obviously not demanding that you all keep up to date, but I consider it a necessity and find it silly if you don't. Especially if the website is for a client.

Lodder
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    I would add to this that updating has also drawbacks. Many people do not update their software by choice, all benefits mentioned above are true but : updating may introduce new problem like cross and backward compatibility (e.g. : plugins may not work anymore). This is the old moto "if it's not broken don't fix it". – AsTeR Sep 03 '12 at 12:39
  • You do have a point, however the main reason for updating is security related for me. Therefore I deem it important. Updating core Joomla file shouldn't really affect plugins and it it did happen to me, I would find another plugin. – Lodder Sep 03 '12 at 12:41
  • I've just added my comment at the bottom – AsTeR Sep 03 '12 at 12:46
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    Actually, it is very unusual for an update (not an upgrade) within the same series 1.5.x to 1.5.x+y to cause problems with extensions since the majority of the changes are security issues and bug fixes. The problem comes with version upgrades like 1.5.x to 2.5.x. Also, most people don't realize that it's not their website that is a target for hackers, it is their software. If you are running an old version of Joomla (or Wordpress or Drupal) then the security problems are well publicized. Having an old version is the most common reason sites get hacked. – Brent Friar Sep 04 '12 at 21:11
  • Other (maybe less urgent) reasons for updating are performance enhancements, feature enhancements and for when you require support. Developers are usually more willing to offer support for the latest version as this is the version with all the latest fixes applied. – Neil Robertson Oct 02 '13 at 13:25