By 2c on
I've decided to install Drupal 6, with an eye on upgrading to Drupal 7 in a few months time (when/if I can afford a dedicated server).
Is there anything I can do before I install Drupal 6 that will make the upgrade path to Drupal 7 easier? For example, maybe use an InnoDB database?
Comments
Some tips
Most important I'd say is be careful about your choices of contributed modules to use. If there is not "at least" a Drupal 7 dev release (or better an alpha, beta, or stable release) for "every" module you install on your Drupal 6 site, figure that there almost certainly never will be an upgrade at this point (or you may have to do it yourself or pay someone to). Don't install any such module on your Drupal 6 site unless you're willing to do (or pay for) the development to upgrade the module.
Also consider the same with your theme selection. Theming has changed quite a bit in Drupal 7, so most themes need a significant overhaul. Ideally pick one that already has a Drupal 7 version available, and use a sub-theme so that you can more easily swap out the base theme and minimize how much work needs to be done on your customized part of the theme.
Don't worry about InnoDB, that's easy to convert after upgrading to Drupal 7, though you can convert ahead of time if it provides you with other benefits.
If the site is just starting out right now, what is your reason for going with Drupal 6 by the way? Drupal 7 should run fine on a "good" shared host if that's what is concerning you. I have a VPS myself (at ServInt) however I tested HawkHost for shared and it works quite well. I do recommend a VPS if you can afford the extra cost over shared... definitely worth it. Unless your site is expected to have many logged in users at a time and will get popular very soon, I'd advise going with a VPS before jumping all the way to dedicated. With Drupal's built in caching (or by adding more serious caching like Boost) your site can likely handle thousands of daily (non-logged-in) visitors on a small VPS.
Hope this helps.