Version 5 or 6?
kaat - August 14, 2008 - 19:51
Sorry if I missed it, but I couldn't find anything explaining why there are two versions, 5 and 6, and what the difference is. Which should a new user choose? And what are the trade-offs?
Thanks.
These two pages provide a
These two pages provide a good explanation. Additionally, there are thousands of modules available for 5.x, considerably fewer for 6.x.
http://drupal.org/drupal-5.0
http://drupal.org/drupal-6.0
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> why there are two versions
> why there are two versions 5 and 6
Drupal development has a policy of non-backward compatibility between major versions, so they can keep up with new technology without carrying past 'baggage'; it keeps the code neat, lean and fast. But this means that drupal's modules must be rewritten for each major version. All the v5.x modules only work with D5, and all the v6.x modules only work with D6.
Re-writing and testing modules takes time. There are a thousand more modules for D5 (which was released over a year ago) than there is for D6 (released 6 months ago). In that respect, D5 is a lot more powerful and useful than D6 at the moment. But D6 will become more powerful in a few more months as more modules are written/rewritten.
Until then, there are tens of thousands of users who need D5 to still be maintained with security patches, because they can't upgrade to D6, because the modules they rely on haven't been rewritten yet.
> Which should a new user choose?
If your site needs to become live quickly (a few weeks) and/or you need powerful or unusual features (especially community orientated), then D5. Although I fail to see how a noob can get a site up and running within a few weeks, unless it is simple, small personal site and they just throw it all together and hope for the best without knowing what they're doing. I've been planning my first site - a large school site - for two months and I'm still nowhere near ready to put it all together with all the pieces in place and working.
If you need a simpler, no frills site, with normal features and/or you're prepared to wait a few months to see new modules emerge, then D6.
I would install 6, that way
I would install 6, that way you wont have problems upgrading later.
Cheers
Shane
Website Design Melbourne
5.x for e-commerce
LOOK into what modules you will need!
You have to use drupal 5 for e-commerce,
at this time,,,, none of the drupal 6 modules for e-commerce are mature enough.
If you don't need modules that are not available for 6.x, I would recommend going 6.x, IMHO it is better in many ways like changing the menus and like how the security override for updates is no longer global but as it should be in site settings.php.
Thanks
Many thanks for your replies; it's clear now, though still a tricky decision.
Is migrating a site from 5 to 6 easy?
> Is migrating a site from 5
> Is migrating a site from 5 to 6 easy?
I don't know. In theory, there should be an upgrade path for CORE. However, I get the impression it doesn't always work. I think the more complex your site is, the less likely the upgrade will be smooth.
But the most difficult part is modules - no defined upgrade path at all. It is up to the module developer whether they write a new version which breaks the existing content. For instance, you might find that when upgrading an events or calendar module, that a complete rewrite or new features mess up existing entries, so you'd need to completely delete the previous versions data and input it all again.
I would suggest caution: once you've chosen D5 or D6, expect *not* to be able to upgrade in future.
You can certainly try, and may be lucky. But don't assume it will work.
I do think perhaps that every major drupal version makes the modules 'evolve', in that the popular, stable, well-mainatained ones survive, and the lesser ones don't. In this regard, perhaps even though D6 may only ever have 50% of the modules that D5 has, its modules may be more important, stable, refined and powerful - quality over quantity?
Hi First post ! Is there a
Hi
First post !
Is there a reliable way of knowing whether the authors of a 5.x module are actively working on a 6.x upgrade ?
Thanks,
Dave
Not really - just
Not really - just indications.
The issue page of the project will give you an idea of how well a module is being maintained, and might outline future intentions. But that's all they are - intentions. The 'view all releases' page will show you if there is a D6 head which isn't listed in the downloads. And you could contact the developer for further info through the issues page or by email.
However, even that isn't a 100% guarantee. I emailed a developer about v6.x-dev version weeks ago, about the development of a module, and with best intentions he said it was going ahead. But, it is now becoming apparent that it is a dead project. A developer wanting to work on his script and being able to are two different things. You could only assume an upgrade for a small handful of the most popular, most important modules.
IMO, quite a few module developers will take a rest after stabilising their v5.x modules, give D6 a miss altogether, and rewrite their modules for D7 or drift into being interested in learning other technologies, because maintaining a drupal module through three major versions must be a hell of a lot of work.
I use D6
Personally I use D6 for my first Drupal site since everything is moving into D6 now including those major modules; although some themes are not.
D7 should be sometime soon I guess.