14 DAY TRIAL // The popular content-management system Joomla is getting ready for a big update. The Joomla 1.6 Beta has been released bringing with it a number of new features and plenty of smaller updates. Developers can get started testing the upcoming release, but the update is not intended for stable production environments.
“The release of Joomla 1.6 will raise the bar of success for our community’s users, and enable our developer community to build even more exciting and compelling solutions,” Ryan Ozimek, president of Open Source Matters, the not-for-profit organization behind the Joomla Project, said.
“New features and capabilities – such as the hierarchical design of the access control system, semantic XHTML layouts and one-click extension updates – usher in a new set of tools that open doors for more effective online engagements. Whether building a personal website or a next-generation Web application for an enterprise environment, Joomla 1.6 offers the most compelling solution for easily building and managing powerful online solutions,” he added.
The announcement only lists several big, new features, but the update goes deeper than that. Among the touted new capabilities is the new Acess Control System, which enables site admins to create a detailed set of permissions and privileges for various user types. This way, admins gain control over who can view or manage different areas of the site.
Another new feature is the Unlimited Depth Organizational Model. It allows admins and users to create categories with a greater freedom over the internal structure. Basically, category trees can have as many or as few levels as necessary.
One new feature that should prove real handy is the One-Click Extension Updates. As the name implies, it enables users to update Joomla extensions with ease ensuring that they are always running the latest and most secure version. Finally, the last major feature of the upcoming Joomla 1.6 is Semantic XHTML Layouts.
Joomla 1.6 Beta is available for download here on Softpedia.