After a long wait, Joomla! 1.6 beta 1 will be released to the public today. This version arrives almost 7 months after Joomla! 1.6 Alpha 2 was released. It's been a long wait - but as it seems - it is worth it.

This beta version marks a huge step forward in the development of Joomla 1.6. The features in this version are the ones that will be found in the final, stable version.

Joomla 1.6 has been designed to offer enhanced site control and a more polished user experience. It will deliver a variety of new tools to improve website management and access, a more robust organizational structure for content control, and various other user- experience improvements throughout the system.

Here are some interesting Joomla blog posts I found during week 19.

Brian Teeman tells us about Tesco using Joomla for a learning portal, the Joomla team calls for help with the help screens for Joomla 1.6 and there is some opinions regarding if one should upgrade to Joomla 1.5.17 or not. To mention some of the Joomla related blog posts floating the web this week.

Enjoy the read!

The new Joomla! demo site was launched yesterday! The site leverages a cloud-based solution to give each user a separate installation of the Joomla! CMS for 30 days.

The new demo site allows users to maintain the integrity of their content, and continue to build and learn over an extended trial period. Each demo site user will get a free, complete, dedicated installation of the Joomla! CMS.

As you know, the first international Joomla! conference will take place in Wiesbaden later this month.

2010 sees the launch of the first ever global "Joomla Open Source Creative and Artistic Recognition" awards to be held at the J! and Beyond conference in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Now you have the opportunity to vote for your favorite person or company in a large selection of categories. The winners in each category will be announced during the J!Oscars award ceremony on Monday, May 31st.

Here are some interesting Joomla blog posts I found during week 18.

Amongst them are a nice write-up by Louis Landry on the progression of the Joomla 1.6 project, and info on the new Joomla! Community Magazine.

Here are some interesting Joomla related blog posts I found during week 17.

This week, I've found posts about Microsoft joining forces with the Joomla! team, a video from the Dutch Joomla!Days 2010 and some info on the new JED server, to mention some.

Enjoy!

Just a few days after the release of Joomla 1.5.16, the team released another version yesterday: Joomla 1.5.17.

Apparently, Joomla 1.5.16 had a couple of bugs in it. And those bugs were serious enough to release another version now.

You can upgrade directly from Joomla 1.5.15 (or an older version) to Joomla 1.5.17.

Yesterday, the Joomla Project announced the immediate availability of Joomla 1.5.16 [Wojmamni ama busani]. It has been about six months since Joomla 1.5.15 was released on November 4, 2009.

The Development Working Group's goal is to continue to provide regular, frequent updates to the Joomla community.

Read on for more info about  the changes in Joomla 1.5.16, and precautions before upgrading.

About two weeks ago, I launched a competition here at joomlablogger.net. The price was the recently released book Joomla! 1.5 Beginner's Guide by Packt Publishing.

The lucky winner of the contest was the one who would give me the best reason he or she deserves the book.

I have now picked the winner.

Here are some interesting Joomla blog posts I found during week 16.

Enjoy!