Here are some interesting Joomla blog posts I found during week 15:
• New and Improved Updater
• The JED and Version Support
• On the fly, language files
• JoeJoomla To Present A Session At Joomla and Beyond In Germany
• Introducing the Vintage Joomla Template
• Find the nearest event with the new locations feature in JCal Pro for Joomla 2.5
• 10 ways Josetta is different from other multilingual solutions for Joomla
• New themes available for Agora Pro bulletin board
• JSN ImageShow v4 - A lot of useful new features to discover
• Joomla! 2.5 - Things you need to know
• Using Joomla easily and joyful with JSN PowerAdmin
• K2 v2.5.6 released released
• Meet us at J and Beyond!
Written by Andrea Tarr
We introduced the one-click update in Joomla! 1.7. When it worked, it was marvelous. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as robust when it came up against all the various hosting situations and differently configured systems. Many people turned to Nicholas Dionysopoulos’ AdminTools to do their updates.
We are happy to announce that with Joomla 2.5.4, we have added a new core component, Joomla! Update, that Nicholas wrote based on his experience dealing with updating across a wide variety of hosts with his Akeeba Backup, Kickstart and AdminTools. Once you have the component installed, you will be able to use it for the next release. So all of you who update to 2.5.4 will be able to use it to update to 2.5.5.
Written by Matt Lipscomb
In mid-2011, the Production Leadership Team (PLT) announced a new release cycle for the Joomla CMS. Rather than a "feature-based" release, which could take years for a new version to be released, the PLT chose a "time-based" release strategy. Additionally, a new version numbering system was adopted to provide standardization to the versions. If you are unfamiliar with this, or simply don't understand it fully, I recommend reading Mark Dexter's article in the Joomla Community Magazine this month.
The PLT's development strategy makes it clear that new versions will be released every 6 months and explains the goals behind this strategy. The JED supports this strategy, however it has been a learning experience with new versions being released so quickly in comparison to the former release method.
Written by Sweup
Transifex has grown to be a real treat for Joomla devs/users. Personally I really like the concept. I have previously wrote an article, that devs not should let anyone translate there extensions (here)
As a translator, Transifex helps to provide structure and overview (easy to follow updates, translate from anywhere etc etc). The end-user of course gain in end by more extensions got translated – still Transifex (and other platforms) could offer even more.
Right now it´s possible for devs/translators to create language packs that are installed with the installer and get one click updates (ref).
JoeJoomla To Present A Session At Joomla and Beyond In Germany
Written by JJ
Coming up in May I will be presenting a session at Joomla and Beyond 2012 (JAB2012). The session will be called "Secrets of Getting an A+ Joomla! Reputation and Attracting A+ Clients".
Joomla and Beyond is an annual International Joomla! Conference now in its third year. This year Joomla! developers and site builders from over 30 countries will gather in Bad Nauheim, Germany, near Frankfurt, right in the heart of Europe.
As usual there is an impressive line up of speakers at this years event. Joomla and Beyond is where your hear the latest and greatest about all things Joomla.
Introducing the Vintage Joomla Template
Written by Anthony Olsen
Vintage is our new tumblr inspired Joomla template that features multiple colour schemes a simple tagging system for your content and an elegantly executed responsive design. Vintage is aimed at those users that want a simple blog style template to showcase their ideas, thoughts and inspiration. Consider it your online Joomla notebook - ready to record your every thought.
Don't worry - it's flexible ... The Vintage demo site shows a simple one column layout with site links, search and other modules you would normally see in the side bar, hidden in the hidden panel . But if that isn't quite your cup of tea, since this theme is built on the flexible zen grid framework you can have a more traditional two, three or four column layout.
Find the nearest event with the new locations feature in JCal Pro for Joomla 2.5
Written by Victor Drover
Besides the date and time, knowing the location of meeting, concert or even a flashmob is critical to the success of the event. JCal Pro® has always included a Contact field where people could include location information for their events. However, this implementation was not always satisfactory. For example, there was no way to store locations for quick access when creating new events. Thus, the same location had to be manually entered each time it was needed. In addition, there was no way to display any geographic information about the events scheduled in a particular area.
That all changes with today’s release of JCal Pro®.
Buy now I am happy to announce that JCal Pro® 3.1 for Joomla 2.5 is currently available and ships with a robust location manager that overcomes prior limitations and adds exciting, new possibilities for event management and geolocation.
10 ways Josetta is different from other multilingual solutions for Joomla
Written by Victor Drover
In the past few weeks there has been lots of buzz about Josetta and we have been fielding tonnes of questions about what it can do and how it is different from other translation solutions. Given the interest level, we thought it best to summarize the answers to the most common questions we are receiving in a top 10-style list of what makes Josetta so special.
1. With Josetta, all translations occur in one dedicated, frontend interface, perfect for teams with little Joomla experience. Unlike transating content in the Joomla backend, the Josetta interface removes all the clutter which makes training new translators fast and easy.
New themes available for Agora Pro bulletin board
Written by Victor Drover
As development continues for Agora Pro — the bulletin board for Joomla — we are happy to announce new features and add-ons. This week we are highlighting the new themes that were included in version 4.0.01. Agora Pro Standard now includes 5 great new color variations — Amaranth, Deep Sky, Goldenrod, Olive and Pink. Agora Pro Ultimate includes the themes in the Standard package as well as Amber, Copper, Dark Red, Green Apple and Tangerine. As you can see in the previews, all 10 of these new themes are well suited for any light-colored Joomla template.
Easy to customize
If neither of these styles match your existing site design, simply pick the one that most closely matches and change the color scheme by adding the appropriate CSS elements to your Joomla template. If you would like to change the layout of the Agora you can also use HTML overrides to make any needed adjustments.
JSN ImageShow v4 - A lot of useful new features to discover
Written by Huyen
JSN ImageShow v4.0.0 has been released after quite a long time of development. We believe that you guys will like it since it comes with a lot of useful improvements, and it is now fully compatible with Joomla 2.5. No more waiting, let's get started.
A lot of automatic installation processes have been implemented to JSN ImageShow v4- sample data, upgrading, themes and so on. Moreover, all image sources have been converted into separate plug-ins. By default, you have the Local Image and Picasa image sources. To get the other image sources, you simply click on the installation icons within the back-end of the component. Thanks to this work flow, you will get much better performance and keep your Joomla websites lightweight.
Joomla! 2.5 - Things you need to know
Written by Dao Ngoc Anh
The release of Joomla 2.5 is a step which marks a big and long-term change in the Joomla Community. No matter whether you have used Joomla before or are just learning about it now, you will find it necessary to know more about the latest version: Joomla 2.5. All of the basic questions you wonder about will be fully answered in this article.
What does Joomla 2.5 allow the user to do?
If you thought that only developers can build and run a website, it’s time to forget that. With Joomla 2.5, you are provided with a foundation framework to build your own website. If you’ve dreamed of having your own website, nothing can prevent you from trying to build a good one with Joomla. Joomla gives you all the things you need, and now you just need to learn how to master Joomla.
Using Joomla easily and joyful with JSN PowerAdmin
Written by Huyennt
Dear Joomla fans, We are happy to announce that we’ve released an extension that will help you to manage your Joomla website easily: JSN PowerAdmin. It is developed with only one purpose: Help you to use Joomla with ease. Now you can enjoy Joomla with Enhanced Administration Menu, Spotlight Search, Site Manager and more. Here you can check how it works:
Written by Fotis Evangelou
Start your update engines! K2 v2.5.6 is now available to download. If you're in Joomla! version 1.7 (what, you still haven't upgraded to 2.5?) to version 2.5, you can update from 2.5.5 directly via the built-in Joomla! updater. If you're on Joomla! 1.5 or you use a version prior to K2 v2.5.5, just grab the zip file and upload on top.
There are no template changes since 2.5.4 so you can safely upgrade with no need to check you MVC overrides on your template. This is a maintenance release. Compared to v2.5.5, we fixed warnings/bugs/annoyances/gremlins mainly appearing in Joomla! 2.5.
Written by Jeremy Wilken
If you haven't heard about J and Beyond, then you are in for a treat. Coming back for the 3rd year, it is the largest international Joomla event that the community has seen so far. Often called JaB, its the single best place to rub shoulders with Joomla developers, extend your knowledge, and just enjoy getting to know the great people inside of the Joomla community. If you haven't been before, then you are missing out on one of the best events you can attend.
We aren't trying to brag, but a couple members of the CWM team will be presenting and helping organize the event. Come and meet two of us live and in person in Bad Nauheim, Joe and Jeremy.
