The Joomla! Project is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Joomla 2.5.28. This is a maintenance release for the 2.5 series of Joomla! And is the final scheduled release of the series. Support for Joomla! 2.5 is scheduled to end on December 31, 2014.

What does this mean for me?

End of support refers to when Joomla! no longer provides bug fixes, features, or security updates for a release. This is the time to make sure you have the latest available update of Joomla. Your website will continue to work as normal.

Do I need to upgrade to Joomla 3 and above?

You should start planning to upgrade your site if you are using the Joomla 2.5. Your web developer should be able to advise the best way to perform an upgrade, moreover a migration from Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3. The Joomla team are working very hard with security in mind and mobile first design to ensure website owners get the latest technology and security when using a Joomla installation as your chosen CMS.

Website owners do not have to upgrade however it is recommended to ensure all the security patches and bugs can be addressed. If you are thinking of refreshing your website or updating the design, migrating to Joomla 3 is a good opportunity to do just that.

How much will it cost?

Your web developer will be able to give more advice on cost. Website owners can do the upgrade/migration themselves with a little help from the Joomla documentation however if you are not confident consult a professional and be sure to back up your website first.

The cost can vary depending on any third party extensions the site has installed. If you have a basic website with little functionality it can be very straight forward and cost can be minimal, however for sites using booking systems, e-commerce or any other functionality the upgrade can be a little more complicated. That being said most sites will be quoted for depending on the particular installation for each site.

How can I tell what version of Joomla I am using?

If you are not sure what version of Joomla you are using, open a browser and navigate to http://yourwebsite.com.au/administrator

Joomla 1.5: In most cases the screen will be green and black. When you log in, the top right hand corner will show the version of Joomla. If you are using Joomla 1.5 it is strongly recommended to migrate to Joomla 3 as this version is no longer supported and the support for PHP has come to an end, therefore your site may stop functioning.

Joomla 2.5: In most cases the backend is blue and black. The Joomla version is shown in the control panel under the icons on the welcome screen. You can also check by going to the Help Menu and selecting Joomla Help. On the right hand side you will see a link for Latest Version Check.

If you are using Joomla 2.5 and do not have the latest security release 2.5.28 then update immediately to the latest version. You can apply the security update yourself by navigating to the Components menu and selecting Joomla update. Be sure to back up the website before applying any updates

If you have any question please do not hesitate to contact us