Dolphin 7 And Dolphin 8 Definitive Guidance

BoonEx is working on Dolphin 8 and on Dolphin 7 simultaneously. Occasionally we release Dolphin 7 updates and some news about Dolphin 8 development progress. It may be easy to get confused into thinking that Dolphin 7 is an "outgoing" version that would not be supported and that Dolphin 8 would render any efforts or expenditures related to Dolphin 7 worthless. This is not the case at all. In this note we are spelling out our plans and current steps for everyone to understand that Dolphin 7 is a safe and smart choice now - the choice you wouldn't regret making when Dolphin 8 comes out.

1. Dolphin 8 is an evolution of Dolphin 7.

As I have noted before, "we are not going to build a new house or just make up the old one - we're renovating". We had an all-new platform in works for many years, but decided to scrap it and improve existing one instead. Dolphin 8 was initially planned to be called Dolphin 7.1, but we decided to dig deeper into its guts and call it Dolphin 8 when it's ready.

Again, 8 is a feature update. It's not an all-new platform. It will definitely look and work differently, but we're working hard to leave everything that's good and get rid of anything that's not good enough.

2. Most extensions will not require major re-write.

Dolphin 8 will bring a better support for 3rd party modules, templates and languages. There're some very exciting changes being made, but still, in most cases those extensions would require only minor adaptation to be operational in Dolphin 8. Some will just work.

We plan to start working closely with developers a couple of months before the release. New Market policies will encourage developers to provide free or discounted updates for their clients. There will be a strong "business incentive" for developers to comply.

3. Dolphin 7 will be supported for at least 2 years.

Current version of Dolphin is packed with numerous features. It also has hundreds of extensions made for it in the Market. It will surely take some time for Dolphin 8 to catch up and become a 100% alternative. Moreover, there are thousands of sites running on Dolphin 7 and thousands of web-masters not willing to make major changes. So, if you choose Dolphin 7 now, be sure that BoonEx will be releasing service updates for it every 2-3 months for period of at least 2 years after full release of Dolphin 8, and likely beyond that. Not only Dolphin 8 will be a less-of-hassle in terms of version upgrade than you might expect from a "new" platform, but also you would have plenty of time to prepare for the switch.

4. There will be a set of data-migration tools.

If you like Dolphin 7 and if you're intrigued by Dolphin 8, there's no reason to hold off. You will be given scripts and instructions for moving your media, content and members from Dolphin 7 to Dolphin 8.

5. You will not lose your money.

We have a very different vision of Dolphin 8 pricing and Market policies. Just as we did with other changes before, if you buy something from us now, you will be getting a better-value deal for Dolphin 8, whatever the policy is to be. Naturally, you'll be getting a free upgrade, but we will also make sure that your other expenses would turn into a smart and timely investment.

6. There's a good chance that Dolphin 7 would live on.

Dolphin 8 and Dolphin 7 difference may easily justify further support of both, if there's a market for them. You many know the Joomla story… they have their v1.5 living for many years despite higher versions progressing from 1.6 to 1.7 already. It just so happened that 1.5 still remains a platform of choice for enough people to keep it alive. This is VERY likely scenario for Dolphin 7 and 8 as well. We would only kill 7 if everyone forgets about it, which is unlikely.

7. Even before Dolphin 8 release there will be more updates of Dolphin 7.

We only have two developers working on Dolphin 8 and still participating in Dolphin 7 with others. There will be feature updates, service updates and security updates to Dolphin 7 even before Dolphin 8 is out.

8. Repeat: Dolphin 7 will live on as a core of Dolphin 8.

I have to stress your attention on this point again. We're not building a new software. We're vastly improving Dolphin 7. It's not a revolution, it's a natural progression. The only difference between previous version upgrades and Dolphin 8 is that we decided to do it without cutting corners. Use Dolphin 7 at its fullest now and build your community site. Once Dolphin 8 is here you would be able to consider an upgrade or continue using Dolphin 7. If you would decide to upgrade, you would have all the tools to do it.