Question 1.6.3 - Estimated release date

Unfortunately due to the "Guest can't submit post" bug in 1.6.2 I wasn't able to update from 1.6.1. However, I understand this (and many other bugs) will be fixed in 1.6.3.
I could apply the SVN releases to fix this bug but unfortunately don't feel I know enough about it to do so safely.

Does anyone know when 1.6.3 is likely to be released?

Or perhaps can someone provide me with simple instructions on how to apply SVN releases (will they interfere with future upgrades?)

Report it here joomlacode.org/gf/project/kunena/tracker...wse&tracker_id=10419

And attach a patch - docs.joomla.org/Creating_a_patch


You can follow the progress via joomlacode.org/gf/project/kunena/scmsvn/

Most of the 1.6.3 commits are in the braches.

G'day, grant74, and welcome to Kunena.

Thank you for your very good question. As far as I can tell - and I'm willing to be corrected by others who may disagree with me - the "guests cannot post messages" issue is probably the most important issue for users of K 1.6.2 at the present time.

This particular problem only affects a comparatively lower percentage of those who have used Kunena around the world in their Joomla websites, in the sense that most users of Kunena do not allow guests to post to their forums and, furthermore, the problem is only confined to those users who use Firefox web browsers. I am not, for one moment, trying to trivialise the importance of this issue but I think that it's important to keep all of these issue in a fair perspective of the overall benefits of using K 1.6.2 as an alternative to using K 1.6.1 (or earlier versions of Kunena). The Kunena project team is committed to ensuring that the needs of the community are addressed in as efficient and effective manner as resources can be made available.

In relation to this particular issue that, as I have mentioned, does not affect the larger majority of Kunena users, the solution is actually quite simple - a single-line change - that takes less than a few minutes to make. Details of the specific change are given here, in K 1.6.2 - Submit button does not work for guests

I completely agree with you that trying to use the SVN is not for novice users. I, myself, do not know enough about how to use the SVN and, like all users, I rely on the software releases built for us by the development team.

In terms of when, specifically, K 1.6.3 is likely to be released, I would like to make four very important points:

(1) In an open source development like Kunena, release schedules are always a little difficult to forecast because the members of the project team are doing most of this work voluntarily, because they want to, and there is no financial incentive for people to complete the tasks according to set deadlines. If the community would like to assist the project (so that contract programming staff could be employed to complete the outstanding activities) that would make a difference. By way of comparison, Joomla 1.6 has been under consideration for the past three years or more and project has been under much keener scrutiny than just about any other project I can remember in the many years that I have been involved in the Information Technology business.

(2) The Kunena project team has consistently avoided making premature indications of when new releases will be offered to the public. As you can understand, complex software (like Kunena) requires many hours of design, construction, unit and system testing. Further, we also have a small testing team who need to subject new releases to as much "punishment" as we can so that the product is released without problems. It's a difficult balancing act - speed vs. reliability. I am sure that most people want a durable product, not one that is rushed out only to be withdrawn a short time after its release. The past record of Kunena releases has been relatively free of situations when errors occurred because of reacting hastily instead of reacting responsibly.

(3) If people look back over the history of Kunena and search for "can you give us an estimated 'ETA'" they will find nothing that I have written in this reply inconsistent with what has been written in the past. K 1.6.3 will be released when it is ready. An announcement about the release of Kunena releases will be made at the appropriate time.

(4) In terms of when it's likely that K 1.6.3 will be released, I think that it's reasonable to think of it in terms of weeks rather than a matter of days or hours.

I hope that this information will help you and others.

Hi Sozzled, thanks for your detailed reply and it is all completely understandable.

The one line fix that you mention - I had looked at it previously but am a bit of a noob so if I apply that change to the file, will it affect any future upgrades or alter registered user post behaviour?

Thanks again. Loving Kunena.

As far as that particular fix is concerned, take is as advice "from one user to another user"; I've tested the method and it works for me.

I am looking forward, like you, to K 1.6.3. When K 1.6.3 is released I am quietly confident that the upgrade process will overwrite my "one-line edit" and consign it where it belongs, into cyber-oblivion. You have my word that if you make the one-line edit correctly then you will not jeopardise your ability to upgrade Kunena to K 1.6.3.

I sincerely doubt that this one-line edit will affect your registered users' use of Kunena, all things being equal, of course. Speaking only for myself, I have no desire (nor will I ever have any desire) to open up my forum to visitors on any production sites that I operate and therefore I won't encounter the kinds of problems that you and others are having at the moment.

If you make other changes to Kunena, well ... that's your business, isn't it?

Great feedback and I will now look at making the required change.

The ONLY reason I want to allow guest posts is to generate some Forum content such that it encourages others to join the conversation. Once traffic is established I, like you, intend to make it Registered only.

Really appreciate your's and the Kunena team's efforts. Well done on a great product and support that puts commercial software houses to shame.