[TYPO3] 3.8.1

[Martin Kindler]

Hi Dmitry,

I didn't want to discuss the merits of 3.x vs. 4.x or vice versa. Anyone
responsible for a project must decide when to use which version. There are
courageous people always using the newest stuff and they will be rewarded by
having the newest technology at their disposal. And there are the
conservative guys who will wait for some time until they wager into new
terrain. They are rewarded also: by greater stability and perhaps a shorter
learning curve as the problems with the older version are well known and
available in wikis, news groups, etc.

Today I would probably start a new project with 4.0, but I will not switch
to it in projects already deployed or in development.

But again: each person must decide for him/herself!

> Do not forget - support from the community is fully 
> voluntary. 
Yes, I know and appreciate it very much.


>  However I am not willing to dig into 3.7.x if  it is not 
> my customer's request. It takes too much resources.
If you are a consultant to some company and they have hired you to support
their 3.1 site
you will probably do it. Sure, one cannot support each version for an
undefinite period of time.

> If you personally want to provide support for ealier versions here - 
> nothing stops you, go on :) 
I will give the support for the versions I know (currently 3.x), although I
consider myself a beginner

> But when newcomer asks about 3.8.x, I feel I 
> must warn him that he should better use latest version - it is much 
> easier to get help with it. Newcomers are special case - they are 
> potential members of the community, so I try to make life easier for 
> them from the beginning.
Yes and I agree with you in this point. It was the rather harsh "older
versions are not (fully) supported anymore" which triggered my first answer.
There is no black and white. If the newcomer was, e. g. working for a Swiss
bank and therefore probably a bit more conservative, he should likewise be
welcomed.

> 
> > Other OSS projects, e. g. the Apache projects do this and it is the 
> > right decision.
> 
> I do not know how Apache works, so cannot comment.
I mainly use the Apache Struts project. There are 4 major versions: 1.1.x,
1.2.x, 1.3.x and coming 2.0.
In the mailing lists you will find threads on all versions as members of the
community use all versions.
The website has downloads and docs for each version (not as the T3 web site
having no longer a 3.8.1 download. To all people: I know it can still be
downloaded. It is the philosophy I do not like)

 
> Non-OSS projects support only limited number of versions. For 
> example, 
> M$ supports only two previous versions of Windows. They are 
> absolutely 
> right in my opinion.
Yes, you cannot support *all* historic versions of your software. But you
must allow users considerable time (several years) to switch. And this is
what I want from a system employed in real world applications: take care of
the stuff built on your (our) technology previously. Do not say to somebody
who has invested considerable time, work, and money in using our Typo3 and
wants to change/repair something: first of all you have to upgrade! (maybe
it would be best, but maybe not (too much) changing a running system is
better).

Martin