People love software that they can understand.

If we want to make software that is loved, we need to make it easily understood. This extends to every aspect of the software from the user interface to how new features are added.

One of the most common points of misunderstanding with Joomla is the version numbers.

In order for everyone to understand Joomla version numbers, I'm going to propose that we change the way we talk about them.

About version numbers

First of all, it's important to realize that no project has perfect version numbers:

• WordPress: made a mess of theirs for several years, jumping from 1.0 to 1.2 to 1.5 to 2.0. Even now, I've spoken with WordPress developers who say that the system doesn't make sense from a developer perspective: logically the system should go from 3.8 to 3.9 and then to 3.10. However, instead of going to 3.10, they'll jump to 4.0.
• Drupal: jumped from 4.0 to 4.5 to 4.6 to 4.7 to 5.0.
• Umbraco: moved from 4 to 5, decided they didn't like the code in 5 and then moved on to 7.
• Joomla: moved from 1.5 to 1.6 to 1.7 to 2.5. 

So, almost everyone makes mistakes, but these mistakes do leave a legacy of confusion that the projects have to overcome.

WordPress has done a great job of overcoming their errors. It's time for Joomla to do the same.

How to think about Joomla version numbers

Here's Joomla version number system at the moment:

That image does a good job of explaining the releases, but there are still several points of confusion. Let's address them:

• Problem: Joomla 1.0 and 1.5.
• Solution: Both of those are unsupported versions. We can lump them together as Joomla 1 and say "Joomla 1 is unsupported".

Here's a second point of confusion:

• Problem: 1.6 or 1.7 are odd numbers that don't fit into the release cycle. 
• Solution: Those are unsupported versions with clear upgrade paths to Joomla 2. We can ignore them now.

Here's a third point of confusion:

• Problem: The .5 release numbers doesn't make logical sense.
• Solution: Ignore it. We can safely tell people they just need to be on the latest version. 

So, all in all, most of the mistakes in the Joomla release cycle can be overcome with clear explanations.

Our advice for Joomla users

• If you're on Joomla 1: upgrade or understand what it means to be running unsupported software.
• If you're on Joomla 2: make sure you have the latest version.
• If you're on Joomla 3: make sure you have the latest version.
• If you're waiting for Joomla 4: it will be here next year.

If users do want a slightly longer explanation, we'll recommend they watch this video.

But, from today onwards, we're only going to talk about Joomla 1, Joomla 2, Joomla 3 and Joomla 4.

Our next book will be Joomla 3 Explained and out tutorials will only use these simple version numbers.

This is one more opportunity to simplify software and make it easier for users to understand and love.

People love software that they can understand. This is one way we can help them understand.