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Joomla 4 Extensions - It begins!

They've kept it quiet - but it happened. The Joomla core developers released Joomla! 4.0.0 Beta 1 - very very quietly. I only noticed because I was looking over the update XML file for the alpha 12 version - and there it was.

You can get it here: https://developer.joomla.org/nightly-builds.html

Starting tomorrow, I'll be updating my extensions for Joomla! 4. These new versions will ONLY be modified for Joomla 4 beta1, and will remain uncertified for later beta releases until I have the chance to test them. It's going to be slow going at first, but once completed, further beta versions will get certified shortly after each beta comes out.

There's an added bonus to developing for the beta versions; I get to play with the new API. I already have work that's been waiting for J4 to hit beta.

Things are about to get awesome! I've been looking forward to this.

First extension up - AdminExile

Stop using Internet Explorer

This may seem like a personal attack on the browser, but really, my hatred for IE has nothing to do with it. Maybe I get a little joy from this, but I'll try to keep that to myself.

The Microsoft IT Pro blog has stated that users should stop using Internet Explorer....no really.

The perils of using Internet Explorer as your default browser

The perils of using Internet Explorer as your default browser

Explore "The App Compat Guy's" thoughts on the Internet Explorer journey to date.

TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM

There's a right way, and a wrong way

I've been tracking some bad reviews in the JED for one of my more popular extensions. What I'm finding is very unfortunate, because there isn't much I can do about it other than beg people to stop. Apparently, people are creating non-forks of my extensions and then leaving them online to become stale, or are linking to the download destination of specific versions of my extensions. I don't know if this is malicious, or if they're just oblivious to the consequences of their actions. Of course they would be oblivious - they aren't the ones feeling the consequences.

I release updates for bugfixes on a frequent basis. Feature releases are less frequent, but all the same - my extensions get updated regularly. When someone creates an un-maintained/un-altered fork, they're creating a scenario that makes me look bad. Someone downloads the bad fork, and when it doesn't work - they blame me for it.....leaving bad reviews in the JED. It doesn't hurt the person who created the fork, so why would they pay it a second notice? Likewise, when someone links to a specific old version of my extensions, people download it expecting to see a working extension - which is not always the case where Joomla is concerned. Updates to Joomla drive many bugfix releases. If you download the 2.14.0 version of my extension, but I've released over 100 updates since then - you're not going to have a good experience.

Please, please! If you're going to link to an extension - link to the download page. If you're going to fork an extension - do it the right way. Don't leave my name on it - I don't want the blame you're creating for me.

What about IE 8, 9 and 10?

No, I'm not doing it!

Microsoft stopped supporting these browsers January 12th 2016. I am not going to bend over backwards to support a browser that isn't even supported by the company who made it.

Like IE6, IE 8, 9 and 10 were horrible browsers. IE 11 isn't much better, and although I can't say I like Edge - at least it attempts to support modern standards.

My efforts will be spent making my software compatible with the major supported browsers. IE 11, MS Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera

GDPR & Google Analytics

I've been deep into GDPR compliance extensions for Joomla recently, and while setting up a demo site I realized that compliance meant I had to give up Google Analytics. Anyone who runs a website knows this is unacceptable. Sure, there are other ways to obtain the information, but Google has really built a fantastic tool to monitor all sorts of data, not just about the visitors - but also traffic sources, time spent on specific pages, browser capabilities, and gobs more information.

That darn GDPR though - requiring consent prior to placing cookies is a killer. How do you know what content is engaging your visitors when all you have to go by is a hit counter?

So I set out to remedy that situation using a bit of knowledge I picked up years ago. Google Analytics doesn't need cookies. Over the course of 14 hours I built and tested my newest extension - System - Google Analytics (Cookie Free)

I had to be careful with certain configurations, because the goal was to achieve analytics without running afoul of the GDPR regulations concerning collection of personal data. The result has been fantastic, and I was even able to watch www.cookiebot.com scan the site for EU regulatory compliance.....how do you think I did?

Screenshot_from_20180326_121204_250x120.png

It's running on this site now and soon all of my sites. Hopefully, when it's approved in the JED, it will start appearing on sites all over the EU.