Upgrade or migrate joomla 1.5 website to joomla 2.5 or to Wordpress - recommendations

[Bredbury Blue]

I am currently planning on upgrading my joomla website [ Thailand-construction.com ] . The website has over a 1500 articles and several hundred directory listings (directory uses MOSETS TREE).

I have been advised and received a quote from a webguy who is keen to do this for me that I should migrate to Wordpress, but I would have thought it better, easier, quicker, less problematic and cheaper to upgrade to joomla 2.5.

I am therefore thinking i should upgrade to Joomla 2.5.

Questions:

1. Should I upgrade my joomla 1.5 website to joomla 2.5 OR migrate my joomla 1.5 website to Wordpress – which would you recommend to me?

2. Anything Wordpress can do that Joomla can’t do and vice versa – with my personal website in mind?

3. How long should it take to upgrade to joomla 2.5 – hours?

All comments/recommendations welcome.

[MeowBundit]

Depends of what you want to achieve. IMO Joomla is a buggy system with a lot of problems regarding security. Wordpress is more stable platform.

[Bredbury Blue]

Hi Meowbundit

Thanks for your reply.

Sorry if it wasn’t clear in my original posting what I want to achieve, but let me clarify.

I am currently planning on upgrading my joomla website [ Thailand-construction.com ] because Joomla 1.5 is no longer supported.

I was therefore considering just getting someone to upgrade it to Joomla 2.5 or later – that seems a simple and cheap exercise.

I am now a bit confused as I have received advise and a quotation from someone who built the original joomla 1.5 website, that in his opinion it would be better to migrate it to Wordpress.

I am confused as it seems easier, quicker, cheaper (in my non-techie knowledge) just to upgrade from J1.5 to J2.5, and more difficult [including having to manually re-enter over 1500 articles and several hundred directory listings (directory uses MOSETS TREE) from the j1.5 site in to a new Wordpress site), slower and more expensive to migrate the J1.5 website to Wordpress.

So I guess I’m looking for advise/comments to help me with 3 things:

1. Is the advice I’m receiving to migrate to Wordpress instead of upgrade to J2.5 good advice. Or is advice to do something which not really necessary, will cost me more but will make the webguy more fee?

2. Considering my website as it is now [ Thailand-construction.com ], if I migrate to Wordpress instead of upgrade to J2.5 will I later regret it that move, will I lose any functions in Wordpress that the website currently has in joomla?

3. How long should it take to upgrade to joomla 2.5 – hours?

All comments/recommendations welcome.

[Totster]

As said previously, Joomla is not what it used to be so if it is possible I would move to wordpress. Wordpress has got loads better and moved from just a blogging platform to being able to support fully functioning and modern websites.

Wordpress also has loads of plugins, my advice would be to search for the different functions you want to use that to base your decision. Don't forget, by upgrading to a higher version of Joomla you may also loose the some of the functions you have now due to incompatibility.

Looks a real PITA - http://docs.joomla.org/J2.5:Migrating_from_Joomla_1.5_to_Joomla_2.5

totster

[KittenKong]

Migrating from J1.5 to J2.5 is easy if you dont have any old extensions or themes that aren't compatible with J2.5, and no one has hacked your core to make your site work. There are special (free and pay) Joomla extensions that will do the migration for you. At first sight the OP's site looks very simple with no special functions and so he is unlikely to have any trouble.

That said, Wordpress is much more popular than Joomla these days.

Something like this http://wordpress.org/plugins/fg-joomla-to-wordpress/ should make migration from Joomla to WP painless enough, though of course the theme (visual aspect) of the WP site would need to be adjusted/created to suit the OP's wishes. From the look of the existing site many basic free WP themes would probably suit him.

[Totster]

Migrating from J1.5 to J2.5 is easy if you dont have any old extensions or themes that aren't compatible with J2.5, and no one has hacked your core to make your site work. There are special (free and pay) Joomla extensions that will do the migration for you. At first sight the OP's site looks very simple with no special functions and so he is unlikely to have any trouble.

That said, Wordpress is much more popular than Joomla these days.

Something like this http://wordpress.org/plugins/fg-joomla-to-wordpress/ should make migration from Joomla to WP painless enough, though of course the theme (visual aspect) of the WP site would need to be adjusted/created to suit the OP's wishes. From the look of the existing site many basic free WP themes would probably suit him.

Nice link, I am going to try it on a couple of old Joomla sites I have.

totster

[2008bangkok]

I'm not event sure it's possible to migrate from joomla to Wordpress is it? But if you can then do it as wordpress is a lot better, easy to use, great plugins, stable v joomcrap

[Totster]

I'm not event sure it's possible to migrate from joomla to Wordpress is it? But if you can then do it as wordpress is a lot better, easy to use, great plugins, stable v joomcrap

If you follow the link in the post a couple back you will see that it is.

totster

[2008bangkok]

I'm not event sure it's possible to migrate from joomla to Wordpress is it? But if you can then do it as wordpress is a lot better, easy to use, great plugins, stable v joomcrap

If you follow the link in the post a couple back you will see that it is.

totster

Is that the link with the title?

Migrating from Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5

[Totster]

from this post..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/693648-upgrade-or-migrate-joomla-15-website-to-joomla-25-or-to-wordpress-recommendations/#entry7240583

This link

http://wordpress.org/plugins/fg-joomla-to-wordpress/

totster

[2008bangkok]

from this post..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/693648-upgrade-or-migrate-joomla-15-website-to-joomla-25-or-to-wordpress-recommendations/#entry7240583

This link

http://wordpress.org/plugins/fg-joomla-to-wordpress/

totster

Ok so basically its not possible then?

[Totster]

Ok so basically its not possible then?

I have gone ahead and reviewed the last few posts between us and have done a catch up here..

Something like this http://wordpress.org/plugins/fg-joomla-to-wordpress/ should make migration from Joomla to WP painless enough, though of course the theme (visual aspect) of the WP site would need to be adjusted/created to suit the OP's wishes. From the look of the existing site many basic free WP themes would probably suit him.

Nice link, I am going to try it on a couple of old Joomla sites I have.

This is the link in questions - Joomla to Wordpress << (hint - the name is important)

and the top line states... This plugin migrates sections, categories, posts, images, medias and tags from Joomla to WordPress

Based on what you asked, how I replied and by reading the information contained in the link from KittenKong... I think you will agree with me when I say..

It IS possible. (maybe an idea to get someone to help you though..)

totster

[2008bangkok]

I say it cannot be done and by that i mean looking at a site today with the backend being Joomla and then 1 or 2 weeks later seeing the same thing with the backend Wordpress,its all very well saying you will have to tweak the theme but the theme is the whole site, so what your really saying is that you can transfer the posts which is nothing you want the whole site

[Totster]

I say it cannot be done and by that i mean looking at a site today with the backend being Joomla and then 1 or 2 weeks later seeing the same thing with the backend Wordpress,its all very well saying you will have to tweak the theme but the theme is the whole site, so what your really saying is that you can transfer the posts which is nothing you want the whole site

Not at all, the site is the (joomla) posts, sections, categories, images, users etc.... it provides the content and structure. The theme is the easiest part IMO, especially if you want to give the website a facelift (coming from J1.5 it will need it).

totster

[David Barker]

Sorry I don't know anything of the technicalities we had 5 sites all on Joomla for 4 or 5 months last year we had nothing but problems with hackers etc. Since last July all have been on Wordpress and not a single problem other than on 2 of the sites the IT guy told me we had been attacked but they (whoever they are) didn't get through the security. So personally I would go Wordpress even if it costs you more initially.

[AyG]

Though WordPress positions itself as a fully-fledged content management system (CMS), in my opinion it isn't. Before committing to moving to it make sure you know how to (in no particular order):

- add a rotating banner ad

- distinguish between featured listings and other listings, and how to combine them in a single list

- maintain advertisements on right hand side of page

- page within categories (e.g. "Construction News")

- allow third parties to add listings and maintain a consistent format

- specify sequence of listings

None of this is impossible - and some of it isn't particularly difficult. However, if you're dependent upon third party plug-ins with no guarantee of future support and customising PHP scripts (which may be overwritten on upgrade, or be incompatible with future versions) you could run into trouble.

You are also probably going to be very dependent upon the use of "tags" which are free text fields, so difficult to keep consistent. A small typing error will completely mess things up.

In my opinion, WordPress is not a particularly good fit to what you're trying to do.

[KittenKong]

Though WordPress positions itself as a fully-fledged content management system (CMS), in my opinion it isn't. Before committing to moving to it make sure you know how to (in no particular order):

- add a rotating banner ad

- distinguish between featured listings and other listings, and how to combine them in a single list

- maintain advertisements on right hand side of page

- page within categories (e.g. "Construction News")

- allow third parties to add listings and maintain a consistent format

- specify sequence of listings

None of this is impossible - and some of it isn't particularly difficult.

I would say that all of that is easy enough to achieve in WP, without any cost. The OP might also want to consider using a pay theme designed along those lines which should make it even easier.

I think WP is just as suitable for the OP's needs as any other CMS would be. Yes, like all CMSs it requires a bit of effort and knowledge but this can be farmed out to some IT support bloke if the OP doesnt want to be bothered with it himself.

[Bredbury Blue]

Just to add that I am not techie enough to do either the upgrade to joomla 2.5 or migrate to Wordpress, I would be paying for my webguy to do that service.

I do not know how the webguy intends 'migrating' to WordPress, and whether he will use any software or programme to migrate (as that's up to him how he does it), but I do know that he intends to have a staff member manually data transfer all the articles and directory listings from j1.5 website to new WordPress website.

While I thank everyone for their comments, I'm not sure anybody has specifically addressed my 3 questions. Anybody?

Edited January 4, 2014 by Bredbury Blue

[Totster]

Just to add that I am not techie enough to do either the upgrade to joomla 2.5 or migrate to Wordpress, I would be paying for my webguy to do that service.

I do not know how the webguy intends 'migrating' to WordPress, and whether he will use any software or programme to migrate (as that's up to him how he does it), but I do know that he intends to have a staff member manually data transfer all the articles and directory listings from j1.5 website to new WordPress website.

While I thank everyone for their comments, I'm not sure anybody has specifically addressed my 3 questions. Anybody?

1 - I would recommend migration

2 - Any good developer will be able to overcome any obstacles with migrating, including making sure that your site continues to function as it did before, either using plugins or other means

3 - It can depend on the site, is the template still compatible, are the plugins still compatible, will the upgrade produce any DB errors..there are a number of variables which can affect the time it will take. If you intend to upgrade, get a fixed price that you are happy with.

totster

[AyG]

OK, to answer your three questions

1. All the most popular CMS systems are similar in functionality; there's little to be gained by changing system. There's no compelling reason I can see to move to WordPress. Upgrading Joomla will be quicker, easier. I suspect IT guy is just trying to make more work (and money) for himself - or is simply in love with WordPress (it happens - particularly with people with a blog background).

2. All your current functionality can be achieved in WordPress - however it will take a certain amount of effort and customisation to achieve.

3. Upgrading Joomla can take as little as an hour, provided that all the modules you use in 1.x are available and working in 2.x. However, if there are issues it can take a few days.

If you do decide to migrate to WordPress, will you be paying your IT guy on a fixed price basis or time & materials? If the latter, you may be heading for a nasty surprise, and if the former, the guy might quit part way through. It's definitely not a trivial migration.

[Totster]

1. All the most popular CMS systems are similar in functionality; there's little to be gained by changing system. There's no compelling reason I can see to move to WordPress. Upgrading Joomla will be quicker, easier. I suspect IT guy is just trying to make more work (and money) for himself - or is simply in love with WordPress (it happens - particularly with people with a blog background).

A few years ago I would have agreed with you, however Joomla is not what it used to be, getting off it to another platform (I say Wordpress is the best choice at present) is a good idea.

totster

[2008bangkok]

The one good think about wordpress it's easy to import and export meaning you can build on a test site then when it's ready import onto the main site

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MeowBundit]

Just to be sure - Joomla become unstable from release to release. You can't upgrade to 3.x easily, for example. A lot of older sites simply broken after any Joomla update.

In the same situation I help friends to move from 1.5 to 2.5 just to avoid hacking. This is not so difficult. Anyway, this is not enough and next step will be to migrate to WP. But this "migrate" means data, anything else like functionality and visual look must be re-created from scratch.

Edited January 4, 2014 by MeowBundit

[Bredbury Blue]

Hi

Well as you probably guessed I’m not too keen on the idea of migrating to Wordpress, as upgrading my Joomla 1.5.23 version website [ thailand-construction.com ] to a Joomla 2.5 (or later Joomla version) seems like a cheaper, better, quicker, safer way to go – once Joomla 2.5 has been running successfully for a short while then maybe later I will upgrade to J3.2 or so.

Would anybody out there, who is familiar with upgrading Joomla, fancy quoting to me for doing this job?

If so send me a message and I can send you a list of all current site Components/Extensions/Plug-ins that will need upgrading to be compatible with the Joomla upgrade.

The main components to be considered which are currently used are: Mosets Hot Property 1.0.1 for the Job Directory and Mosets Tree 2.1.5 for the Listings Directory [ thailand-construction.com/directory.html ].

Cheers.

[Totster]

Just had a quick look at Mosets Hot Property and it's no longer being developed or sold. I am not able to determine if the version you are using is compatible with J1.5, it could be very outdated and vulnerable to attack, and will not run natively on J1.5. They do however suggest mosets tree as a replacement (but all the information from HP will have to be manually transferred). There is just an example of the issues you can face with the upgrade.

totster

p.s Just noticed there is an import tool that comes with the latest version of Mosets Tree which will import data from HP

[zebrafilm]

Surprised about all the Joomla bashing here. We have hundreds of sites running fine. But of course you need to keep them up to date like Wordpress. Most clients we have find Joomla easier to use than WP... We don't allow J1.5 on our servers anymore and monitor all websites. Never have hacked sites. But if all clients that upgraded the THai were always the last.

Anyway consider upgrading to Joomla 2.5 or 3.2. 2.5 will be updated to 3.5 this summer and it might be easier to use this momentum to prepare for that.

You will need to redo the templates (but your current one is very simple) and check the components/module/plugins. All content, users etc can be quickly migrated,

You can always PM for advice or help.

Bastiaan

[draftvader]

Wordpress fanboys remind me of Mac fanboys. Wordpress is awesome, so is Joomla. Basing your opinion on a version number of a piece of software is not the best way to provide an unbiased opinion. There have been plenty of exploits found for WP too, otherwise they wouldn't have to update regularly. I can remember reading about mass WP site exploitations in the past and I am sure I will again. I have seen them with my years with Joomla! too. For what its worth Joomla! 3 is looking VERY good and 3.5 should be truly awesome. Both systems will have extensions that stop being supported over time, such is OS development. Basically put, use either system and the following rules:

Back up, update, back up, update, back up, update, repeat ad infinitum

(even better if your hosting service runs a regular back-up service for you, mine is every 12 hours and held for 30 days....lovely)

[draftvader]

Forgot to add a VERY important rule for ALL website (particularly CMS based) builds.

Limit the amount of 3rd party add-ons (extensions, plug-ins, whatever they're called in your environment) if you plan to keep the site alive long-term. For example in Joomla you can happily & safely (and are recommended to) use K2. This has been around nearly as long as Joomla, has a massive user base, is supported by a professional, profitable company (they sell other extensions) and are deeply embedded in the Joomla! development process. You know that for every Joomla update you will see a K2 update if needed. On the other hand you might choose a rarely used 3rd party add-on only to discover it failing at the next update.

This is true of ALL CMS so remember to keep it simple and use add-ons with pedigree.

Also remember to limit and document any hacks that you need to use and put them on your check-list for each update.

[Whale]

I migrated the wildlifethailand site from 1.5 to 2.5 about a year ago - it was not easy!

Disabling the plugins and doing the migration itself took 3 attempts and was then left with a host of small issues I had to manually resolve later. Replacing 1.5 plugins with 2.5s was a step by step process. With the amount of articles you have it may not be a simple or cheap process. Took me weeks to get everything properly running again. I do find joomla much less constrained than wordpress though and easier to customize BUT updates in WP are no brainers. I have used Wordpress for later sites I have established - less conflicts to deal with.

[draftvader]

I migrated the wildlifethailand site from 1.5 to 2.5 about a year ago - it was not easy!

Disabling the plugins and doing the migration itself took 3 attempts and was then left with a host of small issues I had to manually resolve later. Replacing 1.5 plugins with 2.5s was a step by step process. With the amount of articles you have it may not be a simple or cheap process. Took me weeks to get everything properly running again. I do find joomla much less constrained than wordpress though and easier to customize BUT updates in WP are no brainers. I have used Wordpress for later sites I have established - less conflicts to deal with.

I won't disagree that 1.5 to 2.5 was a headache. This is possibly the biggest reason for migration from Joomla to WP. From 2.5 Joomla promises to be a simpler upgrade path between versions. Indeed it is a button press from 2.5 to 3.2. HOWEVER as with all CMS you need to check your add-ons before you do that. The 3.2 framework looks like it should allow for more growth within the existing extension structure. This should help ease this perennial CMS issue for Joomla users.