Anybody knows when is going to be released the next Moodle Long Term Support version ?
I've read in some posts that Moodle 3.0 will be LTS, but is there any official announcemnt that affirms it ?
Thanks
Hello,
Here's a post from Martin mentioning that 3.0 is planned to be a LTS release: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=313040#p1253584.
As far as I know, it's not mentioned elsewhere yet.
Thanks, It's not official but taking account of who wrote the post, it's very possible.
Hi,
After lots of discussion about LTS, i've read that finally it has been announced in Minnesota Moot that Moodle 3.1 will be LTS (not 3.0).
Can we have an official confirmation of that here?
Thanks,
Séverin
Séverin, Not official, but pretty reliable.
If you want to know anything about Moodle, the best place to look is http://www.MoodleNews.com. This post says next LTR=-3.1 as you say . . .
I'd be very surprised if this was wrong, even if it is an unattributed quote.
See also https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=317969
-Derek
Derek, that was quoted from Martin during his keynote. I don't recall if that bit made it into the other videos of his Moodle keynotes for 2015
I saw 3.1 on Martin's keynote slide at MootUS15. I *think*
So ultimately half of the suggestion make by Michael Milette "Re: HEADS UP: Moodle 2.9 and minor versions coming next week" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=313040#p1255676 has come true. (I am surprised that Helen is not aware of this development.)
Let's pray for the other half: "However, I would also like to see the bug fix support period extended to at least 18 months, preferably 24 months. 12 months just isn't enough time to report issues and have them fixed within the same version of Moodle".
Let's pray for the other half: "However, I would also like to see the bug fix support period extended to at least 18 months, preferably 24 months. 12 months just isn't enough time to report issues and have them fixed within the same version of Moodle".
I confirm that the next LTS will be Moodle 3.1
Not so confident about the one after the next yet, we might raise another topic closer to the day.
Interesting that our statistics shows that even though 2.7 is a LTS version, the number of 2.6 or 2.8 registrations is much bigger. I have a question for participants in this discussion - why is LTS so important for you?
Hi Marina
You wrote:
> I confirm that the next LTS will be Moodle 3.1
That was to be expected. An LTS every two years would have been somewhat exaggerated.
> Not so confident about the one after the next yet, we might raise another topic closer to the day.
Any follow up to this https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=313040#p1254801 in "Re: HEADS UP: Moodle 2.9 and minor versions coming next week"?
> Interesting that our statistics shows that even though 2.7 is a LTS version, the number of 2.6 or 2.8 registrations is much bigger.
a) Came at short notice and "advertised" late. https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-3324
b) With bug fixes supported like any other release (12 mon) 2.7 was not a real LTS, a MLTS (Moodle Long Term Support) rather. "Re: 2.7 Long-term support" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=317910#p1274651.
> I have a question for participants in this discussion - why is LTS so important for you?
The question surprises me. I will try my best: Moodle is being used in a wide spectrum of scenarios. From the casual (desktop) user installing the Moodle package for Windows like any other Windows (click) application to test/develop a Moodle course for himself to a big university with ten of thousands or more users with dedicated IT departments, typically Unix, to the "enterprise" with their huge, usually Windows, infrastructure. To make a long story short, for some, mostly form the first category, the latest is the shyniest. And usually there are very few (one? enthusiastic) users in the setup, who tolerate the learning/repairing experience. In other setups, typically from the second category, there are users of many levels - managers, department heads, academics, IT departments, ... - changes have to be well planned to keep the pain/refusal/rebellion of those users to a minimum, if possible to none. You may be surprised to hear, there is something called staging, which means changes to the production environment goes through many stages of test environments, I have worked in a three-level staging (in addition to the production). For these people, there is not only Moodle, but a whole stack of system software (operating system and its modules, webserver, database server, PHP, various caching mechanisms, ...) and software of other (server) applications. These are the typical candidates for a LTS.
I don't know how the "enterprise" ticks. May be somebody would add that.
You wrote:
> I confirm that the next LTS will be Moodle 3.1
That was to be expected. An LTS every two years would have been somewhat exaggerated.
> Not so confident about the one after the next yet, we might raise another topic closer to the day.
Any follow up to this https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=313040#p1254801 in "Re: HEADS UP: Moodle 2.9 and minor versions coming next week"?
> Interesting that our statistics shows that even though 2.7 is a LTS version, the number of 2.6 or 2.8 registrations is much bigger.
a) Came at short notice and "advertised" late. https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-3324
b) With bug fixes supported like any other release (12 mon) 2.7 was not a real LTS, a MLTS (Moodle Long Term Support) rather. "Re: 2.7 Long-term support" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=317910#p1274651.
> I have a question for participants in this discussion - why is LTS so important for you?
The question surprises me. I will try my best: Moodle is being used in a wide spectrum of scenarios. From the casual (desktop) user installing the Moodle package for Windows like any other Windows (click) application to test/develop a Moodle course for himself to a big university with ten of thousands or more users with dedicated IT departments, typically Unix, to the "enterprise" with their huge, usually Windows, infrastructure. To make a long story short, for some, mostly form the first category, the latest is the shyniest. And usually there are very few (one? enthusiastic) users in the setup, who tolerate the learning/repairing experience. In other setups, typically from the second category, there are users of many levels - managers, department heads, academics, IT departments, ... - changes have to be well planned to keep the pain/refusal/rebellion of those users to a minimum, if possible to none. You may be surprised to hear, there is something called staging, which means changes to the production environment goes through many stages of test environments, I have worked in a three-level staging (in addition to the production). For these people, there is not only Moodle, but a whole stack of system software (operating system and its modules, webserver, database server, PHP, various caching mechanisms, ...) and software of other (server) applications. These are the typical candidates for a LTS.
I don't know how the "enterprise" ticks. May be somebody would add that.
Moodle 3.1 LTS will also mean extended support for security and data loss issues, exactly like 2.7 is. LTS is designed for people who absolutely do not find it possible to upgrade to the next major version often enough (which is only needed once a year) to keep their sites secure. It is not meant to encourage people to upgrade less often than they would normally do. I hope you understand our intentions.
Why did you ask then? You should have just expressed your intentions and I wouldn't have wasted my time!
Visvanath, to me it looks like what you described, and what Marina replied with, are the same thing.
Large organisations want stability, and bigger gaps between upgrades. A Moodle LTS provides that, with some compromises of course. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hi Chris
Yes, a real LTS would provide that. The problem is that the Moodle LTS is not a useful LTS.
Read:
===
b) With bug fixes supported like any other release (12 mon) 2.7 was not a real LTS, a MLTS (Moodle Long Term Support) rather. "Re: 2.7 Long-term support" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=317910#p1274651.
=== https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=315301#p1279034 ===
Yes, a real LTS would provide that. The problem is that the Moodle LTS is not a useful LTS.
Read:
===
b) With bug fixes supported like any other release (12 mon) 2.7 was not a real LTS, a MLTS (Moodle Long Term Support) rather. "Re: 2.7 Long-term support" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=317910#p1274651.
=== https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=315301#p1279034 ===
Since my tree has been rattled in this discussion ... my 2 cents ...
Think the following page shows how some folks familiar with operating systems terminology might be confused about the use of the term "Long Term Support" (LTS):
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS
Ubuntu LTS = 5 years. **ALL** fixes and security updates.
Moodle's LTS for 2.7 is extended support for security and data loss issues
which translated means no fixes for general bugs past a certain date.
But doesn't 'data loss' mean a bug? So those types of 'bugs' get fixed, other bugs do not.
Most users - not large implementations - may not be able to distinguish between 'data loss bugs' and a 'bug'. If the 'bug' relates to loosing grades, then it's data loss and thus a fix should be pursued and supplied under the definition of Moodle's LTS.
Am not saying that an LTS isn't desired ... it is ... even K12 entities NEED LTS (IMHO). Speaking from experience, attempted to get K12 entities to 2.7 as quickly as I could, but due to changes in themes entity decision was to wait until the end of their academic year. So by the time they got there, security fixes only - no fixes for bugs. :\ May as well go to 2.8 ... which isn't LTS.
So the bottom line ... read the fine print!!!! If you can find the 'fine print'!
'spirit of sharing', Ken
Hi Marina
> Not so confident about the one after the next yet, we might raise another topic closer to the day.
Thanks for this important clarification. The Twitter post here sounds a bit different ("every 2 years a Long Term Release"). So it is not clear yet that Moodle 3.5 will be a LTS-version?
> Interesting that our statistics shows that even though 2.7 is a LTS version, the number of 2.6 or 2.8 registrations is much bigger.
Up to Moodle 2.7, the registration behind proxies does not work (fix has been provided for 2.8).> I have a question for participants in this discussion - why is LTS so important for you?
Even if the update is nowadays working well, it still causes a lot of work in our institution:- updating/seting up testservers, copy /moodledata and the DB to the testserver (with more than 6000 courses and more than one TB of files, this takes a long time)
- Test "typical" courses (testing a few hundred courses takes a lot of work) and fix the issues that are found
- update our Moodle theme
- update all our instructions/presentations
- Inform our lecturers
- trying to get all additional plugins running (they cause a lot of work with every update --> the core is NOT the problem, you guys at the Moodle HQ do a great job)
If we have the work only once every two years, we save a lot of time...
Maybe other users have more arguments for LTS-releases....
Cheers,
Samuel
We like LTS releases because every upgrade is a major effort for us. Past upgrades we had to redo our custom format and plugins. Of course we also have to update our theme. It requires our full team of developers working throughout the entire summer to get the upgrade ready.
Having a LTS now lets us upgrade every other year so we have time to do other projects during the summer.