Questions Concerning ExpressionEngine 2.0 Compatibility

We have gotten a few third party developers asking about compatibility of their current Add-Ons with ExpressionEngine 2.0, so I am going to answer some of your questions as completely as I can at this point in time.

Will there be a Developer preview of ExpressionEngine 2.0 before the final release?

Yes, this is something we intend to do so as to allow developers the time they need to make their Add-Ons 2.0 compatible.

When?

When it is ready.  We cannot realistically give you anything until we are satisfied that the new underlying architecture is stable.

Will my current Add-Ons work with ExpressionEngine 2.0 without being updated?

No.  A decision was reached this past spring, and there is simply no way to make the changes we need and still allow backwards compatibility with Add-Ons created for the 1.x branch.  And before you ask, these changes are definitely necessary.  ExpressionEngine, as it exists now, is based off code design decisions we made four years ago.  We have gained a great deal of experience in the past four years, and if ExpressionEngine is to continue on for another four years, then the foundation on which it is built needs to be improved and updated.  This is the first time we have broken backwards compatibility in a serious manner, and we are doing it in one fell swoop so that you, hopefully, only have to update your Add-Ons once.

::panic::  How much coding will I have to redo?

Tough question.  Our architecture changes are not finished yet, but currently all of our First Party modules are working in 2.0 and those took less than a week to convert.  We’re not done yet, so expect that time to increase.  I would definitely not panic though.  If you have coded up a module or plugin, converting them to work in 2.0 should be a relative breeze.  If anything, we have actually made some changes that should make developing Add-Ons faster and easier when all is said and done.

Will you provide a list of changes and a guide to converting our Add-Ons to 2.0?

Of course.

Any hint at what changes are being made in ExpressionEngine 2.0?

Right now, no, but I have given Leslie Camacho a few suggestions on when we might start releasing morsels of information in the coming year.

You seem tired, Paul.  Is there anything we can do?

Zzzzzzz....