Hello, I'm trying to ascertain which version of Drupal I should install.

The problem is... Am I afflicted by some kind of selective blindness or it is just that very select few bother to spell clearly which is the STABLE and which is the BETA version (not even in the home page)?

I have browsed through countless handbooks/pages/nodes/changelogs, but to no much avail.

Only by searching within support forums I've found out that 4.7.* is theoretically the beta version and 4.6.* the stable one. But yet, I'm not yet sure on which version I should choose.

There isn't even a page detailing what 4.7.* has to offer in comparison to 4.6.* (core functions, drupal-standard modules availability, and so on -- contributed modules have their page, but I don't know which modules come with the standard Drupal Install in each of the two versions)

Please make this experience a bit less frustrating for someone not really interested in digging deep into websites to get the desired info? :p

cheers, tcd

Comments

Randell-dupe’s picture

I havent had any issues with the 4.7 version so I personally would consider it stable. I have caused more issues in tweaking it. I would recommend 4.7.x simply because when you want to upgrade you will have less issues if you are on a newer version.

tcd’s picture

Ok, I'll give 4.7.x a try on a restricted-access website. This way, if something goes wrong you won't be held accountable :)

However, I still think that the guy who wrote "http://drupal.org/handbook/version-info" should be a bit less vague :), as reading and re-reading it at least thrice made me want to scratch a wall with bare fingernails...

Randell-dupe’s picture

I have a few drupal builds on restricted sites to test test test and retest for customers. The only issue I have found with this method is that you are limiting the load on the DB, so in a realtime atmosphere you will see the load and can shift accordingly. Thats about where my issues lay. know of any ways to put an artificial load on a site / server?

sepeck’s picture

Elaborate on this please. I guess I'll just add the word stable in there somewhere.

This is fairly clear

X.Y indicate the current major release version.

And the 'beta' or NOT TO BE USED stuff is covered

HEAD is the name given to the version of Drupal being worked on by developers right now. Beta or RC (Release Candidate) is the name given to soon to be released versions. These are not meant for use by regular users on production sites and should be downloaded and used only be developers very familiar with Drupal or those wishing to help find bugs in the software.

-Steven Peck
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Test site, always start with a test site.
Drupal Best Practices Guide -|- Black Mountain

-Steven Peck
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Test site, always start with a test site.
Drupal Best Practices Guide

Randell-dupe’s picture

Version 4.7.3 is the version I use. Its the latest DL and its stable enough for my uses. If you get too technical you may end up poping a blood vessle. Download it. Test it, tweak it, Test it and repeat. Any idea how heavy your site load will be?

sepeck’s picture

The page in question is how Drupal version numbers work not the current version number. It's hand updated but the downloads page is autogenerated. We had a lot more questions on how Drupal version number scheme worked before the page.

-Steven Peck
---------
Test site, always start with a test site.
Drupal Best Practices Guide -|- Black Mountain

-Steven Peck
---------
Test site, always start with a test site.
Drupal Best Practices Guide

killes@www.drop.org’s picture

Both 4.7 and 4.6 are stable versions. 4.7 is however the more recent version and therefor recommended.
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moshe weitzman’s picture

non released versions are always called 'beta' or 'release candidate'. 4.7 is fully released and stable.