I first started using Drupal at the 4.7 release. It was always a steep learning curve and matters have not improved. Now I'm at 7.33 and having upgraded from 6 I've lost all my images and galleries as well as my audio files. Yes, they're where they always were on the server but Drupal 7 will not display them. The migration module did not do the job for me.
I'm not a geek and taxonomy was bad enough, but now there's all this stuff about fields and APIs and lists and panels and other exotic elements which are just beyond me. Looking for help on the Drupal site is next to useless as I just don't have the background knowledge to make sense of what's written.
I'd love to go back to Drupal 6 but Drupal 7 database (as it now is) won't let me. Drupal 8 I will not touch with the proverbial barge-pole.
I have a blog running WordPress. When an updated version comes out all I have to do is click a link and the update happens in seconds. Same for the plugins and themes. It's all done from the admin page with no messing with server files and directories and I certainly don't lose any content. Perhaps I'd be better scrapping the Drupal site and starting again with Wordpress.
Anyone else in the same boat?
Comments
Having started with version 4
Having started with version 4.5 myself, I think it's fair to say Drupal's complexity has increased over the years.
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I would say that if your site is well suited to WordPress then build it with WordPress. It's a great CMS and much more geared toward non developers. I have done quite a few major version upgrades right from the browser and never had a problem (though I always do a full backup anyway).
Drupal comes in where WordPress leaves off, offering much more flexibility and power. But that comes at the cost of simplicity. The learning curve is high, as you said.
Performing a major version upgrade on a Drupal site is an involved task. You should have done a full back up before attempting it, that way you could revert the site to it's Drupal 6 state. It sounds like that is not an option at this point.
If you do end up moving forward with Drupal 7 then I would advise you to take a look at your contributed modules and make sure they got upgraded and if there are special instruction for upgrading them.
- Brendan
Just wanted to add that the
Just wanted to add that the following links are a good read when considering an upgrade from 6 to 7.
https://www.drupal.org/node/550152
https://www.drupal.org/node/570162
Thanks for the replies.
@bander2
Thanks for the suggestion. I do have a backup of my Drupal 6 site and have upgraded it to 6.33 (the latest release). The problem with that is the core code has not been updated to take into account the latest php versions, which means I'm getting error messages galore. I need to apply patch after patch, and the instructions relate to something called git which I access from the command line. Or I can do it manually via cPanel's file editor. The former is a no-no for me and the latter is difficult because I don't fully understand the patch code. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes i don't. Again, the geeks win over us mere mortals. Technology is supposed to make life easier, not complicate it.
@wkmit
The problem is not upgrading from 6 to 7. I've done that long since. The problem is that having upgraded I've lost what I had in the audio and image gallery modules. Drupal 7 has "media", but though the actual files are still where they always were can I get my media recognised? No!
I'm happy with Drupal as a system. I'm not happy with the discontinuity between versions.
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You had a server and a Drupal 6 site. You upgraded Drupal to 7. Then reverted to 6 and did a minor update to 6.33. It should run exactly the same on the same server. Did you upgrade PHP also?
Technology does make things easier, but it matters for whom. Drupal has made things easier and easier for the developer. I think 8 will continue to do so.
But my favorite thing about Drupal is the community, so you are still looking for help with your error(s) you should open a new thread on it.
- Brendan
Shared hosting
I'm with Webhostingpad (highly recommended, by the way) which takes care of the server software for all its users. They run the latest versions of php, MySQL etc so I've no control over that (nor would I want it).
Yes, I could still ask for help, but that's not the point. The point is Drupal is rapidly becoming - if not already is - geeks only and leaving us lesser mortals behind.
Yes, I could still ask for
I've felt as if Drupal was that way for years now. For the most part, people without coding skills can build sites with it, but to expect to be able to do everything in Drupal and never need a coder is expecting to much in my opinion. It's just too complex, and situations like this will arise, where sometimes you will need to hire someone to fix your bugs, or you will have to spend a lot of time debugging yourself.
That said, I don't think this is a bad thing. For people who aren't big coders, Wordpress is a great solution. But Drupal is more of a coder's CMS. With something as powerful and complex as Drupal, I don't see how it could not be this way.
Contact me to contract me for D7 -> D10/11 migrations.
Or anything really. I'm friendly, and open to work or conversation.