Drupal 8 - beta release around the corner

22 September 2014

On Friday 19th September the last Drupal 8 beta blocker issue was fixed and we are now looking forward to the beta being released.

What is a beta?

xjm (Jess) wrote the following on her article Today there are zero Drupal 8 beta blockers! Here's what's next.

Betas are good testing targets for developers and site builders who are comfortable reporting (and where possible, fixing) their own bugs, and who are prepared to rebuild their test sites from scratch if necessary. Beta releases are not recommended for non-technical users, nor for production websites.

See Dries' original announcement about the beta for more information on the beta and the criteria for beta blockers. The explanation of the Drupal 8 release management tags explains the differences between critical beta blockers and other issues impacted by the beta phase.

When will the beta be released?

If no new issues are found by 28 September the beta will be launched shortly afterwards, which will be perfect timing for DrupalCon Amsterdam starting on the 29th. We hope to congratulate those that helped to make this a reality and buy them a drink there, although with 234 contributors we may find that a little tricky!

We are excited as we will finally be able to start playing with the awesome new features that come with the new version of Drupal and be confident that there won't be any big architectural changes. Although it is not recommended for non-technical users or production websites until there is a full release which could be in October.

When will Drupal 8 be released?

When all of the Drupal 8 remaining critical issues have been fixed there will a release shortly afterwards. Some say this is likely to be in early April 2015.

Join me in thanking and congratulating everyone involved

Websites already using Drupal 8 alpha (don't try this at home)

Amazee Labs new website was launched in April and Drupal.com was launched about 3 weeks ago.

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