I've previously written about the upcoming release of Joomla 1.6. The Joomla community is eagerly awaiting this exciting version, but it hasn't been known when we will see a working version.

Now, it seems there is a release date - at least for the Alpha version of Joomla 1.6.

Joomla 1.5 was a giant leap for Joomla-kind. And with the upcoming 1.6, Joomla users will be even more addicted to this CMS than before.

Join me as we explore some of the goodies you can expect from Joomla 1.6, and what it will mean for your site.

A common task many web site owners do regularly, is to add PDF files or other documents to their articles. In this post, you will learn how to add a link to a PDF or any other document file to a Joomla article. I will explain how you can do this using a basic Joomla installation. In a separate article, I will show you how to insert a PDF file into a Joomla article using the JCE File Manager plug-in.

One of the hot topics after the release of Joomla 1.6 was how to upgrade from version 1.5. The only viable solution at the moment is using the jUpgrade component by Matias Aguirre.

Below, I've embedded the video made by people in the Joomla project to show how to upgrade your site to 1.6.

When I recently wrote a post about the Joomla 1.6 ACL use case presentation written by Amy Stephen, I had a slight problem. When using JCE I couldn't insert the video using the JCE Media Manager.

I had to get the post out, so I did a work-around and published the post. A few days ago I got an email from Bryan Z., telling me he had the same problem. So I decided to find out how to solve it. An entry into the JCE forums - and a few hours later it was solved :)

Every month, each of the major Joomla templat>e clubs release a new template.

In this post, I take  a look at the premium business Joomla templates  released for August 2011.

There are templates from Yootheme, RocketTheme, Joomla Bamboo, JoomlArt, JoomlaShack, Shape5 and CloudAccess in this round-up. I have taken a quick look at each one, and I've gathered a few details about each one. You should be able to find something that fits your needs and style.

Every month, each of the major Joomla template clubs release a new template. In this post, I take a look at the premium business Joomla templates released for July 2011.

An interesting thing this month is that both the Joomla Bamboo Newscycle, the JoomlArt JA Bistro and the Yootheme Downtown templates use the ribbon shadow effect for their modules. Of course, they've done it in a slightly different way for each one. Apparently it's a coincidence, so it seems it's a popular design element these days.

If you're the administrator of a Joomla website with many editors and publishers, a constant challenge is to keep updated on who does what on the site.

The built-in notification features of Joomla 1.5 are not good enough as I see it.

Luckily, there are options available through third-party extensions.

He sat there, staring at the recently downloaded package of Joomla. The client brief for a new web site. Freshly printed and laying on his desk. Contract signed.

Still, he dreaded the process ahead of him. He just wanted to get started building the site. But before that, he needed to do the dirty work. Install Joomla, configure it. Install a plethora of extensions, configure them. Install the basic template he always uses as a starting point for new sites. Configure it.

As his gaze drifted out the window and over the calm waters below, he wondered what it would be like to be out there. Fishing, perhaps... A seagull screamed and yanked him out of his daydreaming.

Then he decided: No more... He decided to build something else this time. Not that particular site the client had asked for. But a starting point. A fresh start for every site he would later build.

As he fired up his FTP client, he had a satisfied smile on his lips. Taking a sip of his coffee, he wondered why he never thought of this before. There was no looking back. He just had to get this done, and he was free.

Today I'm going to talk a bit about professional support plans for Joomla. Are they something for you?

Making websites with Joomla is great fun. It's rewarding to make something yourself, right? I know it is for me!

It's great to watch a website grow from an idea into something that people enjoy every day. Something that fulfills your goals, and, if that's your goal: Something that makes you some cash.

Sometimes you need help - and now!

All this is good. However, sometimes there are too few hours in a day to solve everything. Sometimes you just need to solve something fast, and not spend hours and hours searching online to find the exact solution. Making websites with Joomla can get quite complex after a while. As a small business or organization you might not have all the skills needed yourself to solve a sudden problem.

That's when you need help from the support department, right?