Drupal 7 Beta 3 - Quick Review

Yesterday the third beta of Drupal 7 was released. While many had expected it to be the first release candidate due to that the number of critical Drupal 7 bugs at the same time reached 0, that didn't happen. I have taken a quick look at the new beta version and below you can read my initial experiences.

103 Issues Fixed

No less than 103 issues have been fixed since beta 2. Among those numerous upgrade path problems and accessibility issues have been fixed. As mentioned all known critical bugs where also fixed before beta 3 was rolled out. You can read more about this in webchick's announcement of the new release.

Upgrade Works

I have upgraded several of the websites I am working on from both beta 1 and 2. So far I haven't noticed any problems with either the upgrade process or the modules I am have enabled. There have also been several reports on Twitter from users saying they have updated Drupal 6 sites to the new beta without hiccups.

There are still some issues in the tracker on d.o about upgrade problems, but generally speaking it seems like it is almost there now. Considering how big of an upgrade Drupal 7 is, with tons of API changes and new features, compared to Drupal 6 I can only applaud the core developers for the fantastic work they done with this.

When will the Release Candidate come?

As I mentioned in my ZERO Critical Bugs, but No Drupal 7 RC - Why? post yesterday, there are very compelling reasons why the RC is still some time away. Shortly after beta 3 webchick posted Hey, MAINTAINERS.txt, we need your help! on her site, urging core developers to look through their issues to find any remaining critical bugs.

Well, now criticals are back, 12 of them in fact. Sure, we hate to see them returning, but this is actually good. Drupal is known for its high quality when it comes to code, functionality and almost everything else (well, maybe not being easy to use for beginners, but that's another story). Therefore, finding 12 remaining critical bugs in less than a day is only proof how seriously our community is taking this.

The total number of bugs yesterday was 516, today its 494 so there are actually 22 bugs less now. And then I'm sure a few new issues have been filed as well.

Conclusion

Beta 3 is one step closer to what we all wait for, the official release of Drupal 7. Upgrading is working well. The community is busier than ever squashing bugs and getting it out as soon as possible. There is definitely much more activity among module developers getting their projects ready for the launch.

I also have the feeling that more and more people are now starting to fiddle around with it, or even starting to build real sites with it.

All-in-all, the pulse is raising in the community and its a really fun place to be in.

What is your experiences with Drupal 7? Please use the comment section to let me know.

Related links:

• Drupal 7 Core project page
• Official Drupal 7 Beta 3 announcement