In 2018 we did a massive community funded update to the SWAT Portal.
Details about this can be found here: Important! Pls read
A week ago the software we run this community on got a major update which in theory would require to purchase new licenses and do another major upgrade progress.
Well, I like to share my thoughts about the situation with you.
I have a test version of the new software running and the new features are certainly very interesting. I am going to give access to that test version to the Portal staff members so they can try it out later.
Despite the new features and the ability to cover the costs for such an upgrade (we still have leftover funds from the 2018 upgrade) I don't think that we should do such an upgrade now.
The software we currently use is very reliable and runs perfectly smooth and bug free. This won't change until 2023 because until then our current software will be compatible with modern web standards.
With other words, there is currently no pressure to do an upgrade.
Another reason why I would wait is the fact that new software never is bug free. It certainly will take months until everything runs smooth on the new software version.
However, the main reason why I don't want to upgrade now is the fact that we currently use many addition features that are based on free but also paid plugins. Only a few of them are compatible with the new Portal software and it for sure will take a good amount of time for the plugin creators to release updates and/or re-release plugins which are compatible.
Maybe in a few months or a year the situation will look different and the upgrade makes sense then. But right now we have no reason to push for an upgrade that actually is not needed atm.
The benefits atm do not justify the potential risks.
We will have to do such an upgrade eventually but we are not pressured to do it anytime soon. And like I said earlier... the costs of such an upgrade are already covered with the leftover money from 2018.
If you have different opinions on this matter or if you think we need certain changes/improvements in specific areas some feedback would be nice.