The cPanel version on our servers is updated to the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version every June or July. This year's update in 2024 includes the following additions and updates:
• SiteJet Builder. With the Sitejet Builder plugin, you can create and design a web site directly in your web browser for your domain. (Available by request.)
• CalDAV/CardDAV support deprecated. cPanel has ended CalDAV/CardDAV support after this year. Since most people now manage their contacts on their mobile devices and in the cloud or local email software, the CalDAV/CardDAV contact and scheduling service is rarely used. The cPanel developers have decided to drop support for it. On the outside chance you use CalDAV/CardDAV, make sure to transition your contacts and calendars to a more modernized system before next June.
• PHP Default Version Changes. If you have a really old hosting account, your PHP version may be set to PHP 5.6 as the default. (This shouldn't affect any customers set up over the past few years, it would only be a factor for much older hosting accounts.) The new default PHP version will be PHP 7.4 initially, and then PHP 8.2 in the near future. If your account is already manually set to use any version of PHP 7 or PHP 8, there are no changes, everything should remain the same for you. (If you are running WordPress then you are surely already running PHP 7 or 8, unless your WordPress has not been updated in years, which is a security issue.) However, if you have old applications using PHP and your account is set to inherit the "default" version of PHP, then this will update to PHP 7.4 and you may find old applications are experiencing issues. If you need to still run old PHP 5.6, you can manually set your hosting account to use PHP 5.6 so you don't inherit the new default version. (Our servers provide a security-hardened version of PHP 5.6 and 7+ even though they are officially End-Of-Life.)
• Manage Teams / Roles. cPanel has launched a new feature which allows account owners to set up additional logins to their cPanel area, with access to only certain features such as Email or FTP. This is useful if you need to give out access to a web developer but don't want them to have full access to everything. You will find a link to manage Teams and Roles inside of your cPanel.
• Roundcube (WebMail) "Larry" theme deprecated. It's still available now, but the "Larry" theme/layout for Roundcube webmail will be gone next year. Sadly, the developers of this webmail theme no longer support it, and cPanel has dropped support and inclusion of the Larry theme within webmail. This is a disappointing loss, as we know many older webmail users prefer the simpler older theme, even though the newer theme works better in mobile devices. If you use the Larry webmail theme and are disappointed to see it go, please drop us a note and let us know you prefer Larry. Our developers might be able to still install it somewhere next year, and/or, we will help petition cPanel developers to either support Larry or make their own supported webmail theme which offers similar layout as Larry. On a related note, this issue emphasizes the notion that WebMail is really only intended to be a quick and temporary way to access email, it's not necessarily intended for permanent daily usage even though you can use it that way. We highly recommend using regular email software instead of webmail as a primary means of managing email. Thunderbird from Mozilla is our team's recommendation for the best free email software, and it is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Naturally there are also email software options included in Microsoft (Outlook) and Apple (Mail) operating systems.
Monday, July 29, 2024
