Dolphin U and Dolphin PRO (instead of Classic)

“What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” 
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Earlier we announced that Dolphin 7 line would be called Dolphin Classic. We have given the idea a bit more consideration and decided to call it Dolphin PRO instead. So, there will be Dolphin PRO and Dolphin U. 

Why another change? Looks like "Classic" moniker makes a lot of webmasters feel like it's something to be forgotten and depreciated, which is exact opposite of what we plan. We see a lot of potential in Dolphin PRO and even more importantly massive value in existing users and variety of Market Extensions. So, that's that - Dolphin PRO.

Now, logical question would be - what's the difference between U and PRO? Let's examine this in a bit more detail...

Dolphin PRO vs Dolphin U

It is currently impossible to migrate from Dolphin PRO to Dolphin U or from Dolphin U to Dolphin PRO automatically. These two platforms are too different. So, it is important to consider your priorities and choose the right platform for your project.

- Purpose

Dolphin PRO is for building multi-featured social networks. 

Dolphin U is for niche, focused, specialised community sites.

- Features

Dolphin PRO has tens of modules, hundreds of features, thousands of 3-rd party extensions, native mobile apps. Core platform has evolved over the course of more than 10 years and powers thousands of sites. 

Dolphin U has all-new core structure, multiple profiles support and powerful site setup system (Studio), but offers limited functionality. There are only system modules and a few front-end modules at this stage. 3-rd party extensions are in early stages of development. Front-end design is "mobile-friendly", hence no native mobile apps. 

- Other Considerations 

Dolphin PRO may better suit more "tech-savvy" web-masters. Consider huge number of features, media server, converter, mobile apps, potentially manual updates of 3rd party extensions, updates of modified core, etc. Dolphin PRO Extensions Market is largely self-regulated and requires diligent and careful research on behalf of webmaster before investing into 3rd party modules.

Dolphin U is designed to be more tightly controlled by BoonEx, with strict requirement for Extensions to be able to auto-install and auto-update. Custom modifications are highly discouraged. As a result, Dolphin U may be a lot more "hassle free", but somewhat limited. Consider your priorities and goals. 

Dolphin U is currently in "Alpha" development stage, so it's not even feature-final. Beta version is some months away and may still not guarantee stable operation. 

We see both Dolphins as equally important and hope to be able to "bridge" them sometime in the future.