Upgrade is needlessly difficult

waleon: backups and uploading files are easy. if you can figure out how to post on an internet forum, then the aforementioned should be no problem.

if you’re so concerned with your ability with doing such things (you seriously spent 2 hours installing wordpress? thats incredible), then i HIGHLY doubt you’d be able to play around with movable type.

I do not want to rub it in but SSH and svn really is the bees knees and it cuts out a lot of futzing. Oh – and A Small Orange absolutely rock. ??

I concur .. on both observations, root.

I have to say as far as paid hosting goes, ASO is the best I’ve ever had.

And you get to feel like a cool dude at ASO as well ??

nolageek wrote: 6. Copy /wordpress-old/wp-content to /wordpress-new

One problem with this is that sometimes the default templates and plugins are upgraded. If you are always overwriting the new install with the old wp-content directory, you will never get these updates.

I do agree a bit with the OP, upgrading is a pain. WordPress is worth it, but it does require some careful planning… particularly if you have plugins and themes that you are relying on.

I am watching the current dynamics around the upgrade path from 2.2.x to 2.3 and already know it is going to cause me some problems, particularly with my current tag management system.

Yes that copy wp-content thing kind of overlooks plugins.

The upgrade process is indeed not the best, however this objection to it is a bit silly:

With this method, users risk overwriting modified files

Well, yeah, you’re upgrading. If you have modified files, then there’s *no* way to upgrade them on any kind of automatic level. Solution: Avoid modifying core files whenever possible.

As for the rest: If you’re running your own website, then I’m sorry, but yes, you should be expected to know some technical stuff. Running a website is a technical thing. Do you complain to auto manufacturers that you don’t know how to fix your car?

Here’s the thing: Running a website and running the content of a site are two different things. You don’t need to know technical stuff to post on a blog. You DO need to know technical stuff to run a website with your own hosting and everything else. If all you want is to post on a blog and you want to pay somebody else to maintain it, then do that. Why did you buy your own hosting? Why not find somebody who will manage your website for you and will leave running the blog content to you?

WordPress.com offers just that service, in fact. You can set up a site, get your own domain name, etc, etc. No technical knowledge needed.

Solution: Avoid modifying core files whenever possible.

I find it humorously ironic that we are told not to modify the files of an open source project. What’s next, WordPress shipped only in encrypted binaries?

Sure, modifying core files is not preferable, but there’s absolutely no reason to make users risk overwriting customized files if the upgrade in concern didn’t even modify the file!

If you’re running your own website, then I’m sorry, but yes, you should be expected to know some technical stuff.

That’s exactly the elitist attitude that frustrates users and sends them to Microsoft. Do not add excess complexity to products, especially when it’s so easy to deliver a simpler method ala Gallery2.

If all you want is to post on a blog and you want to pay somebody else to maintain it, then do that. Why did you buy your own hosting? Why not find somebody who will manage your website for you and will leave running the blog content to you?

Thanks for validating the open source model and making newbies feel so welcome. Obtuseness and opaqueness rule!!

Now that everyone has had a turn at each other, let’s either switch to civility or call it a finished thread.

no-ones taken a shot at me yet…whats the hurry? ??

I find it humorously ironic that we are told not to modify the files of an open source project. What’s next, WordPress shipped only in encrypted binaries?

If you’re working with a modified version, then you cannot be expected for the development team to take your unknown modifications into consideration. This has nothing to do with it being open source or not, if you want support, you’re not going to get much of it if you’re running something entirely different than that which is supported.

Sure, modifying core files is not preferable, but there’s absolutely no reason to make users risk overwriting customized files if the upgrade in concern didn’t even modify the file!

No file is an island. Changes in one place will have effects elsewhere. This is one program, not a collection of loosely interrelated ones.

That’s exactly the elitist attitude that frustrates users and sends them to Microsoft. Do not add excess complexity to products, especially when it’s so easy to deliver a simpler method ala Gallery2.

“Sends them to Microsoft”? Are you serious? This is not a war between “us” and “them”. Microsoft offers perfectly legitimate services as well. And yes, if you can’t deal with technical stuff, then yes, you might want to turn to Microsoft products instead.

There’s a reason people get paid to be IT Professionals, and thinking that any person off the street can walk up and do the things that people like myself do every day without having to actually learn something is, frankly, insulting.

I’m sorry, but life is full of things you don’t understand. Learn, or don’t, but don’t complain that life shouldn’t be that way. I have spent a lot of time in my life to know what I know and to do what I do and yes, I even get paid to do it. And yes, suggesting that that doesn’t or shouldn’t require technical knowledge is ridiculously stupid. It is not elitist to say that one should have technical knowledge to do technical things.

Deal with it.

Thanks for validating the open source model and making newbies feel so welcome. Obtuseness and opaqueness rule!!

Open source brings with it the choice to use as is or to hack it.
Nothing opaque about it. If you hadn’t hacked you would have a smoother upgrade. Can’t have it both ways. You could just diff of course……..

And if someone could hack Windows and then tried to upgrade it I wonder how it would go ??

Uhmmmm… I don’t get it, what’s so hard about it?

download the upgrade

fire up smartftp

extract to local drive

go into the directory of the update

select files and subdirectories.

upload to \username\public_html, when it asks you if you want to overwrite, click yes and check the box for yes to all

upload new version

enable plug ins and your done…

what’s so hard about that?

Just thought I’d say, when I modify a core file the very first thing I do is save the new/modified file as filenameEDITED.php. Then I upload that versions, as well as the modified file that’s to overwrite the original. Then, when I upgrade, I already have a copy of my modified files there. All I have to do is rename it to again overwrite the original.

Alternatively, instead of modifying original files, you can just create a plugin. You can easily modify the original code by copying the WP functions and renaming the function to something dedicated to *you*. Modify away then activate it as a plugin. No touching core files, no worries about ugrades messing up your shiny new code.

Either way works very well, and doesn’t take much time at all.

ThePopulist wrote: enable plug ins and your done…

This is fine for a basic install with basic plugins. However, if you are any kind of a poweruser, then an upgrade could possibly be more than just uploading new files because the new version may just break something. AFAIK, this is why they are maintaining a version 2.0 branch of WordPress for Debian of something of the sort.