Given the importance of keeping software — especially software connected to the Internet — then it is vitally important to reduce friction for upgrading.
WordPress, for example, has made upgrades potentially completely automated, without an admin needing to be around, for the core software, plugins, and themes. I have zero doubt that this has resulted in a greater number of websites being on later, more secure versions of the software than there would be otherwise. iOS and Android likewise make updates a pretty silky-smooth experience.
phpBB still requiring users to go through a multi-step upgrade process that involves downloading one of several possible packages, potentially deleting specific files from said package, uploading it all, visiting the right URL afterward, and then returning to FTP again to delete a directory. There are several potential points of failure there, no matter how easy it seems to those of us with experience doing this sort of thing. Every step is a point of friction, a point of potential failure that could keep users from upgrading in timely manners.
An automatic upgrade system (that also automatically throws the board into a "be right back, maintenance in progress" screen) would be a very welcome addition. Its absence certainly dates the software!
WordPress, for example, has made upgrades potentially completely automated, without an admin needing to be around, for the core software, plugins, and themes. I have zero doubt that this has resulted in a greater number of websites being on later, more secure versions of the software than there would be otherwise. iOS and Android likewise make updates a pretty silky-smooth experience.
phpBB still requiring users to go through a multi-step upgrade process that involves downloading one of several possible packages, potentially deleting specific files from said package, uploading it all, visiting the right URL afterward, and then returning to FTP again to delete a directory. There are several potential points of failure there, no matter how easy it seems to those of us with experience doing this sort of thing. Every step is a point of friction, a point of potential failure that could keep users from upgrading in timely manners.
An automatic upgrade system (that also automatically throws the board into a "be right back, maintenance in progress" screen) would be a very welcome addition. Its absence certainly dates the software!
Statistics: Posted by romans1423 — Wed Feb 28, 2024 5:07 am