[wp-hackers] wordpress auto update

[Eric Mann]

>
> Thats my small idea in those days when many software is going thiss way
> (chrome, firefox...). :)


Actually, Firefox has quite a large footprint when it comes to downloading
updates.  But the way Chrome updates in the background is fantastic.  I've
always been a fan, and I love the idea of continuously keeping my website
up-to-date (which is why I run bleeding edge nightlies in production).

I've got a hunch that this wouldn't be feasible/likely to happen in the
> near future, due to plugin compatibility issues.


This is a fair argument against the idea and one of the most valid I've
heard so far.  Considering the standard process of updating is to deactivate
plugins, update WordPress, then re-activate plugins and fix any problems
that come up, it would become problematic to script.  Say WP 3.X installs
just fine, but Awesome Plugin 2000 wasn't updated to use a new API and
breaks on re-activation.  Do you just leave the plugin alone and alert the
site owner?  Do you roll back the entire update and alert the site owner?
 If any kind of continuous update process is considered, this is something
that needs to be addressed.

This is a little harder than one might think..
> For example, users who rely on FTP Upgrades would need to store their FTP credentials
> somewhere WordPress could access them, not a good move IMO.


This is already something they need to consider for automated theme/plugin
installation and the one-click updater.  Either you store credentials in
wp-config.php or manually enter them every time.  Not the best argument.

It's not something I expect you'll see in core anytime soon


Doesn't need to be in core from the beginning.  I would love to see this as
a plugin, so those of us who like to "live on the edge" could use it to
break our sites.  Really, anyone who's using `svn up` on a cron is
essentially already doing this anyway.  It's just a matter of making that
possible for people who have no idea what my last sentence meant.  Not every
WordPress user, beta tester, or fanatic is a version control wizard.  Any
many people using inexpensive shared hosting can't run command line tools or
cron jobs like that anyway.

But yeah, have my wp sites complain through email until I either update or
> tell them to stop.


If you follow any of the core team on Twitter, subscribe to any major
WordPress blogs, or ever visit the WordPress Stack Exchange, you're going to
be nagged from several directions until you update.  The idea of building a
continuous release system into WordPress is so that you don't *need* to go
to the dashboard to update.

~Eric