[wp-hackers] Richer metadata for plugin versions

[Steve Taylor]

> (Please, can everyone NOT post pointless "NO! Never add auto-update
> functions to WordPress" posts to keep the list quiet? you can voice
> your opinions later down the line when/if it's ever implemented in
> core at that time.. )

I posted a reasoned discussion of this, I haven't seen loads of
others. Certainly no stream of mindless ones that would prompt this
kind of response.

Maybe I missed these somehow, but I'm not comfortable with the logic
here. "Don't argue against new core features until they're
implemented"? Where's the forum where we do argue against them before
they're implemented? Or does the WP community have zero say in the
direction of WordPress, even when it comes to features that will
drastically affect developers' working lives?

I'm not trying to start any kind of irate meta-discussion - this seems
like a pretty crucial general issue and I'm genuinely curious to know
what the ground rules are here.

As to the feature itself, the automated upgrade of plugins, your own
"the list goes on" catalogue of reasons why it's not been implemented
yet pretty much sums up why it's a terrible idea. I can't see anything
like it in http://wordpress.org/extend/ideas/, so it's obviously not
in demand. Why the suggestion that it might be slipped in any time
soon in a top-down fashion?

It would naturally need disabling on all live sites, because, as has
been reiterated here a few times, updates should always be implemented
and tested on staging environments first. Which again flags it as a
no-brainer to never consider as a core feature idea. I mean, WP core
updates are much more important, but they're not automated. There's
maybe a stronger case for that - but even then, let's not mention
Chrome etc. We're talking about millions of live, customized websites,
not a desktop app. We need to test on staging first, according to our
own varying schedules.

Maybe a few people want their updates automated. Sounds like a cue for
a plugin to me :)

Steve