…for I have upgraded to version 2.3.2 of WordPress…all by myself.
Why do I consider this significant? Simple; for years I have struggled with the “famous WordPress 5-minute install.” Now, I’m fairly knowledgeable about most software matters; I’ve been playing with computers since the TRS-80 Model I, for heaven’s sake. I could run rings around that system with DOSPLUS 3.5 and Kim Watt’s Super Utility Plus. As I moved up in machines, I worked with MS-DOS (which I liked pretty much!), and even a little Unix for a time. I fiddled with files on a MicroVAX account at Clarion University, and I’ve used Windows since version 3.11 for Workgroups. So I should have no problem with simply unzipping a folder, sending the contents by FTP to the server, and turning it on.
Fine. Tell that to the *$^&$# software! Every blinking time I tried to install the thing myself, it spited me, usually claiming that it couldn’t find wp-config.php or the databases. I’d mess around, change access settings, change passwords, try again…and then throw up my hands.
Finally, I found Fantastico when I started up with my current host, Hosting Matters. Wonderful thing; one click, and WordPress was installed, the databases were set up accurately, no sweat. But, when it comes time to upgrade, ahhh there…. The Fantastico service seems terribly slow in getting around to issuing out update files to its server programs, and especially when it comes to a matter of a security update. This past upgrade to WordPress was supposed to be critical, fixing malicious access bugs. Not that I have that many spammers or Doers of Eeee-ville wanting to take over this blog; hell, I don’t have that many readers, and it’s mostly because I don’t update frequently. But I’d rather be safe than sorry.
So, every day or two, I’d log into the Control Panel in the real back end of the blog, past even the WordPress Dashboard, which you poor schlemiels will never see (evil cackle), pull up Fantastico — and be spited with a lack of message that they had received V. 2.3.2, and would I please click to backup and upgrade. Three bleedin’ weeks this went on, and no help comes to me, no cavalry appears over the ridge and up the valley. Tonight, I finally threw in the towel, gritted my fingers and crossed my teeth, downloaded the .zip package from WordPress.org, and set to it. I even made sure to backup the existing files…well, most of the existing files; I killed the root files first before backing everything else up. Once I had the directory pristine (aside from my themes and plugins), I uploaded the new files, muttered a prayer to Deity, and hit the upgrade.php page from Firefox.
AND IT LOADED!!! And I saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the (WHAP!!)
Well, you get the idea. So, if I can do this once, I can probably do this again. As WordPress is planning a major upgrade in a few months, this may be a good thing. I’ll make sure to backup completely in future, though; that last bit of security. If the upgrade scrogs, I should be able to recover. (Unless the database is corrupted [shudder].)
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Peace be to you.
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Looks good! I usually let my web hosting service install any format (Word Press) upgrades and then, I try to shoehorn a new theme in over it. But even then, it’s a major project. My last makeover is still getting tweaks, lol!
It’s usually not that here; Fantastico just takes a few clicks, then sit back and let it back up everything, delete and install, and verify that it’s working. I’d turn on the Maintenance Mode plugin beforehand to cover the convulsions, and turn it off a minute later. It’s just the blinking time factor here that frustrated me beyond endurance.
From now on, since I can finally handle it at this stage, I’ll back up the old to local, then delete and install myself, as soon as I get an announcement on the Dashboard — assuming, of course, that it’s not a major (x.0 > ) or 2nd-degree (-.x ) update. On those, I’d prefer to let someone else find the bugs (grin). But even then, a security fix at any level of development will usually have me scramble in. I remember about a year ago, when wordpress.org’s servers were cracked by some Low-down, Unnameable Son of Slime Mold, and malicious code was inserted. Matt and the rest of Automattic scrambled and got it purged and fixed fast, then issued a security update, but those were hairy times, bruddah.