Thread: Latest version

How often do you check for a new version if you are running a software on your website? For example, at WBB I am always looking for updates from VBulletin and also VBSEO and applying them as soon as they are released to make sure we are always up to date. How frequently do you check?

Not that often anymore as most of my sites are custom built rather than based on an open source CMS. One thing I do though is check the change log and this goes for mobile phone apps, a plugin, js framework etc. Reading the changelog and user reviews is extremely important.

Take for example about 4 months ago Twitter updated it's iPhone / iTouch app. They added an advert/trending bar that became known as the #dickbar and loads of people hated it. After reading the reviews I decided not to update and sure enough about two weeks later Twitter released an update with it removed due to the complaints. When you update it's impossible to downgrade(without jailbreaking) on an iPhone so I always take care to read the reviews.

Same for scripts. If it's a few useless features I won't bother but if it's a security update I will.

Usually I'm also not a big fan of 3rd party scripts, but when I use one I'll sign up for a newsletter that would allow me to know when a new release is available. Then I'm checking the changelog for the new release and if security patches are applied, then I'm having the core of the application updated (usually when you are not a big fan of this type of scripts, you are using them for something else, applying your own changes - and the update of the application core may require to have the customizations re-done).

Not as often as I probably do. I check every now and and then. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

My forum provider isn't like PHP and others. They don't have new versions that come up every so often. If they ever update to a newer version, it'll be to every single forum at the same time, and it'll be a massive collection of updates.