Don't Update Wordpress!
Pete Semple
Being Up To Date Feels So Good
But I tend to enjoy as a delayed gratification. Have you seen the yellow bar at the top of your WP Dashboard announcing the latest version of WordPress is available?
Do you love to push the Update button and watch as the software downloads the files and puts them in place? Do you get a nice, tidy, "up to date" feeling when you see the message that your updates are completed? Me too! But I'm a total nerdlinger like that.
Resist The Temptation
But over time and through a few frustrating experiences I've learned to resist the temptation to push the New Version of Wordpress "Please update now" link when it first appears in my admin area. Why? Because when the newest version of comes out the changes and updates to the code will have not been tested with all the plugins. Errors and breaks will begin to appear over time as the plugins do their thing and run into new changes to the updated WordPress code.
It's All About The Plugins
It doesn't happen with every update and every plugin of course, but in our experience we found it helpful to wait at least a couple days or even a week or two to update to the latest version for major updates (when 3.x goes to 4.0, for example) to be sure plugin developers have time to learn if their plugins were effected and to release a new version.
I know, it's hard, they make that update now link is so clickable. It's like, who knows what wonders await us in the newest, latest, greatest version of WordPress ever?
Exception - the minor updates (those in the third placeholder - 3.4.these updates) often contain security updates and are minor in nature. Therefore they are important to update wtihin a day or two and are unlikely to have major effects on plugins anyway.
Was This News To You? Or Do You Disagree?
But our advice is to have a little patience because having to turn off a useful plugin as you wait for an update can be a real bummer or worse it can temporary bring down your site until you isolate the plugin causing the problem.
Is this a practice you follow too? Have you had good luck updating as soon as possible? Or let me know if feel that the opposite is true and that it's vital to update right away in the comment section below.