[development] RFC: letting modules phone home to check for new releases

[Darren Oh]

On Nov 21, 2006, at 10:55 PM, Earl Miles wrote:
> Darren Oh wrote:
>>> Where's the difference between "a sites that updates itself" and   
>>> "automatic upgrades"? I can't spot any.
>> Think about it. This is the process recommended in the manual:
>> 1. Select the module you want to install or upgrade.
>> 2. Download the module to your computer.
>> 3. Unpack the module.
>> 4. Start your FTP client.
>> 5. Connect to your site.
>> 6. Switch to the correct directory (whatever that is).
>> 7. Upload the module directory to your site.
>> 8. Enable the module (if installing) or run update.php (if  
>> upgrading).
>> Steps 2 through 8 would become one step. Automatic installation  
>> or  automatic upgrade seemed clear enough to me. What would you  
>> call it?
>
> For security and stability reasons it's more complex than that.

All right, then. Steps 2 through 7 could become one step.  
Administrators get a prompt when update.php needs to be run. The  
point is, what should this be called if not an automatic installation  
or upgrade? Maybe replace automatic with automated? Or scripted?

Derek's concerns about permissions could be addressed by using FTP  
rather than PHP to replace files. The point is to making things  
easier for users. The system he's designing would help administrators  
select the modules to upgrade (step 1).

Anyway, as has been said before, some system like this is inevitable  
in the future. I just hoped to dampen the negative reaction.