WordPress v4: software and sycophants

Yesterday WordPress 4.0 was announced and available for download. I’ve been using WordPress since before v2.0, so I know this major update is a pretty big deal to the world’s most popular blogging and CMS platform. That “big deal” is the subject of my forthcoming rant. Please be warned, this post contains some salacious language, though not from me.

When I saw the announcement, I jumped to upgrade to WordPress 4.0. So there’s no confusion, Atlanta Tech Blogs is a WordPress web site. As of this writing, I’m on v3.9.2, and while there are a few little things that annoy me about this version of WordPress, I have no real complaints. I like it. I’ve used WordPress since 2009, when, again, we were working pre version 2.0. But when I began the process of upgrading to v4, several things happened. Here they are, in order.

1. I couldn’t upgrade. Everytime I tried I got a fatal error. Could be WordPress. Could be my WordPress installation. Could be my server. Could be something else. Could be me. Usually is. As of this writing, I still don’t know.

2. My web host (Godaddy) recommended against the upgrade, saying that v4.0 is crashing WordPress installations. I called to get some help, being pretty sure I was doing something wrong. I usually do, so I wanted to rule that out first. The tech support rep was very helpful, but ended up simply recommending that I wait to upgrade until all the kinks had been worked out of WordPress v4.0, kinda like anytime there’s a major update to Windows, you always wait until (at least) SP2 to upgrade. OK, no worries. As I mentioned above, I’m pretty happy with v3.9.2.

3. I tweeted, a bit snarkily, about my newly found frustration.

4. I got hammered, both for using Godaddy as a web host (really? we have web host snobs now?!?) and for daring to say anything negative about WordPress 4.0. Sacre bleue.

OK. Interesting. So first, from a fairly influential tweeter, it must be Godaddy’s fault. Then from someone else, I’m a liar and I must be silenced for daring to say anything negative about the “great occurrence.” Here’s where I go off on software and those who are sycophantic in their support either the event of a major upgrade or the major upgrade version of software itself. Two points, for clarity:

1. Software is never, ever complete. It’s never done. Never. Yes, ok, we all have celebrated more than one major upgrade in our tech startup lives, as either the publisher or the customer of said upgrade. It’s a really, really fun and important and stressful and proud moment in time…for about an hour or so. Until the first previously unknown bug is found and reported. I do not mean at all to make light of the upgrade to v4. It really IS a big deal.
2. Software always has bugs. Even WordPress 4.0 has bugs today, and will have more, else they would have called it “the last version of WordPress because it’s perfect.” But they didn’t call it that, did they? It’s v4.0 because there will be a 4.01, a 4.1, and eventually a v5, because software is never, ever done. A “great occurrence”? It’s a major upgrade, ok, but a “great occurrence”? As I replied to the second tweet above…

So while I’ve been excoriated for daring to say anything negative about the great event (or the software itself…not sure which it actually is), I’m still a big fan of WordPress. I’m just awaiting the resolution of my particular issue that is currently preventing me from upgrading.

For my readers, you’ve heard it said many, many times that humble leaders are most effective. Well, the same applies to us and our software. Software is nobody’s eternal salvation nor earthly panacea. It’s software, and it will have bugs, be upgraded, and eventually be replaced. So we take the hour and celebrate the milestone of the upgrade, and then get back to work addressing the bugs that your customers reported.