Open Source Priority #1: One Click Updates
Before I begin, let me note that this is not a complaint. I don’t know where I’d be without the open source community and I’m truly thankful to them for all the work they put into making the world a better place.
I don’t know about you, but my #1 request to the open source community is to develop a standard for one click updates. Far and away, the biggest vulnerability on the web is the widespread use of various open source platforms (e.g. WordPress, Drupal, PHPNuke) and the huge targets they present to would-be hackers, spammers and other trouble makers.
The need to constantly update open source software to prevent abuse by kiddie scripts and whatnot has really turned into a drag on productivity (most notably because of the sequence of updates from 2.5-2.7 in WordPress).
The updates are necessary, since widely used Open Source are always in the cross-hairs of hackers. Given the fact that updates will always be with us, wouldn’t it be wise to put the update process as priority #1 on the list of development features? My understanding is that some webhosts provide this feature, but it would be spectacular if a uniform platform could be developed for one-click upgrades to various software packages.
Anyway, I hope this doesn’t come off in the wrong way. It’s just been on my mind for a long time and I wanted to help spread the meme in the hopes that it catches on.
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You make a great point there. I wish the update process got a bit more attention sometimes as well, but wordpress isn’t THAT bad.