Why do folk not upgrade?

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beatme101
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Post by beatme101 »

PokerTony wrote: I did read that. But it doesn't change the fact that those updates can cause a mod to quit working as it should. So if my forum is modded and functioning the way I want it to function... And I make continual backups for just in case something bad was to happen... Why would it matter if I update or not?

Naturally if there turned out to be a huge security issue then I might attempt to upgrade. But at this time I don't see the importance of it.


I have about 20 MODs on my forum, and I update at every version. Are you saying you do not see any problems in letting a hacker take over your forum and upload some scripts to your web host that make the host server do whatever the hacker wants, such as sending out millions of spam emails to some unfortunate and unwanting victims? Or even a script for a DOS attack?
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Post by PokerTony »

beatme101 wrote:
PokerTony wrote:I did read that. But it doesn't change the fact that those updates can cause a mod to quit working as it should. So if my forum is modded and functioning the way I want it to function... And I make continual backups for just in case something bad was to happen... Why would it matter if I update or not?

Naturally if there turned out to be a huge security issue then I might attempt to upgrade. But at this time I don't see the importance of it.


I have about 20 MODs on my forum, and I update at every version. Are you saying you do not see any problems in letting a hacker take over your forum and upload some scripts to your web host that make the host server do whatever the hacker wants, such as sending out millions of spam emails to some unfortunate and unwanting victims? Or even a script for a DOS attack?


I guess that's what I'm saying. I simply can't live in constant fear of someone hacking my site.
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Post by Jim_UK »

PokerTony wrote: Naturally if there turned out to be a huge security issue then I might attempt to upgrade. But at this time I don't see the importance of it.


Nearly every update is as a result of a security issue.


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Post by Vorlin »

Upgrading software is an integral part of maintaining a box that runs as intended. I've been using phpBB for years now and I've never NOT updated it when a patch is released or a new major version is available. There's no real excusable reason, IMHO, to not do it as it's generally because it incorporates security fixes, new features, etc. That, and it lowers the number of "Hey, why is this broken, I'm on (version 2 releases behind/etc)"...
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Post by rick` »

Speaking of upgrading, I'm a version behind again. I've only seem the notice about 40 times since it got release, and I keep putting it off. Probably doesn't help that I've got half a dozen undocumented changes to code to auto-ban people depending on what they try to do on register and such.
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Post by Jochser1 »

For me, I didn't upgrade for a while out of laziness and fear of busting the forum. But eventually I fell three versions behind, and started to feel uncomfortable with that. So I decided to upgrade. And, yes, it was the b*tch of a job that I thought it would be. I honestly think much better instructions need to be given for upgrading a board with MODs or other code alterations.

Anyway, me and my co-admin cursed, but we got the board upgraded from 2.0.18 to 2.0.21 eventually ;p

---
Brooke220
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2 QUESTIONS

Post by Brooke220 »

(1) If I upgrade will I lose all of current posts?

(2) How do I keep all new registrants hidden until they're approved?


Thanks in advance for all help.
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Re: 2 QUESTIONS

Post by drathbun »

Brooke220 wrote: (1) If I upgrade will I lose all of current posts?

(2) How do I keep all new registrants hidden until they're approved?

Your question should go into the support forum, not here. Thanks.
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webcritters
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Post by webcritters »

come to think of it, if I would have to reinstall all the mods that would be a pain in the butt. is there a way to fully secure your forum without updating the phpbb code?
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Post by beatme101 »

webcritters wrote: come to think of it, if I would have to reinstall all the mods that would be a pain in the butt. is there a way to fully secure your forum without updating the phpbb code?

beatme101 wrote:
PokerTony wrote:I currently have my board modded and working just the way I want. Why would I update and mess it all up? I make a complete backup of my forum every two days. So if I get hacked I can just reload everything.

beatme101 wrote: You do not have to redo all of your mods after each update. Use the code changes package on the downloads page, if you are more than one version behind then update one version at a time via the mods on this page.


You're supposed to read the other posts in a thread before replying to it.


Most of the changes in the updates are security fixes. There have only been one or two new features added to phpBB 2.0.x since the release of phpBB 2.0.
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Post by DougSr »

Some of us that have forums have had them installed by people who have not helped us in the ways we expected and have no time. Lame excuse I know but that is my rationalization.
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Post by webcritters »

beatme101 wrote:
webcritters wrote:come to think of it, if I would have to reinstall all the mods that would be a pain in the butt. is there a way to fully secure your forum without updating the phpbb code?

beatme101 wrote:
PokerTony wrote:I currently have my board modded and working just the way I want. Why would I update and mess it all up? I make a complete backup of my forum every two days. So if I get hacked I can just reload everything.

beatme101 wrote: You do not have to redo all of your mods after each update. Use the code changes package on the downloads page, if you are more than one version behind then update one version at a time via the mods on this page.


You're supposed to read the other posts in a thread before replying to it.


Most of the changes in the updates are security fixes. There have only been one or two new features added to phpBB 2.0.x since the release of phpBB 2.0.


i think phpbb is awesome but is phpbb more susceptible to hacks than other forums such a vbulletin. Just wish the coders can find a way to make phpbb bullet proof 8)
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beatme101
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Post by beatme101 »

webcritters wrote: i think phpbb is awesome but is phpbb more susceptible to hacks than other forums such a vbulletin. Just wish the coders can find a way to make phpbb bullet proof 8)


Other forums such as vbulletin suffer hacks too, however phpBB probably gets more because it is by far the most popular forum software out there, and there are too many people who inexplicably leave their forum out of date.
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Re: Why do folk not upgrade?

Post by Arglwydd »

I think that a lot of it has to do with not appreciating the risks. I had my phpBB board for a year or so before I found out that having an out-of-date version was actually a security risk. I never really thought carefully about why the updates were released, but I guess I kind of assumed they were just making performance improvements, rather than fixing actual problems or security breaches. The only reason that I kept my board up-to-date in all that time is because I apparently inherited my father's obsessive compulsive disorder, and I take a sordid pleasure in updating the board and watching the little red message saying it's out of date, turn into the green everything is perfect. It's the same sort of pleasure that I get when I have one of my moments and decide to line up all the shoes in neat rows, ordered first by colour, and then size, but in a symmetrical system of starting in the centre and working out in either direction, rather than a sliding scale of big to small. Anyway, in IT my OCD seems to have served me well. I've got to say, though I think people not upgrading may be down to people being ignorant of either the risks, or how simple it really is, I don't think it necessarily means people are stupid or lazy. There are plenty of reasons why people might get behind in this, in the same way that you might get behind with your schoolwork, might not always lock your car when you're just nipping across the road, etc. People often don't think about the risks they're taking until they're forced to by something going wrong.
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Re: Why do folk not upgrade?

Post by Sylver Cheetah 53 »

For this reasons:
> The user panel is very hard to use, and the users loose a lot of time just for setting an avatar or something.
> The Admin Panel also very messy. It has a lot of tabs, so untill you manage banning someone, that person keep posting. I don't see any reason of having so many tabs.
> Not enough styles, untill now. We have like 6-7 skins, and the majority of people just uses proSilver or subSilver, so all the boards look the same.
> The profile icons are displeyd wrong. They appear under the avatar, and not under the signature. Many people like using large avatars, so all looks ugly.
> The email notification are very hard to use. You have like 3 links there. The first one is obligating you to log in (can't understand why :x), the second one takes you to the first page of the topic, so you'll have to find out on your own where the new reply is, and the thirs is only for unsubscriving.
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