Why Upgrade At All?
We’ve been talking a lot about upgrades lately and figured this is a good time to tackle this subject. I know quite a few of us are terrified of upgrading any of our software. Most of us have good reasons – usually brought about by a nasty experience in the past.
Yet, upgrades are to be expected in any business. Particularly today, even the smallest of businesses use some kind of web ware that you need to keep current. Generally, upgrades are good from a security stand point. The older the software (especially web ware) the more prone you are to all kinds of exploitations.
Upgrades also bring you new features and fixes. The longer you wait, the harder it is to upgrade.
This is something I’ve experienced with a client. He has not updated one content management system for a long time. By the time he wanted to use the latest version, we had to do it in multiple steps. This is because there is no direct update from that very old version to the latest and there were multiple major upgrades in between.
In short, he saved by not upgrading when the upgrades were available but had to pay it all out in the end – and then some – because it took much longer and we had to do much more preparation so the site wouldn’t crash and burn.
It is OK not to jump at the latest version the minute it is released. After all, you want to maintain stability. Yet, you shouldn’t wait too far in between. Working out a upgrade schedule is probably a good thing. Be sure to evaluate the latest version in a sandbox version if possible. Make a list of all the customizations you’ve done in the past and checking against that to see if they will be affected by the upgrade.
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Lynette,
Some good points.
One other thing to be aware of with any purchased software or scripts is how long are free updates available. Some only give you one year – so be sure to take note of those dates and get the updates available before your time runs out.
Jack
Lynette,
Some good points.
One other thing to be aware of with any purchased software or scripts is how long are free updates available. Some only give you one year – so be sure to take note of those dates and get the updates available before your time runs out.
Jack
In response to Jack-what happens when your free updates run out? I don’t think you would want to stop upgrades if you are still using software even if it costs..yes? no?
In response to Jack-what happens when your free updates run out? I don’t think you would want to stop upgrades if you are still using software even if it costs..yes? no?
Hi Myrna,
Yes – I agree – if your upgrades run out you may have to purchase again, or purchase some kind of support package. But often if the upgrades are cosmetic rather than critical you can get away without for a while at least.
But you would hate to have a new version released with some great features while you still can get it for free, and forget to upgrade.
I generally try to find programs / scripts that give me lifetime updates – at least for that major version. That way I know I can have a solid program with the features I purchased.
Jack
Hi Myrna,
Yes – I agree – if your upgrades run out you may have to purchase again, or purchase some kind of support package. But often if the upgrades are cosmetic rather than critical you can get away without for a while at least.
But you would hate to have a new version released with some great features while you still can get it for free, and forget to upgrade.
I generally try to find programs / scripts that give me lifetime updates – at least for that major version. That way I know I can have a solid program with the features I purchased.
Jack
Hey all, great questions and notes. All this depends on the software and the developer of course. The case I was referencing was an open source license so there is no problem about free updates.
However, if you have purchased the script it will depend. Many developers will offer lifetime when it is a new software or they have planned some kind of support into the price.
As one who develops scripts, I don’t think it is fair to expect every script/software to be lifetime. After all, continued development costs money. *Usually* major upgrades will cost some.
I would not stop upgrading because it is no longer free. Depends a lot on what is new. If it is a feature you’ve been waiting for then why not.
In many ways this is a big reason why I prefer to have ‘hosted’ or ‘managed’ software. Would rather let others worry about upgrades, stability etc while I focus on marketing and growth.
Hey all, great questions and notes. All this depends on the software and the developer of course. The case I was referencing was an open source license so there is no problem about free updates.
However, if you have purchased the script it will depend. Many developers will offer lifetime when it is a new software or they have planned some kind of support into the price.
As one who develops scripts, I don’t think it is fair to expect every script/software to be lifetime. After all, continued development costs money. *Usually* major upgrades will cost some.
I would not stop upgrading because it is no longer free. Depends a lot on what is new. If it is a feature you’ve been waiting for then why not.
In many ways this is a big reason why I prefer to have ‘hosted’ or ‘managed’ software. Would rather let others worry about upgrades, stability etc while I focus on marketing and growth.