[thelist] automatic code updates with PHP

[Ray Hill]

> automatically import new updates as they are released, a
> bit like Windows XP does. Any wise stories I should hear?
> Is this a bad idea? Why isn't this ever done (I have never
> seen it)? Do developers know something I don't?

If you're talking about a hosted service where you control all of the
servers, then this shouldn't be necessary.  But if the software is located
on the user's desktop or server, trust becomes an issue.

The ability for Microsoft to automatically install whatever changes they
want to is exactly why I won't touch Windows XP without a team of exorcists
standing by.  While some companies might be very trustworthy (Norton comes
to mind), others (like MS) are much more suspect.

Also, if you make more visible changes in the way your software works, users
can get very confused and frustrated.  When I was working at WebTV and we
would do service/client upgrades, our customer service department would be
*flooded* with calls for several weeks with people trying to figure out how
to do what they could do before, and complaining that they couldn't find
anything anymore.

It's a neat idea in theory.  But in the real world it tends to be a bit more
prone to suspicion and potential confusion.

--ray