Does it hurt to update a lot more often?
AI-generated summary
The discussion revolves around how often to update Discourse, with users sharing best practices and considerations. hello-smile6 initially asks whether updating more frequently than twice a month (as suggested by Sam Saffron) is harmful. Ed_S advises against frequent updates, noting that while breaking changes are rare, they do occur — recommending waiting a day or two after a release, checking forums for reported issues, and updating during weekday afternoons (preferably UK/EU time) to ensure support is available if problems arise. hello-smile6 confirms Wednesday afternoon as a suitable time, which Ed_S supports based on global team availability. merefield adds that users of Pavilion plugins should consult the Plugin Status Dashboard to verify compatibility, noting that the tests-passed branch is continuously updated and rebuilt every 24 hours. Jonathan5 asks about delays between Meta announcements and dashboard updates, and merefield clarifies there’s no intentional lag — it’s a live feed. Jonathan5 then asks whether to wait 24 hours before upgrading a specific plugin (Custom Wizard), to which merefield replies: if the dashboard shows compatibility, upgrade immediately — no waiting is needed.
It is now after April 2023, should that be updated?
I wouldn’t. Once in a while the update will have something broken about it (even though it has passed tests.) My approach is to wait for a day or two, check these forums for bugs or support issues, then update on a weekday afternoon. I pick the time, because if there is a problem, I hope to see a fix pretty soon. Updating in the middle of the night on the weekend would be more risky.
It’s not often that the latest is broken, and it’s generally fixed quickly, but - in my view - there’s no need to amplify the risk by updating more often or at bad times.
So Wednesday at about this time would be a good time to update?
I use afternoon in UK or EU time, on the grounds that the US is also awake at that time, or will be soon.
If you use any Pavilion plugins it’s worth checking our Plugin Status Dashboard for current compatibility in the event theres been a breaking change from core.
That’s cool. Is there a delay between a new test-passed branch being announced here on Meta and it being the tests-passed branch mentioned on your dashboard?
tests-passed is a continuous stream of merges.
Our canary servers (one for tests-passed and one for stable) rebuild every 24 hours.
Let’s say I use the Custom Wizard plugin and am on 3.1.0.beta6. Would I be able to use the form to decide whether to upgrade to 3.1.0.beta8? Should I leave 24 hours after the upgrade announcement on Meta?
No. If it says compatible just do it.