Embracing version updates
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, version updates are a natural and necessary part of the journey. While they may initially seem scary, they are often easier than you may think; armed with sufficient knowledge about the technology and previous experience with similar updates, one can navigate these transitions with confidence.
Status
We are still contacted about really old PHP, Symfony and Yii projects. Their problem is that the update gets more and more difficult as time passes and new versions come out (that is why we offer a service to keep versions up-to-date all the time).
But every version update represents a step forward in the evolution of a technology: developers continuously strive to enhance features, improve security, and optimize performance. Acknowledging this fundamental purpose should push the change, as updates are essentially aimed at improving users experience.
Requirements
The most effective ways to ease concerns about version updates are knowledge about the technology and familiarity with the update process.
We’ve updated tons of projects and infrastructure, each time with documented and repeatable steps. Once you’ve successfully navigated version updates in the past, you can draw upon that experience and be better prepared for the issues you meet.
Tools
Before diving into a version update it’s advisable to set up a testing environment. This is always a good idea but it comes especially handy during updates to assess compatibility and identify potential issues.
We do that all the time: being able to kickoff an instance in 15 minutes is something that helps a lot as you can quickly create new, separate, safe working environments.
Results
Version updates are good for your health and your wallet. Things work better; support for latest version is cheaper and easier to find; performance and security are usually better.
Really, there is all to gain and nothing to lose in running up-to-date versions of languages and frameworks. The great words of Lorna Jane Mitchell still resonate loudly after all this years: upgrade, FFS! (*)