Updating from 1.0.2

First and foremost, a healthy thanks for WordPress! The interface/etc. seems much more elegant than MT… I’m hoping that it will be easier to customize as well! : )
I just installed 1.0.2 a couple of days ago, and managed to import the few entries that I had from a Moveable Type weblog I’d recently set up. In trying to find ways to customize things, I’m realizing that it seems 1.2 is the way to go (with it’s plug-in’s and all..). I’m using a Mac running Panther, and using a combination of Safari/IE/Mozilla/Firefox as my browsers. In trying to figure out how to update to 1.2 I ran into a few questions…
My questions are these:
1.) Is 1.2 stable enough to use with my Mac as my primary interface? 1.0.2 seems pretty stable and I’d stick with it, but it seems that all of the cool hacks and plug-ins that I’m seeing are written for 1.2 My goal is to really personalize the site as much as possible with Pictures/RSS Newsfeeds/What I’m listening to now/ type of stuff….
2.) How do I go about updating? I’ve backed-up my MYSQL database using the threads here (remind me to read to the end of the post before dl’ing a hack…I installed 3 or 4 of the wrong ones before I realized I wasn’t at the most recent!). What I can’t seem to figure out is where to put the new 1.2 folder so that I can run the upgrade script. I dont’ want to mess up the 1.0.2 site that I do have running in trying to update. My knowledge of all this stuff is not totally basic (I know how to set permissions using FTP, read and follow a readme.txt, cut and paste code into php files, things like that….) but I’m no code-jockey.
I know there are probably really simple answers to these questions, but doing a search for “upgrade 1.2” didn’t yield anything on these forums.
Thanks in advance, and I hope to be posting more questions/comments as I get this sucker up and running!
Once again, thanks for WordPress! : )
My site so far is https://www.trebsworld.com/wordpress
t

i’m with you…
where do you put the 1.2 folder to do an “upgrade?”
dss

yes…
in the event that my static and sadly dull mind doesn’t intuatively grasp the instructions by osmosis, it would, indeed, be a reasonable request of me to peruse the instructions provided.
somehow i feel stunted, and odd at the version number at the top of the readme.html, and can go no further…
yes, yes…
i simply backed up my old version (downloaded it to the desktop via ftp)
backed up the database (using phpmyadmin)
then bravely overwrote all the files…
next, i ran the upgrade script… really, only one step.
then i went to my browser and deleted all wp cookies from my own domain
cleared the cache
restarted the browser (just to be extra sure)
i logged in
i reloaded my wp-layout.css
all is well, upgrade complete.
and blessings to you for providing those life jackets.
[/ banging my head against the table]
dss

I think there may be different ways .. up until just very recently, I was just over-writing and deleting nothing from the server.
Then when looking into folders, I realised that I had older – and redundant due to changed WP structure – files just sitting there, so when I upped to the 1.2e version, I deleted everything like above.
The wee bit of hassle comes about when replacing all the tags – such as using wp-grins / waypath / index changes – but it gets quicker ??
Backing everything up is a Good Thing though – all it takes is one small mistake to lose some work (hence my habit of deleting wp-layout.css after the unzip).

There are a number of things you should watch out for, especially if your 1.0.2 installation was heavily hacked:
1) Some hacks may break even with my-hack.php backward compatability enabled.
2) Some tags have changed as well, so watch out.
3) I had a problem with wp-comments.php, just copy the new header and everything should work.

Thanks everyone for their replys…I think I may have the guts to try the upgrade…Seems easy enough. I’m just wondering is it worth it? Meaning is it stable enough with enough new usable perks to make it worth the trouble, especially if I’m eventually going to go thru all of this again once it get’s out of beta stage?
Also, you’ll notice that I discovered how to alter my CSS! (DL’d a template from Alex Kings site…). Yay! Sure, it’s still someone elses template, but those sure are groovy colors! I figure I’ll eventually work out how to customize even further, but for now…
thanks again, all!
t.
https://www.trebsworld.com/wordpress