2.8 is evil

Yes, you can go back to 2.7. I did it and all is finally well with my blog now.

Follow the instructions here:

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Upgrading_WordPress

Where it says upgrade to the latest version, don’t click that. Click here to get the 2.7 files in the Release Archives:

https://www.ads-software.com/download/release-archive/

Hope this helps!

Right. Thanks. I did make a backup before I upgraded, but given the time to restore, I think I will probably leave it for now. Had you noticed that problem I am having regarding Word documents?

Thanks, mondolizzie. I think I am going to leave mine with 2.8 unless I start having other problems. I really don’t want to mess with it now, but if I have to, I know where to look!

Had you noticed that problem I am having regarding Word documents?

There have always been problems with copying/pasting from Word documents…sometimes it works, other times it will completely destroy the layout, push the sidebar to the bottom, etc. This isn’t limited to WP…Word has some really ugly html that can cause all kinds of problems in web apps. The general advice is to copy from Word, past into something like notepad, then copy the plain text from there into WP and reformat.

Just curious if anyone has found that WP has released any type of ‘Official’ comment regarding 2.8. There seems to be a ‘head in the sand’ approach from WP. I know it’s still a little early since the initial release, but I would think something should have been said/announced by now. Thanks.

Help!! I upgraded two of my blogs one was fine (the one I had a back up of -lol) the other -I got this message Fatal error: Call to undefined function: _weak_escape() in /home/makin36/public_html/blog/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 487 – it says it upgraded fine- then every where I click I get that message. says it when you load my site too!! AHHHH-wish I hadn’t upgraded!! Any suggestions? I can’t get into to anything to reload the 2.71?

@onnaholl: If you didn’t disable your plugins before upgrading, then try that first. See below for how to do it when you can’t login:

https://educhalk.org/blog/?p=38

If that doesn’t help, then you may need to reupload the source code manually.

Elsewhere on t’internet it says that the weak_escape issue is caused by an out of date version of the redirect plugin. So either update or remove that plugin and you should be sweet.

MichaelH writes:

Next update, it might be wiser for users with lots of plugin installed, to read and follow Upgrading WordPress instead of doing the automatic upgrade.

Well, next update, it might be wiser for Automattic to not release an upgrade with such destructive capacity that it can delete directories of files OUTSIDE a WordPress installation. How could a user anticipate that?

P.S. Advice that sounds a lot like RTFM does not make someone whose Website has been deleted feel any better.

I am laughing as I read these because I too am beyond frustrated. I can only agree on so many of the items above.

1. Disable the automatic upgrade immediately.
2. Send out a notice to warn people about the issues.
3. Automate a reverse back for 2.7.
4. Don’t assume we should have to disable every plugin prior to upgrading since nothing else seems to work this way or at least in future put that on the instructions with the Upgrade button so we know to do this before pressing this button.
5. Have a link next to this button re: any plugin problems.

I have had widget problems, dashboard is completely now broken, image load does not work, etc.

I have tried ftp’ing my site to previous version and it is a disaster now. I am asking them again to restore back. Last restore still had a 2.8 version (they only normally go back 3 days) but now I am asking if there is any way to look for a system backup beyond that day hoping to get to the 2.7 version. I can’t attempt the manual upgrade suggested again as it completely broke my system.

I concur this should never have been released like this.

Darlene

To moderators: Why not sticky post this link so folks have quick access to previous versions without driving you guys nuts? What’s the big deal about reverting back to 2.7.1 ? Did everyone forget how to FTP files ?

https://www.ads-software.com/download/release-archive/

Its clear this is not one of the WP team’s finest moments. I am sure there are some lessons being learned that should translate into a better testing protocol for future releases leveraging the super user population first that run a large number of the most common plugins. I suspect this does occur but it can’t be very large sampling. Not with this level of pain in the user community !!

I’m not part of WordPress, just a 3rd party hacker, but even so I think a couple of points should be made…

1. WordPress Codex says, “deactivate plugins before upgrading” (https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Upgrading_WordPress) and people who don’t are really asking for trouble. Plugins are mini-applications that hook into WordPress and either change or build on WordPress core functionality. It is only logical that when the underlying core code changes then plugins can cause problems.

2. WordPress tells everyone to take backups before upgrading. These backups are important as many things can go wrong with an upgrade – even things that are outside of WordPress itself. Restoring from backup is relatively easy, as long as the backups exist.

3. WordPress, like all open source projects, relies on its community to test code. WP 2.8 had beta releases and a release candidate before it was finally released. Most of the issues that were raised during the testing phase were fixed before WordPress 2.8 was released but obviously everyone uses different server setups with different versions of PHP and MySQL so the few people who did test could not test on all platforms.

Which brings me to my final point – if everyone was prepared to test the beta’s and release candidates and provide feedback to the developers, a lot of these problems would not occur.

Even opening or adding to tickets on the tracker is helpful. https://core.trac.www.ads-software.com/

All open source depends on users to feed information back to the developers. I share the frustration of everyone in this thread (perhaps even more frustration since I spent time testing the betas and RC1, with no problems until I put this onto live blogs) but, really, venting in the forum doesn’t help. If we report the issues in the tracker and they don’t get fixed, THEN we really have grounds for complaint ??

I upgraded from 2.7.1 or so, I was a bit nervous but did everything manually by the book and it worked perfect. Well happy with 2.8

David

I’m stunned by how many people are making such fundamental errors.

Seems simple enough.

1. Read upgrade support docs.
2. Back up all files and database.
3. Turn off all plugins.
4. Run upgrade.

Alternatively.

1. Do not read support docs.
2. Do not back up files and database.
3. Leave all plugins turned on.
4. Screw up completely.
5. Blame everything except the user.

Analogy.

1. Go to gun store.
2. Buy gun and bullets.
3. Shoot self in foot.
4. Blame the gun.
5. Ball and cry and the gun store owner.

@elpie:

I agree with much of what you said, but let me make a couple counter-points ??

1. WordPress Codex says, “deactivate plugins before upgrading”

That is very true and it should be done. BUT, failure to disable a plugins should not, for example, result in a person’s Joomla site being deleted…their WordPress site being broken, okay, but no reasonable person would expect virtually everything in their public_html directory to be wiped clean due to a wordpress upgrade.

2. WordPress tells everyone to take backups before upgrading.

That is true, but this advice doesn’t assume you need to backup your entire webhosting account before upgrading WordPress. How many people here really backup their entire hosting account (other than their normal backups) before upgrading WordPress? I don’t. When I upgrade a WP install (for myself or a client) I backup the WP source code and the WP database…it never occurred to me that during a WP upgrade, I could completely wipe out my (or a clients) entire public_html directory content. That’s the disturbing part here…not that the upgrade could destroy WP (your backup should allow you to recover from that), but that a WP upgrade (if what is being reported is fact) could wipe out all content in your public_html directory.

Again, I think this reported problem deserves some sort of “official” comment.

PS…Either way I (still) love WordPress and think it’s by the far best blogging software (free or commercial) our there ??