In reply to Otto.

Why so small? WordPress powers 30% of the entire web, 2 million sites is nothing.

I see the massive issues auto-updating can present, but I also see another side to the story. WordPress has a bad reputation among a lot of people, outside of the bubble many WordPress developers live in. People find it clunky, people find it a massive security risk, and people find it lacking capability. These perceptions are not my own (I love WordPress), they’re my observations of opinions from others.

That said, putting an end to the massive number of issues revolving around outdated sites and plugins is a must, it’s killing the reputation for the rest of us, which holds us back compared to where we could be. If someone specifically opted out of updates, good for them, leave them be, but if someone set up the site, and doesn’t even remember how to get to their Dashboard to maintain their simple site, too bad, you get updated, for the sake of the rest of us. To me, it’s like car insurance – you don’t get to drive without it. I’ve never needed mine, but I also can’t just claim that and be a liability on the road.

It might not be fair to everyone, and there are certainly non-tech people who will have issues, but a hit now for a better future is worth it compared to where we’re heading.