Not so Fantastico

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Posted by redone, 07-05-2005, 11:28 AM
Maybe its just me but is everyone's host that you resell for really out of date regarding Fantastico? I had to resolve an issue for one of my clients the other day and noticed they had installed a really old version of phpBB. Where and how? Fantastico of course! Now, I have no issue with the authors of Fantastico but the scripts on my server that holds Fantastico is so out of date. For me it raises the question why hosts allow Fantastico to get so out of date and raise potential security issues with the scripts people are installing? Is it cost? I have two reseller accounts with popular hosts and they are both pretty much out of date. I am talking about current versions of phpBB being 2.013 when the current one is 2.106!
Posted by Dan L, 07-05-2005, 11:42 AM
Why don't you ask your hosts?
Posted by jxgorhj, 07-05-2005, 12:04 PM
True, ask your host to make it a regular feature to go and update their version of fantastico; all it takes is a few clicks from the admin panel.
Posted by WindyCity, 07-05-2005, 12:46 PM
Fantastico is a very good product and they have frequent updates for the scripts. It is up to the host to stay on top of those updates just like any other script or software on their servers. You need to tell your host to update.
Posted by MudxX, 07-05-2005, 01:33 PM
Yes, My current host is also outdated. I thought it automatically updated but I guess I was wrong. Ill contact them telling them to update thanks!
Posted by Eleven2 Hosting, 07-05-2005, 05:18 PM
Fantastico does require a manual update, so this is not something automatic, you might want to ask your host to update it for you if you have any issues with the older versions.
Posted by cartika-andrew, 07-05-2005, 07:02 PM
The problem with fantastico is that there are simply too many applications to update and keep track of. H-Sphere has released a similar type of application with its latest release (v2.4.3) and I am pretty sure we will never use it. I understand why hosts offer it - heck, its a great selling feature - but - considering the nature of shared servers, it just isnt worth the potential for problems... Recent php vulnerabilities are leaving older versions of phpbb and xoops extremely vulnerable - and not only to the accounts that possess these scripts... v2.0.13 is a little outdated - but, the latest release is actually 2.0.16 - and every user of phpbb should upgrade to this version immediately in order to protect themselves from the latest exploits... We have always chosen to only support specific applications and make sure we keep our clients informed of all updates, etc - as tracking and maintaining some best of breed apps is alot easier then tracking all the apps found in these auto-installers... After that - if anyone wants to install and maintain any other app - they are more then free to do so - but, they are also expected to keep it maintained and patched... This is a really tough argument - to offer auto-installers (great selling features) or not offer them (better overall security - generally) I think Ill personally be pondering this one for awhile longer before deciding
Posted by ldcdc, 07-05-2005, 08:35 PM
That has to do a bit with your unique selling proposition. Perhaps hosts (or even the developers of solutions like Fantastico) could do more to inform the end user about the limitations of the product and the responsabilities that come with installing a script on a server. However, the whole idea behind Fantastico (and other similar solutions) is the ease of use, the fact that all it takes to have say a forum, are a few clicks. Start telling people that things are not that simple, that regular upgrades are needed, that once you install some mods automatic updates become an issue, that templates need to be installed separately, etc. and Fantastico-like products cease to be such a turn on. Is that what a good marketer wants?
Posted by redone, 07-06-2005, 09:46 AM
Okay having contacted the two companies I have reseller accounts with my thanks goto Hostgator for updating Fantastico in basically minutes! For my other account which is or shall I say "was" held at Resellerzoom they get a big thumbs down as far as I am concerned. They either don't know what they are talking about or I am crazy. First they told me it updates every 24 hours which I said well okay, but its still out of date at least regarding the server I was on. Then having replied to that they responded back with it will be updated when the authors update Fantastico. Now I am finding that hard to believe. So, not happy with the responses I received from support I am cancelling that account. Thumbs up to Hostgator though for responding quick and responding to fix the issue.
Posted by sitekeeper, 07-06-2005, 01:08 PM
Once in a while it's not the hosts fault, but slow updates coming from Fantastico. Looking at a test server with latest version is De Luxe 2.8.8 r8. Fantastico Mambo 4.5.2.1 Current Mambo 4.5.2.3 Fantastico Xoops 2.0.10 Current Xoops 2.0.13 Just a few I noticed that are out of date on the latest release of Fantastico.
Posted by net, 07-08-2005, 06:02 AM
Your host can do the auto update for Fantastico thru Cron but the problem is Fantastico is slow also for updates just like sitekeeper stated. As an example, phpBB has a new version but fantastico still has an old version of phpBB until now.
Posted by redone, 07-08-2005, 06:52 AM
To be fair resellerzoom did respond went I sent the cancellation in stating that Fantastico is current on the server but individual scripts need to be updated by Fantastico. I guess I am confused and don't really care much anymore seeing as hostgator did what I asked in minutes regarding updates of Fantastico.
Posted by sprintserve, 07-08-2005, 11:17 AM
We update Fantastico nightly. But like many pointed out, it doesn't really have the latest of everything.
Posted by kosmo, 07-08-2005, 03:52 PM
net, your posting is dated July 8th. I don't know where your information comes from, but the latest phpBB2 I am aware of is 2.0.16 dated June 27, 2005 (http://www.phpbb.com/downloads.php) and it was included in Fantastico 2.8.8 r7 dated July 1, 2005 (http://www.netenberg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2846). We try our best to stay up-to-date in certain with security related updates but we will always need several days since we need to create upgrade routines for all versions ever installed by Fantastico. kosmo
Posted by kosmo, 07-08-2005, 03:56 PM
PS: An always up-to-date list of versions installed by Fantastico can be found here: http://netenberg.com/fantastico_scripts.php PS2: Upgrading scripts is a Sisyphus work for those who know. Sometimes a script's author releases 2 further versions in the 2 days we need to process the latest update. kosmo