Six years ago we had a healthy discussion regarding #941896: "Upgrade" vs. "Update" language. With Drupal 8 however, a new term crept in: "migrate". Instead of "upgrading" from Drupal 6/7 to Drupal 8, we're talking about "migrating" to Drupal 8. You enable the different Migrate modules and then go to "/upgrade" (instead of "/migrate"

There are two main guides on upgrading/migrating to Drupal 8:

There are plenty of examples of both "upgrading" and "migrating" being used together:

  • You can easily, and automatically upgrade your existing D6 or D7 site, because Drupal 8 core includes three migration modules designed to accomplish that task.
  • This page is about the migration system of 'upgrading'. (Not about minor version 'updates')
  • In Drupal 8, there are two separate systems: one for 'updates' (Eg. from D8.0 to 8.1), and a migration system for 'upgrades' (Eg. from Drupal 6, or Drupal 7, to Drupal 8).
  • On the other hand, 'upgrading' from earlier major versions of Drupal 6 and Drupal 7 (as well as migrating from other systems; if and when applicable), is done with 'migration'.
  • Upgrade using the migration user interface
  • The first step to migrating is to prepare your site for the upgrade.

At the very least we should clarify the difference between upgrading and migrating in the Stlyle Guide.

Comments

wmostrey created an issue. See original summary.

eojthebrave’s picture

eojthebrave
he/him
Primary language English
Location Minneapolis, MN
CreditAttribution: eojthebrave at Drupalize.Me commented

At the very least we should clarify the difference between upgrading and migrating

Suggestions as to what you think we should add to the style guide? Maybe something that clarifies "upgrade" refers to moving from one major Drupal version to another, which happens via a "migration" but that you can also "migrate" from non-Drupal sources like WordPress.

Oh man, I see this getting really confusing really fast. Thanks for brining it up.

wmostrey’s picture

wmostrey CreditAttribution: wmostrey commented

I think that the definition of upgrading remains the same: upgrading the code from one major version of Drupal to another. For example upgrading from Drupal 6 or Drupal 7 to Drupal 8. Migrating is the importing of content from a previous version of Drupal, or from a non-Drupal source. Once we agree upon this, I will update the style guide.

To go a step further I would like to document the origin and history of the term "migration". I can't seem to find the origin of the term "migration" though. It started getting used during the development cycle of Drupal 8, but I don't know who first started using it, or in what context.

sachinsuryavanshi’s picture

sachinsuryavanshi CreditAttribution: sachinsuryavanshi as a volunteer commented

I second that, Upgrade word makes sense to me.

Drupal 8 is not just version update but giving more feature over past versions. User can see

Upgrade

word as enhancement IMO.

Migration will be somehow confusing for NewBie Drupal Developers.

php2ranjan’s picture

php2ranjan CreditAttribution: php2ranjan commented

Upgrade
An upgrade is when you reinstall the program by using a newer version of that program, with a higher first figure of the version number. For example, your currently installed version of the program is 2.5.0.337, and you replace it with version 3.0.0.156. The upgrades are usually not free, but cost less than new licenses. Before you attempt to upgrade a program, visit the Pricing page of the product (e.g. CodeTwo Exchange Rules family, CodeTwo Exchange Rules Pro) to find out if you are eligible for a discount or check your purchase options.

Update
An update is when you reinstall the program by using a newer version of that program, with a higher second, third or fourth figure of the version number. For example, your currently installed version of the program is 2.5.0.337, and you replace it with version 2.6.1.12. Updates are free of charge for all licensed users.

quietone’s picture

quietone CreditAttribution: quietone at PreviousNext commented
Related issues: +#2709507: [META] Remove outdated references to "upgrade" from core

As I recall, there was a far amount of discussion by the migrate maintainers on selecting the language to use. One point everyone at the time agreed upon was that the user of the Migrate UI should not see the term 'migrate'. The thinking was that someone using the 'one click option' is likely to not be a developer and does not need to know what is happening 'under the hood'. That lead to making a distinction between "upgrade" and "update" . See https://www.drupal.org/docs/upgrading-drupal.

There is an issue in core to change all references to "upgrade" to "update". #2709507: [META] Remove outdated references to "upgrade" from core. Perhaps that should be used and updates can be major version update or minor version update.