I did a fresh 5.4.1 installation and I upgraded a 5.3 DNN to 5.4.1 and compared the web.config files between the two and noticed quite a bit of differences. Why are there several settings missing in the upgrade installation. I added them manually and did some quick tests and DNN worked fine. I was wondering if these missing and different settings have any implications.

Here are my results:

1- Upgrade:  

Fresh Install:

2- Upgrade: No sitemap provider and settings

Fresh install: There's a sitemap provider and sitemap section

3- upgrade:

fresh install:

4- fresh install: 

upgrade: missing

5- fresh install:  
     
      

upgrade: missing

6- fresh install: 

upgrade: missing

(Did my post get messed up? The entries showed properly when I posted it. Anyways, the entries are visible in the html source)

There are several issues with this:

1- The icons are not a big issue. I didn't mention them.

2- When settings are missing in the upgrade version then it seems to me that DNN won't use the functionality. When the sitemap provider is missing doesn't that mean DNN won't use your sitemap?

3- When DNN is enhancing or adding a functionality and the upgrade web.config doesn't reflect these changes, how does DNN then make use or be aware of the changes?

4- I don't know the difference between solpartmenu and DNNmenu. I didn't see an option to choose between the two in the control panel. So how would someone who is upgrading his DNN know that DNN has switched the menu in a fresh installation only.

5- For users who use Telerik's RadEditor provider, there's nothing in the upgrade that enables them to use DNN's native RadEditor provider. I had to go through a whole manual process to switch the providers. The upgrade keeps your original providers and makes no provisions of any kind to enable the host admin to use the new provider.

I am seeing enough differences between an upgrade and a fresh install to feel that the upgrade is missing on a few things.

The upgrade should  enabe the host administrator to switch to the newer functionality whenever there's something new being offered. The upgrade is a silent upgrade. No prompts. It just blindly keeps your default settings without letting you what has changed in the newer version.

I want to see upgrade prompts like these:

1- We have switched the default menu from menu A to menu B, do you want the upgrade to make the change to menu B? Yes/No

2- We see that you are using Telerik's older RadEditor provider. DNN now provides its own improved provider. Do you want to switch to DNN provider? Yes/No.

3- We recommend switching from a memory based cache provider to a file based cache provider. Do you want to switch? Yes/No

4- etc.. etc.

I love software which are powerful enablers which make a user more proactive and aware.

The release notes on codeplex don't mention anything I talked about.

The zip file should have a release notes file associated with it.

I read the blogs and I don't remember coming across anything I mentioned. I do remember someone saying that the upgrade doesn't enable the Telerik provider. The upgrade should enable the telerik provider as an option. Some people are excited about the Telerik controls but there's like zero documumetation about which controls are available, how to set them up and how to use them. You're on your own.