Wordpress 2.8.5 Update breaks the update.php file

[Seth Hoenig]

Binary package hint: wordpress

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I am sending this bug report not from the machine with the problem, as ubuntu servers cannot file bug reports!
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The original install was Ubuntu 8.04 LTS with package wordpress 2.8.4

Just recently, security update wordpress 2.8.5 was pushed.

This update causes this breakage:

Warning: constant() [function.constant]: Couldn't find constant WP_CORE_UPDATE in /usr/share/wordpress/wp-admin/includes/update.php on line 33

This line appears on every admin/editor page when logged into wordpress.

I do not *think* this is a security vulnerability, but then again, web development is not my area.

Attached is the broken file, update.php (for my particular install, though I imagine it's the same for all wordpress installations after being broken by the 2.8.5 update)

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Oct 25 22:04:41 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
Package: wordpress (not installed)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-generic
SourcePackage: wordpress
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-generic i686

[pleasebeus (syrysko)]

this is also happening on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala and Wordpress Version 2.8.4 installed via synaptic

[richtl (richtl-dancinglion)]

> this is also happening on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala and Wordpress Version 2.8.4 installed via synaptic

Me too.

[theneoindian (theneoindian)]

Me tooo . i just installed wordpress and it shows this error

[Ryan (ryanplear)]

I just upgraded wordpress and got the same error.

couldn't find constant WP_CORE_UPDATE

[sbricchiLIN (sbricchi)]

Same error.
I've already posted this problem at the wordpress forum. Hope we get lucky!
My version is 2.8.4...

[Seth Hoenig (shoenig)]

I have a ghetto workaround for this:
open:

/usr/share/wordpress/wp-admin/includes/update.php

and comment out the lines:

if ( !constant('WP_CORE_UPDATE') )
return false;

A more detailed guide can be found here:
http://bozosort.com/content/?p=185

[Richard Voogd (Lisati) (lisati)]

Affects me as well. I noticed the message after an upgrade from Ubuntu 9.04 server to 9.10

[Richard Voogd (Lisati) (lisati)]

Seems to be fixed for me after a manual update to version 3.01 of Wordpress

[Rolf Leggewie (r0lf)]

2.8.5 is not in any release. Hardy is still on the 2.3.3 series. Are you sure you have an official package?

[Rolf Leggewie (r0lf)]

not much we can do without further information. Please reopen with the requested details.

[Fleuv (fleuv-d)]

Problem still exists however this warning can be silenced by adding the following to the wp-config.php:
define('WP_CORE_UPDATE', false);