[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #44851: Offer LTS (Long Term Support) version of WordPress 4.9.x when 5.0 (Gutenberg) rolls out

[WordPress Trac]

#44851: Offer LTS (Long Term Support) version of WordPress 4.9.x when 5.0
(Gutenberg) rolls out
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 Reporter:  mor10               |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  feature request     |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal              |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Editor              |    Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal              |   Keywords:
  Focuses:  ui, administration  |
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 On the release of 5.0, give site owners the option of "freezing" their
 install at 4.9.x by choosing to stay with a terminated LTS (Long Term
 Support) branch which only receives security and maintenance updates, and
 only for a specified number of years.

 This option should be offered //in place of// the "Classic Editor" plugin.

 == Practical implementation
 When 5.0 ships, site owners are presented with a panel similar to the
 mockup added below where they can choose to upgrade to 5.0 or stay with
 the TLS version. Information about each choice and what that entails is
 provided in links in the modal window.

 [[Image(https://cldup.com/s2t4tjRlhB.png)]]

 Users who choose the TLS version are given two options in the Updates
 panel: "Update WordPress TLS" (security updates only) or "Upgrade to 5.0".

 == Reasoning
 When WordPress 5.0 and Gutenberg rolls out, many users will be faced with
 a complex dilemma: Get the latest version of WordPress and risk
 compatibility issues / retraining / redesign / and/or other problems, or
 choose not to upgrade and end up running an old and eventually insecure
 version of the content management system.

 While the majority of WordPress users will weather the 5.0 upgrade without
 issues, a not insignificant group will run into issues which may end up
 requiring a significant investment in time or money or both which they are
 not able to take on at this time. Providing a clean off-ramp for them
 which allows them the time and space to prepare for the upgrade or
 otherwise resolve their unique challenges is essential to avoid a feature
 upgrade causing harm to the end-user.

 Additionally, offering a LTS version provides a relatively uncomplicated
 solution to the problem of backwards compatibility faced by many plugin
 developers. The popularity of the Classic Editor plugin means plugin
 developers have to either ship two versions of their plugins (Gutenberg
 and Classic) or ship a larger plugin with both options built in. An LTS
 version of WordPress would mean these developers could offer a similar LTS
 version of their plugin as it was when 4.9.x was released, and continue
 development on their 5.x support plugin as normal.

 == Problem: This will split the community
 A public LTS version of WordPress will split the community between those
 who upgrade to 5.0 and those who stay on LTS. This is neither new nor is
 it unusual. There are countless WordPress sites out there intentionally or
 unintentionally running older versions already, and within the community
 there is talk of launching an official fork of WordPress which would see a
 true split.

 It is an unavoidable fact that some users will choose to not upgrade to
 5.0. How this issue is addressed will impact the development of the
 application, its community, and its users long term. Offering a Long Term
 Service version, and making each user who considers it aware of what this
 means, keeps the user base informed and provides clean and responsible
 options for everyone.

 == LTS is how WordPress does it today
 WordPress has a long shipped security updates for older versions for an
 extended period of time, so technically this is no different from what is
 already happening. My proposal is to make this an **explicit feature** of
 the WordPress 5.0 release by giving each site owner the ability to opt out
 of the 5.0 upgrade until they are ready by activating a "WordPress TLS"
 release.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/44851>
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