[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #58719: Bump the minimum PHP version to 7.2

[WordPress Trac]

#58719: Bump the minimum PHP version to 7.2
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 Reporter:  justlevine   |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General      |    Version:
 Severity:  normal       |   Keywords:
  Focuses:               |
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 Background: #51043, #57345

 Per discussion in #51043 (and reaffirmed in #57345, specifically
 https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/57345#comment:29 and
 https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/57345#comment:83 ), for WordPress
 to consider dropping support for a PHP version, the versions need to get
 below 5% usage, regardless of the WordPress version used on those sites.

 As of 5 July 2023, [PHP usage for all WordPress
 sites](https://wordpress.org/about/stats/)
 - PHP 5.6 is at 3.93%
 - PHP 7.0 is at 2.05%
 - PHP 7.1 is at 1.38%

 #57345 is slated to drop support for 5.6, which means barring the unlikely
 event that migrating users choose PHP 7.0 or 7.1 instead of a later
 version, the collective usage of PHP 7.0+7.1 is <%5 and eligible to be
 dropped.

 That said (and as evidenced in the referenced tickets), dropping support
 for a PHP version is an orchestrated event that requires leadership
 approval, coordination with web hosts, and an announcement post that gives
 users ample time to prepare.

 In an effort to prevent some of the planning hiccups around previous
 version drops, and hopefully continuing to standardize the process, I
 propose we already begin planning the eventual removal of the next slated
 PHP version.

 Specifically,
 * We should choose a "go/no-go" date for when we should evaluate the stats
 and determine which versions (collectively) meet the <%5 threshold (my
 assumption is that we will want to pad #57345 to see where the migrations
 land).
 * We should determine the minimum ideal time before dropping support for
 an announcement post (several in #57345 suggested 2-3 months advanced
 notice)

 Previously:
 #57345 Bumping the minimum PHP version to 7.0 in WordPress 6.3 (targeted)
 #46594 Bumping the minimum PHP version to 5.6 in WordPress 5.2
 #16917 Bumping the minimum PHP version to 5.2 in WordPress 3.2

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58719>
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