[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #33381: Strategize the updating of minimum PHP version.

[WordPress Trac]

#33381: Strategize the updating of minimum PHP version.
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 Reporter:  alexander.rohmann  |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement        |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal             |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General            |     Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal             |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                     |     Focuses:
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Comment (by jdgrimes):

 Replying to [comment:8 knutsp]:
 > A debate on this from 2014: [http://planetozh.com/blog/2014/01/why-
 wordpress-should-drop-php-5-2/]

 Quoting @nacin from there:

 >WordPress does work with hosts to get PHP updated. We keep a pretty close
 eye on defaults and offerings, and even see how much the numbers move when
 a big host makes a large shift. We casually survey them to see what their
 reasons are for updating. The difference is we're not going to put users
 in the middle of all of this political melee.
 >
 >And for as long as PHP upstream shows a lack of respect for shared
 hosting situations, dropping security support for PHP 5.2 while it was
 still powering a vast majority of websites, dropping security support for
 PHP 5.3 while it (and 5.2) are a vast majority of websites, it's really
 not in our best interest to "play along" at the expense of our users. Tens
 of millions of users would be affected — and potentially stranded, or
 certainly wondering why WordPress is putting them in the middle of all of
 this — all because reasons. It's completely silly. [...]

 I applaud the WordPress project leaders for not bringing the users into
 this. It could easily turn into an all-out food fight among the users, the
 WordPress community, the hosts, the PHP devs, etc. I agree that we should
 continue to protect our users from all of this. But at the same time,
 we're all impatient, and I guess we just wish that there was more that
 could be done to speed up the process. My biggest fear is that everyone is
 just kicking the can down the road, and that in ten years we'll be sitting
 here having the same discussion about PHP 5.6 (or 5.5, or 5.4, God
 forbid). I don't think we need to start playing a blame game, but I'd like
 to know what can be done, and what is actually being done, to make PHP
 version transitions easier in the future? At some point somebody has to
 say, "You know what, this is really broken and here's what we're going to
 do to fix it in the future." I realize that isn't something that falls on
 WordPress, but we feel more pain from it than anyone else (although the
 hosts' pangs are more severe ;-).

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/33381#comment:9>
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