[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:  closed
 Priority:  normal                               |   Milestone:
Component:  General                              |     Version:
 Severity:  normal                               |  Resolution:  maybelater
 Keywords:  needs-codex dev-feedback 2nd-        |     Focuses:
  opinion                                        |
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Comment (by stracker.phil):

 That's all very valid points... Though I would not say that raising the
 requirements does "bully" the users. In my opinion it means that we're
 taking up responsibility for WordPress; as opposed by putting this
 decission into illiterate users hands. Oh no, actually we wait for the
 web-hosts to update php... Or wait.. actually nobody really knows what we
 are waiting for... So just stick with the version we have, making a plan
 could offend someone.

 So far the only real argument against php 5.3 I can hear is:
 "Most users don't know it, besides we don't really need it in core".

 But honestly, who is developing WordPress? Who needs to ensure that in 5
 years from now we still have the high-end developers we have today? Who is
 responsible to create all the amazing things that made WordPress so
 popular?
 It's not the users who know nothing about PHP. It's not the users role to
 lead our technical requirements. Because as stated: They don't have a clue
 about it.

 Honestly, the core system is great, but it alone does not ensure the
 future market-share - blogging has become a no-brainer today. According to
 a statistic I saw for every WP blog come 4 business/commercial WP sites.
 Now, this seems like WP core is not the actual thing that makes WordPress
 so popular, but the environment around it. As a result the core team might
 consider keeping the devs all around happy and fed.

 I see this request for a higher minimum requirement as a strategic action
 to make millions of developers happy - and to attract new ones, as the
 first ones are already getting old :-P

 And what other CMS/Blogging plattform out there has a comparable community
 and free support? Do you have no trust in the community, that people will
 help other people to get along with those changes?

 My answer to the question "why does WP need php 5.3?" is actually:
 "Because it's the way to get to php 5.5"
 I don't want php 5.3 - it's also way past the official end-of-life; but we
 need to get past php 5.2 at some point...

 But maybe I'm wrong, and we should really stop talking about this; let's
 code in php 5.2 until nobody uses it anymore.  Waiting for users to update
 something that they don't even know exists seems like the innovative and
 pro-active approach that is holding WordPress up against an ever rising
 number of competitors. And it seems in alignment with the idea behind
 WordPress:
 "''WordPress was born out of a desire for an elegant, well-architectured
 personal publishing system''" (ok, this could also refer to the UI).
 "''...by focusing on user experience and web standards...''" (ok, this
 could refer to ... correct HTML in the default theme?...)

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/33381#comment:61>
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