[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:  jorbin
     Type:  enhancement                          |      Status:  assigned
 Priority:  normal                               |   Milestone:  Awaiting
Component:  General                              |  Review
 Severity:  normal                               |     Version:
 Keywords:  needs-codex dev-feedback 2nd-        |  Resolution:
  opinion                                        |     Focuses:
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Comment (by dd32):

 Replying to [comment:86 chris@…]:
 > @nacin had a [https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2015/03/01/major-update-
 to-our-version-stats-for-php-mysql-and-wordpress/ post about a year ago]
 (scroll down to the '''Updated March 2''' headline) where he partially
 answered the old PHP/old WP percentage question.
 >
 >     '''Is there anyway we can see PHP/MySQL versions broken down by what
 WordPress version they are running on?'''
 >     We’re still working on ensuring the numbers are stable. They’re
 pretty predictable: older WP versions have more people on older PHP and
 MySQL versions. Newer WP versions have less.
 >     PHP 5.2 is at about 16% for all installs right now. It’s at about
 10% for installs running WordPress 4.1, but because 4.1 is such a large
 part of the pie (36%), it’s the WP version with the most PHP 5.2 installs.
 >
 > I'd be curious to know if there's been an update on this.

 PHP 5.2 accounts for 8.3% of '''all''' sites; Of those
 * 38% of the PHP 5.2 installs we track are running WordPress 3.x. ( ~3.2%
 of overall )
 * 62% of the PHP 5.2 installs we track are running WordPress 4.x ( ~5.1%
 of overall )
 * 32% are using WordPress 4.4 (~25%) or 4.5 - It's worth noting that 4.4
 has the highest number simply as it accounts for the majority of installs
 at present. therefor, WordPress 4.0~4.3 accounts for 30%.

 With every release of WordPress, the number of older PHP installs that get
 left behind increases, and that's expected as newly provisioned WordPress
 sites should more often than not be being provisioned with a more recent
 version of PHP.

 The above numbers reflect what we saw a year ago, that although abandoned
 sites are more likely to run out of date PHP, that it's mostly an even
 spread over all versions.
 If you take a look at WordPress 3.0~3.3 you'll find that 33% of them run
 PHP 5.2, compared to ~4.75% of WordPress 4.4/4.5 sites.

 As a sidenote, I think WordPress 4.4 is the first release where by the end
 of the release, the PHP 5.2 usage number was below that mystical 5% line
 in the sand. Every release prior to that has wound up at close to 7% PHP
 5.2 usage.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/33381#comment:88>
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