[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 seancjones):

 Replying to [comment:93 dd32]:

 > **Plugins and Themes can require a higher version of PHP than what
 WordPress does. You do not have to support an outdated version of PHP or
 outdated install of WordPress** - I don't support anything older than PHP
 5.4 and WordPress 4.4 at present, that's a choice I've made, and every
 time someone contacts me (at least once a week) asking why the plugin
 doesn't work for them, I explain that the detailed error message meant
 they need to contact their host, you can do that too.

 There are a few different points of view here. Mine is that I 100% agree
 that users should come first - it's an awesome thing about WordPress. I
 love it, and it's what's made it so popular.

 Where I disagree with you is that what you're describing is a good user
 experience.

 Imagine for one second:

 - PHP 5.2.* user and 5.3.* user does not understand what PHP is, and just
 wants a website. Installs WordPress. Is very excited!
 - Wants '''Tumblr Importer'''. Is really excited to get images from Tumblr
 on their website.
 - Plugin doesn't work. They get a detailed message explaining why it
 doesn't work, which they may or may not read/understand.

 Putting myself in this user's shoes, if this happened for multiple plugins
 or themes, I would get frustrated. To make matters worse, each plugin
 developer has a different approach to handling this as there is no core
 solution in WordPress for declaring a PHP minimum version. This results in
 a truly terrible and confusing WordPress experience for the least
 technical people.

 I am not saying raising the PHP minimum version is the only answer. I am
 saying that it feels pretty obvious to me that we can do a lot better as a
 community to help users with outdated versions of PHP figure out why their
 WordPress install is running like a 1989 Chevy Nova without an oil change,
 and getting worse every day. This is one approach, #23880 is another.

 The argument against doing something are compelling, but they assume that
 the only steps that can be taken would hurt the user experience and not
 help improve a bad one. It would be really nice if we could change the
 dialog to: How can we make the user experience better, supporting
 WordPress' core mission, while also addressing this PHP version issue in a
 constructive, conservative, and incremental way?

 And in a quick response to @johnbillion:

 > the project would be left with a security fix back-compat nightmare
 which is worse than it is now (security fixes are currently backported to
 3.7 when appropriate and it's becoming more difficult with every new
 release).

 If it's already more difficult with every new release, is there a way to
 review this separate concern and apply those systems and structures to any
 upgrade decision? If you're already telling me that back-compat is tough,
 the status quo is going to become untenable in the future. Saying that is
 the reason not to upgrade PHP doesn't feel quite right to me.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/33381#comment:103>
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