[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #57345: Bump the minimum required PHP version to 7.2
WordPress Trac
noreply at wordpress.org
Thu Jan 12 00:06:29 UTC 2023
#57345: Bump the minimum required PHP version to 7.2
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Reporter: SergeyBiryukov | Owner: (none)
Type: task (blessed) | Status: new
Priority: normal | Milestone: Future
| Release
Component: General | Version:
Severity: normal | Resolution:
Keywords: has-patch has-unit-tests 2nd- | Focuses:
opinion |
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Comment (by jason_the_adams):
As folks very fairly weigh the decision of bumping the minimum version in
all its repercussions, I feel it's worth making a note regarding those
"left behind".
If WordPress were a SaaS, or something like, breaking backwards
compatibility would mean the software is broken — truly leaving folks in a
bad place. It worked, and not it doesn't. Sorry.
WordPress, however, is distributed software. If a user has something
(server specs, a plugin, etc.) preventing them from upgrading, then
they're able to "safely" remain where they are. I say "safely" only to
leave room for security updates, which don't actually apply here since
security updates are applied to previous (to a point) versions of
WordPress.
With this in mind, many (most?) plugins and themes support multiple
versions of WordPress. GiveWP for example (where I work) supports back to
5.0 — as we have no reason not to. So, even if a user were to remain on an
existing version of WordPress for a time, that doesn't necessarily even
mean they can't update their plugins/themes. The plugins and themes
themselves may choose to bump their minimum PHP version, of course, but
many choose to do so now regardless of WP's official version.
All this to say, I think it's important to consider that "left behind"
users are not immediately put into a disadvantaged position. They can
remain where they are, receive security updates, and choose to overcome
the PHP hurdle if and when they are ready. :)
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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/57345#comment:60>
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