[wp-hackers] Drop PHP4 support entirely?

[Jamie Holly]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: wp-hackers-bounces at lists.automattic.com [mailto:wp-hackers-
> bounces at lists.automattic.com] On Behalf Of Computer Guru
> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 3:07 PM
> To: wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
> Subject: RE: [wp-hackers] Drop PHP4 support entirely?
> 
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> 
> See, these people won't upgrade to PHP5 even when 6 is out!
> 
> They need their users to complain. Their users have no idea what PHP4/5
> is,
> but I'm sure a lot more know what WP is and when it doesn't work 1and1
> (and
> others) must get the message.....
> 

I don't know about that. What totally must have bells and whistles would a
WP built on PHP5 offer that it doesn't now, and would those new features
push average Joe to change hosting companies?

I really liked the idea someone else brought up of starting a PHP5 only
branch or fork just to see what can be done. That would give us a much
better way to gauge rather or not a PHP5 only would be highly beneficial
enough to the average end user. 

Another thing that would need considered is continued support for the PHP 4
branch. Say WP 2.X stays PHP 4 and 3.X goes PHP5. I would say we have to
keep supporting 2.x for a year at minimum. Again back to the average Joe
user. Him and his wife decided they wanted a place for friends and family to
keep in touch. They saw XYZ hosting company offering web hosting for $60 a
year, and best of all the only thing they had to do was login to their
account, click this little Fantastico icon then click on Wordpress. If they
just paid that $60, then a month later found out that this really cool
version of WP was coming out, but they can't use it because their host don't
support the necessities of it, then they might be a little upset (which
would be shared between WP and their host). 

I guess that's why I have mixed feelings over this whole thing. PHP5 only
would be awesome from a development stand point, but will it be just as
beneficial to the average end user?

Jamie Holly
http://www.intoxination.net