[wp-hackers] php -v

[Ryan McCue]

Eric Mann wrote:
> This. I really like this idea. Would be fairly easy to expose a
> PHP_BLEEDING or similar constant in core and use that as a switch to turn
> on/off enhanced (new) features. My hesitation here is the same as Helen
> pointed out earlier - most end users have no idea what PHP is, how it
> works, what version they're running, or how to upgrade.  By hiding new
> features behind a versioned wall, we're introducing a world where WordPress
> is advertised to have X feature, but when Jimmy Blogger clicks the
> auto-install button on his hosting dashboard, X feature is nowhere to be
> found.  He'll blame WordPress, not his host, for the discrepancy.

To be clear, I was thinking more of behind-the-scenes developer-focused
features. Making use of performance enhancements where possible (ala
spl_object_hash()) and the like that still have a fallback, even if that
fallback isn't that great. Maybe even advanced APIs, but that's sort of
on the edge.

Introducing user-focused features that don't work with all WP installs
would be an incredibly bad idea.

-- 
Ryan McCue
<http://ryanmccue.info/>