[development] Go PHP 5, Go!

[Larry Garfield]

On Wednesday 06 June 2007, Vivek Puri wrote:

> Now there's another catch there. Its far easier to
> upgrade the PHP/Apache than OS. Lets see:
> 1 ) Most people manage their servers remotely even
> people who pay for dedicated servers. So upgrading PHP
> means if it goes wrong I am still logged on to my
> server and can revert back. If I upgrade my OS and it
> goes wrong I am stuck and it goes out of my control as
> most people cant install OS remotely.
> 2 ) Most production server will be Ok with upgrading
> PHP/Apache as its still application than upgrading the
> OS. You can always have php4 & php5 installed on same
> machine.
> 3 ) RHEL5/CentOS5 have recently been launched and
> there are issue with stability. So most people will
> wait till its stabilized before upgrading. So as I
> understand new servers may use RHEL5/CentOS5 older
> servers are in no rush to upgrade.
>
> Now even if RHEL5 becomes prominent platform we are
> again stuck with PHP 5.1 , while we are planning to
> target PHP 5.2 .
>
> So Jonathan is right that we are moving at pace of
> RedHat.  Although I am in full favor of move to php
> 5.2 soon but hosting companies, which rely on "yum
> update" for maintaining their servers, wont come on
> board esily.

OS upgrades aren't really a concern for us.  We're just interested in the PHP 
version.

Although Red Hat's latest version ships 5.1.6 by default, that version 
apparently had some nasty bugs anyway from what I have heard.  I think the 
most telling data, though, is this:

http://www.nexen.net/chiffres_cles/phpversion/16987-php_stats_evolution_for_april_2007.php

See the last chart especially.  A month ago, 5.2 was already within spitting 
distance of surpassing 5.1 installations, and 5.1 is in slight decline.  By 
next February, at that rate it should have a healthy chunk of the market 
already, even without us pushing.  Not enough that we could abandon PHP 4 
without pushing, but enough that it's a safe target, I believe.

-- 
Larry Garfield			AIM: LOLG42
larry at garfieldtech.com		ICQ: 6817012

"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of 
exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, 
which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to 
himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession 
of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it."  -- Thomas 
Jefferson