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Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2019 01:52:34 -0700
In-Reply-To: <b06bb988-fa0c-50c0-3704-3091d78d42a9@korulczyk.pl>
Cc: PHP Internals List <internals@lists.php.net>
To: Robert Korulczyk <robert@korulczyk.pl>
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Changing fundamental language behaviors
From: mike@newclarity.net (Mike Schinkel)

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> Many of these are ticking bombs - unmaintained extensions with =
possible security issues.

Totally agree.

> Right now the biggest problem of WordPress ecosystem is quality of =
community extensions and themes.

Being intimately involved in the WordPress ecosystem, I do not know If =
it is the *biggest* problem. =20

But I digress...

> Cutting of all old and unmaintained extensions may be not that bad...

It depends on who you ask if it is bad or not.  I think that many on =
this list would think it is a good thing.  OTOH, I think many people who =
have working websites that currently use one of these plugins and who do =
not have developers on staff would think it is a very bad thing. =
Especially if such a change could cost them a significant unplanned =
amount of money and hassle to resolve.

Which brings up an important point. There is a big difference between =
the plugins in the WordPress.org <http://wordpress.org/> repo that might =
have security issues  I think the WordPress Core team would be open to =
sunsetting any plugins that are objectively found to have security =
issues, or even major PHP compatibilities.

OTOH, given that WordPress is over 1/3rd of the web that means many of =
these plugins are active on working sites, sites where their web host =
might encourage them to upgrade to PHP8 when PHP 7 is no longer =
supported. =20

It is those people who are likely to be most negatively affected, and =
the vast majority of them will never have hired a developer in their =
life let alone understand why a handful of people decided to "break =
their site" without them having any say in the matter.

#fwiw

-Mike
P.S. Again, I want to clarify I am not saying what the PHP core team =
should do. I am simply relaying what I think the ramifications are =
likely to be =E2=80=94 based upon my experience with WordPress since =
2010 and PHP since 2008 =E2=80=94 if breaking changes are introduced =
into PHP 8.  It is up to the voting members to actually decide what will =
happen.




> On Sep 13, 2019, at 1:11 AM, Robert Korulczyk <robert@korulczyk.pl> =
wrote:
>=20
>> Upgrading the ~68,000 open source plugins available on wordpress.org =
<http://wordpress.org/>, thousands of commercial plugins, and and an =
untold number of custom-developed bespoke plugins and custom themes is =
where the concern lies.=20
>=20
> Many of these are ticking bombs - unmaintained extensions with =
possible security issues. Right now the biggest problem of WordPress =
ecosystem is
> quality of community extensions and themes. Cutting of all old and =
unmaintained extensions may be not that bad...
>=20
>=20
> Regards,
> Robert Korulczyk


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